From a degree in bioengineering to a career at Mercedes and subsequently INEOS, Ami Jerger not only lives and breathes motorsport, but she has taken pioneering steps to make karting a more welcoming and fun environment for women.

The Electrical Test Engineer at INEOS, Brackley, is now the owner of AJ Racing, an all-female owner driver kart team, following her obtaining her Motorsport UK Entrants licence and a DBS check. According to More than Equal in 2024, only 13% of karters are female, with that figure dropping to 7% in formula and GT racing, and Ami decided that enough was enough.

“I got into karting back in 2008, I wasn’t lucky enough to have all of the opportunities that are about now, I was eight then. I went indoor karting with a friend up the road, her dad raced motorbikes, and karting was one of the things you could try with an engine! We just kept going every Saturday morning, as a duo amongst the boys, and just kept carrying on.

“I started Superkarts in 2018, it was only three rounds, but it was a great series. It wasn’t as competitive as short circuit karting, which is why I’ve gone back to KZ. I haven’t karted much this year. Superkarts are mega, I raced one over in Assen in the Netherlands in August this year and that was insane.”

It was during her third year at university that Ami decided to get more involved in the kart team, encouraging more people to try out the sport for themselves.

“When I took on the kart team, there were initially four guys running the University of Sheffield team, I became captain karting team for BUKC, run by Club 100, once they had graduated and it grew from four drivers to 40 drivers. The team now has six teams in BUKC. There are now six female drivers in the female team, and just by being female it made it a bit less scary to join. If I had considered joining in my first year, it would have been really intimidating.”

AJ Racing’s mantra: “Driving Female Success”, supports women during their entire motorsport career. After finishing her degree, Ami was unable to tear herself away from Kimbolton and Whilton Mill at the weekends, and decided it was time for a change.

“Being in an office is a lot less fun than being at a racetrack! Last Christmas I had the idea that I wanted to launch my own team, my boyfriend’s brother helped to design the logo. The Jamie Chadwick series was also an inspiration, and I decided to make that step up to take more girls up from karting to cars. I’ve been doing the leg work alongside my day job. I’ve got four karts that I hire out, I’ve currently hired out my own JZ Kart and I have someone trying out a Junior Rotax next month. I’ve had lots of messages from girls who are looking for the next step now that the season is coming to an end.”

Find out more about AJ Racing here.