Simona de Silvestro to join Supercars championship full-time in 2017

Australia's premier racing series will welcome its first ever full-time female racer from the beginning of the 2017 season, with noted Swiss hotfoot Simona de Silvestro joining the series.

De Silvestro raced a Ford Falcon in the 2015 endurance events at Sandown and Bathurst with Aussie racer Renee Gracie, and her solid performances in the notoriously tricky Supercar attracted the interest of the series organisers.

She will again team up with Gracie for the 2016 enduro events, this time driving a Nissan Altima for Kelly Racing.

Supercars chief executive James Warburton brokered a commercial deal to retain de Silvestro for three years, with retailer Harvey Norman and the South Australian Government acting as the major sponsors.

No announcement on a 2017 team placement for de Silvestro has been made yet, with uncertainty still surrounding the Nissan entries beyond the 2016 series.

We said we wanted to have a full-time female driver in our championship and in Simona we have secured a world class driver.

CarsGuide.com.au understands that Nissan Australia is keen to continue running its four-car team in the championship, but is awaiting the final word from its Japanese head office before committing.

The rumours that former Supercars champion James Courtney is close to signing a deal to defect from Holden to Nissan, along with the availability of de Silvestro, will likely have a bearing on that decision.

There are also potential slots in the Prodrive Racing Australia team, as well as at Walkinshaw Racing.

Warburton said that the signing of de Silvestro is a major coup for the sport.

"We said we wanted to have a full-time female driver in our championship and in Simona we have secured a world class driver,” he said.

“There will be great anticipation when Simona lines up on the grid at Clipsal 500 Adelaide next March. What is really exciting is that she has committed to three years which gives her a great opportunity to make her mark in the sport.”

The signing of an overseas driver has raised eyebrows within Australian motorsport, with several local women already racing at a high level.

Renee Gracie currently races in the second-tier Supercars development series, while Chelsea Angelo raced in the series in 2015, and is currently looking to fund a 2017 campaign.

However, neither have the pedigree or experience of de Silvestro, who has stood on the podium of an IndyCar race and a Formula E race.

“I am very respectful towards this new challenge but at the same time I am very excited about driving in such a competitive championship,” said de Silvestro. “I can’t wait to jump in the car to work towards getting the most out of these cars.”

It’s not the first time that a woman has raced in the top tier of Australian motorsport, with Kerryn Brewer and Melinda Price sharing a Holden Commodore during the 1997 and 1998 seasons, as part of the Castrol Cougars program under legendary racer Larry Perkins.

More recently, Leanne Tander – wife of Supercars veteran Garth Tander – raced in the development series in 2009, as well as making a start at the Bathurst 1000 in the same year.

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