CHESTER teenager Josephine Ferrada is making an impact on national junior motorsport.
The 17-year-old has been competing in the BARC Formula Renault Championships since May, and recorded her best performance of the season in the seventh and eighth rounds of the competition at Snetterton in Norfolk.
“It’s a dream, turning up to a racetrack and being a racing driver,” she said.
Ferrada has progressed through the ranks, starting out in karting, before progressing to Formula Vee last season.
Having moved to England from Germany when she was six, she took up karting two years later, before competing in her first competitive race at the age of 10.
She then raced in the Karting KF3 series before progressing to single-seater racing in Formula Vee before joining the Hillspeed team in Formula Renault.
Ferrada admitted she is still adapting to the car after competing in her third race weekend of the championships.
“Most of my competitors have been here for three years so there is a lot of catching up to do. Its a non-stop learning process. Time in the seat is always the most valuable thing.”
She is hoping to compete in the Winter Championships, and maybe progress to European Formula Renault in the near future.
“ I see myself in the top level, but first I’ve got to fulfil the criteria, get with the best team, have the biggest budget. I’m constantly trying to put myself out there to get noticed.”
Ferrada is doing an apprenticeship in motorsport offered by the British Motorsport Association, alongside studying economics, business studies, art and German at A-Level.
Her next race will take place on September 11 and 12 at Rockingham in Northamptonshire.
“There’s a lot of pressure, but racing is my main priority,” she said. “ I love my racing above anything else.”
