Iron Dames has partnered with Porsche Motorsport for a multi-year program that includes a Young Talents Initiative, and I have the details in this week’s Driver Development Roundup. I also have more details on the potentially ground-breaking FAT Karting League, and an answer to the question of whether the path to F1 is broken. All this plus why gender diversity in motorsport is important and three more driver spotlights.
Becoming a Professional Race Driver
In the video above, Enzo Mucci explains how to stand out in your race team by making your working relationships your responsibility. Go that extra mile.
In an extensive special feature, Autosport sets out to answer the question, is the junior pathway to F1 actually ‘broken’?
“As the CEO of F2 and F3, Bruno Michel will always put a positive spin on the topic of whether the system works in its current guise. But a key factor in assessing whether the system is broken is understanding the metric by which success, and equally failure, is measured.”
Read the special feature here.
Beth Paretta, VP of Sporting at Formula E, explores in Sustainability Magazine why gender equality is important, and what can be done to achieve it in motorsports. Although motorsport is one of the few sports where men and women can compete together, it remains predominantly male, with only 3% of current top-tier racing licenses worldwide held by women (FIA).
“At the end of the day, broadening the talent pool helps us all. And since the most important part of our sport is the fans, this extends just as much to growing our fan base so that young girls and women find enjoyment in motorsports too.”
Read more of her thoughts here.
Four fast female drivers will compete in four top series at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 R. Michelle Gatting from Denmark, Rahel Frey from Switzerland, Sarah Bovy from Belgium and Célia Martin from France will race for the Iron Dames squad in Asia, Europe and the USA. The schedule also includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC.
The alliance between Porsche Motorsport and Iron Dames is set to continue for several years. Plans are already in the pipeline for the project to be closely linked to the German sports car manufacturer’s successful junior development pyramid. The aim is to interlink the national support programs in the Porsche one-make cups, the central Junior Program of Porsche Motorsport and the recently introduced “Iron Dames Young Talents” initiative. Ideally, this creates a path for young talents from karting to top professional sport.
“Porsche stands for a culture of equal opportunities and diversity. Encouraging women to get involved in motorsport and then supporting them in open competition is something we value highly. In this context, we’ve seen that the Iron Dames project is well-structured and was very successful in recent years,” explains Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “Since our customer teams have already celebrated victories with the Iron Dames, we’re now taking the next logical step. We’re very confident that the collaboration in all series will reap excellent results and we can highlight our contribution to supporting female racing drivers with victories and podium finishes.”
More details on the program can be found here.
F1 Academy has announced that Hitech Grand Prix will join the grid and operate three cars from the 2025 season, expanding the grid to 18 cars. The British team, which also currently compete in the GB3 Championship, British Formula 4 and Formula Winter Series, will operate two cars with full time drivers, and a third car which will host the Wild Card entry. The Wild Card was introduced in the 2024 season as an initiative to strengthen the talent pool in F1 ACADEMY race locations, allowing talented young drivers to gain competitive experience, and will run at all seven rounds in 2025.
Bosch Motorsport’s hand-controlled electric braking system has been recognized with the Don Burgoon Most Innovative Product in Motorsport of the Year Award at the World Motorsport Symposium in London.
To accommodate this for Wickens’ hand-controlled braking system, Bosch used its existing LMDh electronic brake system (EBS) module, whose controls platform and display provides a significantly more robust solution.
The tech allows Wickens exactly what he needs to achieve sensitive brake control and fast reaction times when braking. Built-in diagnostics ensure simple and reliable functional testing of the system too.
Read more at Daily Sportscar.
On episode 203 of Inside the SCCA presented by RaceSchool.com, they go right to the source to get the answer to the burning question… is Spec Miata dead? Mazda Motorsports Josh Smith and the Spec Mazda Advisory Committee (SMAC) chair Sean Hedrick join me to talk about the health and long term view of one of the most popular classes in the history of the SCCA… Spec Miata. What is Mazda’s commitment? How does the SCCA keep the class strong? Is there a place for both Spec Miata and Spec MX-5? Watch the episode above.
Driver Development Program News & Resources
Last week I mentioned the launch of the new FAT Karting League, a new type of karting program that focuses on talent by radically reducing the cost of competing. Here are a few more articles to bring you up to speed on the initiative.
- FAT Karting League launched to make motorsport more accessible (PMW)
- New Affordable Karting League Launches To Find Next F1 Champion (Forbes)
- F.A.T. International Reshapes Racing’s Future (Business of Speed)
Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific is proud to announce Dorian Boccolacci as its Selected Driver for the 2025 campaign. The backbone of Boccolacci’s 2025 racing program will be in GT3 series competition in the Asia-Pacific region, alongside participation in standalone events in the area, with plans for drives in select blue-riband races. The 26-year-old’s full season plan will be announced in due course.
Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific’s efforts to discover and cultivate future talent doesn’t end with the signing of Boccolacci. On December 2-4, 12 young drivers participated in the second Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Talent Pool Presented by Michelin Assessment Test at Sepang International Circuit. Those drivers were: Marcus Amand, Victor Bernier (both France), Daffa Boediharjo (Indonesia), Francesco Braschi, Enzo Trulli (both Italy), William Exton, Brock Gilchrist (both New Zealand), Amer Harris (Malaysia), Kmik Karnasuta (Thailand), Jason Leung (Canada), Tom McLennan (Australia) and Josh Rowledge (UK).
The event forms the basis for selecting the 2025 Talent Pool and reaffirms Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s dedication to finding and developing young racers. The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Talent Pool is strategically placed on the pyramid as a feeder for the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver program, while also offering young drivers a pathway to the Porsche Junior program in Europe.
More details can be found at the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific site here.
Theo Oeverhaus has been named Porsche’s new Junior driver for the 2025 season, joining Alessandro Ghiretti, who will continue for a second season under the German manufacturer’s development driver program.
Announced during last Saturday evening’s ‘Night of Champions’ event in Weissach, the 19-year-old German will take part in his first full season of Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup after having been selected over eight other candidates from regional Porsche Carrera Cups.
More details can be found at Sportscar365 here.
Driver Development Pathways
The Porsche Motorsport Pyramid has long been a proving ground for young talent, and 18-year-old Oscar Targett is emerging as its latest standout. Despite significant challenges, including open-heart surgery just last year, the Queensland native has rapidly climbed the ranks, recently becoming the second-youngest Porsche Sprint Challenge champion. From battling Europe’s elite in karting to shifting his focus toward a career in Supercars or GT racing, Targett’s journey is a testament to resilience, skill, and a family deeply rooted in motorsport. As he sets his sights on joining Grove Racing in the Supercars Championship, Targett is blazing a trail that promises an exciting future.
Read more at Auto Action.
At the second time of trying, 18-year-old Noah Harmon (above) won the Mazda MX-5 Cup Scholarship Shootout’s top prize: a fully funded ride for the 2025 season. RACER charts his journey so far.
“At the end of 2019, my dad and I went to drive some rental karts, and that was the beginning,” Harmon recalls. “We went to look at proper racing karts and on my 14th birthday, I drove a real kart for the first time.”
Read the full article on RACER here.
Saudi Arabian rally driver Dania Akeel, a rising star in the motorsport world, has shared how her first exposure to the Dakar Rally as a spectator helped shape her journey to becoming a top-10 finisher in one of the most grueling events in motorsport. Now preparing for her fourth professional Dakar Rally in 2025, Akeel reflects on the insights she gained from her initial role at the Dakar, offering valuable lessons for both aspiring competitors and fans alike.
Read more at Off-Road Racer here.
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
