In The Beginning

a couple of ladies had a dream to share

The dream involved creating an organization to provide a safe and unbiased forum, in which all women can inspire, promote, educate and support not only each other but also the next generation, through the medium of motor sport and associated industries.

Started in 2001 by Sue Corbett and Leonie Maher, and initially only located in NSW, Girls Torque (Australian Women’s Motor Sport Network), quickly grew to include members from all over Australia. With their own personal involvement in motor sport, Sue and Leonie could see there was a growing interest from women within their community. Some women were interested in motor sport, while there were many others who just wanted to be more hands on with their own vehicle. But even within this age of equality, they could see that only a chosen few were being given a chance to learn and participate in related work and sport.

So born was the need to provide a safe learning environment in which to provide mentoring, training, motivational talks and educational
displays to our members, schools, clubs, tracks and communities with the assistance of merchandise sales, public donations, corporate sponsorship and government grants.

Growing & Evolving

revitalisation and new directions

In the wake of the passing of Girls Torque Motorsport founder Sue Corbett, Leonie decided to hand the reigns over for some fresh inspiration. Bridget Bell assumed the driver’s seat with a team of dedicated motorsport and automotive trade experts and enthusiasts. Working together they are dedicated to build upon the 23-year history of Girls Torque and continue Sue and Leonie’s legacy.

“I am deeply honoured to take on this responsibility and privilege,” Bridget shares. “I am truly humbled to have the opportunity to build upon the dedicated efforts over the past two decades, and I look forward to welcoming new collaborations to the benefit of all the Girls Torque members nationally. ”

Reaching for the Stars

Motor sport has been around since cars were invented, and somewhere in history, there has always been a woman trying to take part in this stereotypically man’s world.

As each year passes, we see more and more grown women and young girls standing up, wanting to be more than just a spectator. While each motor sport genre generally has its clubs, Girls Torque is uniquely unbiased to the type of motor sport you’re a part of, or what role you play in that sport.

Girls Torque was not just founded by a group of female motor sport enthusiasts who saw the need for the organisation, it is also run and supported by many volunteers who are still either competing or volunteering in one form or another in motor sport. Training and support is provided on a peer to peer basis, providing not just skills and knowledge but also experience.

Outside of the motor sport arena, our directors bring together a range of business management, accounting, event management, marketing, design and promotion skills from their own backgrounds, assisting Girls Torque in running to the best of its ability without the need for costly outside services.

Leading by Example

Girls Torque is not a club or member driven organisation. Instead, it has been developed and has grown as a much-needed volunteer-driven service provided to the otherwise under represented women of motor sport. Motor sport is the third most attended sport across Australia, with almost a third of those spectators being women, and this trend has continued to grow.