Racing Pride and their need to Accelerate Pride
Racing Pride is an LGBTQ+ and allies member community who are either in, or are interested in, motorsport and the automotive industry and they aim to promote and champion inclusivity across the sport.
Founded in 2019, the group have worked together with large motorsport organisations to “unite motorsport as a whole to bring about significant and lasting change” and some of their partners include Alpine F1 team, Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin, both their F1 team and their road car group.
The group have a “co-ordinated approach, embracing all elements within motorsport, and actively promoting, and supporting, LGBTQ+ participants.”
Racing Pride are always looking at new ways to promote their aims and to help the community and on the 2nd February, they organised and hosted Accelerate Pride, an event held at the British Motor Museum.
The event was a conference and networking opportunity where partners, members, and invited industry guests discussed progress and challenges to LGBTQ+ inclusion and they shared ideas on how to continue to drive improvements across the sector.
I had the amazing opportunity to attend the event through Girls On Track UK and was able to speak to industry leading companies, meet new friends and gaze at a car or two.
After graduating last year, I have been looking for any opportunity to network within motorsports as I wanted to gain more contacts and friends within the industry and Accelerate Pride was the best opportunity for me.
Alongside the three panels that took place which had amazing industry experts, there were stalls that included Sheffield Formula Racing, a Formula Student team who won the 2023 Racing Pride Aston Martin Diversity and Inclusion Award, Team BRIT who brought an accessible motorsport simulator (which I did try but quickly found that simulator racing was not my strong suit) and Formula 1 car parts from Aston Martin and Alpine which attendees were free to touch and stare in amazement at.
Stalls were also filled by Driven Minds and Motorsport UK and at the entrance to the event were cars from Aston Martin, Genesis, and Alpine and the Museum was open to the attendees. It was my first time at the Motor Museum, so I enjoyed looking around with my newfound friends at the amazing cars and displays.
The opening panel was hosted by Dr Kate Bancroft of King’s College London and addressed the topic ‘LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Automotive Industry: Progress & Challenges’ and featured Matthew Randall of Aston Martin Lagonda, Simon Branney of Genesis Motor UK, Wayne Bruce from Bentley Motors and Barrie Hewitt of Lotus Cars.
The second panel was hosted by Formula One podcaster and Racing Pride ambassador Christian Hewgill which included Jessica Runicles of Motorsport UK, Anji Silva-Vadgama from Team BRIT, Will Jones of Sheffield Formula Racing, British endurance karting champion Jessica Alexander, and Laila Fadli Dokkali who is an MSc Motorsport Scholar with the Royal Academy of Engineering and Mission 44 partnership.
The final panel which was again hosted by Hewgill explored the impact Racing Pride has made in the world of Formula One. The speakers were from three teams which have relationships with Racing Pride, the panel included Kerrie Sparling from BWT Alpine F1 Team, Matt Drew from Oracle Red Bull Racing and Carys Conlon from Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. They were joined by Racing Pride Director Bryanna Harding who had previously worked for Aston Martin.
All the panels gave great insight into the LGBTQ+ community in motorsport and allowed people to feel included in a sport that they love. It also allowed the attendees to get a look into what teams and people in the industry are doing to make the sport accessible and how to boost inclusion and diversity.
Hopefully there will be more chances for me to attend Racing Pride events and this will not be the last Accelerate Pride.
To learn more about Racing Pride please visit their website: https://racingpride.com/
- by Lizzy Oxendale
