My story: Raj Kular, Formula Woman Competitor, 2021
Over the next few months Ignition Human Performance will be following the progress of Raj Kular, who is applying to compete in the new Formula Woman series, which if she wins, will be awarded a drive in a two car Formula Woman entered McLaren GT4 race cars in the 2022 GT Cup championship.
Before Raj even turns a wheel on the race track she already looks like a World Champion, as she races in a replica of Nigel Mansell's famous Union Jack helmet from his 1992 championship year with Williams.
So it's over to Raj to tell you her story, with how she got into motorsport, how she juggles it with work and why she decided to compete in Formula Woman.
My story: Raj Kular, Formula Woman Competitor, 2021
Over the next few months Ignition Human Performance will be following the progress of Raj Kular, who is applying to compete in the new Formula Woman series, which if she wins, will be awarded a drive in a two car Formula Woman entered McLaren GT4 race cars in the 2022 GT Cup championship.
Before Raj even turns a wheel on the race track she already looks like a World Champion, as she races in a replica of Nigel Mansell's famous Union Jack helmet from his 1992 championship year with Williams.
So it's over to Raj to tell you her story, with how she got into motorsport, how she juggles it with work and why she decided to compete in Formula Woman.
My story: Raj Kular, Formula Woman Competitor, 2021
I fell in love with karting…Covid-19 happened…and now I’ve entered Formula Woman! What a whirlwind! But if I had to sum up my motorsport journey so far, in a sentence, that would be it. However, it does no justice to the huge learning curve I’ve been on across the past 20+ months.
Since childhood I’ve always had a love for cars, or fast cars to be more specific. But my exposure was limited to my PlayStation console and games which involved garish cars and a whole lot of NOS. Meanwhile, I knew nothing of the real outside world of motorsport and the concept that one could actually pursue a lifelong career as a racing driver.
Raj racing at Daytona Sandown Park in Surrey with her Nigel Mansell replica helmet on (photo: Daytona)
I grew up fast, got a good education and have now established myself as a successful Senior Account Manager in a great London-based B2B organisation (Procurement Leaders).
My passion for cars made an abrupt return when, in late February 2020, I fell head first into the world of go-karting, having booked a weekend open race at Daytona Sandown Park (Surrey). Across the next 20 months, despite many of those spent frustratingly doing no racing due to C-19 restrictions, I caught the racing bug. What’s more significant, this included many signs of promising talent behind the wheel. 20+ podium trophies, multiple tracks visited across the country, all whilst wearing a replica Nigel Mansell World Champion helmet and I was starting to feel the urge to take my racing to the next level!
Then along came Formula Woman. 17 years since the original competition took place in 2004 and virtually no advertising beyond promotions on social media, I was lucky when my partner came across the opportunity and recommended I enter. A competition designed for women with little racing experience, in the attempt to find the next female motor racing champion, it’s a phenomenal opportunity. A series of assessments will determine the winners of a prize drive in two Formula Woman McLaren GT4 race cars, in the 2022 GT Cup championship.
I applied in early August and ever since then have been on a journey to grow my capabilities - both physically and mentally, with the latter being a real eye-opener. In virtually all of my spare time outside of work, when not karting, I’ve taken the opportunity to learn what truly makes a successful elite racing driver and how to grow my cognitive driving ability and mindset.
Ready for the challenge, Raj has been preparing all summer for her Formula Woman assessment day
Thanks to Daytona Sandown Park, I happened to have a chance meeting (and race!) with Nick Butcher, co-founder and director of Ignition Human Performance. It's companies like Ignition Human Performance and opportunities like Formula Woman, which have enabled me to push the boundaries of what I deem possible. Learning about how successful world championship racing drivers have prepared pre-race and the mindset they have going into and during a race has been amazing.
Perhaps it’s a coincidence that I’ve had my strongest quarter performance at work whilst learning all I can since August, but I truly believe motorsport has lessons that can be learnt and applied in all spheres of life, including the workplace and this has had a positive impact on my own work-place performance. Self-belief, concentration, fine tuning natural capability and the knowledge to recognise areas of weakness and how to address them are just some examples of what I’ve been able to build upon in my own journey.
I'm grateful to all who have supported me with my development and steep learning curve so far: Nick, Formula Woman, including their fantastic training partners such as “the Naked Warrior” (Claire Johnson) and iZone Driver Performance, as well as of course family and friends. I cannot wait to see what I can achieve at my all-important FW assessment next week!
Raj's assessment day is next week on Tuesday 16th November, so from all of us at Ignition, we wish her the very best of luck!
It was a unique weekend in Azerbaijan, as we saw a brand-new weekend format. On-track Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez won ahead of his teammate and championship rival Max Verstappen. Ignition Human Performance's Nick Butcher reflects on the three things we can learn from the action we saw and put into our own business or personal performance.
As the dust settles on what was a fantastic 100th Anniversary of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a victory for car 51 the Ferrari AFCourse, with drivers James Colado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi - what exactly can we learn from one of the most prestigious endurance races in the world and use to unlock your own personal or business performance?
As the dust settles on a wet and wild weekend at Donington Park for what was the first round of the 2023 BTCC Championship, Ignition Human Performance's Nick Butcher reflects on the three things we can learn from the action we saw on-track and put into our own business or personal performance.
Fresh from working for Sky Sports F1 in Azerbaijan this weekend, Ignition's Nick Butcher caught up with former Race Strategist & now TV pundit Bernie Collins, to discuss her career and how she has translated the lessons she learnt from the pitwall into business performance and her new career.
Ignition Human Performance is pleased to announce that another fantastic member of the grid joining its Motorsport Speakers roster, Julien Simon-Chautemps, who was most recently Kimi Räikkönen’s last Formula One Race Engineer.
In recent years, the Formula 1 landscape has witnessed a notable shift in sponsorship trends, with an increasing number of online betting & gambling companies entering the scene. This growing presence of online bookmakers as sponsors for F1 teams has sparked discussions about the implications for the sport's image, financial dynamics, and the potential influence on its global fan base.
Back in February 2021, I was fortunate enough to sit down with two Formula One World Champions, Sir Jackie Stewart OBE and Damon Hill OBE, to help raise money for their respective charities, Race Against Dementia and halow project.
Back in February 2021, I was fortunate enough to sit down with two Formula One World Champions, Sir Jackie Stewart OBE and Damon Hill OBE, to help raise money for their respective charities, Race Against Dementia and halow project.
In 2004 the Red Bull Drinks Company purchased the Jaguar Racing Team for $1. The Jaguar team, who were owned at the time by the Ford Motor Company, had been in Formula 1 since 2000 after Ford purchased 3 time Formula 1 champion Sir Jackie Stewart’s Stewart Grand Prix team.
Ignition Human Performance (IHP) and Niesslein Sustainability Partners (NSP), are pleased to announce they have teamed up to launch a pioneering questionnaire looking at the current state of Sustainability in Motorsport and its associated industries.
You may remember back in November we shared the story of Raj Kular, who was competing in Formula Woman, with a seat in a McLaren GT4 in the British GT Cup for the winner!
Well the good news is that from 850 applicants she is now down to the final 75 drivers.
As part of our ethos "Watch on Sunday, Learning on Monday" here at Ignition Human Performance, we are always looking for ways to take the lessons you will see this weekend at the race track and look at how they can be translated into unlocking business or personal performance.
As part of our ethos "Watch on Sunday, Learning on Monday" here at Ignition Human Performance, we are always looking for ways to take the lessons you will see this weekend at the race track and look at how they can be translated into unlocking business or personal performance.
In the realm of Formula 1, where speed, precision, and strategy collide, Lewis Hamilton's decision to join the Ferrari team from 2025 onwards has sent shockwaves through the motorsport community.
In 2010, Mercedes-Benz made its return to Formula One as a Constructor for the first time since 1955 taking over the Brawn GP team. The German car manufacturer had been back in the sport involved as a engine provider, first with Sauber in 1993 and then as a 40% shareholder of McLaren from 1995.
As part of HR Strategy Pro's 'Ignition'#OurMotorsportDNA, we will be producing a series of blogs from our research into the Secrets to Sustainable Success in Formula One. Each Wednesday, we will look at the lessons we can learn from top flight Motorsport such as Formula One, WEC and Formula E and how you can put it back into your business regardless of industry.
Back in 1993 Ferrari were in the middle of a season which would bring them no wins. They also hadn't won a championship since 1979 so in a change of management they brought in Jean Todt, the Frenchman who had over seen a huge amount of success in sports cars and rallying with Peugeot throughout the 80s and early 90s.
In 2010, Mercedes-Benz made its return to Formula One as a Constructor for the first time since 1955 taking over the Brawn GP team. The German car manufacturer had been back in the sport involved as a engine provider, first with Sauber in 1993 and then as a 40% shareholder of McLaren from 1995.
As we look to bring our teams back together for a successful 2022, Ignition Human Performance Managing Director Nick Butcher looks at 5 short case studies from the world of Formula One, with lessons that can help us unlock a High-Performance Culture, regardless of business industry.
The Ignition Book Club is a weekly review of different books from the bookshelf in the Ignition Human Performance office. These books all have a common cross over, which is a focus on lessons from elite motorsports that can be translated into business performance
The Ignition Book Club is a weekly review of different books from the bookshelf in the Ignition Human Performance office. These books all have a common cross over, which is a focus on lessons from elite motorsports that can be translated into business performance.
The Ignition Book Club is a weekly review of different books from the bookshelf in the Ignition Human Performance office. These books all have a common cross over, which is a focus on lessons from elite motorsports that can be translated into business performance.
The Ignition Book Club is a weekly review of different books from the bookshelf in the Ignition Human Performance office. These books all have a common cross over, which is a focus on lessons from elite motorsports that can be translated into business performance.
With the announcement this week that Motorsport To Business® powered by Ignition Human Performance, would be rejoining MBP's Official Partner Network (having worked as a team partner to their BTCC team MB Motorsport the last two seasons), our Managing Director Nick Butcher met up with their CEO, former F1 Driver Mark Blundell, to reflect on the lessons he has learnt from a career in motorsport and business.
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