Feature

Jessica Hawkins meets Indigenous charity Racing Together

Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team hosts the charity focused on giving young Indigenous people a chance to participate in motorsport.

As Formula One returns to Australia for the first time since 2019, Jessica Hawkins has spent time with the charity Racing Together, which aims to give young Indigenous people opportunities to learn and gain experience in the world of motorsport and racing.

The charity, which teaches everything from driving and racing safety to physical strength and first aid, has built a small team of 12 to 16 year-old boys and girls, giving them the chance to learn and participate in motorsport whether for career progression or for recreation, including experience as a driver, mechanic or race engineer.

The group has already built and raced a small car in local events during 2021.

Team members from the charity visited Jessica at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit for a discussion about the sport, learning about the work Racing Together has already done with the young team, and listening to her advice and experience of working within the industry.

It's great to see how motorsport is spreading to the furthest parts of the world.

Jessica Hawkins

Jessica said of the visit: "It's great to see how motorsport is spreading to the furthest parts of the world and getting everyone involved in such an exciting sport."

Charity founder and Australia's representative on the FIA, Garry Connelly, said: "The goal is to give them a focus in life, with the view of encouraging them along a career path, hopefully in the automotive industry.

"So far, their experience within motorsport has been life changing for all of them. The charity is the Indigenous way of contributing towards 'We Race As One'."