Latest news with #BeatTheBlue
Daily Telegraph
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Telegraph
Beat the Blue: F1 hopeful Imogen Radburn to race police at Sydney event
Don't miss out on the headlines from Motoring News. Followed categories will be added to My News. 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.' MORE: Aussies 'shafted' in AI move 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. MORE: Behind the wheel of Ford's Mustang Mach-E GT 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
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Imogen Radburn racing cops on the road to F1
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. 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.' 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. 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. 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. 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. '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.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
NSW cop reveals chilling reason officers touch your car boot when they pull you over
A NSW police officer has explained the deliberate reason why officers touch a vehicle after pulling it over -and it's all about safety. Sergeant Steven Planinic told listeners of Nova FM 's Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie that officers often leave their fingerprints on a car before walking back to their patrol vehicle, and it's no accident. The explanation came after a listener named Gemma from Parramatta asked: 'Why is it when you've pulled someone over you tap the car and leave your fingerprints as you walk off back to your police car?' she asked. He confirmed the move is about leaving fingerprints on the pulled-over vehicle. 'I'll let you use your imagination as to why we would leave bits of ourselves on someone's car,' he said. The sergeant went on to explain that if something goes wrong and the driver flees, 'you've left something, a marker on that car that they can't refute.' Mr Planinic confirmed the 'deliberate' act was not just about a police officer's safety. He also revealed the simple move is used to make 'sure the boot's secured so that no one jumps out of it'. He was asked whether a driver should drive through a red light to make way for a police car approaching quickly from behind. The officer confirmed drivers should only ever move out the way if they can do so without crossing the line. Mr Planinic is the founder of Beat the Blue, a yearly event which gives drivers the opportunity to face off against NSW Police Force highway patrol officers. The event returns on Saturday and takes place at the Sydney Motorsport Park.
