Gilmour makes McLaren history
Emma Gilmour has been unveiled as the first woman to drive for McLaren Racing in its Extreme E team.
It is the latest team to join the series in 2022, raising awareness of the impact of climate change, participating in Extreme E’s legacy programmes and “leaving a lasting footprint by engaging its fans to take climate action”.
Motorsport has long since provided a hub for innovation and Extreme E brings some of the world’s most famous teams, using the latest “clean technology”, to race in some of the planet’s most remote and stunning locations.
Gilmour, pictured, has vast experience in rallying, rallycross, cross-country rallying and, most recently, competing in the inaugural season of Extreme E.
In 2016, she became the first and only woman to date to win a NZ Rally Championship event. She also won the FIA Women in Motorsport and Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation’s cross-country rally selection in 2015.
Gilmour, who is also dealer principal and manager of Gilmour Suzuki Motors in Dunedin, completes McLaren Extreme E’s driver line-up for next year alongside US driver Tanner Foust.
“I’m incredibly honoured to be McLaren Racing’s first female driver,” she says. “Growing up in New Zealand, Bruce McLaren and McLaren Racing are seen as the pinnacles of motorsport. To be competing in Extreme E next year with McLaren is a special opportunity.
“The series is a fantastic platform that represents equality and addresses the key issues affecting our planet and society.
“I’m looking to draw on my previous experience in Extreme E alongside all my skills across rally, rallycross and cross-country rallying, which make me well-suited to the sport, to make a positive impact and inspire the next generation of female drivers and engineers. I can’t wait to get started with the team.”
Zak Brown, chief executive officer of McLaren Racing, said: “Emma’s a race winner and has proven herself this year in Extreme E alongside a vast background in competitive off-roading in multiple series across the globe. It’s fitting our first female driver originates from New Zealand where our founder was from.”
The McLaren Extreme E launch livery has also been revealed. Hand-drawn by award-winning artist and illustrator Vic Lee, it represents the entire race calendar through the four biomes of the Arctic, Amazon, Desert and Ocean.
Illustrations on the livery focus on each landscape, drawing inspiration from the legacy left behind by the Extreme E series, teams and staff while detailing some of the steps that can be taken to reduce the impact of climate change.
Extreme E sees electric SUVs competing in harsh environments around the world that have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues.
The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world’s most remote locations, and promotes the adoption of EVs in the quest for a lower carbon future.
The St Helena, a former passenger cargo ship, has undergone a multi-million refit to minimise emissions and transform her into Extreme E’s operations hub.
The ship is used to transport the championship’s freight and infrastructure, including vehicles, to the nearest port, minimising Extreme E’s footprint, as well as being used to facilitate scientific research through its on-board laboratory.
Extreme E is also pioneering hydrogen fuel-cell technology, which will enable its race fleet to be charged using zero-emissions energy. The system uses water and sun to generate hydrogen power.
Not only will this process emit no greenhouse emissions, its only by-product is water, which will be utilised elsewhere on-site to minimise local impact.
The announcement of Gilmour’s participation in the series followed a media engagement during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow with the Prince of Wales.
