Motorsport might have been considered a ‘male career’ in the past but Moving On caught up with a few females who are upping the revs in the motorsport industry work. All the ladies we spoke with are involved in karting, which looks like great fun – but there’s a career in there too…

Karting

A go-kart is a small, light, low-slung car with a petrol-powered engine which is raced on a scaled-down circuit. They have wheels outside the main body of the car and usually have only one seat. These open-wheel cars are usually built specifically for racing and have a higher degree of technological sophistication than other types of cars in motorsport.

Lots of young people take part in junior racing and go- karting competitions from an early age and it’s definitely not a boys-only industry! Girls take up the sport at almost the same rate as boys and go on to have exciting careers in the motorsport industry. Moving On spoke to some young women who are involved in this exhilarating sport and found out how they got started…

Carly Latcham

Carly is a project executive at the Motorsport Industry Association. She currently competes in the Elite Karting League for the Northampton Maidens.

Carly has a BSc Hons in Motorsport Management and she got into motorsport when she was 10. “My father used to compete in motorbike and jet-ski racing. When I was old enough, he got me a kart and it all went from there. We raced at national level in MSA karting in Super 2 and Super 1. It’s a great family sport which brings everyone together but it can be difficult financially and you need to ensure you have a good team around you to compete successfully.”

Amy Brambil

Amy is an emissions certification engineer at Jaguar Land Rover and she competes in the Elite Karting League (EKL) as well as a local JLR league.

Amy did an advanced apprenticeship in engineering with Jaguar Land Rover and got into competitive karting in April 2013. “I came third in the female race and as a team, we won the event overall allowing us to compete in the World Corporate Games in 2014 and I captained the Coventry Valkyries in the EKL. One of the main personal challenges that I have found is learning new tracks quickly - I love the rush you get from going as fast as you can so low to the ground.”

Stephanie Walters

Stephanie is a project associate for clinical trials company. She has raced in Pro karts, TKM class racing and Rotax. She currently races in the Elite Karting League (EKL) and is captain of the Northampton Maidens. “I got into racing through my dad, who took me racing for the first time when I was 8 and I fell in love with it. Being the only girl in CLUB100 for six years was challenging and I had to earn the respect of the lads but I persevered and became the first female to get a championship trophy.”

The motorsport industry

The motorsport industry designs and develops vehicle engineering solutions and prototypes to deliver high performance equipment for success on the racetrack, where speed and efficiency are paramount. Motorsport is a fast-paced, multi-billion pound entertainment-driven industry, fuelled by a go-getting workforce with a can-do attitude.

Trackside efficiency

If you’ve ever watched Formula 1 then you will have seen the pit stop team at work. The efficiency with which they work is so precisely choreographed, with every member of the team knowing exactly what their role is and every member being able to rely on others to play their part. Everything in the world of motorsport is about efficiency, not just the engineering and fuel systems and it’s this kind of precision and reliability that shaves off important seconds.

Careers in motorsport

We met with Chris Aylett, chief executive of the Motor Industry Association, who told us all about what a fascinating and rewarding industry motorsport is. Careers in the motorsport industry are incredibly varied. The industry is huge and it is entertainment driven and the job roles reflect this. Aside from race car driving, there are also career options on the engineering side of the sport, in stadium management, marketing and events, transport and logistics and even in specialist motorsport law. We have lots more features on both motorsport and jobs in the automotive industry for you to read here.

How to turn your gaming into a career

If you’re really interested in racing, the GT (Gran Turismo) Academy offers opportunities for players to compete in online qualifiers for the chance to become a real-life, professional racing driver. In 2011, the winner was Jann Mardenborough, who has since gone on an intensive driver development programme. He’s now making a real name for himself in the motor racing world.

Youngsters from 8 years old and upwards can compete in karting and it is highly likely that the next Formula 1 world champion will have kick-started his or her career by getting involved in go-karting from an early age. For more info go to: www.uk-go-karting.com/juniors/