Karting NSW ambassador Imogen Radburn continues to pave the way with new chapter in racing

In the last year since the SouthCoastRegister caught up with 16-year-old Imogen, she has made the jump to Formula Fords.

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Formula Ford which is also commonly referred to as a F1600 or Formula F is the next level up from the racing go-kart racing Imogen had done in the past.

The single seater, open cab vehicles see occupants reach speeds of over 200 km/hr, which is double the speed Imogen used to do in a go-kart.

The jump is a steep learning curve and one Imogen, who hails from Nowra Hill, says she is still getting used to.

"Stepping up to Formula Ford is a huge jump...you're going from not changing gears to changing gears regularly without a clutch where you have to base each change off of the revs," she said.

"You're learning all new tracks, learning who your competitors are, learning a new team, you really are a newbie when you make the jump."

She admits that the leap was something she was very scared to do, mainly as a result of having to basically start over with meeting people and getting used to a new environment.

Luckily she says that the team she worked with in her first race were absolutely fantastic.

"The guys I got put with were so good, I really got lucky with the team I was assigned with...They have all been in the sport for awhile so I'm just trying to chase after them and get caught up as quickly as I can."

Imogen had her first race last weekend, surprisingly saying that the nerves kept themselves in check.

"I take anything that comes at me, whether it's positive or negative, everything that happens I see as an opportunity and something I can work on," she said.

In her debut races at Winton, Imogen barely missed top 10 in both of her first two races and scored 14 place in her third race.

These are all fantastic achievements considering it was her first time in the sport and the race had 27 competitors overall.

"I was super happy with my results, knowing who I was close against with and what I can improve upon really helps a lot especially as I prepare for my next race," she said.

She will be racing in the Formula Ford NSW and Victoria State series through the rest of the year.

Imogen continues to pave the way for women in the sport, currently being the only girl in Ford Formula that her or her competitors know of.

"I asked if there were any other girls competing and they all said no and that I was the only one they knew of," she said.

Imogen said she loves going out there and beating the boys to show that she can compete just as well, however she still feels as if she hasn't proved her worth yet in Formula Ford.

"I don't feel like I've earned it yet, once we start moving up the field and getting in that top five then i will."

"I just like that the boys don't treat me different because I'm a girl...we've all got a helmet on at the end of the day and we are doing the same thing," she said.

Imogen said as Karting NSW Ambassador she wants to continue to promote the sport and help encourage other females to give the sport a go.

"My biggest advice is to just get in there, give it a go, don't worry about the others, just go enjoy yourself," she said.

"My messages are always open if anyone wants to have a chat, I can easily get them in a go-kart with the contacts I've made."

In the future Imogen hopes to continue to the momentum and gain some top results in Formula Ford and continue to help expand the sport throughout the Shoalhaven region.

"Hopefully one day you'll see me in a V8 racing around Bathurst, that's the dream."

Imogen next race is next weekend at Eastern Creek in Sydney.

You can keep up to date with all of Imogen's racing on the Radburn Racing Team Facebook page