University of Wolverhampton appoints their first female driver to compete professionally
Stunt driver Jessica Hawkins will be joining the team
The University of Wolverhampton Racing Team (UWR) have appointed their first female racing driver ready for the Britcar Prototype Cup.
UWR who are based at the Telford campus, are the only student racing team in the UK competing in the professional motorsport competition. They won the Formula 3 Cup Class championship in 2021.
Jessica Hawkins, who is originally from Poole, was first interested in racing at just eight-years old when she spotted a track whilst playing golf with her dad.
Since then the 28-year-old has raced in the W Series championship, Formula Ford, Formula 4, and the British Touring Car Championship.
She is also a stunt driver, even appearing in the last James Bond Movie, No time To Die.
And this year she is due to drive the Praga R1 car in the 2023 Britcar Prototype Cup alongside UWR professional racing driver and University mentor, Shane Kelly.
Jessica said: “We’re aiming to get more females into the sport and it’s something I’m really passionate about so I’m sure that this is the start of what will be a great relationship. I’ve been racing a long time and there are things I can pass down to the younger generation.
“When I was growing up, it was a given that Motorsport was a man’s world. I started racing purely because I saw a Kart Circuit in the distance and I begged my dad to let me have a go and that was how it started.
"He probably wouldn’t have thought that was something I would be interested in which is also why I’m so passionate about helping females into Motorsport. I do think there is still some stigma around it and some people still think it’s a man’s world but we are slowly changing that idea.
“It needs to become more accessible and we need more female figureheads in Motorsport for the younger generation to look up to," she said.
Dr Aman Dhir, Head of Engineering at the Unviversity said: “The appointment of our first female driver will undoubtedly prove beneficial to increasing diversity on our engineering and manufacturing courses and the continued experience of engineering alongside professionals in the industry will further enhance the student experience to really prepare them for industry-standard careers in the future.”
The team are due to have their first race at Silverstone on 25 March.