Local girl, Laila Fitzgerald is currently leading in the top end of the northern championship for Club 100, the highest level of ‘arrive and drive’ karting in the UK.

Sitting within the cadet class (for drivers aged between seven and 12 years-old), Fitzgerald, hailing from Tunbridge Wells, has also made the record for the first ever female in Club100 to sit on the front row in the finals as she is regularly topping her qualification group.

A winner of one of the first Motorsport UK Girls Karting Academy Scholarships for 2025, Fitzgerald starting her karting journey through the previous ‘Discover your Drive’ programme, now Motorsport UK’s Girls Karting Academy introducing motorsport to girls aged 8 to 12 years old.

This new programme aims to inspire and invite the next generation of female talent into motorsport, through a series of nationwide taster days, at indoor karting track operator TeamSport.

This initiative is supported by the award-winning global luxury makeup, skincare and fragrance brand, Charlotte Tilbury, empowering females in motorsport.

Girls also have opportunity to continue learning in the TeamSport mixed gender Race Academy (also run after school) and then take on the challenge of progressing into the Motorsport UK British Indoor Kart Championship (BIKC), by setting a qualifying time at a regional TeamSport venue before competing in the national championships at Warrington.

Fitzgerald, who also practices gymnastics at school, comments, “I feel I have really improved.  I am enjoying the faster speed in owner karts.  I am grateful for the motorsport scholarship and hopeful for my future career.  I will give it my all.”

To find out more about Motorsport UK’s Girls Karting Academy and sign up for our next run of taster days, please click here.