The Heart of Racing team launches female driver search via shootout

IMSA and SRO team The Heart of Racing announced a two-day shootout for female drivers that will promote one woman to a 2023 GT4 seat.

Every day when a new opportunity comes up for women in motorsport is a good day.

American organization The Heart of Racing has invited female drivers to apply for a selection programme that will see one woman being promoted to its GT4 line up, the team has confirmed.

The two-day test will get underway this November at the Apex Club facility, outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona, where the candidates will be assessed on various aspects ranging from performance, racing experience and off-track personality. The drivers will have extensive track time in Aston Martin GT4 machinery, access to coaching and data.

The chosen candidate will join The Heart of Racing team in a fully-funded seat in GT4 in 2023.

“We are pleased to announce this new initiative, and our ambition is to find a deserving female racer and establish the opportunity for her to go racing with us,” said The Heart of Racing Team Principal Ian James.

“This is the path that we've identified, so that we can help going forward", he continued. "We will utilize the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 as the platform for the drivers, and will go through a wide range of exercises so we can get a great picture of what they are capable both in and out of the car. We want to provide a great experience for everyone who is selected to participate.”

The Heart of Racing team has contested seasons in both IMSA GTD as well as SRO. But it is much more than a racing team, as its main goal is to raise funding through donations for quality healthcare, as well as developing new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat heart problems.

The team's 2022 line up included drivers of the likes of Alex Riberas, Ross Gunn, Maxime Martin, Roman De Angelis, Tom Gamble, Darren Turner, Ian James, Gray Newell.

Furthermore, The Heart of Racing is not new to supporting female racing drivers: with its sponsorship program, it supported Kiwi talents Chelsea Herbert and Rianna O'Meara Hunt, who raced under the Heart of Racing banner in the 2022 Toyota 86 category in New Zealand.

The shootout that will promote a woman to a GT4 seat is a great opportunity for sportscar talents on the ladder of the main GT platforms in America - and another step in the direction of a more equal sport.

Drivers interested are invited to apply at this link by 23 October 2022.