History-making PremiAir engineer turns mentor
Supercars
26 Sep
History-making PremiAir engineer turns mentor
Romy Mayer mentoring two Year 12 students between events
Mayer the first female engineer to claim Supercars pole, podium
Having broken new ground in Supercars at Sandown, PremiAir Nulon Racing engineer Romy Mayer has spent the lead-up to Bathurst fostering the next generation.
The PremiAir team, which will test at Queensland Raceway next week, is currently basking in the afterglow of its maiden Supercars podium.
It was at Sandown where Mayer, who is Race Engineer for the James Golding/David Russell Chevrolet Camaro, became the first female race engineer to claim a Supercars podium.
It came just two years after Mayer helped Craig Lowndes and Declan Fraser to the then best wildcard result in Bathurst history with eighth.
Across the September holidays, Mayer and PremiAir Nulon Racing have hosted two aspiring female engineers in the team workshop as part of its partnership with the St Hilda’s Foundation.
PremiAir Racing is a ‘Girls on Track’ partner of Motorsport Australia, and has allied with the St Hilda’s Foundation to provide invaluable experiences and opportunities for aspiring female engineers.
Ava and Grace, two Year 12 students and St Hilda’s Foundation Ammonite Grant recipients, have spent a week each in the Arundel workshop under the mentorship of Mayer.
The young duo will also join the team at its upcoming test day, which will be a crucial part of the team’s preparation for the Great Race.
“At PremiAir Nulon Racing I am exceptionally proud to be a part of a team that is so committed to driving forward gender diversity in top-tier motorsports,” said Mayer, who also became the first female engineer to claim a Supercars pole position in Darwin.
“It has been a great pleasure to have Ava and Grace in the workshop working with me over the past two weeks, and I am excited to have them on-track with us during our all-important Bathurst 1000 test day.
“I am a firm believer that women have an important role to play in driving our sport forward.
“As such, our work with Girls on Track and the St Hilda’s Foundation is very close to my heart and I highly value the opportunities these partnerships present to allow me and the rest of the team to mentor and support the female engineering and mechanical stars of tomorrow.”
Grants and internships are available to students entering Year 11 at the St Hilda’s School on the Gold Coast. Each grant, which also includes financial support, offers recipients the opportunity to complete a two-week internship.
“PremiAir Nulon Racing, in partnership with St Hilda’s Foundation, is leading the way in empowering the next generation of female motorsport talent,” St Hilda’s School Principal Mrs Virginia Warner said.
“They are transforming the motorsport industry, offering young women opportunities to thrive in this exciting field. The future of motorsports is female, and PremiAir Nulon Racing and St Hilda's Foundation are proud to be driving this change.”
