Unfortunately, it's actually quite unheard of in the industry. Over the course of history, it's been a male-dominated sport, there is no hiding that.

However, Kelly Racing is trying to change this with experienced drivers Chelsea Angelo, Molly Taylor and Simona de Silvestro part of their team for 2019.

"The way they all go about it, the girls that we've got in our team, it's good to be able to work with them, they are doing a great job," retired driver and fulltime owner Todd Kelly said.

"The morale in the team is outstanding but I think the whole dynamic of how our team works has slightly shifted from having a completely male-dominated sport to a good ratio.

"The way everyone goes about their job and behaves, how they work and compete against each other has changed and improved."

De Silvestro is the most experienced out of the trio. The 30-year-old became the first full-time female driver in the Supercars era in 2017 when she joined Nissan Motorsport.

"Being on the team and having Molly and Chelsea, it's great to see more girls involved," she said.

"I think it's good to get that opportunity and I think at the end of the day we need to be competitive and the team is working hard on doing that.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunshine ☀️ and smiles 😃 #VASC #Nissan #NISMO #GC600

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"I think motorsport is a great sport in the sense that if you get the results, you should get the opportunity, and think that's a great way to showcase it."

Taylor, who also joined Kelly Racing this year, said it's great to see women in motorsport growing.

The 30-year-old, who currently competes in the Australian Rally Championship, will make her first mark on a circuit racing championship when she takes part in TCR Series.

"It's nice to see it growing and that there are females in all areas of motorsport getting out there," she said.

"I think the great thing about motorsport is when you get to the race or rally, you put your helmet on and it's all about the job you do inside the car so there's no reason why gender should be an issue."

However, it's not just about showing that women can match it with the men and giving women the chance to compete at a high level but inspiring the next generation of young girls. 

"We were just sitting on the grid taking images with a couple of little girls, it was really good," Angelo recalls.

"It's good to be able to show that representation to all the young girls out there."

PLUS...

Chelsea Angelo gets her chance

Remember Chelsea Angelo?

Many might ask: 'Why can't motorsport just give women more opportunities?'

It's a fair question, and sadly there are still cost barriers in place preventing female drivers from continuing in the sport. They could be the most talented driver in the world but if they don't have hundreds of thousands to spare, they might not be able to get into a car. 

However, motorsport is also a bit of a different from most sports. Drivers need to be a packaged deal, they need to have the determination to get to the top, be experienced enough to handle the car but also be presentable to sponsors. 

After all, they are driving a vehicle that easily cost up to $250,000 and not just anyone can drive the car. 

Kelly Racing is hoping to continue to be a leader in helping grow female participation in motorsport and bring more women into full-time positions in the future but at the same time, they are realistic about the situation.

“At the end of the day, they need to be doing well in the car and with sponsors to have a deal that is sustainable but even so far a lot of the deals we’ve got commercially, we would’ve never got with a male driver,” Kelly said.

“We’ve got eight full-time drivers signed to use plus we have our endurance drivers but full-time drivers eight and three of them are women, I think that’s pretty cool.”

Round 2 of the TCR Series will take place on June 6-8 on Phillip Island while the Supercars Championship continue their season in the Winton SuperSprint today (Saturday, May 25).