Women in Motorsport: Ira Sidorkova

Today we highlight the incredibly talented Russian W Series driver, Irina Sidorkova (Ira for short). She is competing alongside the Formula 1 calendar in the 2021 FIA W Series. She has also raced in the SMP Russian Circuit Racing Series (touring class) and the F3 Asian Championship. She has many victories to take home, including the champion of the 2012 Estonian Karting Season, 3rd place at the 2015 Russian Rotax Cup, and being the first female champion of the SMP Russian Circuit Racing Series in 2018. All of these accolades at only 17 years old! A true trailblazer for women in motorsport! Here are her answers to the questions we sent her. in motorsport! Here are her answers to the questions we sent her.

How did you get started in racing?

“At 3 years old I watched “Cars” cartoon by Disney and my world turned around. I started to play with toy-cars and PlayStation racing games. At the age of 6, I persuaded my Dad to take me to the go-karting where I started my racing lessons. And then step by step I went to my dream – to be a race driver. First it was karting, then touring cars, later I switched to open wheels and spent the season in Russian and Spanish Formula 4 series. In 2018 I successfully passed W Series tests and became the youngest driver of their line-up. Now I’m 17 years old and this year I will spend in W Series driving the F3 car.”

Who inspired you to start racing?

“Disney’s cartoon “Cars” with its Lightning McQueen character.”

What challenges have you faced as a woman trying to find your way in the sport?

“First, of course, it’s training. Women are naturally weaker than men. And overloads in different Formula categories are much heavier, so in this regard, we have to work much harder in the gym to match. Then, sometimes there was a negative reaction because of my gender. It came more from people the outside, rather than from male drivers. They said: “She’s a girl, what can she do?” And as for the male drivers, there was more support. When you've driven for a few seasons, they know you're a worthy rival, so I've never heard anything like that from them.”