Ladies breaking through motorsport barriers

There is some evidence that things are changing! Recently the first all-female scrutineering team assembled for the Aston Martin Owners' Club (AMOC) event at Donington Park.

It was a landmark moment for the sport and the first time it has ever happened in the UK. It’s still to be confirmed, but it might possibly even be a world-first.

Leading lubricant manufacturer FUCHS Lubricants, which has strong links with both grassroots and elite motorsports, rewarded the women with merchandise to mark their achievement.

The team was led by vastly-experienced scrutineer Sue Bateman.

Sue said: “We’re really proud of the achievement. Everyone worked well as a team and it was a great event.

“Women scrutineers don’t always get the same recognition as the men and a lot of what we do is at our own expense, so to get some acknowledgment from FUCHS was great. We really appreciated it.”

Scrutineers are all volunteers who give their time for the love of motorsport. They travel all of the country to play vital roles at different race meetings.

Sue and MSVR Chief Scrutineer Nigel Thorne talked last year about ways to increase the number of female scrutineers in motorsport.

Sue rose to the challenge by forming a team of eight women, including two trainees, to work together at the AMOC meeting, 

“This was my 20^thyear as a motorsport UK official, so it was a special moment,” Sue said. “It feels like a big achievement.

“I come from a motor mad family. My Grandpa used to own a garage, my father was involved in hot rod racing and my son James Tucker has been competing in various disciplines since the age of eight.

“I started training as a scrutineer for superkarts in 1999 as my now husband Terry Bateman is a Clerk of Course and was taking me to meetings and I wanted to get more involved. 

“Once I was a full scrutineer, I decided to add cars to my license as I still had an interest car racing. 

“This was hard in the early 2000s as the lads didn’t want to train women. This attitude made me more determined and I’m still here today doing more and more motorsport.

“The path hasn’t been easy but has earn the respect of a lot of officials and now I’m offered that many events that there aren’t enough weekends.”

Another team member, Anna McColl, said she had got into scrutineering after retiring from rallying.

“I really missed the camaraderie of competing, so I decided to explore other options,” she said. The scrutineers I had met during my rallying had always been such a happy bunch, very 

professional, and helped us through a steep learning curve.

“In 2007 I became a trainee and a year later got my ticket for cars, and a couple of years later for karts too.”

Sally Travis, marketing manager at FUCHS Lubricants, said: “We were delighted to be able to recognise the team in this small way.

“It’s high-time there were more women working behind-the-scenes in motorsport, and this is a step forward.”