Motorsport’s 20yo trailblazer driving change with all-female team

Source : ABC NEWS

When Imogen Radburn made the decision to start her own all-female car racing team last year, she was worried she might struggle to attract enough women to fill the roles.

After recruiting her team, she received 70 applications for just two work experience positions from all around Australia.

“I realised there are so many girls out there that want to be in motorsport, not just as drivers, but every other role,” she said.

With the exception of her father and her partner, Radburn’s entire team including her engineer, mechanic, operations manager and truck driver are all women from different parts of Australia.

She lives in Nowra, on the NSW south coast, and her team is competing in the Mustang Cup — a competition where all competitors drive a Ford Mustang Dark Horse either bought or leased from the company.

From dancefloor to track

Radburn is the only female driver in the Mustang Cup series — a situation she is used to.

After racing go-karts as a teenager then pursuing Formula 4 in Europe last year, she has almost always competed against an entire field of men.

“I grew up dancing and there were no boys, but now it’s the opposite,” she said.

Radburn has been supported by Motorsport Australia’s Girls on Track program, which provides practical experience to help girls and young women aged eight to 22.

“Imogen has done incredible things not just as a competitor, but as a woman in motorsport,” Motorsport Australia development manager Charlie Barlow said.

“That’s what she’s done with this team — she’s opened a door for women around the country to have these hands-on roles and she’s putting herself in places where she can show young women that no matter what background you come from, if you have a dream, you can achieve it.”

‘The best of the best’

Radburn’s mechanic, Natasha Smith, was the first woman in the world to win the Technician Champion award at Toyota’s National Skills competition in 2019.

The 28-year-old has gone on to become one of the most respected mechanics in the country.

“Because there are so many of us females now starting to get our foot in, we’re able to bring others in with us,” she said.

“So it’s the dominant ones at the forefront forging the path for the next generation to come through.”

Ms Smith said she hoped the team would serve as a positive example in the male-dominated industry.

“It’s incredible and I’m ecstatic she chose me to run the mechanical side of things,” she said.

“The entire team has put together something that’s pretty special and hopefully everyone outside of that team will be able to see the benefits of having strong people lead a strong driver through this.

“Us females have to do twice as much [as men] to get in and get to where we’re at for the same amount of credit as someone else.”

Laying foundations for next decade

Radburn said she started her own racing team because she was “sick of paying massive bills” to compete.

She drew on her own network of contacts to fill key positions and secure sponsorship.

Her team recently converted an old B-double truck into a vehicle that could transport her race car in one trailer and have accommodation in the other.

“There’s no such thing as being paid for every race … we wanted to make it work for the next 10 years.”

It will be ‘seriously hard’

Radburn’s first race in the Mustang Cup was ended by mechanical problems after just four of 22 laps at Phillip Island on March 29.

Her team will now prepare for the second of six rounds, which will be held at The Bend in South Australia.

“There’s a huge market for the team I’m building, but it will be seriously hard to compete with the top teams in Australia,” she said.