Add Category
Updated
At 14, Alexis Spiteri is too young to wave the flag at a motorsport event, but that doesn't stop her racing around the track at up to 185 kilometres per hour.
Having graduated from motorbikes and go-karts to race cars, Alexis has now become the youngest female to hold a Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) licence.
She has also recently completed a program helping female drivers break into motorsport, and now has her sights set on the top tier of racing in Australia, the V8 Supercars.
"When I'm racing, I feel like myself, like I can do anything," Alexis said.
"It makes me feel energised and hyped.
"Ever since I was young, I've loved going fast, loved all things motorsport and loved the V8s."
She was introduced to racing by her father Chris Spiteri, who has been involved in motorsport since he was three years old, including as a drag racing driver.
He admits having nerves when Alexis goes out to race, particularly if he can't see her on the track, but is confident she has what it takes to climb the ranks in the sport.
"She's got a long way to go, a lot of training, a lot of practice. She's only 14 so she's got a lot of growing up to do, but she'll do it," he said.
"She overtakes and gets in front of other people when she needs to and doesn't let things get on top of her, I think she'll be alright."
After walking away from a recent minor crash, in which the car was badly damaged, Alexis is keenly aware of the dangerous nature of the sport.
But it hasn't put her off her goal of driving a V8 Supercar.
And it's an industry in need of girls like her, with Simona De Silvestro currently the only woman among the competition's 26 full-time drivers.
Alexis, who dreams of driving a Red Bull Holden, realises she has to start small and has already bought her first car, a $2,000 1997 Subaru Impreza.
"It took a couple of years. I did chores around the house, saved up my pocket money," she said.
She recently competed at a Supersprint event against 77 other drivers — some almost three times her age — and although she didn't win, she sliced 10 seconds off her best time and is getting faster every race.
"I think everything I do is an accomplishment for me," she said.
"It's harder for me to get up there, everyone has more expensive cars than me and a lot more experience."
She still competes on the go-kart track, where her dad says she's almost impossible to catch, but this year she felt it was time to make the step up.
"I thought that go-karting wasn't going to take me that far and I wanted to move into cars as soon as possible," she said.
This move brought her to the Women's Motorsport Development Program, from which she recently graduated.
The 10-part program was created by Rachelle Wilson, a motorsport enthusiast who wanted to see more women involved in the sport.
"The 2018 program participants have been amazing. They approached every part of the program with such enthusiasm and passion that it has been beautiful to watch," Wilson said.
Wilson volunteers as the program director and is a director at the Australian Racing Drivers' Club. She came up with the idea in 2015 after she had discovered how easy it was to compete.
"I thought [we needed] a development program that actually took women through the different aspects of motorsport, but also behind the scenes, because it can be really intimidating," Wilson said.
"I got a bit of resistance at first because it was new. There is still no other program like this in Australia."
The program ran for the first time in 2016 with four women, and this year expanded to 15 women aged 14 to 55.
Alexis enjoyed the program, which she says helped her on and off the track.
"It was really good, it was fun and helped me get behind the wheel. I made lots of friends and it's helping me achieve my goals," she said.
Next up on her agenda is to attend every event she can to gain track time and experience.
"It's about beating yourself and trying to get better times," she said.
Topics: sport, motor-sports, australia, nsw, luddenham-2745
First posted