F1 fan Magdalena bids to land 'once in a lifetime' chance
F1 fan Magdalena King is hoping to win a place in this year's GT Cup with Formula Woman. - Credit: Greg Lompert
A Formula One fanatic who started watching the sport as a child hopes she can take full advantage of a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.
Magdalena King of Whittlesey is one of 50 women to have reached the finals of this year’s Formula Woman racing series in a bid to race against professional drivers.
“The fact that I could apply as a person without a racing background, I knew that this is my opportunity,” she said.
Magdalena, 30, has lived in the UK since she was 13-years-old after moving from Poland and used to spend time with her father who was keen on Formula One.
“I hung around with him and his mates while they were with their motorbikes,” said Magdalena.
“I’ve watched F1 since I was nine, 10-years-old.”
At 15-years-old, Magdalena tried karting but was unable to pursue a career in the sport due to financial reasons.
Most Read
- 1 Princess Anne waves from Range Rover after landing in Wisbech
- 2 Family pay tribute to brothers, 13 and 17, killed in horror BMW crash
- 3 Boys, 13 and 17 killed in horror BMW crash near A47 in Peterborough
- 4 Princess Anne visits Wisbech's new Citizens Advice Bureau on Cambs trip
- 5 Food delivery robots taking to streets of Cambridgeshire
- 6 Man in his 20s dies after crash in west Norfolk
- 7 First episode of tractor TV show features farmer in Cambridgeshire
- 8 Tribute to ‘much-loved’ school worker who died suddenly in Wisbech
- 9 Long queues at Peterborough passport office ahead of holiday season
- 10 Recap: A47 shut near Wisbech and King's Lynn after evening crash
So, she became a marshal at the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire and also attends British Grand Prix events.
But after signing up to a WhatsApp group with other female motorsport enthusiasts, Magdalena became aware of another opportunity.
“We have a WhatsApp group and talk about different topics, such as fitness and mental wellbeing,” she said.
“One day, a girl asked if I had heard of Formula Woman. I hadn’t, so I went on their website and the rest is history.”
Magdalena King reached the finals of the Formula Woman qualifiers as she aims to win a spot at this year's GT Cup. - Credit: Greg Lompert
Magdalena applied and attended an assessment day at the Bedford Autodrome last November, where she was examined on areas such as fitness, theory and media training.
And it was on December 23 when she was confirmed a place, from around 800 to 1,000 applicants, in the final between March 2-3.
The field will then be cut to 10 women before the final four, who will race for Formula Woman at this year’s GT Cup, are revealed over the weekend of March 10-11.
Magdalena hopes through her progress, she can help inspire other women and girls into motorsport, too.
“It’s about resilience and following your dreams,” she added.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and many other women, and I feel quite confident about it.
“I feel quite confident as I’m spending a lot of time doing mental and fitness preparation, so I’ll be going there to smash it."
