Girls on Track: 'More female role models needed in motorsport'

Jenny Fletcher, Girls on Track programme manager, said girls needed to see female role models

Motorsport needs more "positive female role models" to attract women into the industry, a training manager said.

The Girls on Track programme, run by governing body Motorsport UK, is targeting girls aged from eight to 18.

As part of the scheme, 60 girls from Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire schools visited the Cosworth headquarters in Northampton.

"We're trying to open their eyes into the possibilities within the sport," said programme manager Jenny Fletcher.

The event at Cosworth was set up to give girls an insight into the wide range of careers across the industry, in honour of International Women in Engineering Day.

Cosworth, founded in 1958, deals with propulsion, electronics and software for customers in motorsport and other sectors.

The varied activities and games were created to showcase different roles within the industry

Ms Fletcher has worked in the motorsport industry for seven years and has seen an increase of women in her field.

She said: "There's more boys at the grassroots level that want to get into the sport.

"I think we need to continue having these positive female role models so that the girls can see it and believe that they can be it.

"They need to feel that there's someone who looks like them that they can relate to that works in the sport in all aspects.

"Recent development of the F1 Academy, the all-female racing championship, is a really big step to showcasing to the world that, actually, there is a rightful place for female drivers as well as other roles within the sport."