Emma Gilmour made history in 2022 when she became McLaren Racing’s first-ever female racing driver, joining the NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team for our first season in the all-electric SUV series.

Born in New Zealand and, in former years a competent horse woman, Emma’s interest in motorsport was piqued purely by chance when she agreed to be the co-driver for a friend who was competing in a rally. Emma’s career highlights include winning the prestigious FIA Women in Motorsport and QMMF Cross Country Selection in 2015. She became the first woman to win a round of the New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) when she claimed victory in the 2016 Rally of Canterbury. Emma was runner-up in the NZRC over three consecutive years against world-class competition.

As a factory driver for the Hyundai USA Global Rally Cross team in 2014, she reached the finals in Las Vegas and the semi-finals of the X Games.

In 2008, teaming up with UK co-driver Claire Mole, Emma finished 16th Overall in the WRC Rally of New Zealand, and in 2009 the pair achieved Second Overall in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship.

Emma was announced as a McLaren racing driver at an engagement with His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at COP26 in November 2021 and spent two seasons with the team. She helped us to achieve our first two podiums in the series, as we finished second in the 2022 Energy X-Prix and second in the 2023 Hydro X-Prix.

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