Beat the Blue: F1 hopeful Imogen Radburn to race police at Sydney event

Daily Telegraph

5 days ago

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Racing head-to-head with police in front of thousands of people could give a young driver the edge on the road to Formula 1.
Imogen Radburn, a racing driver looking to make her mark on the global stage, will join 99 car enthusiasts set to race police at Beat the Blue in Sydney on Saturday.
MORE: Cops to race car lovers at Beat the Blue
Imogen Radburn races in Formula Four. Photo: Supplied
It's part of the 19-year-old's preparation ahead of a driver selection shootout in Europe for the F1 Academy, an international racing series aiming to find women to drive in Formula 1.
The pressure of performing in front of a packed crowd at Sydney Motorsport Park could help give her the edge over rival racers in Spain next month.
'If you ask me four years ago, 'would I be racing an electric car against the police?' I've never thought that would be a thing,' Radburn says.
'It will be really cool.
'Last year they had over 35,000 people show up … I know I've never raced in front of that many people. I think it will really give me an opportunity to see what it looks like to perform in front of a bigger crowd that I'm used to.'
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Beat the Blue attracts a strong crowd. Photo: David McCowen
Beat the Blue pits car enthusiasts into short races with police on a wet skid pan at Sydney Motorsport Park designed to simulate slippery and dangerous conditions on the road.
Free to spectators, the event draws a significant crowd each year.
After racing police, car lovers then race each other to determine who is the fastest community driver on the night.
MORE: Why cops invited car lovers to race
Two-time Beat the Blue winner Reece McIntosh. Photo: Chequered Flag Photography
One of those drivers, Reece McIntosh, went on to represent Australia at the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games overseas.
Radburn says Beat the Blue, an event organised by NSW Highway Patrol officer Sergeant Steven Planinic and hosted by James Stewart of motoring events company Driving Solutions, is a great way for young drivers to gain exposure.
'What James and Steve has organised with Beat the Blue is a perfect opportunity for us ones that are moving forward in our own careers to really be put in the spotlight and do things that we wouldn't normally do,' she says.
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Radburn will race in Ford's Mustang Mach-E GT.
Radburn will be driving an electric Ford Mustang Mach-E GT in the event.
Fellow racer Summer Rintoule will suit up in Ford's Mustang Cup race car, while TV presenter Hamish Blake will take on the cops in a V8-powered Mustang road car.
The free event starts at 7pm on Saturday August 9 at Sydney Motorsport Park in Eastern Creek.
It includes a drone display, car show, motorcycle skills showcase and kids' activities including electric go karts.
While Beat the Blue is a fun night out for Sydney families, racers like Radburn take the opportunity seriously.
David McCowen in action with the Toyota Yaris at Beat the Blue. Photo: Celebrate Photography.
The high-stakes knockout competition is not a world away from the F1 Academy shootout that could deliver her dream drive on the Formula 1 calendar with Rodin Motorsport next year.
'I think every girl in the world has seen this massive opportunity and was like 'I need to do this', and it's awesome that they are, but it's getting harder and harder to get in,' she says.
The F1 Academy races on the same circuits as Formula 1. Photo:'I've made it to the final shootout.
'They've never had this sort of shootout process before so I'm not really sure how it will go, but I just know that I'm 110 per cent ready.
'I've gotta put my best performance forward.'
Originally published as Imogen Radburn racing cops on the road to F1