Head Girl Alicia Barrett has reached the final 50 of Formula Woman – a worldwide competition to find future female motor racing champions.
Open to women with little or no motor racing experience, entrants must be aged 17+ with a full driving licence and a passion for driving. With the ultimate prize for four women of a fully sponsored McLaren GT4 seat in the UK GT Cup Championship 2022, Formula Woman attracted over 800 female applicants from 28 countries.
Year 13 Alicia, who joined the school in 2015, said, “Being selected as one of 50 females to reach the final stages of the Formula Woman competition brings me one step closer to my goal of being a professional racing driver – something I have aspired to since I was young.”
Currently studying for her A-Levels, Alicia only passed her driving test in September and has no previous car racing experience. However, her passion for racing was ignited in a go-kart aged eight, and after taking up karting she was later crowned 2017 X30 Ladies Champion at Le Mans and 2019 European Women’s IAME X30 Champion at Varennes sur Allier circuit, France.
“During the pandemic I was unable to continue funding my kart racing,” explains Alicia. “For me, Formula Woman has come around at the perfect time and if I was successful in winning a championship drive in the McLaren GT4, I would finally be able to make the transition from karts to cars.”