Dare to be Different: Driving Female Talent
 Susie
Wolff and the Motor Sports Association – governing body of UK
motorsport – have joined forces to launch Dare To Be Different, a
high-profile new initiative that will inspire, connect and celebrate
women who work in every aspect of motor sport.
Dare To Be
Different is about increasing female participation, not just on the
track but in all aspects of the sport and other perceived
male-dominated industries. It will achieve this in two key areas
– creating an expansive online community, and bringing young
girls (aged 8-14) together with some of the sports’ most
inspiring women in a series of special events.
Dare To Be
Different is not preoccupied with finding the next female F1 driver
– it is about inspiring women of all ages and backgrounds to
break the mould and shatter perceptions. In the coming months, a fully
integrated online community will be formed across our all-new website
and social channels, bringing together girls and women from all over
the UK who share a passion and desire to get involved in motor racing.
Susie
Wolff said: “Our main aim with Dare To Be Different is to Drive
Female Talent. This is an ambitious and long-term project that will
build an online community of women from all over the world. It will
connect them through a shared passion and empower them to become the
next wave of role models, whilst also providing access to some of the
most successful female names in the sport.
“Our UK
events for young girls will boost awareness and demonstrate the varied
and exciting areas of the sport – showing that they too can dare
to be different.
“I’m proud to launch today and must
thank my team and our ambassadors for their invaluable contribution and
dedication to the project.”
Our Community
Each
of the major championships will be represented with cars and crews from
the 'ARR Craib Scottish Rally Championship' and the 'Blackwood Plant
Hire Scottish Tarmack Championship' and visitors will be able to
inspect the cars close-up and quiz the crews.
The
Dare To Be Different network will bring women in motor sport together
in an unprecedented way, with members benefitting from direct access to
their peers, colleagues and even their idols for information, advice
and inspiration.
There will be networking events exclusively for
Dare To Be Different Community members, bringing aspiring girls and
women face to face with our Ambassadors. In addition there will be
giveaways, competitions and other benefits.
Set up as a
non-profit organisation and access to the community is £25 per
year. As the initiative grows, so too will the benefits to its members.
For more information on the community, visit
www.daretobedifferent.org/sign-up
Our Events
In its first year, Dare To Be Different will aim to inspire the next generation with five free special events across the UK:
13 April, Daytona Sandown Park, Surrey
5 May, Nutts Corner, Crumlin, Northern Ireland
24-26 June, The Sports Show at the NEC, Birmingham
25 August, Knockhill Circuit, Fife, Scotland
15 September, Daytona Manchester, Manchester
(All dates are provisional and subject to change)
These
events will offer a money-can’t-buy experience to girls, and will
be open to school groups as well as passionate individuals. Girls aged
8-14 will be getting tips from some of the top female racers in the
world – Susie will be at every event along with an incredible
team of ambassadors including current racer Alice Powell to inspire the
racing spirit. The Williams F1 show car will be there for the girls to
get up close and snap a selfie with, but it’s not just the
driving that Dare To Be Different is here to promote.
The girls
will be checking out life on the other side of the camera, as Sky
Sports will be bringing a crew to showcase the opportunities in the
media that come with a life in racing, plus renowned presenter Rachel
Brookes will attend several events to give insider tips from the F1
media centre.
In partnership with STEM, there will be activities
that focus on the engineering side of racing, while the girls will also
get to hear about the nutrition and fitness regimes needed to get
racers to the top of their game. The events are going to be special,
and start some of the next generation down the path to a career in
motor sport.
Our Ambassadors
The Dare To Be
Different Ambassadors will play a crucial role in Driving Female
Talent, and some of the most high-profile names in racing are already
confirmed. Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal of Williams Martini
Racing, Sky Sports’ Rachel Brookes and current racer Alice Powell
are all on board already and will be appearing on the Dare To Be
Different stand at Autosport International this weekend (14-17 January)
as well as at future events.
Claire Williams said: “I'm
delighted to support the Dare To Be Different initiative and add my
encouragement to women everywhere who aspire to work in motorsport. I
am constantly inspired by the women I work with within Williams and I
hope that my participation can help to spread that message.
“Sometimes it takes courage to pursue your dreams, Dare To Be Different will provide that encouragement and support."
Rachel
Brookes said: “I always dared to be different. I am proud that I
became the first woman to present live cricket updates from the
boundary edge, and to host the Post Race FIA Formula One Press
Conference.”
Alice Powell said: “Motor sport is a
male dominated sport and I have witnessed girls turn away from it
because of this. I would not have had the most incredible experiences
if I did not dare to be different. I always believe that you should aim
high and try and better yourself. Sometimes to do that, you need to be
different.”
With such a strong combination of passionate
people and an important message, Dare To Be Different There is much
more to be revealed in the coming weeks. Watch this space!
More information about our 2016 events can be found at www.daretobedifferent.org
For more information contact info@daretobedifferent.org
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