March 8th, 2025, marks the 115th anniversary of International Women’s Day (IWD), a global celebration dedicated to honouring the achievements of women across all aspects of life – social, economic, cultural, and political. This day serves as a powerful reminder of the progress made toward gender equality while recognizing the barriers that still exist.
The theme of this year’s campaign is ‘Accelerate Action’. It’s two-fold purpose is to emphasize the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres.
One of the most exciting developments in recent years is the significant growth in female interest and participation in motorsport. Over the last five years, the number of women involved in the industry has nearly doubled, reflecting a shift towards greater inclusivity and representation. From drivers and engineers to strategists, team owners, and series officials, women are making their mark in all aspects of the sport.
A story that is inspiring is that of Rachel Robertson, a promising 17-year-old karting talent, that was selected to join the Radical Racing Rebels team for the 2025 Fine Cut Radical Cup UK season.
Rachel was chosen from a competitive pool of over 50 talented applicants from the Wera Tools British Kart Championships, marking an exciting step forward in her motorsport career. She launched her racing career relatively recently, in 2022, but quickly proved herself as one of the most promising young drivers on the British karting circuit. Competing in some of the UK’s premier karting events, she has continued to consistently showcase her skill, focus, and competitive spirit against top racers of her age, solidifying her status as a raising star in British motorsport.
We sat down and spoke to Rachel at a recent test day for the Radical Racing Rebels to ask her about being a female racing driver in such a male-dominated field. When asked about her journey, she recalled starting in indoor karting, often competing against men, despite being one of the only girls on track, she took pride in showing them how it’s done, proving that talent knows no gender.
Throughout her karting career, Rachel has often been one of the few female competitors. However, she believes that no one truly cares whether a driver is a girl or not – it all comes down to skill and performance. She encourages young female racers not to be bothered by being the only girl in a race, emphasizing that they belong on the track just as much as anyone else. In her view, women are more than capable of holding their own in motorsport and should not be singled out or treated differently.
Rachel acknowledges that the women who came before her have helped open doors for females in motorsport, allowing them to compete and work in the industry. However, she feels that it is time for female drivers to be treated as equals rather than being placed in separate categories. She believes that more support from junior racing categories would help pave the way for greater inclusion, rather than isolating female drivers in their own divisions.
Beyond racing, Rachel is also studying Motorsport Engineering at college, further immersing herself in the industry she loves. She finds it motivating and exciting to be involved in such a male-dominated sport and is eager to take on the competition this season, especially racing around the iconic Silverstone Circuit – The Home of British Motorsport.