Competition to find next female Junior WRC driver

To win the seat, hopefuls must submit a two-minute video explaining why they should be considered for the place, along with their achievements in motorsport. Those submissions will be whittled down to 15 drivers who’ll participate in a M-Sport training camp in Krakow, Poland, where, over two days, they’ll drive on gravel and Asphalt and be evaluated on mechanical understanding, pace notes, and media skills. 

A jury of WRC stakeholders will select three of those drivers to compete in Ford Fiesta Rally3s at October’s Central European Rally, with one chosen for the Junior WRC program next season. 

Burcu Çetinkaya, chair of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, said: “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.

“As chair of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, I’m delighted to share my support for this important mission and I look forward to seeing FIA member clubs encouraging participants and applicants from across the globe.”

Peter Thul, WRC Promoter senior director sport, said: “WRC has a storied history of female participation. Michèle 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 WRC.

Female co-drivers like Enni Mälkönen have shone in recent years, but WRC Promoter wants to boost driver numbers

“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 program will go some way in helping to bridge this gap.

“We have a long-term vision with this project and we will continually evaluate the process to ensure that increased female participation is lasting.

“We are focusing primarily in the initial stages of selection – including Central European Rally – on being on Tarmac, creating an easier transition for entrants with a background in karting and circuit racing.”

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.