Four young women have been selected for the 2020 Motorsport UK Academy squad programme, the governing body talent development pathway.
Motorsport UK Academy announced on Friday the new eighteen names selected for its 2020 Programme. Among the 18 drivers, we find four young female racers that throughout the past years showed the most potential to become the next stars of British motorsport.
Motorsport UK, the national organisation and governing body for four-wheel motorsport in the UK, promotes the Squad programme and offers to the selected drivers the opportunity to progress and develop within the sport through exclusive industry insight, workshops, education programs and events.
Among the female selected drivers is young karting prodigy Jessica Edgar.
Jess, 14, is already considered one of the biggest stars of the British karting scene: in 2019 she competed in the LGM Kart Championship Junior X30 class, and also had the honor to represent the British team in the inaugural edition of the brand-new FIA Motorsport Games in Vallelunga, Rome, during the Karting slalom competition.
Edgar, cousin of the Formula 4 driver Jonny, also entered the IAME World finals in Le Mans.
Another highly ranked profile on the list is eighteen year-old Logan Hannah.
Logan competed in the 2019 Scottish Formula Ford 1600 Championship, where she was able to score three podium finishes out of thirteen races, ending fourth in the final point standings.
She entered in four races of the opening 2017/2018 F4 UAE Championship round at Yas Marina for Dream Racing. Hannah recently returned to the Emirati-based series for the non-championship round supporting the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2019, as one of a record-breaking four female racers on the grid.
After proving her skills and showing good progresses in the past seasons, Logan Hannah will now have the chance to further develop her potential and establish herself as one of the upcoming British talents by taking part in the Motorsport UK Academy programme.
Another interesting name on the list is Jemma Moore.
For Jemma, motorsport runs deep in the family's blood: her sister Sarah is in fact one of the W Series drivers, having finished 8th in the inaugural season of the all-female F3 championship, and her brother Nigel is also a title-winning racing driver.
Jemma took part in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the Junior Saloon Car Championship: after two races in the series in 2017, Jemma Moore claimed two podium finishes and one pole position in 2018, ending seventh in the final standings. Moore went on to even better results in 2019, bringing home five podiums and one victory at Knockhill.
In the past year she also entered four races in the GT4 South European Series as a guest driver, at the wheel of a Ginetta G50 GT4 car. She finished fourth in the two Portimao races and clinched the victory in Estoril's first race, completing the wekeend with a second place in Race 2.
Last but not least, is highly praised Emily Linscott. Emily made her Formula 4 debut in 2018, competing in three rounds of the F4 SEA Championship in Sepang, Malaysia. In the same year, she was also at the start of the Ginetta Junior Championship with Richardson Racing.
2019 saw Linscott entering the Britcar Endurance championship and the Lucas Oil Formula Car Race Series. Emily, who is coached by Indy500 veteran and fellow British driver Pippa Mann, completed a very encouraging season in the United States, where she was able to claim two second place finishes at NCM Motorsport Park as a highlight.
Linscott has recently secured funding for a full Lucas Oil School of Racing season thanks to a successful crowfunding campaign that reached its goal in less than two weeks.
"The Motorsport UK Squad programme offers a great opportunity for a driver to develop their knowledge in all of the factors relevant to achieving their goals in the sport." - explained Academy Coach James Wozencroft. "The industry experts offer real insight into specialist fields that is often not possible to access and so I'm really looking forward to working with the new selection of athletes and helping them utilise this information to become the best drivers they can be."
Motorsport UK Board of Directors includes Catherine Bond-Muir, as the W Series CEO was appointed to the role in October 2019 after bringing the topic of women in the sport to the forefront.