My Story Part 2: Raj Kular, Formula Woman Competitor

You may remember back in November we shared the story of Raj Kular, who was competing in Formula Woman, with a seat in a McLaren GT4 in the British GT Cup for the winner!

Well the good news is that from 850 applicants she is now down to the final 75 drivers.

With the next round approaching on 2nd/3rd March, it has been a busy time for Raj. As not only has she been getting in lots of practice time out on different tracks across the country, she has also been on TV and Radio, with appearances on BBC Radio and being interviewed by none other than TV broadcasting veteran (and motor racing fan!) Alastair Stewart on GB News.

Along with juggling all this and a full time job, we were so pleased that Raj took some time out to share what it has been like for her over the past few months!

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Over to you Raj and good luck for the next round...

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Formula Woman Finalist 2022: Raj Kular

“Dear Raj

I imagine that you have been waiting for this email...”

On the morning of Wednesday 22nd December, those were the words sent by Graeme Glew - Founder of Formula Woman, which headed the email to officially confirm that I’m a finalist.

I was ecstatic! All my focus, hard work and self-belief across the past four months, since entering the competition, had paid off. I knew I had it in me to make the final 50 (which is actually 75; a testament to the high calibre of ladies participating!). However to then demonstrate that, against 850 other applicants, on a single day of assessments was not a task to be taken lightly!

On the 16th November I had to participate in a series of activities which made up my “assessment day” – a small written test, a media test, an on-track car test (in a Vauxhall Corsa-e), a karting test and a fitness test. The on-track car test was the most heavily weighed component, followed by fitness. During his welcome speech on the day, Graeme Glew reiterated that the assessors weren’t looking for speed. They were looking for natural potential, the correct racing line, driving techniques and ability. This trumped flooring the accelerator, driving on the limit and trying to grab the quickest lap time; get the former factors right and going fast is a natural consequence. So that’s what I did. I remained positive, cool and collected and just focused on nailing those aspects. I was an oasis of calm during the car test. It was a little unnerving when I reflected on it after…why was I so calm? Did I go fast enough? My inner speed demon was making me question if I had truly done enough…I should never have been in doubt!

The media test was an opportunity to showcase confidence and being comfortable in-front of the camera; my day job as a Senior Account Manager certainly helped in this regard. For years I have presented and spoken in front of clients (C-suite executives and their teams at top FTSE 100 companies) in meeting rooms, on Zoom calls and even on stage. So speaking about my motivation for entering the competition and passion for motorsport in front of a TV camera came naturally.

The karting test was highly enjoyable – doing the sport that I fell in love with some two years ago was a pure pleasure; bolstered by the fact that I got to wear my replica Nigel Mansell helmet and drive the “Red 5” kart…I couldn’t have written a more perfect script!

Finally the fitness test, which for me was the last activity I had to complete that day, was demanding but exhilarating. I gave 110% on each circuit we had to do and my adrenaline was kept high by the knowledge that we were being constantly assessed. I wanted to showcase that when push comes to shove, my body and willpower will more then step up to the job.

So what’s next? For now, the 2nd & 3rd March 2022 are firmly planted in my mind; these two days at PF International Kart Circuitwill be when us finalists battle it out to win a season driving the McLaren GT4 in the 2022 British GT Cup. Whittling down 75 finalists to just 4 (plus 2 reserve drivers) is a serious undertaking, so the winners won’t be determined across those two days. Instead, 60 of the 75 will be eliminated – leaving 15 talented ladies to undergo a ‘shootout’ on the 4th March at Croft Racing Circuit. The following week, on the 10th & 11th March, the successful 10 from that shootout will then travel to an undisclosed location in Europe to conduct the battle to end all battles – finally determining who will be heading to Donnington Park in April to begin the 2022 GT Cup season!

As a 30-year-old female, who had only done rental go-karting prior to the competition, it’s been an amazing journey so far. Highlights include driving a Jaguar Project 8 around Snetterton and Brand Hatch and getting sim tutelage from Neil Riddiford, Formula Renault Champion, who told me I have what it takes to go all the way in the competition. I still pinch myself when I think about the prize at stake and I realise this is an opportunity that some could only dream of. In the words of Nigel Mansell, “The hunger and desire to go racing…never leaves your blood, but the right opportunity has never really come along, until now that is!”  

(Main Photo credit: Jakob Ebery)