MOTORSPORT ENTHUSIAST TAKES NEXT STEP TOWARDS ENGINEERING DREAM

Burdekin local Jorja Ahern was one of 33 young motorsport enthusiasts chosen to partake in Motorsport Australia’s ‘Girls on Track Pathways Program’ in Melbourne earlier this month. Photos supplied: Tracey Ahern

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Burdekin local Jorja Ahern was one of 33 young motorsport enthusiasts chosen to partake in Motorsport Australia’s ‘Girls on Track Pathways Program’ in Melbourne earlier this month.

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The single-day event on 3rd September gave participants—aged between 15 and 22—an inside look at Walkinshaw TWG Racing’s headquarters, lifting the roller door on the career opportunities available within the motorsport industry.

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With limited spots in the program and an explicit preference for Victorian-based applicants, Jorja said she was “surprised” yet “excited” when her acceptance email came through during class.

“I was so excited and I was emailing my mum to tell her that I got in. She was as surprised as I was,” she said.

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“But overall I was very excited and grateful for the opportunity to participate in the program.”

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Jorja travelled with family down to the Victorian capital, where she and her program peers took part in interactive workshops led by Walkinshaw TWG Racing staff across departments including Corporate Hospitality and Events, Commercial (Partnerships and Media), Engineering, Driving, and Mechanics and Preparation.

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Jorja took particular interest in the engineering department, where she said she learnt about elements of the role that she “didn't know about before.”

“It opened my eyes to the different opportunities and possibilities that are available in the industry and really helped me to nail down the type of engineering that I dream of doing when I am older,” she said.

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“I also got some insight into what each of the different engineers in the team do, so that also helped me to see where my interests lie and what career path would be best suited to me.”

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Jorja said meeting the women who had done it before her was perhaps the most meaningful aspect of the experience.

She pointed to a particular Walkinshaw fabricator hailing from rural Queensland as the most inspiring.

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“She just proves that girls in small towns can chase their dreams and achieve them too,” Jorja said, also relishing the opportunity to interact with her program peers.

“Being around likeminded girls who have the same dream of working in the industry was so cool and I made a lot of new friends from the program,” she said.

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“It was so good to talk to them as well because they have the same interests in Supercars and F1 so we all really connected and got on well.”

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Jorja’s Melbourne visit comes months after a once-in-a-lifetime Supercars paddock experience, serving as a scrutineer at the Townsville 500 in July.

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The long-time motorsport enthusiast hopes to eventually study mechanical engineering at university before pursuing an engineering role at “any motorsport team—whether Supercars or F1.”

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