Kiwis Think Men Are Better Drivers Than Women
From left to right - Amy Hudson, Rianna OMeara-Hunt, Tiffany Chittenden. The three New Zealand racing drivers will help Jaguar try and dispel gender conventions still found in motoring today,
More than half of Kiwis think men are better drivers than women! New research commissioned by Jaguar has found that gender stereotypes are alive and well in New Zealand, with more than half (55 per cent) of New Zealanders of the opinion that men are better drivers than women. Not only that, the study found a full 84 per cent of men think they are better drivers than their female counterparts, despite men accounting for 64 per cent of serious crashes. 55% of male respondents believe that women are more interested in style, colour and aesthetics in a new car compared to performance. Women surveyed, on the other hand, say that performance and safety are the most important considerations when purchasing a new vehicle. Male respondents in the survey claimed women were disinterested in performance because “it bores them”, “most women like things that look nice” and “they don’t need performance.”
Despite national and international success, they operate in a heavily maledominated industry, with only 15% of respondents able to name a female racing driver and 80% having never seen a female motorsport event. To help dispel gender conventions still found in motoring today, Tiffany, Rianna and Amy will use their collective expertise to coach TV co-host Kanoa Lloyd through three driving challenges. Breaking gender stereotypes is part of Jaguar’s rich history and traces back to one of Jaguar’s original racing drivers, Sybil Lupp. She was the first New Zealand woman to forge her way into the maledominated industry in the 1950s, rising to national prominence in motor racing and operating her own Jaguar service centre.
The three driving challenges inspired by Sybil Lupp are:
◊ Smart Cone Challenge – agility and precision challenges in an I-PACE ◊ Flying Quarter Mile Sprint – one of Lupp’s most well-known races, showcasing speed in an F-Type ◊ 1 Hour Endurance – testing longevity and sustained power in an F-PACE SVR.
The challenges began screening on New Zealand television show “The Project” in March. It is unclear if the series will be shown on Channel 10’s ‘The Project’ in Australia.
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Information for this story from Jaguar NZ. Editor: Details about the exploits of Sybil Lupp will appear in next month’s Classic Marque
Grim findings To try and remedy things, Jaguar New Zealand is set to challenge these conventions. Jaguar has tapped three female motorsport stars to give them a platform to demonstrate their expertise and successes. The three stars are Tiffany Chittenden, the first-ever female winner of a British National Karting championship; Amy Hudson, ambassador for New Zealand Women in Motorsport; and Rianna O’Meara-Hunt who has won a slew of motor racing awards at only 20 years old. PAGE 21
Sybil Lupp, known as ‘Jaguar Lady’ was a mechanic and racing driver. Seen here working on a MkVII at her garage in Wellington N.Z. c. 1957. Photo Alexander Turnbull Library.
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