Four candidates remain in contention for the coveted 2016 Porsche Scholarship and In2Racing’s Hannah Pym, a supremely talented 19-year old female racing driver from Staines, is one of them.
Pym is highly touted and has dazzled the motorsport community by displaying a raw and innate ability on her ascent up the Karting ranks, which has encompassed prolific campaigns in British Cadets, the CIK FIA U18 World Championship and the DKM German Championship.
Arguably the most successful female Kart racer of recent times, having eclipsed the majority of her male counterparts to rank second overall in the UK, she is revered and feared by her peers, with the likes of Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver, Max Verstappen, and Ben Barnicoat of McLaren’s F1 Young Driver Programme expressing admiration and openly remarking on her aptitude behind the wheel.
Highly impressive performances during an intensive testing programme in a 460bhp Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in 2015 have validated these testimonials and confirmed the widely held belief that Pym has the potential to go the distance and rise to the uppermost echelons of motorsport.
However, only one standout driver will be selected as the 2016 Porsche Scholar and the chosen candidate will not only be aligned with one of the world’s most prestigious sportscar marques, but will receive a prize of £80,000 per annum to put towards two consecutive campaigns in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain.
Having seen off countless other high-calibre drivers during on and off-track assessments, Pym is now in the final evaluation stage of the Scholarship process and the young Staines resident is eager to learn her fate, with the final decision due to be announced on Monday 9 November.
“It would be a real shame to lose the Porsche Scholarship now and fall at the final hurdle, but it’s a massive achievement to have made it this far, especially given that I’m yet to do any car racing,” said Pym. “However, I believe I came across well during the interview and I’m confident in myself as a driver.
“The previous Porsche Scholar, Josh Webster, did a fantastic job and will be a tough act to follow, but I tried to get across the fact that I’ll bring something completely different as the first female Scholar. I’ve never had anything handed to me because I’m female and I wouldn’t want an easier ride because of that fact, but I do want to wave the flag for females and dispel the silly view that we can’t play on a level playing field with males, because motor racing is one of the only sports in which you can.”
Pym added: “Testing has gone better than anybody could have hoped or expected, as I went into it not knowing what would happen and how I’d settle in to my new surroundings. Everything happened naturally and I hit all of my targets and I won’t be overwhelmed or intimidated by the Porsche Carrera Cup GB. It would be an exciting step in my career!”
In2Racing is proud to have Pym under its umbrella and Team Principal, Nick Dudfield, said: “Hannah (Pym) would be a fantastic ambassador for Porsche and In2Racing. She might stand out because she’s female, but she’s also a very successful female driver and her Karting CV is remarkable by any measure.
“Her achievements have been recognised within the motorsport community and many have commented on her ability to me. I’m constantly being told how In2Racing has something special in her. But I don’t have to be told, because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The approach she took into her year of testing in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car was hugely impressive and it would be a privilege to accompany her through her maiden seasons of car racing as the Porsche Scholar.”
For more information on In2Racing and its activities, please visit the official www.in2racing.co.uk website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page, or follow@In2Racing on Twitter.