Girls on Track UK, the Motorsport UK initiative to inspire girls to enter the motorsports industry, broke more frontiers with two new events for secondary school age girls.

For the first time, Motorsport UK collaborated with Manchester United Foundation and Chelsea FC Foundation to identify schools and local communities.

One hundred girls from Years 7 to 9 (12 – 15 years old) were invited to participate in workshops at TeamSport indoor karting tracks in Trafford Park and Acton throughout March and April.

The programmes were made possible through the support of The Ignite Partnership, who are working with Motorsport UK.

Founded by Sir Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and today led by Mission 44, the Ignite Partnership exists to increase diversity and inclusion within motorsport. With a focus on improving representation in STEM roles, Ignite aims to create and strengthen pathways to and within UK motorsport for people from underrepresented and disadvantaged groups through interventions across education and careers.

Motorsport UK worked in collaboration with the Manchester United Foundation and Chelsea FC Foundation to identify schools and communities that would benefit most. The foundations have experienced huge success in community outreach programmes in their respective areas, using football to engage and inspire young people. Through initiatives students have been able to promote change in their own lives and those of their communities.

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During their day spent with the Motorsport UK Girls on Track team, the groups experienced a range of challenges all centred around growing their awareness of the breadth of career opportunities in motorsport, with a strong focus on STEM related tasks such as making a hoverboard fly through the aerodynamic concept of the Coanda Effect; technical skills such as working on the mechanical elements of a kart; learning the social skills needed to make a short media film and exploring the fitness required for top-flight motorsport.

In addition the girls were given the opportunity to experience the thrill of taking the electric karts around the TeamSport track, and feeling the adrenaline of wheel to wheel speed.

Hugh Chambers, CEO of Motorsport UK: “Our thanks goes to The Ignite Partnership, Manchester United Foundation and Chelsea FC Foundation for their collaboration. Teaming up with established community outreach programmes has enabled us to reach communities to showcase the advantages and challenges a career in motorsport can yield. We are delighted to see the positive impact Girls on Track UK has had and look forward to welcoming many more to our own community.”

Claire Harrop, Female Education Development Officer, Manchester United Foundation: “At Manchester United Foundation, we aim to offer the young girls we work with a wide variety of additional enrichment opportunities. Collaborating with Girls on Track UK is a prime example of that, as it exposes the girls to an environment that most of them will be completely unfamiliar with, opening their eyes to a whole host of different career pathways that they perhaps never even knew existed. Beyond that, Girls on Track UK hosts such fun events and each time we bring a cohort of students, we know that they are going have a great time.”

A video of the Girls on Track programme can be found here: https://youtu.be/XuQdsMTNaSg