Girls get behind the wheel at Silverstone.Girls get behind the wheel at Silverstone.
Girls get behind the wheel at Silverstone.

Nether Heyford girls take to the track at Silverstone to show driving and engineering skills

Girls from a Nether Heyford school tried their hand at being Formula One engineers at Silverstone race track.

Females from Bliss Charity School at Nether Heyford were there as part of the Girls On Track initiative last Tuesday, aimed at getting more girls and women involved in engineering and motorsport.

They visited the Interactive Museum to take part in a plethora of activities which aim to inspire, enhance their skills, and provide them with insight into the various opportunities within the UK motorsport industry.

Students experienced a blend of both hands-on experiences, including their own pit stop challenge and testing their reflexes, as well as hearing from women who currently work within the industry, namely Kathryn Richards, Wind Tunnel Technician at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team, and Brands Hatch Chief Medical Officer and Formula E race doctor Dr Clare Morden.

Jenny Tcherniak, FIA Girls on Track UK Programme Manager, said: “A lot of girls come in in the morning and they think that motorsports just for boys and they think it's just about the driving and racing element of it.

"And we try and get the girls to see there's so much more to it than that. It's about the mechanics the engineers, the fitness, the doctors, the presenters.

"There is so much to the programme to motorsport that we want the girls to see today.”

Diversity and inclusion in motorsport are key to the development and success of motorsport, not just in the UK but across the globe.

Along with the efforts made by Motorsport UK, the FIA Girls on Track UK programme aims to increase opportunities for young, aspiring females like these.

Students experienced a blend of both hands-on experiences, including their own pit stop challenge and testing their reflexes, as well as hearing from women who currently work within the industry, namely Kathryn Richards, Wind Tunnel Technician at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team, and Brands Hatch Chief Medical Officer and Formula E race doctor Dr Clare Morden.

Related topics: