After years of hard work by various authorities, female participation in the world of motorsports is starting to see a happy climb. Working in the same domain, Alpine introduced a new initiative called the ‘Rac(h)er’ program, which mainly focuses on nurturing young female talent across various disciplines of motorsports.
As of now, the program supports six young females currently in their karting days. Per a report from SoyMotor, the program recently organized a special karting event in which soccer royalty Zinedine Zidane also played a crucial role.
Yesterday @PierreGASLY & @OconEsteban, Academy drivers, Rac(H)er girls, and CEMA winners were joined by Zinedine Zidane for a day of activities in Madrid.
The Alpine group were given a tour of the Real Madrid Stadium by the football legend, followed by karting and football.… pic.twitter.com/WUOR300FbI
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) December 13, 2023
Two of the six drivers, Lisa Billard and Sukhmani Kaur Khera, were a part of the event and were in charge of advising Zidane for the race. Speaking about the involvement of females in motorsports, the Frenchman claimed they were on the right path despite things being a little tricky.
“It’s a little complicated, but I think we’re on the right track. In a short time the women will be seen there. If she has talent and is good, we will see it. Anyway, that’s what we all want.”, said Zidane.
Also, a part of the event were Alpine F1 drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. While here, Gasly expressed his optimism around the Rac(h)er program while also hoping to see a driver from the initiative driving in F1 soon.“I am sure that together, as a team, Alpine will support them. They are in this program because they have proven to be very talented. Hopefully we can give them the pass to reach F1.”
The six drivers Alpine is supporting through Rac(h)er
Set up in June 2022, the initiative is currently supporting six young karters from Europe and Australia. Aiva Anagnostiadis, Angelina Proenca, Chiara Battig, Lisa Billard, Maria Chiara, and Sukhmani Kaur Khera are the drivers of the program.
Additionally, the program also supports established driver Sophia Floersch. By doing so, the program further emphasizes the importance of supporting and uplifting female drivers in motorsports.
Alpine’s Rac(H)er programme for equal opportunity announces new talents and the creation of its Human… https://t.co/hvlwP0B2BG pic.twitter.com/FSXydrd8hc
— KartXpress (@KartXpress) February 17, 2023
Talking about Floersch, the Rac(h)er program leader Claire Mesnier highlighted how the driver reminded her of a racer from F1, which led to her bringing Floersch onboard the one-of-its-kind program and their F1 academy.
The German driver has progressed through Formula 4, Formula 3, and Formula Regional and last raced in the FIA F3 in 2023 with PHM Racing with the support of Alpine.
