Ready for challenge
Toowoomba talent gears up for New Zealand V8 race
Alexandra Whitley’s racing career is accelerating at breakneck speed and it isn’t about to slow down.
She still calls Toowoomba home but Whitley’s exploits behind the wheel of her ute in New Zealand’s SsangYong Racing Series are earning her plaudits and history making new opportunities.
In December Whitley will become the first female to race in the NZ V8 Ute series.
Whitley said she understands the interest around her appearance in the first round of the series but she will be approaching it like any other race.
“I don’t consider myself different to anyone else out there,” Whitley said.
“I’m just trying to do my best and win races, but if me competing helps someone think ‘hey I can do that’ that’s great.”
Whitley is consistently among the top performers in the SsangYong series and while her latest results in Pukekohe were less than ideal she is still excited about her first drive in the more powerful V8 ute.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Whitley said.
“It’s going to be a real challenge.”
One of the biggest challenges will be moving from the sequential gearbox in her SsangYong ute to the H-Pattern gearbox of the Holden VE V8.
“Switching to the H-Pattern gearbox will be a big change but it should be fun - it adds a new dimension to the race,” Whitley said.
“The V8s also have bigger brakes and stop a lot quicker, there’s also the dimensions of the ute to consider. The chassis are different which makes them handle differently.
“They are a lot faster too, but that’s exciting, when you’re racing you never feel like you’re going fast enough.”
Whitley’s V8 ute drive in December will cap a busy period for the young talent.
In October she was racing at Sydney’s Motorsport Park in her quest to win the Aussie Driver Search.
Her path to the final began in August at Warwick’s Morgan Park Raceway when she named as one of 300 drivers selected from the initial pool of 800 applicants.
Racing in a Toyota 86 narrowly missed out on winning a sponsored drive in next year’s Toyota 86 race series in Australia when she placed second.
Whitley said she disappointed by the loss but looking to the future.
“I was disappointed but I had a great time and experience,” she said.
“Now I’m hoping to use my V8 drive as a springboard to bigger things.
“I’ve got a lot of support from great sponsors and some really experienced racers and a great team behind me. I can’t wait.”