DUGGAN REVEALS TRIBUTE HELMET FOR RETRO ROUND

PRESS RELEASE/Emily Duggan Racing – Photo: supplied

Toyota 86 competitor pays homage to female Formula 1 trailblazer.

Surelinc Toyota 86 Series driver Emily Duggan has revealed a special helmet design for this weekend’s fourth round of the series at the RABBLE.club Sandown 500 Supercars retro round.

The helmet colour scheme pays tribute to Lella Lombardi, the first and so far only female driver to score points in the Formula 1 World Championship when she finished sixth in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.

Duggan said Lombardi has been a source of inspiration for her motorsport journey, due to the similarities in their career paths.

“Like me, Lella didn’t start car racing until she was in her 20s, in fact she and I bought our first race cars at the same age,” Duggan said.

“Lella persevered through the junior ranks of motorsport and eventually made it to the very pinnacle of the sport – Formula 1. She was a woman who was way ahead of her time, and I was fascinated and inspired by her story.

“I decided to acknowledge her career with a special helmet design, and what better event to show it off than the retro round?”

After visiting the Townsville and Tailem Bend circuits for the first time, Duggan is looking forward to racing at Sandown, a circuit where she has prior experience with her Kumho V8 Touring Car Series start coming at the Melbourne track in 2016.

“Sandown will always hold fond memories for me, being the first track where I raced a Supercar,” Duggan said.

“I’m looking forward to racing at a track where I have prior experience – the last two rounds were a steep learning curve for me.”

“Sandown has two long straights, so the key to a good lap is maximising exit speed from the slower corners.”

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