A thirst for speed has led to a swift entry into the world of motorsport for an East Yorkshire nurse. Chloe Wilkinson, from Thwing, has always loved cars and going fast, and when she started watching racing, she decided that race car driving is what she wanted to do.
“It would be a dream to do it full-time,” said Wilkinson, who is making a huge impression in her fledgling career. Wilkinson, who left East Riding College in Bridlington to study for a nursing degree at Lincoln University, joined Formula Woman in July 2023. Since then, as well as continuing her nursing career, she has been impressing with her racing exploits.
The 23-year-old said: “I started watching Formula 1 and British Touring Car Championships and decided I wanted to have a go at racing myself. I found an all-female team that was training novices and, after a track day with them, they asked me to join their driver academy due to my natural speed and talent.
“Over the past two years, I have done competitions, sprint races, and testing in a Radical race car. I am now a supercar instructor and an instructor for Racing Women. I love the adrenaline. The feeling you get when you start up the engine and head out onto the track is like no other.”
Wilkinson will be competing in the Radical Cup UK this season, at a round at Donington Park, but long-term has ambitions to race in the Le Mans 24 Hours. “I came top 15 in a competition of more than 70 drivers last year,” said Wilkinson. “I competed in a sprint race and was the fastest woman of the day.”
Wilkinson has now been selected to join Racing Women’s elite driver management programme. “That has allowed me to further advance my knowledge and skills towards becoming a professional racing driver,” said Wilkinson. “I am also a driving instructor with Racing Women and will be coaching at a training camp on August 18-20. I will be coaching on the simulators at IZone Silverstone, running a day of karting at Daytona, and doing on-track coaching at Donington on the final day, where we will also be giving passenger rides in a Radical.”
Racing Women was set up by Graeme Glew, and Wilkinson will be racing at Donington on September 19-21 in the Finecut Radical Cup UK. “This is a huge step in my racing career, but I do need some support to get there,” she said. “I am so lucky to have partnered with Prize Plunder Competitions, a Driffield business that runs live prize draws every week.
To continue with my racing career, I am looking to bring more local businesses to this race, which is supporting the GT Cup Championship.” Radical team founder Glew is delighted with the progress made by Wilkinson and said: “I spotted Chloe a couple of years ago on track and recognized she had a lot of raw talent, so I have been encouraging her through our new initiative Racing Women.
“Chloe has already been selected to represent England. After Donington, hopefully, she will qualify to race in Virginia in November in The Radical World Finals.”
“I’ve been coaching drivers for many years, and I can put my hand on my heart and say Chloe has what it takes.”
For anyone wishing to help Chloe’s racing ambitions, find more details on her Facebook page – Chloe Wilkinson Racing – or Instagram at chloew.racing.
