Jamie Chadwick launches female karting competition to encourage young women drivers

Britain’s leading female racing driver says she still receives insults about her gender.

Jamie Chadwick, who now races in America’s Indy NXT series, once felt she had to ignore sexist comments in order to fit in.

Now in a bid to encourage more young women into motorsport, she has launched a female karting championship.

“I get negative comments all of the time [about gender],” Chadwick, 25, told BBC Sport.

“If I don’t have a good year, I don’t want that to be reflected on my gender. I don’t want that to be because I’m a woman.

“I want to create a community where girls can feel comfortable and safe and enjoy karting.”

The winner of the new competition will receive financial help and mentorship from the three-time champion of racing’s W Series.

Chadwick, a Williams F1 Racing Academy driver, is not used to starting at the back of a grid but at Sandown Park in Surrey, she found herself behind 21 others.

However, this was not an official race, but the launch of an opportunity for women and girls to compete in an all-female series which she has put her name to.

The competition will see eight races across three different Daytona tracks in England at Sandown, Milton Keynes and Tamworth.

Emma Rabbage crossed the line in fourth place in Surrey.

“There is prejudice against females,” she said. “On some of the tracks I’ve been to there have been comments towards me, it knocks your confidence.

“It’s a male-dominated sport, it can be quite an intimidating environment.”

A report last year by More Than Equal, an organisation co-founded by ex-Formula 1 driver David Coulthard, found just 13% of those participating in karting are female, a statistic which drops to 7% in Formula and GT racing.