Jess Dane to chair new CAMS Commission

CAMS has appointed the first members to its new Australian Women in Motor Sport Commission, which will be chaired by Triple Eight’s Jess Dane.

The daughter of Triple Eight principal Roland Dane, Jess is the Supercars squad’s commercial operations officer and holds an equity stake in the team.

Designed to provide a voice for women in motorsport, the AWMSC will meet for the first time in 2019.

Other members include Matt Stone Racing’s media and events manager Loren Hazelwood, who is the sister of driver Todd.

“Motor sport is an incredible industry – the adrenaline, the passion, the hard work are infectious and the CAMS Australian Women in Motor Sport Commission has the potential to spread this bug,” Dane said.

“The Commission has the potential to be the voice of females in motor sport.

"If we can provide a platform to listen to and understand the challenges facing women in the industry, we can work towards making this awesome sport an even better place to be.

“The over-arching goal I’d like to see the Commission tackle is female participation in motor sport in all areas and at all levels by gaining a comprehensive understanding of why gender disparity exists.

“There are no quick fixes, but by working together to identify the exact goals and how we reach them, the Commission will be able to make a positive difference.”

Dane has also recently been named an ambassador for the Dare To Be Different (D2BD) program, which encourages young women to get involved in all aspects of motorsport.

“Dare To Be Different is about sharing our sport with girls who would possibly have never come into contact with it and empowering them to believe that they can do absolutely anything,” Dane added.

“In order for motor sport to keep growing in participation and popularity, we need to reach more people and Dare to be Different is a wonderful tool to do that.”

Australian Women in Motor Sport Commission members

Abbie Eaton scores sponsor for Supercars test

Supercars currently has one female driver, with Swiss Simona De Silvestro set for her third full season with Nissan Motorsport/Kelly Racing in 2019.

Another international, 26-year-old Brit Abbie Eaton, is currently trying to break into the category.

The Grand Tour television show star will test with Matt Stone Racing’s Dunlop Super2 Series team on December 11.

Eaton has today announced backing from Queensland property services company Eximm for her test outing.

"It's a small but significant step in Abbie's journey to a potential Super2 drive with MSR in 2019 and then on to the main event in 2020,” said Eximm CEO Vicki Tod.

"As someone who worked my way up to now lead Eximm, I understand the pressure and expectation Abbie may be feeling.

"However, she's one serious young driver who was described by The Grand Tour host Jeremy Clarkson as “phenomenal”, so we can't wait see her in action.”