Written by Sophie Harvey, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Women have played an influential role throughout the history of motor racing. Many have taken to the wheels of motorsport machines, while numerous figures have worked tirelessly on the sidelines in various roles, shaping the racing world to the present day. Woman Spotlight Wednesday aims to take a look at the tales of these superwomen, who have surpassed various hurdles to reach where they are today.
From skiing and showjumping to racing, the centre of attention in this week’s article is none other than Ella Lloyd. As the ultimate sportswoman, the Wales-born teenager impressed the masses across various Ginetta championships and has now begun to pave her way in British F4.
Despite growing up in the Welsh town of Pontypridd, Lloyd’s first taste of competitive motorsport was actually in England. Taking to the track in Silverstone for the 2018 FIA Girls on Track Karting Challenge, the event proved to be the catalyst to a much bigger passion.
Fast forward to 2022, Lloyd made her car racing debut in the Ginetta Junior Championship — a series known for nurturing motorsport talents such as Formula One star Lando Norris, W Series and Indy NXT’s Jamie Chadwick, and BTCC’s Tom Ingram.
Partnering with Assetto Motorsport, the Welshwoman drove her Ginetta G40 to points in 15 of 25 outings.
Lloyd graduated to the GT5 class of the Ginetta GT Championship the year after, going on to complete an incredible campaign. Scoring a tally of 10 victories, eight podiums and six fastest laps, the teenager concluded the season as the Vice-Champion.
Though, Lloyd didn’t stop there — taking the decision to switch to single-seaters, the eighteen-year-old announced she would partner JHR Developments in British F4 this year. Here, she would accompany Chloe Chong, Joel Bergström and Leo Robinson to complete the Derbyshire-based team’s lineup.
In preparation, she spent off-season getting accustomed to F4 machinery in Formula Winter Series before getting stuck into UK-based testing.
Now amid a busy campaign, Lloyd’s inaugural season in the championship is going superbly. Having already earned plenty of top-ten finishes and a maiden podium on Silverstone’s Grand Prix layout, the youngster currently sits tenth in the standings of an ultra-competitive field.
Away from the racetrack, Lloyd is already an accomplished sportswoman. In the equestrian world, she utilised an alternative form of horsepower to win the Welsh 148 Bronze League with her four-legged companion Elvira. In the same year, she also received a gold medal in the Welsh Skiing Championship, held in the Champery district of Switzerland.
With her sights now firmly set on racing, Ella Lloyd is already living up to her mantra of ‘be different, be unique, be yourself.’
If you’d like to follow the remaining races of her British F4 campaign, each round can be found LIVE on the series’ official YouTube channel.
Comments