Women blazing a trail in leading Supercars roles

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Supercars recognises the growing trend of women taking on notable roles in the pit lane of the pinnacle of Australian motorsport.

The presence of women in Supercars has increased considerably over the years, with women represented in numerous key roles in pit lane, at executive levels, and on television screens across Australasia.

At last month’s Thrifty Bathurst 500, women made up 65 full-time staff working on the ground between Supercars and Supercars teams alone.

That figure rises well into the hundreds with the addition of female volunteers, contractors, Motorsport Australia, support categories, and other related parties who worked at the event a fortnight ago.

Among the foremost women in Supercars, PremiAir Nulon Racing’s Romy Mayer is rapidly ascending the ladder as one of the sport’s leading race engineers.

German-born Mayer formerly worked for powerhouse Triple Eight Race Engineering, and at Bathurst guided James Golding’s #31 Chevrolet Camaro to a top five finish in Sunday’s Race 2 at the season-opener.

"I studied automotive engineering back in Germany, which is already mechanical engineering, but specialised on cars," Mayer said.

"I realised it takes like three to five years until a car, from when you develop or design something, until they're on the road.

"And racing is like, you make a change in the pits and then you see the results straight away. I love that."

Erebus Motorsport’s Betty Klimenko is perhaps the most decorated woman in the paddock, and last year became the first female majority team owner to win the Supercars drivers’ and teams’ championship, following her team’s sensational Bathurst 1000 win in 2017.

Kiwi Kate Harrington is blazing her own trail in the category, this year becoming the first full-time Team Manager in Supercars, leading the newly-expanded Blanchard Racing Team.

With experience in GT racing prior to a three-year stint with Tickford Racing, Harrington is now tasked with heading the sport’s newest team at BRT, which fields Ford Mustangs for drivers James Courtney and Aaron Love.

"Obviously, being a female, it is tough in a male-dominated industry," Harrington said.

"But you've just really got to have the right people around you, and I've been lucky enough to have supportive people around me.

"Don't give up. It's really rewarding once you get here, and there are a lot of really supportive people around you to help guide and coach you if you want to.

"To be honest with you, it wasn't actually my first career preference of choice. I sort of fell into it with Tony Quinn guiding me.

"I suppose once you're in it, you get hooked. I really love it. I love the fast paced environment.

"I've been really lucky. I've had really supportive people around me to help kind of coach and guide me to get to where I am today."

These women and hundreds more will be back in action in just over a fortnight as the Repco Supercars Championship continues at the MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint on March 21-24.