Since its launch the FIA Girls on Track initiative has enjoyed huge success in giving young women a first taste of the world of motor sport and raising awareness of the wide range of career opportunities available to them on and off track. And to broaden the programme’s reach even further, Girls on Track is going online with a series of events designed to inspire, educate and empower girls considering getting involved in motor sport.

The events, which will take place on Facebook, Instagram and Zoom, will split across three different formats – webinars, conferences and webcasts – each of which will give an insight into different aspects of motor sport.

The purpose of the webinars is to educate young girls by introducing them to the world of motor sport through a series of different online modules related to sports, career and education. Each module, aimed at girls aged 8-18 can be carried out using materials that everyone has in the household.

The conferences are aimed at young women who are interested in pursuing a career in motor sport. Through the experiences and insights of Women in Motorsport Commission ambassadors such as sportscar racer Tatiana Calderón and multiple Le Mans-winning race engineer Leena Gade, as well as other sporting role models, the conferences will help empower young women by giving them the confidence to believe in themselves. Each session will also feature a live Q&A with the conference host.

Finally, the webcast format will inspire, with in-depth guides to careers in motor sport, introductions to Commission partners and educational institutions and offers career opportunities and education through participating partners.

“We have decided to adapt to the current situation and to take the opportunity to widen our community by developing a virtual version of FIA Girls on Track,” said FIA Social Responsibility Programmes Manager Barbara Silva. “Our virtual workshops and webinars will ensure we can reach even more young women and girls around the world and further develop the pool of future talents.”

The first FIA Girls on Track Virtual Experience took place in July with an Instagram Live presentation with Susie Wolff, a Commission ambassador and Team Principal of the Venturi Formula E Team. She, and host Lee McKenzie, were joined by hundreds of followers from all four corners of the globe as they chatted about life as a woman in motor sport and answered fans’ questions about career opportunities in the sport.

FIA Junior WRC star Catie Munnings has also lent her support to the programme. “It’s great to be a part of the project, and to inspire younger girls to get involved with motor sport at the most accessible level, in their own houses,” said Catie of the Virtual Experiences initiative. “It will be great to see the different levels of involvement possible, and to hear from such a diverse panel of drivers and professionals, sharing their experience and advice. At the end of the day, the more exposure the sport has in all its forms, the more chance we have of encouraging girls to pursue their passion in motor sport, and then the more females we will have in the sport as a whole.”

Each Virtual format will take place over the coming 12 months and the content modules and the identity of the Experiences’ exciting and inspiring hosts and participants will be released in the coming weeks.

This article was published in WOMEN IN MOTOR SPORT NEWSLETTER #18