Former Porsche Carrera Cup Australian and Dunlop Super 2 driver Renee Gracie is returning to racing, this time in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS Championship.
The return to motorsport has been two years in the planning with details on car, team and sponsors yet to be announced, although the second round in West Australia is targeted for the 28-year-old’s category debut.
Gracie believes the series was the natural choice for her return. “Aside from the fact I have previous experience in GT vehicles, it’s an international category.
“What I do now means I have a lot of international fans and a lot of people who support me from overseas,” she added.
“Competing in GT World Challenge means it’s a category with a global footprint and something that my fans overseas can watch and understand – a category that’s desirable wherever you are in the world.
“Everyone knows Mercedes, Porsche, Audi or BMW and people support the brands and the manufacturers involved.”
Gracie wants to go racing and rediscover the enjoyment and passion for the sport. “When I left, the actual racing was about one percent of what I was doing, and the rest was not enjoyable.
“I want to get back to enjoying the sport again and get that thrill of being back behind the wheel. Ultimately, I want to be competitive and the program we have developed is about getting up to speed and getting to the front.
“Beyond that, there is the opportunity to compete internationally if I can put myself in a strong position here. I have been doing some karting, and I got behind the wheel recently and was really pleased with how quickly things came back to me.
“I honestly don’t know how I will go but it’s like riding a bike – you don’t forget,” she concluded.
Following a successful karting career, then in karting, Gracie started circuit racing in 2013 in Carrera Cup. She then progressed into Supercars competition in 2015 and contested three seasons of Super2s.
She also made a pair of high-profile starts in the Bathurst 1000, including a best finish of 14th position in 2016.
