Are there sustainable markets for Women in Motorsport at present and for the future? The question is loaded with known and unknown factors which either make or break a female’s racing career in whichever discipline across infinite time-frames.
Starting with the known facts: #1 racing requires funding from Brands and sponsors, hands-on support from Team crew, availability of products and services – all wrapped up within budget. #2 racing within varying disciplines attracts publicity to respective markets through an organization’s capabilities to promote event and up-date results to global audience.
#3 Media coverage on Women racing differs accordingly to discipline, access to track and circuit, speed, terrain, rights to broadcast, number of races, and depth of fields. #4 Women retain control over how they wish to engage fans and followers by sharing results, photos, videos, and comments on media and social media platforms.
The unknown factors: #1 sustainability of racing for Women remains dependent on events planned and actioned within respective disciplines. #2 confirmation of financial support from Brands, sponsors, Team, and crew, along with on-going changes to costs for racing remains open for negotiation from one season to the next.
#3 planning development of racing career requires balancing budget against pathway to achieve goals. #4 maintaining health and mental well being requires constant check, re-focus of goals when injuries occur, along with managing expectation of performance amid uncertainties of results.
Taking into account both perspectives on how to sustain racing careers for women, there remains challenge of balancing known facts with unknown to gain forward trajectory of goals. Questions are asked: when does a female athlete stay within known racing discipline, as opposed to moving outside comfort zone to race new categories?
And, equally when do women bridge divide between disciplines to expand skill-set within new era of Motorsport which embraces technological change to increase sustainability of racing? Therein lies the key factor which prompts female drivers, riders and racers to utilize their mental tenacity to stay ahead of the competition – all vying for slice of financial pie.
Women racing FIM Women Motocross World Championship have gained all important leverage to ramp up their profile’s competing on track within MXGP Series. Capitalizing on global market watching TV coverage of racing, the world’s best women racing MX engage fans on social media platforms, pre-during and post racing which has become essential with only 4-5 Rounds per season.
Women competing in Trails World Championship, Enduro and limited number of entries in Hard Enduro have achieved World Championship success – backed by long-term partnerships which have evolved and developed over time. Brand and sponsor loyalty has been preferred option for these women who value trust as most important aspect of partnerships from which successful results are more likely to be achieved.
Women racing behind the wheel, in Rally and single-seater face financial barriers to race and consequently pivot between varying car categories. With money main obstacle to finance car racing, women have pushed their own limits to compete in events deemed ‘high degree of difficulty’ as well as futuristic.
Females drivers who have achieved success in World Rally Raid Championships – specifically The Dakar Rally – compete as equals to their male counterparts – as do women who race the all-electric Extreme E Series. These women have balanced the known factors of racing behind a wheel with the unknown elements of racing across varied terrain – at speed.
Women drivers whose careers have transitioned from Karting, to Formula 4, to Formula 3 face daunting challenge of gaining seat-time to further develop racing skills. Positive initiatives by FIA Women in Motorsport Commission have prompted programmes offering talented girls opportunity to race on track as well as spearhead select few to train and race with Brand Academy’s.
On other side of spectrum, the all-female single seater WSeries provides 18 women opportunity to race within the world’s pinnacle of Formula racing at selected F1 Rounds. The market exposure is huge! The promotion of Women in Motorsport is unprecedented on global scale and so to is the cost.
Known facts of elevating the profile of Women racing F3 within Formula One Rounds is second to none. Unknown facts of breaking barriers for women to climb formula racing ladder remain unanswered to date – which is all part of the risk to balance the known with the unknown for Women in Motorsport.
Header photo: Sandra Gomez racing 2022 Rally du Maroc Image: rally_zone
Words: Sharon Cox.
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