McLaren has named New Zealand’s Emma Gilmour as their first female driver for the Extreme E Off-Road Series set to take place next year in Scotland. Bruce McLaren, who is the founder of the British company McLaren also hailed for New Zealand. Emma Gilmour is among the fastest women Rally drivers in the world.
Extreme E Off-Road Series requires a team to have a male and a female driver. The Extreme E series takes place in remote areas and using electric vehicles, aims to eliminate carbon footprints while raising awareness about Climate Change.
I keep pinching myself. It is so surreal. Growing up in New Zealand, Bruce McLaren is such an iconic name with New Zealand motorsport. I never imagined, I never day-dreamed about racing for McLaren because I was a rally driver. To have my passion in motorsport, my rallying, be a skill set that's now allowed me to race for a childhood, iconic motorsport legend is just a dream come true. I feel so, so honored. McLaren is still thought of as a Kiwi team because of our heritage and Bruce being the founder. I still get goose-bumps thinking about it. To be the first female driver for McLaren Racing, I feel that's leaving a pretty impressive mark already.
Emma Gilmour, Rally Driver