Racy women set new world record

Last weekend 62 female motor racers attempted to create a new world record when they competed in the four Formula Woman Novice Races at Pembrey, South Wales – never before have so many women raced in the same motorsports event.

The prize for the winners of the four races – Amanda Elliott (34 from Derby) Michelle Nixon (22 from Little Malvern), Lucy Redding (31 from Toddington) and Amanda Black (23 from Skegness) respectively – is automatic entry for the 8-round 2006 Formula Woman Novice Race Series, which will feature at events throughout the UK. The remaining women will now be invited to attend a Formula Woman ‘boot camp’, from which the final 12 entrants will be selected for the Series.

Said Formula Woman founder Graeme Glew, "We had over 4000 applicants for just 16 places in next year’s Series for Caterham K-Series racecars. The 2000 selected were whittled down to 100 hopefuls via a variety of tests on and off the track. Those 100 were then invited to enter for Pembrey, as it was felt a concentrated race day was the perfect way of sorting the women from the girls and giving those attending an experience to remember. We are confident we created a new world record in the process and have submitted our claim to the Guinness Book of Records."

As part of a commitment to Formula Woman, Channel 4 is compiling a documentary on four of the competitors – including the oldest entrant, 67-year-old Jean Neville from Haslingden in Lancashire. The resulting programme will be screened in 2006.

The race days were with not without incident, with Race Two posting a pair of false starts and the final event ending prematurely following an

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accident. However the driving was hard and fast and the competitors and spectators loved every minute.

Said Formula Woman’s Penny Mattocks, "The other race goers (almost exclusively male!) were bemused by the number of drivers with long blonde hair and the circuit restaurant had to purchase an emergency supply of cereals and fruit to supplement its normal fare of fried food. There was even a nutritionist on hand and Formula Woman marshals manning the marshal’s posts. In short, there were girls everywhere!"

Concluded Graeme Glew, "Nobody attending this historic Pembrey meeting could doubt the future for females in UK motorsport. I’ve known for years that women were just as keen to race as the men. Now others are witnessing the fact for themselves. We can’t wait for the 2006 Series to get under way."