A young woman who’s a rising star of the motorsport world is in a race against time to secure her dream career.
Jodie Sloss needs to find sponsorship deals worth a six-figure sum so she can drive 160mph cars for a living.
The 21-year-old only got into the sport after beating 1000 entrants from around the globe to become the first Scot to win the Formula Woman competition prize of a racing driver’s seat in the UK’s 2022 GT Cup championships.
Now, in a sport where wealthy competitors can buy their own racing seats, Jodie needs to source sponsorship for the 2023 season, which starts in just over two weeks’ time.
She needs hundreds of thousands of pounds to be able to compete in races at home and abroad.
The former marketing executive, from Taynuilt, near Oban, said: “My main goal over the next year is to get to Le Mans as I want to race in the 24-hour endurance race.”
Jodie, who lives with her parents at the family croft, added: “I want to pursue my dreams to a high level. I need commercial backing to get to the next step.”
Although Jodie – who passed her driving test at 17 – had always been interested in cars, she had never been in a race car before she scored her unexpected win in the Formula Woman contest.
She sailed through initial heats in the gruelling selection process and her talent shone through in the competition finals in Sweden, where competitors had to drive sideways on a frozen lake.
She said: “I loved that opportunity because what it showed up was a raw ability I didn’t know I had. I had no experience but I had a raw talent. I had one of the fastest times driving on snow and ice. We were literally driving on ice snow tracks. We had professional
ice-driving coaches beside us and my driver assessed me.”
Having driven a McLaren 570s GT4 racing car, which has a top speed of 160mph, in a succession of GT Cup races last year, Jodie said: “I have never felt any fear in that car. I have never felt fear when I am racing. I just felt at home, I felt comfortable – it feels so natural to me.”
Determined to make a permanent career out of motor racing, Jodie has given up her day job in investment and network marketing and is now completely set on a racing career.
With 190,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram, she strives to inspire other women to reach their full potential.
She said: “I see myself as driving diversity.
“I am becoming a role model for women all over the world and am very passionate about levering my position, as a young driver, to create a meaningful impact for the sport.”
On Thursday, Jodie was invited to the Scottish Parliament to meet Sports Minister Maree Todd, who said: “As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it was great to meet Jodie Sloss and hear first-hand not just about her own fantastic achievements but also her drive to succeed and encourage others.
“We recognise the significant contribution that leaders within sport, like Jodie, have in providing crucial, strong role models who motivate, promote and inspire women and girls to participate in motorsport.”
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