V8 Supercar driver Simona de Silvestro and touring car veteran Christine Gibson, along with V8 Supercar legend Fred Gibson, were the special guests at the Gnoo Blas Classic on the weekend.
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Their involvement showed there was a role for women in the male dominated sport and industry.
Alexis Neville of Spring Hill said she saw Miss de Silvestro race at Bathurst with Renee Gracie as part of the Harvey Norman Supergirls and she was eager to meet Miss de Silvestro on Saturday.
“It’s really considered a male dominated industry and just to see female drivers come into it is just really cool, it shows that us girls can do what the guys do,” Alexis said.
Miss de Silvestro is one of only three women to in IndyCar history to have a podium finish internationally before driving V8s in Australia.
However, she said the involvement of women in racing is only increasing slowly and she hopes her profile will open opportunities for other women interested in the sport in years to come.
“I think it’s pretty new, if you look at it I’m still the only [full-time woman driver], there’s a few engineers who are girls so it is going to change,” she said.
Miss de Silvestro comes from said this will be her second year racing in the Supercar circuit and although she has raced at Mount Panorama three times, Saturday was the first time she has been to Orange.
She said her entry into racing started with go carts, having received her first one when she was six, and she has grown up with a love of cars and motor racing.
“My dad has a car dealership in Switzerland and I was always around cars and liked racing on TV,” Miss de Silvestro said.