Racing driver Jamie Chadwick has expanded her own motoring initiative after revealing a 1,900 per cent increase in female participation in karting last year.
In 2024, Chadwick founded The Jamie Chadwick Series in an attempt to increase the representation of women in motorsport.
Initially, participants had to be at least 12 years old to compete in the Girls Karting Championship, but this has now been expanded to include girls as young as eight.
“We started the series last year to bridge the gap for grassroots karting. Working with Daytona, we've had tremendous success,” Chadwick said. Sky Sports News.
“I'm kind of overwhelmed by the amount of acceptance and interest. What happened last year was the foundation. But the categories were from 12 years.
“The next step was trying to tackle that real young age, which is now eight-year-olds, which we've introduced for this year, which I'm really excited about. That's exactly what I feel like we want to achieve with the series. “
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Jamie Chadwick discussed her first IndyCar test in October and explores the progress of women in motorsport
Chadwick: Bright future for women in motorsport
“When I got into the sport, I could count the number of female drivers on my hand,” Chadwick explained.
“We've had over 450 young girls go through our series, race schools and various championships.
“Then there was a 1,900 percent increase in female participation in karting, which is incredible. Numbers I wouldn't have expected in our first year, which is why I'm so excited that we can continue to grow.”
Meanwhile, further up the motorsport ladder, the Women's F1 Academy will enter its third season in 2025, and its second as part of the weekend's F1 race support bill.
The series, won by Britain's Abbi Pulling in 2024, aims to provide a platform for female drivers to establish careers in motorsport, while also serving as inspiration for future generations of young racers.
“I think it's a sport that's changing dramatically,” said Chadwick, who will compete in the European Le Mans Series this year, plus the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“Even the time I've been in the sport, it's changed a lot, but at the same time, I think there are still barriers that we face. One of them is how much of it is still male-dominated, and it shouldn't be.
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Jamie Chadwick became the first woman to win Indy NXT in 14 years, and the third woman to win in the championship's history
“So if you're a young girl watching sports, you don't necessarily see role models, you don't necessarily see people like you competing in it, or even involved at all.
“I think it's changing a lot and it's changing fast, but at the same time, just showing them the options available to them is the first starting point.
“The sport is progressing in such a fast way. We are now seeing so many initiatives, especially around the F4 level, with the F1 Academy and all the F1 teams that are part of it, in developing and investing in female talent. We are really seeing the start of what will be a bright future for women in sports.”
Chadwick: My dream to make it to Formula 1 is to break away
Chadwick has been one of motorsport's leading female drivers for the past five years, winning the W Series three times, before making the jump to Indy NXT, the F2 equivalent of IndyCar.
The 26-year-old became the first woman to win an Indy NXT road race with victory at Road America last year and tested IndyCar in September for Andretti.
Her priority will be the European Le Mans Series this year and Chadwick admits her chances of racing in F1 are diminishing.
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Jamie Chadwick explains the launch of his women's karting series in the UK to help those develop their skills to perform at the higher stages
“My dream has always been to get to Formula 1. I think that dream is getting a little bit further away now, the more I progress through my career,” said Chadwick.
“But I still have a fantastic relationship with Williams (as a development driver) so at some point I'd love to have the opportunity to get into the car.
“But I think we also forget that there are only 20 places in F1, so it's difficult for everyone. I mean, if you compare it to any other sport, in such a small percentage, then you look at the numbers of women, and even where I fall in that, I feel there should be less focus on bringing a woman into F1 and more on increasing the number of participants.”
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