Ready, set, Girls on Track is back and bigger than ever
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Coming to Canberra for its second year, Girls on Track is reshaping the landscape of motorsport and empowering young women to explore all their options.
Young women aged 8 to 22 will have the chance to look under the hood of the motorsport industry and connect with professionals in this free event, held across 16-17 March in Canberra.
Running across the globe since 2018, Canberra joined the bandwagon last year when local technology company Netier decided to fund the event.
“I think it’s really important that girls know that working in a STEM field or in motorsports is an option for them, and I think that it’s vital they get to know that from a young age,” says Netier Marketing and HR Manager Jess Scanes.
This year, the team has expanded on last year’s Inspire event to include their new Pathways program focused on young women aged 15-22.
Pathways is for those with a passion for motorsport wanting to learn more about the various roles in the industry and how they can get their foot in the door (or on the pedal).
“It will give them a chance to network with ambassadors and learn where they can go because a lot of young women don’t understand all the possibilities out there,” explains Jess.
Two ambassadors for this year’s event include Jessica Dane, the Co-Owner of Triple Eight Race Engineering, and Molly Taylor, a driver currently racing for Veloce Racing (Extreme E Championship).
For the slightly younger crowd, the Inspire event will encourage girls aged 8 to 15 to dive in and explore the motorsport industry through fun activities, including a pit stop and simulator challenges.
“When I think back to when I was in school, these kinds of opportunities were never put forward and I didn’t know there were options for me in technology or motorsports or stem,” reflects Jess.
“When we look at the world now these skills are imperative and not just for the motorsport industry but every kind of job these girls might go into — technology is always there.”
Reflecting on her childhood, Jess talks about how she was scared to fail in front of the boys in the areas they tended to dominate.
“Sometimes young girls need a safe space to try things that are more male-focused so that they feel safe to try it.”
Race on over to registrations which are now open for Pathways and Inspire.
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Girls on Track
When: Pathways Thursday 16 March and Inspire Friday 17 March
Where: Pathways is at Ainslie Football Club, Ainslie and Inspire is at Neal Bates Automotive, Hume
Web: motorsport.org.au
Feature image supplied.
