Gilmour will become the first female driver of the British brand’s on the 100% electric off-road series. The announcement was made during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, with the His Royal Highness Prince of Wales as a guest of honor.

In this way, the Woking’s team take an important step towards their debut in the series that was born out of awareness about carbon emissions, climate change and sustainable actions that allow a better Earth life development, but above all it ensures the continuity of the various forms of life.

Although, it will be her first time as a starter driver, but the New Zealand native already knows what it is like to drive the Extreme E ODYSSEY 21, because this season she replaced Jamie Chadwick at Veloce Racing in the Artic X Prix, who decided to dedicate herself fully to the W Series Championship.

“We’re proud to join His Royal Highness to announce Emma Gilmour as the first-ever female driver for our team. Emma completes our exciting and competitive driver line-up alongside Tanner Foust for our first season of Extreme E. She’s a race winner and has proven herself this year in Extreme E alongside a vast background in competitive off-roading in multiple racing series across the globe. It’s fitting that our first female driver originates from New Zealand where our founder Bruce McLaren was from”, said Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing.

Related content: Extreme E: Former Top Gear Host and Driver, Tanner Foust, to Drive for McLaren

Who is Emma Gilmour

McLaren made a high-caliber choice after opting for Emma Gilmour’s talent for Extreme E. She has extensive experience in Rally World, RallyCross, Cross-country Rallying. In 2016 she became the first and only woman, so far, to emerge victorious from a Rally New Zealand event. In addition, she won the FIA ​​Women in Motorsport.

“I’m incredibly honoured to be McLaren Racing’s first female driver. Growing up in New Zealand, Bruce McLaren and McLaren Racing are seen as the pinnacles of motorsport. To be competing in Extreme E next year with McLaren is a special opportunity. The series is a fantastic platform that represents equality and addresses the key issues affecting our planet and society. I’m looking to draw on my previous experience in Extreme E alongside all my skills across rally, rallycross and cross-country rallying, that make me well-suited to the sport, to make a positive impact and inspire the next generation of female drivers and engineers. I can’t wait to get started with the team”, said Gilmour.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

The post Emma Gilmour will be McLaren Driver in Extreme E appeared first on Green Racing News.

The New Zealander will be alongside the starting runners Jamie Chadwick and Stéphane Sarrazin, and men’s reserve Lance Woolridge, Extreme E reported on Instagram.

Gilmour joins Veloce with off-road experience and an impressive resume, including seasons in rally, rallycross and cross-country competition.

On the international stage, after winning a scholarship to contest the pan-European Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy (FFST) of a single brand in 2006, she dominated the legendary Finnish speed test “Ouninpohja” to achieve a stage victory in the support series of the FIA World Rally Championship and participated in other WRC events in Germany and the UK.

Read also: The Extreme E trophies will also protect environment

The following year, Gilmour secured a factory drive with Subaru Rally Team Japan for the WRC Rally Japan, before claiming second place in the 2009 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, making history as the first woman to finish in the top three overall.

From 2010 to 2012, the driver finished second in the New Zealand Rally Championship three times in a row, collecting the New Zealand Media Personality of the Year award.

Gilmour was later crowned the winner of the prestigious FIA Women in Motorsport and the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation Cross Country Selection in 2015, defeating two current Extreme E riders with the accolade and accompanying award at the Sealine Cross Country Rally 2016, before going to similarly tackle the grueling 500km Portugal Baja event.

She has spent the last few seasons in his home country with more success. In June 2016, she became the first, and to date, the only woman to win a New Zealand Rally Championship event with a dominant performance at the Canterbury Rally, thus joining a handful of women across the world who have triumphed in national tournaments.

Good feelings

Gilmour expressed her satisfaction at entering the Extreme E: “I’m so happy to be joining Veloce Racing for the first season of Extreme E! This series is so innovative and exciting, with its focus on gender equality and sustainability and an incredible environmental ethos. It just feels like something really positive to be a part of.

“I’m also thrilled to be working with such a fantastic team of drivers and engineers – they all have so much experience and talent from so many different areas of the motorsport world. It is going to be great to share ideas with everyone and we can all put our own spin on the work we do.

On the other hand, Ian Davies, Team Manager, Veloce Racing, added: “I’ve known Emma for some time, and one of the things that impresses me most about her is that she is one of the few women to have gone head-to-head with the men at the X Games. She was the only female in the semi-finals and held her own against some really big names like Ken Block, Nelson Piquet Jnr and Scott Speed.”

The first round of the Extreme E 2021 campaign, the Desert X Prix in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, will take place from April 3-4.

Written by I Jhonattan González

The post Veloce Racing completed drivers team with the addition of Emma Gilmour appeared first on Green Racing News.