Renee Gracie and Simona de Silvestro’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 wildcard provides an opportunity to inspire the next generation of Australian female racers, according to Leanne Tander.
Dunlop Series rookie Gracie and part-time Swiss IndyCar star de Silvestro will join forces in a Prodrive prepared Ford to become the first all female pairing at The Great Race in 17 years.
Tander, whose 2009 Bathurst 1000 start remains the most recent for any woman, has welcomed the wildcard as a first step towards seeing a female compete in the V8 Supercars Championship full-time.
“It is really important to have talented female drivers at the top level of the sport,” Tander, who featured in the 2001 and 2009 Bathurst 1000s, told Speedcafe.com.
“It certainly will inspire the next generation.
“In America the success of Danica Patrick has increased the numbers of junior female racers significantly.
“We need that here but we don’t just need it for one race we need it for every single round because one race can still be considered a token thing.
“Obviously for Renee it is a huge deal and a big step up but one she has been working for over the last couple of years.
“It is going to be very daunting but I’m sure she will really enjoy it and get a lot of experience out of it.
“To have someone of Simona’s calibre come over here regardless of gender is always exciting for the category so I’m looking forward to seeing how they go.”
Once a thriving arena for women, the Bathurst 1000 has seen female involvement dwindle in recent decades, which Tander attributes to rising costs and diminishing opportunities.
More than 30 women have contested The Great Race over the years.
“I think it is just a matter of less funding and opportunities for the women sadly,” she said.
“I think we went through a bit of phase where it was going great in the 1970s and 1980s for women and then suddenly everyone decided they shouldn’t be racing, but happily it seems to be swinging in the other direction again.”
Tander has kept a close eye on Gracie’s progress in the sport from karting through to spells in the Carrera Cup and now the Dunlop Series.
With Tander’s Bathurst debut coming during her first Development Series season in 2001 parallels can be drawn between the careers of the pair.
Sadly for Tander, a lack of funds put paid to the chances of a second full Development Series season with top outfit Garry Rogers Motorsport, hurting her career progress.
However, she believes the 20-year-old Gracie has the potential to forge a successful career if given the opportunity to develop.
“She has really jumped in the deep end by going into Carrera Cup and the Dunlop Series without much car racing behind her, so she is doing really well considering that fact,” added Tander.
“If she is given enough time she should get there. Unfortunately female racers are still seen as token, they are used up and spat out pretty quick.
“I really have my fingers crossed for Renee that people supporting her are in it for the long haul and give her the time she needs to get to the top of the sport.”
Like Tander, whose then boyfriend and now husband Garth was also at GRM in 2001, Gracie will have her own partner Andre Heimgartner among the Prodrive stable that she can learn from this year.
Channelling her own experiences of competing in the The Great Race, Tander is confident Gracie and de Silvestro can impress but has advised the pair to ignore the pressure to perform.
“I think if they can finish that would be great,” said Tander of Gracie and de Silvestro.
“They need to try and focus on their driving and not worry about the expectation and the pressure put on them because all eyes are going to be on them.
“It is going to be hard because everyone is watching and half the people are waiting for them to fail or be slow.
“They have just got to try and forget about that and take it lap by lap. I hope they do well.”
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