Vanity Fair UK – September 2019

Test i ng

By June Sarpong

and the first disabled female rally

racing driver. The determination that

Nathalie had to muster after an

accident as a teenager left her

paralysed has enabled her to defy

public expectation of both women and

those with disabilities to achieve

amazing feats on the track. All too

often, individuals who differ from the

“norm” are required to (apologies for

the racing analogy) complete a whole

circuit just to get to the starting line.

One person who has seen the

potential of difference in racing is

Catherine Bond Muir, CEO of the first

women-only racing series (see page 34).

W Series selects its drivers on merit

and they are not required to bring

financial backing. A lack of funding

has been key in preventing many

talented women from furthering their

careers in motor sport. The intention is

to change this by putting the women

on track in a six-race season, enabling

them to promote themselves, gain

competitive experience and improve

their chances of racing in other series,

all while inspiring a new generation of

women and girls.

Once my lesson with Nathalie was

over, it was time for me to “Shut up and

drive”, as RiRi (aka Rihanna) would

say. I was not prepared for the sheer

exhilaration I felt once belted into the

driving seat—I had never truly

understood the fascination with high

performance luxury cars until I got

behind the wheel of this Lamborghini.

There is, without question, a

difference: gripping the steering

wheel, you feel as though you have a

force of cosmic energy between your

hands which, in turn, makes you feel as

though you’re almost levitating.

As soon as I started racing around

the track, I felt at home. Within

seconds I had my foot on the

accelerator and I was screaming at the

top of my lungs— my instructor

couldn’t help but laugh. What surprised

me most was how much more power

was available to the car: what felt like a

thousand kilometres per hour to me

was just the tip of the iceberg.

I stepped into the Lamborghini

Huracán EVO something of a Miss

Daisy and came out feeling the need for

speed. Without a doubt, I’m a convert;

I have caught the racing bug.

Within seconds I had

my foot on the

accelerator and I

was screaming at

the top of my lungs

Hell for Leather

June Sarpong

discovers she is as

comfortable on track

as she is on screen

VANITY FAIR EN ROUTE SEPTEMBER 2019

09-19Testing-June-Sarpong.indd 32 15/07/2019 10:52

32