Women in Motorsport are motivated to race – why is this important for Media? For sure, Media provides screen messages on race results, up-dates of women competing, and continual feeds on how race weekends proceed. Yet, delve a bit deeper into the psyche of these females and analysis uncovers the motivating factors which push these rare breed of women to not only win on the world stage, but also break barriers to race across varied disciplines from one season to the next.
To put such analysis in context, take a peak back 10 years ago. Women competed on the track from grass-roots, to National, to International level, yet weren’t the main focus of Media content, both online, on TV, in film, or on social media platforms which were mere start-ups like MySpace.
These women were winning while taking on board all challenges to gain financial backing to race, from single-seaters, to Women Motocross World Championship, to The Dakar Rally, to WSBK, to Moto3, to Rally, to Enduro, to Trials, to America’s GNCC and all in between.
The presence of Women competing in Motorsport were perceived by Media as side-line to the main event, classed as lower interest story which would not attract or engage audience who were accustomed to following main protagonists racing. When Media posted results of women racing, table standings were the norm, interviews face-to-face in person, or within Press Conference setting were rare, and specific details on how each has achieved results on track were ever rarer.
Today, Media covering Women in Motorsport has upped the game, providing written and visual snap-shots on who these women are gaining World Championship status across myriad of FIM and FIA disciplines. Race Highlights, images, behind the scenes peak at Team’s set-up posted by individual female competitors and event Media platforms have raised the profile of Women to global audience.
All of which is progress over course of 10 years. Still, alot remains untapped, most notably the fact that Media provides the most powerful tool to scrutinize and publish how, why, and for what length of time Women have used their innate sense of motivation to achieve success on and off the track.
Documenting how Women have pushed barriers to gain equal opportunity to race under Team and Brand associations not only increases awareness that women have fought every step of the way within their respective careers to race, but also provides inspiration and motivation for up-coming female driver’s, rider’s, and racer’s to achieve goals of racing in chosen Motorsport disciplines.
Take a look at the current Women racing in World Championships who have carved a career over 10 years, based solely on their love, passion, and motivation to race. Women role models from Laia Sanz – 14x Women Trial GP Champion and Dakar Rally Legend, Kiara Fontanesi WMX Champion 6x, Camelia Liparoti Dakar Rally Legend competing on Quad, SSV and T3 categories, Emma Bristow Women Trail GP Champion 8x, and Ana Carrasco WSBK SSP300 Champion in 2018 have all sustained self-belief and self-motivation to race for over a decade.
Media has fervent responsibility to write, film, and share not just the profiles and results of women racing, but to elevate thought process that these women have carved their own slice of history for younger generations to refer to when their own goals look too difficult to reach.
10 years from now, a new breed of female athletes will hold status in their respective disciplines having achieved success on and off the track. Along the way, each will have faced challenging decisions on how to further their careers – albeit whether to remain within existing discipline or switch, whether to continue working with existing partnerships or form new ones, or whether to count on continuous financial support to race, or explore new options.
Referring to Media coverage, past and present on how Women have achieved successful racing career, and sustained track performance over lengthy period of time remains key factor in aiding younger generation of female athletes to fulfill goals to race. Such documentation not only extends the validity of Women gaining top honours in Motorsport, but also provides historical account on how these goals were achieved.
Header photo: Kiara Fontanesi 2023 WMX Image: @mxreport
Words: Sharon Cox.
Comments are closed.