The Iron Dames project announced it will step up its support of young female drivers at karting level, welcoming Spanish 14-year-old Natalia Granada for a IAME Euro Series, CEK and WSK schedule
Receiving proper support from the early stages of a racing driver career has proven to be crucial, with drivers stepping up to single seaters at an increasingly younger age, the solid karting foundations are even more critical.
There's no doubt that developing the base of the pyramid and increasing female participation at karting level will be vital to increase the chances of the talents of tomorrow to move up the ladder. Development of female karting athletes is possibly the single most important mission for women in motorsport in the next five to ten years.
And once again it was Iron Dames to raise the bar and announce a programme to support young female drivers in the early stages of their careers, in another milestone for the project founded by FIA Women In Motorsport Commission President Deborah Mayer.
“In addition to being a proud partner of the FIA Women in Motorsport Rising Star programme, we now see the time is right for us to step up our support of young talent in a management role, providing even further support to help more females to get into motorsport" - said Mayer, whose Iron Dames team has made history and became a reference point for women in the industry.
“To ensure that our project continues to make strides forward in its overall goals, we intend to support and promote more and more women in the infancy stages of their careers.”
To launch the new commitment in karting, Iron Dames will welcome 14-year-old Catalan Natalia Granada, who will become the first young woman to represent the project in karting.
Granada started racing at the age of 11 and will have a busy 2023 schedule - which includes the IAME Euro Series, the Spanish Karting Championship (CEK) and the WSK Open Series, as well as WSK Final Cup Champions Cup.
“Natalia is a promising driver and we look forward to fully supporting her throughout the season" - continued Mayer. "Having Natalia on board marks a significant milestone in the overall aims of the Iron Dames project."
Iron Dames has brought incredible talents to the world stage, including Doriane Pin and Maya Weug respectively in sportscars and F4; the addition of a karting program represents a really important step to provide a pathway for young girls in the early stages of their career.