Dare to Be Different (organisation)

Last updated

Dare to be Different is a nonprofit organisation founded by former racing driver Susie Wolff and the CEO of the Motor Sports Association Rob Jones in 2016. The organisation aims to increase the participation of women in all forms of motor racing and change the views of women in perceived male-dominated industries. Dare to be Different holds events throughout the United Kingdom and invites local school girls between the ages of eight to fourteen to partake in motor racing related activities.

Contents

History

Dare to be Different was founded by former racing driver Susie Wolff and the CEO of the Motor Sports Association Rob Jones after Wolff called Jones and the latter became enthusiastic over the project. [1] The initiative was officially launched at the Autosport International show held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on 14 January 2016. [2] At the time women made up 5% of racing drivers in the United Kingdom. [3] Upon its launch, Wolff stressed to the press that the organisation was something that was to be expanded in the long term rather than being disbanded after a short period of time. [4] In 2016, Dare to be Different held five events throughout the United Kingdom to promote their cause. [1]

Activities

Dare to be Different is a nonprofit organisation whose primary objective is aimed at increasing the participation of women in all forms of motor racing regardless of age and background. It also desires to change the views of women in perceived male-dominated industries. The organisation achieved this objective by establishing an online community through social media and its official website. Dare to be Different invites local school girls between the ages of eight to fourteen to its events and are educated by women involved in motor racing. [5] [6] Activities that attendees are allowed to partake include kart racing, the importance of fitness, nutrition and diet, [4] engineering, media etiquette and a tyre switch pit stop challenge. [3] The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network Ambassadors charity assisted in helping Dare to be Different members in constructing a hovercraft in the organisation's first year. [7] In 2019, Dare to Be Different teamed up with the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission to launch the grassroots FIA Girls on Track – Dare to be Different aiming to encourage and influence girls utilising educational activities on motor racing-related careers. [8]

Ambassadors of Dare to be Different include Alice Powell, the first woman driver to score a point in the GP3 Series, the deputy team principal of Williams Grand Prix Engineering Claire Williams, Sky Sports News HQ reporter Rachel Brooks, [2] and strategy engineer Ruth Buscombe. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile</i> International sport governing body

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is an association established on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. It is the governing body for many auto racing events, including Formula One. The FIA also promotes road safety around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nico Rosberg</span> German and Finnish racing driver

Nico Erik Rosberg is a German and Finnish former professional racing driver. He competed in Formula One from 2006 to 2016, winning the World Drivers' Championship in 2016 with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport. The only child of Finnish 1982 Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg and his German wife Sina Rosberg, he was raised primarily in the Principality of Monaco.

The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) is the trade union of Formula One drivers.

Carlin, formerly Carlin Motorsport, is a motor racing team based in the United Kingdom. It currently competes in six championships: FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 3 Championship, GB3 Championship, F1 Academy, F4 British Championship and Spanish F4 Championship.

Motorsport.tv is a global streaming OTT platform specialized in motor racing and motoring content, live and on demand launched in September 2018. It is a fully integrated video ecosystem developed and operated by Motorsport Network to specifically cater to different motor racing and automotive audiences.

Motorsport UK, formerly known as the Motor Sports Association (MSA), is a national membership organisation and governing body for four-wheel motorsport in the United Kingdom. Legally, it is a not-for-profit private company limited by guarantee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susie Wolff</span> Scottish racing driver

Suzanne Wolff is a Scottish former professional racing driver and current managing director of F1 Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manor Motorsport</span> British motor racing company

Manor Motorsport Ltd, currently trading as Manor Endurance Racing Ltd is a British motor racing company that was formed in 1990 by former single-seater champion John Booth. Manor has participated as a team in many motorsport disciplines since its inception, including Formula One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jérôme d'Ambrosio</span> Belgian racing driver

Jérôme D’Ambrosio is a Belgian former professional racing driver, motorsport executive and Driver Development Director at Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. He was formerly the Team Principal of Venturi Racing in Formula E.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toto Wolff</span> Austrian racing driver and F1 team principal

Torger Christian "Toto" Wolff is an Austrian billionaire motorsport executive, investor and former racing driver. He holds a 33% stake in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and is Team Principal and CEO of the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefan Grand Prix</span> Proposed Formula One team from Serbia

Stefan Grand Prix was a proposed Serbian Formula One team named after its creator, Zoran Stefanović. The team was attempting to compete in the 2010 Formula One World Championship. Its initial application was one of those rejected in July 2009 and although the team persisted in its attempts to gain an entry, it did not appear on the final entry list published in March 2010. The team also applied unsuccessfully to compete in the 2011 and 2015 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmen Jordá</span> Spanish racing driver

Carmen Jordá Buades is a Spanish motor racing driver. From 2015 to 2017, she was a development driver for the Lotus and Renault Sport Formula One teams. Her appointment by Lotus saw her become just the eleventh woman in history to be part of a Formula 1 team's driver line-up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GB3 Championship</span> Open-wheel motorsport formula based in the United Kingdom

The GB3 Championship is a single seater motorsport series based in the United Kingdom. The championship is the UK's premier single-seater category, and is aimed at young racing drivers moving up from FIA Formula 4 championships or Karting. Having previously been known since 2013 as the BRDC Formula 4 Championship, the championship was renamed the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with the backing of the FIA in March 2016. The championship was rebranded to GB3 Championship in August 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venturi Racing</span> Monegasque Formula E team

Venturi Racing was a Monegasque motor racing team controlled by Scott Swid and José M Aznar Botella. The team competed in the FIA Formula E World Championship. Venturi Racing competed with a single-make chassis built by Spark and initially built its own powertrains, before partnering with Mercedes from the 2019–20 season. The team was renamed to Maserati MSG Racing from the 2022–23 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Formula One World Championship</span> 70th season of Formula One motor racing

The 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 70th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)'s Formula One motor racing. It featured the 67th Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which is recognised by the sport's governing body, the FIA, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Teams and drivers took part in twenty-one Grands Prix—making for the longest season in the sport's history—starting in Australia on 20 March and finishing in Abu Dhabi on 27 November as they competed for the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Formula One World Championship</span> 71st season of FIA Formula One motor racing

The 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 71st season of Formula One motor racing. It featured the 68th Formula One World Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which is recognised by the sport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Teams and drivers competed in twenty Grands Prix—starting in Australia on 26 March and ending in Abu Dhabi on 26 November—for the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devlin DeFrancesco</span> Canadian racing driver

Devlin DeFrancesco is a Canadian-Italian auto racing driver currently competing in the IndyCar Series for Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport. In January 2022, DeFrancesco won the 60th running of the Daytona 24, alongside his teammates Eric Lux, Patricio O'Ward and Colton Herta, in the LMP2 class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Formula One World Championship</span> 69th season of FIA Formula One World Championship

The 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship was the motor racing championship for Formula One cars and the 69th running of the Formula One World Championship. Formula One is recognised by the governing body of international motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. Drivers and teams competed in twenty-one Grands Prix for the World Drivers' and World Constructors' championship titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Formula 2 Championship</span> Second-tier auto racing season

The 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship was the fifty-second season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also second season under the moniker of FIA Formula 2 Championship, a motor racing championship for Formula 2 cars that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It is an open-wheel racing category that serves as the second tier of formula racing in the FIA Global Pathway. The category run in support of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship, with each of the twelve rounds running in conjunction with a Grand Prix. It was the first FIA Formula 2 season to feature a new chassis and engine package.

Ruth Buscombe is a British strategy engineer for the Alfa Romeo Racing Formula One team. A first class honours graduate of the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering, she began working in Formula One with Scuderia Ferrari at its headquarters in 2012 as a race strategist. Buscombe later moved to Haas in November 2015 to become the team's strategy engineer. She left Haas in June 2016 and was employed by Sauber three months later, helping the team to finish ahead of rival Manor Racing in the 2016 Constructors' Championship. Buscombe is an ambassador for Dare to be Different.

References

  1. 1 2 "Former F1 driver Susie Wolff and MSA UK launch Dare to be Different with first event". Auto+Women in Motor Sport (10): 10–11. May 2016. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 Esler, William (15 January 2016). "Susie Wolff's Dare To Be Different aims for more females in motorsport". Sky Sports . Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  3. 1 2 Yates, Jonathan (15 April 2016). "Surrey schoolgirls race ahead in F1 style campaign". Birmingham Mail . Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  4. 1 2 Benson, Andrew (14 January 2016). "Susie Wolff: Ex-F1 test driver aims to 'empower' women in motorsport". BBC Sport . Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "A groundbreaking, high-profile new initiative spearheaded by former Formula 1 driver Susie Wolff and the MSA". WISE Campaign . 31 May 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "F1 driver Susie Wolff and MSA launch Dare To Be Different to encourage more women into motor sports". wearethecity.com. 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Sylt, Christian (17 April 2016). "Formula One's New Female Role Models". Forbes . p. 1. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  8. ↑ Errington, Tom (16 February 2019). "Susie Wolff's Dare to be Different in new project with FIA". Autosport . Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  9. ↑ Bray, Gemma (12 February 2016). "Ruth Buscombe becomes an Ambassador for Dare to be Different". The Checkered Flag. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.