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ABC News
19 minutes ago
- ABC News
Thrill of racing entices more women into motorsport breaking down stereotypes
The throbbing sound of a revving V8 engine and the intoxicating smell of diesel and rubber tyres are all part of the appeal of car meets. But it's not only men flocking to car meets across the country — women dig cars too. And now more women are getting involved in the sport on the track and behind the scenes. Car enthusiast Deb Myers never dreamed of racing until she met her husband Ian Crabbe about six years ago. Now she loves the thrill of it. "We recently drag raced at Palmyra Dragway in Mackay and my best time was 10.67 for the quarter mile," Ms Myers said. For the first few years she and her husband would time their trip around the track, also known as a hot lap, taking turns racing in his 2008 Clubsport Holden Commodore. But now they do that in their own identical, supercharged, colour-matched cars, mainly at their local, the Springmount Raceway near Mareeba in Far North Queensland. "And there's quite a lot of ladies that drag race up at Springmount and we always say 'girl power' to them." Mr Crabbe has enjoyed watching his wife blossom in the sport and become increasingly involved in regular car meets. "The car community is very welcoming and more women are embracing it and giving racing a go and I really applaud it," he said. In her 30 years in the industry, self-confessed automotive addict and racing commentator Lara Wilde has seen women become more active, including in racing, behind the scenes as pit crew, attending car meets and in leadership roles. "I'm seeing more women getting a profile in motorsport, not because they are women, but because they are exceptional," Ms Wilde said. She believes it has opened the door for other women to pursue their passion. "It's important for women to be welcomed into the car community and to feel safe and respected," Ms Wilde said. She welcomed a national push to get more women into motorsport. "We're seeing women like Betty Klimenko, who is the first woman to own a V8 Supercar team in Australia. "And Formula One is on a mission to put the first permanent woman driver on the grid of Formula One." Earlier this year, teens Joanne Ciconte and Aiva Anagnostiadis represented Australia in the all-female Formula 1 Academy series for the first time. Motorsport Australia, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)-appointed not-for-profit organisation, said more women were entering the industry nationally, both on and off the track. "Once you're behind the wheel, it's completely gender-free." But Ms Barlow said the initial break into the industry was often a barrier to women, and she believed changing this was an industry-wide responsibility. She said the organisation's Girls on Track program had helped to address the gender imbalance in the male-dominated industry. More than 3,500 girls have completed the program since it launched in 2018, with many pursuing a career in motorsport in varied roles including engineering, team management and coordination. An early introduction to the sport worked for commentator Lara Wilde, who has fostered a love of cars since her youth. Once a hobby, it led to a career that sees her booked 46 out of 52 weekends a year. "I do Summernats, which is the biggest burnout show in Australia, plus Red Nats, Northern Nats, Rocky Nats and all the Nats." Ms Wilde is keen to see even more women challenging stereotypes by pursuing a career in motorsport. Already doing this is Leonie Pollard, a judge at Cairns' NQ Burnouts and Tropical Meltdown and Powerfest in Mackay. "They were looking for a judge for NQ Burnouts about five years ago and my son threw my name in the ring," Ms Pollard said. But she said female judges were still a minority, which she attributed to outdated stereotypes. "I also think social media is partly to blame as men can be quite disgusting with their comments about women on car pages," she said. "They pick on women's looks and their driving and they can be really hurtful." However Ms Pollard, whose children and grandchildren attended races, said many men were supportive of women in the industry, with some even introducing their partners or daughters to the scene. She said women also tended to rally around each other. As the grandmother prepared for her next north Queensland event, she said she had no intention of getting behind the wheel herself. "I worked as pit crew for drag racing many years ago but preferred working in the background because it costs a lot less," she said. "It is an expensive hobby."
Courier-Mail
33 minutes ago
- Courier-Mail
‘Not death valley': AFL coach's rare act goes viral
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. In hilarious fashion, St Kilda's veteran coach Ross Lyon has aired his frustrations with Marvel Stadium and its roof on Friday night — and in true 'Ross the Boss' fashion. The coaching mastermind took to X in the hours leading up to his side's Round 23 clash with Essendon, highlighting how the venue failed to close its roof during a Melbourne downpour several hours beforehand. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. 'How good Essendon legends game - looking for a Gary Moorcroft goal square (sic) hang. Oh no might be hard Marvel Stadium did not manage to close the roof before the rain came,' Lyon wrote, before adding two laughing emojis. An Essendon legends game played as the night's curtain-raiser in Docklands, where Lyon observed the wetter-than-usual turf under roof. Ross Lyon is seen posting to X. Photo by Michael Willson via Getty Images. Hilariously, Lyon's post was just his seventh in 12 years, and his first on the platform for nearly three seasons. 'There's been four and a half millilitres of rain across the afternoon. It is a very slippery centre corridor, and I've spoken to St Kilda who have elevated this to the AFL,' Fox Footy reporter Jon Ralph told the broadcast pre-game. 'They had to call the AFL at 2:20pm and say: 'Why haven't you closed the roof?' At that stage, it took 20 minutes more for the roof to close. Happy yet disappointed? Lyon presser Video Player is loading. Play Video This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Learn More X Loaded : 2.53% 0:00 00:00 / 00:00 Close Modal Dialog This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. 06:28 SUBSCRIBER ONLY Happy yet disappointed? Lyon presser AFL: Ross Lyon speaks with media after narrowly beating Essendon by two-points. 'It's not 'Death Valley' out there, it must be said. But certainly when you play a young, running side with some intercept defenders in there, I can understand why you'd be aggrieved. Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley added: 'It won't be the last we hear of it. Whatever the spectacle of this game is, if the skills aren't great … it will be a point of conversation post-match.' Lyon spoke with Fox Footy an hour after his post, and responded to questioning over the tweet with a cheeky grin. 'It's out of my control. I think under protocols it should've been shut, but we'll leave it with Marvel (Stadium),' Lyon said. 'I think the problem here, is … this is like a car park — it's rock-hard. The degree of difficulty is quite difficult, (but) we're both playing under it.' 'It's great to have a platform, right ... Seven times (in 12 years), keep the gun powder dry!' Essendon made the most of the abnormal conditions early, leading Lyon's Saints by 11 points at quarter time. Originally published as 'Not death valley': AFL coach's rare act goes viral
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Four football netball clubs in axed Golden Rivers league approved to join new competition
Four football netball clubs in a regional league set for the axe have been given a stay of execution next season, with the intrinsic value to their small communities a factor in the decision. On Wednesday, the Central Rivers Board accepted the transfers of the Hay and Moulamein football netball clubs in south-west New South Wales, and the Murrabit and Wandella football netball clubs in northern Victoria, to the Central Murray League. The clubs are currently part of the Golden Rivers Football Netball league, which is due to close at the end of this season. Earlier this year, a Central Rivers Board report recommended the league close due to dwindling player and volunteer numbers, with clubs told to find a new league. The board is the body in charge of both the Central Murray and Golden Rivers leagues. Central Rivers board member Stuart King said community impact was considered when making the decision on the transfers. "These clubs want to retain their identity in their communities and so that's all part of it … providing opportunities for clubs to continue participating," Mr King said. However, Mr King said it was the clubs' responsibility to remain competitive in the Central Murray league. "It's not in the board's hands, not in the AFL's hands. "Ultimately, it's been their choice, it's been their decision as to what they do for the future of their club." Wandella Football Netball Club president Leigh Hollingworth said the decision finally gave the club clarity moving forward. "We know exactly where we're going next year, and it gives us that certainty when we're approaching players to recruit and appointing coaches … we can now say we'll be playing in the Central Murray in 2026," he said. "It's a good result and it's an exciting time for the club." Mr Hollingworth admitted the move came with its challenges. "We understand that it's going to be different to the Golden Rivers, it's going to be a higher standard of competition," he said. "There's some very good players and very good teams in there, so we don't think that we're going to come in and, you know, be one of the top teams or anything like that." However, Moulamein Football Netball Club president Neville Willox said the club would enter next season with an open mind, but he was concerned about its future as part of the bigger league. "If you look at the [Golden Rivers] this year, it's very even and that's what you want in football," Mr Willcox said. "We've all enjoyed each other as clubs over the past years, competing, and it's more like a social gathering of a Saturday … rather than just there to play, win and go home. Mr Willox would have liked to have seen two separate divisions created. "If you look at all country football, there's so many competitions where there's clubs that are losing by big margins," he said. "I think the people that are running football need to look harder at fixing these competitions up to make them much more competitive." AFL Victoria and the Regional Council will now decide whether to approve the transfers. Wednesday's decision has left Macorna as the only football netball club from the Golden Rivers competition without a league for 2026. Macorna president Tenielle Edge said the club would apply to join the Loddon Valley Football Netball League in the coming days. "We think that there's a lot of clubs that are like us in that league — community-minded, and we're just excited to be joining them and making a fresh start," she said. Ms Edge said the Central Murray League was not feasible for Macorna and the move would have had long-term implications for the club. "We're just a small county club that doesn't have a township, so we just don't see ourselves fitting into that league," she said. "Factoring in travel and the cost, we just didn't think it was going to work for Macorna. "It's no secret to anyone that we've had a bit of a tough year on the field and on the court … that's hard to continue with people not enjoying losing week in, week out, and we felt that would be the likelihood in the Central Murray."
