Hyundai Motorsport’s Nicoletta Russo joins search for future female WRC stars
Hyundai Motorsport’s Senior Press Officer Nicoletta Russo runs the team’s media and PR operations at WRC events worldwide, as well as working in the Communications department in Alzenau. But Russo recently took on another role close to her heart, joining a select panel of expert instructors for WRC Promoter’s ‘Beyond Rally Women’s Driver Development Programme’ initiative to help up-and-coming female drivers.
A shortlist of 15 young finalists from around the world were invited to attend an intense three-day training and evaluation camp in Poland, where they were mentored on a range of key WRC skills.
“It’s a great initiative,” Russo said. “The first of its kind specifically for women at WRC level. Some of the girls didn’t have any previous experience with four-wheel drive cars, so it was a great opportunity for them.”
But the camp was about much more than just driving. For Russo, it involved coaching the candidates, all under 27, on the secrets of good communication and PR. “The camp began with a day of theory, including media, technical and fitness training,” Russo explained. “I was joined for the media training course by two journalists, one French from AutoHebdo and one British, from Autosport. We didn’t have much time, so we focused on the basics of PR and interview techniques and then tested the girls in an interview situation to see how they handled it.”
“The next day was spent tarmac driving, where the girls were accompanied by two professional rally drivers (Eyvind Brynildsen and William Creighton), giving advice and evaluating their skills. Then day three was on gravel.”
After that, the judges selected the top three finalists.
Russo, whose media team awarded a score for each finalist, said it was no easy task.
“Obviously, driving skills are the most important but all the other topics play a part in becoming a future rally star,” she said. “We conducted interviews to evaluate their media skills, including how well they could handle difficult questions and communicate with personality. Then we gave our scores to the jury, who took them into account when picking the top three.”
“Seeing the girls upset if they were not selected was heartbreaking because it showed how much it meant to them. But the passion, commitment, potential and skills shown by all the girls were fantastic. All of them had something special. Even those that were not selected can have a really bright future.”
Russo joined Hyundai Motorsport in February 2013, helping set up the PR department from scratch ahead of the team’s WRC debut in 2014. “There were maybe only 20 of us back then, now I’m part of the furniture!” she joked.
Having made a success of her own motorsport career, Russo offered the following advice for girls looking to become part of WRC, in or out of the car.
“If it’s your dream, just don’t give up,” Russo said. “Chase it as much as you can. Don’t be afraid to start from zero and try hard. It’s not an easy path, but if you want something enough and are determined, you can achieve it.”
Ultimately, Lyssia Baudet (Belgium), Suvi Jyrkiäinen (Finland) and Claire Schönborn (Germany) were rewarded with entries in the Central European Rally, the penultimate round of the 2024 World Rally Championship.
After that event, one of the three will win the dream prize of a fully supported campaign in the 2025 FIA Junior WRC.
