Motorsport for primary school girls

A ground-breaking new motorsport initiative will see up to 90 primary school girls attend the first three motor racing education and immersion events across Australia later this month.

Developed in the UK by former Formula 1 driver Susie Wolff and the CEO of UK Motor Sport Association, Rob Jones, the Dare to be Different program was created to smash stereotypes from a young age and inspire young girls to pursue a career in motorsport.

Backed by the Australian Confederation of Motor Sport (CAMS), the program will educate girls aged eight to 11 years old about the wide range of jobs that motorsport has to offer – on and off the track.

Australia’s inaugural D2BD event schedule will kick off on Friday, September 21 with a karting event in Port Melbourne, where up to 30 girls will not only get a chance to hit the tarmac but learn from the best females in the industry.

“There is real excitement about this program from those in the industry and we are thrilled with how many people are throwing their support behind D2BD, including our confirmed ambassadors who play a vital role as female leaders in motorsport,” said CAMS CEO Eugene Arocca.

Those ambassadors include industry heavyweights and pioneers in their respective fields, including Supercar driver Simona De Silvestro, team owner of Erebus Motorsport Betty Klimenko, performance and data engineer for the Red Bull Holden Racing Team Romy Mayer, Australian rally car champion Molly Taylor, Fox Sports presenter Jessica Yates and Australian superbike host Emma Notarfrancesco.

The one-day event, which is free to a limited number of schools, will include theory and hands-on activities including a pit-stop and STEM challenge, driving (karting or simulation), reaction and fitness activities and a media workshop.

Educating girls at a young age is critical to changing mindsets about motorsport, said Dare to be Different’s Australian program coordinator Tanja van Bokhoven.

“We really would like to reach out to this particular age group before they get told by teachers at secondary school what ‘common’ professions are for women, before those preconceived ideas are formed,” said van Bokhoven.

“This program is also a great way for the industry to learn about the potential barriers to attracting and retaining females in the traditionally male-dominated industry.

“We know it can be daunting for girls to be part of a very male-dominated environment, but motorsport is not alone in that regard and we’ve seen good steps forward in sports such as rugby and AFL in recent times.”

The inaugural D2BD event in September will be followed by a session with Triple Eight Race Engineering in Brisbane in October and participation at the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship finale in Newcastle in November.

While the Dare to be Different program gives girls a mere glimpse of what is possible in the world of motorsport, CAMS is confident it is the beginning of something great.

“We’re really excited about ramping up our Dare To Be Different activities in the remaining months of 2018, before we get set for an even bigger 2019,” Arocca said.

Bokhoven said D2BD was not just about promoting motorsport to girls, but ‘daring them to be different’.

“When the girls leave the day, I hope they will have a better understanding of career opportunities in motorsport and how exciting that is,” said van Bokhoven.

“Beyond this, however, we hope they’ll think outside the box. It doesn’t necessarily have to mean that they are now wanting to work in motorsport, but if they go away with being more open-minded, to dare to be different and follow their heart, then we’ve done our job.”

Schools keen to be involved in D2BD can now register their interest at www.cams.com.au/d2bd.