WRC Launches Initiative to Boost Female Participation in Rallying
In a bid to increase female participation in the top-tier of rallying, the World Rally Championship (WRC) has launched a new initiative under its Beyond Rally platform, offering a fully-funded drive in next year’s Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC). This move aims to bridge the gap in female representation in the sport, with Michele Mouton being the last woman to win a WRC rally as a driver, 42 years ago.
In recent years, female co-drivers have enjoyed success, with Reeta Hamalainen and Enni Malkonen winning world titles in WRC2 and WRC3 respectively in 2022. However, the WRC Promoter is keen to find the next generation of female drivers and is inviting applicants aged 27 and under to join the programme.
“WRC has a storied history of female participation,” said Peter Thul, WRC Promoter senior director sport. “Michele Mouton is one of the greatest motorsport legends, period, while in the past three years we have crowned female world champion co-drivers in WRC3 and WRC2. But it has been some time since we have had female drivers consistently competing at the top levels of our sport, and we hope this programme will go some way in helping to bridge this gap.”
The top 15 applicants will take part in an intensive training camp at the M-Sport Poland headquarters in Krakow, featuring a day of gravel and a day of tarmac testing in a Ford Fiesta Rally3, as well as simulator testing, pace-note and reconnaissance competence, PR training, and an evaluation of mechanical knowledge.
A jury of leading WRC stakeholders will then select three participants to compete at this October’s WRC Central European Rally in an M-Sport Poland-run Ford Fiesta Rally3. Following the event, the same jury will decide the winner of the ultimate prize: a supported 2023 JWRC programme, including testing.
Burcu Cetinkaya, chair of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, added: “I applaud the WRC Promoter for the opportunities they are affording young up-and-coming female drivers. We see so many female co-drivers succeeding in the WRC, and in the coming years, we want to see just as many female drivers enjoying the same successes.”
This new initiative is a significant step forward for the WRC, as it looks to increase female participation in the sport and provide opportunities for the next generation of female drivers to succeed. With the 2023 WRC calendar set to be an exciting one, this programme will undoubtedly play a key role in shaping the future of rallying.
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