Having been proposed by their National Sporting Authority and selected by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission’s Detection Cell to participate in the FIA Girls on Track - Rising Stars programme, 28 drivers – 14 in both the Junior and Senior categories – will take part in separate but simultaneous shoot-outs and training camps hosted at the Winfield Racing School.
 
Following their arrival and registration yesterday, the youngsters were welcomed to the School where all mandatory safety equipment was distributed, personal items checked and any necessary seat fittings and adjustments made to the Praga karts to ensure optimum racing conditions for each of the 28 racers.
 
The two-day shoot-out for the Juniors spans October 22 and 23 with the first day largely behind the wheel of the Praga karts. After a track walk, the 14 drivers will take part in four 12 minute practice sessions and video debriefs to show their potential and demonstrate progression to the racing school coaches. The afternoon is taken up with a qualifying and super pole session, ahead of the final race around the kart circuit. Saturday focuses on off track workshops devised by 321 Perform, the internationally renowned driver performance centre. The Academy’s unique strategy targets the driver as a whole in regard to mental, physical and nutritive development, and the girls will be afforded an exceptional insight into the importance of physiological welfare in the sport. The programme also includes a media awareness and training workshop where interviews, playbacks and analysis will underline the value of effectively interacting with the media and its various audiences, and the importance of personal presentation in every aspect. At the end of the day, just eight of the 14 drivers will be selected to progress to the one-day kart training camp on Sunday, where further workshops and race simulation will decide the final four who will have the opportunity to attend the Ferrari Driver Academy Kart Scouting Camp in November, in Lonato.
 
The Senior drivers will follow the same programme on Friday and Saturday, with their final day deciding which of the eight drivers will progress to the Formula 4 Training Camp, which runs from Sunday October 24 to Wednesday October 27. Further workshops, focused on energy training, recovery and reaction tests run ahead of a full Formula 4 simulator session and debriefs. The drivers will then get their first taste of Formula 4 machinery on Tuesday ahead of the final day’s action, which takes in a full race day programme before of a final interview with the jury. During the decisive deliberations, a workshop focused on the FIA’s Action for Road Safety campaign will highlight the dangers of driving while tired or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Just four of the hopeful racers will then be selected to go forward to the Ferrari Driver Academy F4 Scouting Camp at the famous Maranello headquarters.
 
At the end of the gruelling Scouting Camps in November, the winning Junior driver will be awarded an international karting season with the financial support of the Ferrari Driver Academy. And, for the selected Senior driver, she will potentially become the second female to have the chance to join the Ferrari Driver Academy - similar to Maya Weug, the inaugural winner - to develop a professional career in the sport and compete in Formula 4 with the FIA Girls on Track main partner, the Iron Dames project masterminded by Deborah Mayer.
 
Note to media: Media are invited to the shoot-outs and training camps, where President of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, Michèle Mouton, as well as Women in Motorsport ambassadors Deborah Mayer, Amanda Mille, Michelle Gatting, Maya Weug and Doriane Pin will be in attendance on select days. In addition, former Formula E driver and Deputy Team Principal at ROKiT Venturi Racing, Jérôme d’Ambrosio, will be available for interviews, as well as FIA Formula 2 driver and jury member, Théo Pourchaire.
 
Contact: cmorard@fia.com, +33 6 75 94 78 59.
 
FIA Girls on Track - Rising Stars news, information and videos of the action can be found on the FIA Women in Motorsport social media platforms.