Buckinghamshire racing driver Kirsty Mansell represents England in trail-blazing Formula Woman Nations Cup World Qualifier

The Formula Woman initiative aims to discover, nurture and develop female motorsport talent. Those present at the Nations Cup have made it through to what is effectively a semi-final, from a global community of more than 10,000 participants from over 90 different countries around the world. Anyone of these could have had the chance to be there but Kirsty has proved that she has much of what it takes, across a variety of skills and qualities, to be in the shake up.

Formula Woman tests those taking part in the following areas: mental agility, physical agility and fitness, media and partner handling skills, commercial knowledge, a degree of technical and mechanical sympathy and, of course, most importantly, the necessary level of driving skill and the potential to be a winner.

The FW scheme has grown year on year, from a largely national competition to a truly global affair, with representatives all over the world, including, Mainland Europe, North, Central and South America, Canada, the Middle East, the Caribbean. various parts of Asia, Australasia and, of course, it has its headquarters in the UK, arguably the heart of world motorsport.

The cars that will form the critical driving aspect of the event at the famous Dubai Autodrome will be the Radical SR3 sports racing car. These pretty but purposeful bespoke race cars run on full racing slick tyres with their 1500cc engines, which will propel the cars from a standing start to 60 MPH in something under/around four seconds with a top speed of more than 160 MPH.

The Radical company, which is based at Donington Park race circuit and has a factory in Peterborough, is the second largest constructor of purpose-built race cars in the world. They have both national and world championships and any one of the competing women who can fully get to grips with a Radical could, like many Radical graduates, end up competing at the highest levels of motorsport, such as the European and World Endurance Championships and the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours.

Formula Woman is the brainchild of former race driver and F1 team commercial director, Graeme Glew. “We keep a close eye on everyone who gets through the initial stages of Formula Woman, and I am delighted that Kirsty Mansell has made it to Dubai.

"It is going to be a big test for everyone who has made the event, but Kirsty comes into a level playing field situation, with every chance of making it through to the finals next year, if she can prove to us that she has what it takes to progress there.”