SOME may see it as a well-intentioned campaign to bring more women into motor racing, but it seems that those in the know, the women who currently participate in the sport, are not so like-minded. I’m talking about the recently launched W Series which, it is said, is aimed at helping women racers transition into Formula 1. Will it, or will it create silos which will be difficult to manoeuvre out from?
By a strange coincidence Tuesday night’s guest on #letshearitforthegirls at Rock Sport, booked long before we heard of this, was Emily Glanvill, a 19-year-old racing driver, currently studying sports engineering at Strathclyde University. Emily started go-kart racing at the age of 13 and has always participated against men. She held a full adult men’s racing license by the age of 16, which allowed her to compete in Men’s Class One, the most competitive Autograss division.
She was not only the youngest competitor on the grid but also the only female in this class in Scotland. At the end of the season, Emily became the Mens Class One Scottish Vice-Champion in 2015. She was also awarded the trophy for the Most Improved Adult Rookie across all classes in Scotland.
It hasn’t been easy for Emily as it is an expensive sport and sometimes the perception from sponsors is that because she is female she is perhaps not worth backing. However, her results tell a different story.
The qualities required to be a top racing driver are: fitness, driving ability, and reaction time, and these skills are not exclusive to the male population.
Time will tell if this initiative does open doors for women to race in F1, but given the acceleration in all areas of sport for women, I do hope so.
Meanwhile, voting is now open for the UWS Sportswomen of the Year and you can have your choice between Katie Archibald (cycling) Hannah Rankin (boxing), Caroline Brown (lawn bowls) Laura Muir (athletics), Grace Reid (diving) and Seonaid McIntosh (shooting). You can cast your vote at goo.gl/SScCMB and the winner will be announced on November 9.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here