Amelia Letitia Nelson
Nationality: English
Date of birth: February 10th 2005
Hometown: St Ives, Cornwall
Hobbies: Surfing, Crossfit, Weight Training, Music, Photography.
The Story
As a shy 8 year old Amelia’s first experience of driving anything was of all things, a dodgem car at the Fairground Heritage Trust in Devon. It was pretty clear she was quite good at it, as the staff all stopped what they were doing to watch the little blonde girl drive!
After mastering corporate karts at her local arrive and drive track, Amelia’s debut season in competitive racing began in 2017. It was an overwhelmingly positive year, culminating in consecutive podium finishes.
Amelia’s 2018 season started with a bang with her taking 4 consecutive race wins. More podium finishes followed, competing against far more experienced drivers and teams - the season ending with Amelia finishing as Vice-Champion, just 9 points shy of taking a club title in just her second year of competition.
The Story…cont
2019 was a real turning point in Amelia’s story so far. Not only was she focused on track, she was extremely active off it, working hard to form partnerships and learning how best to give value back to her supporters through social media, publicity and media exposure. Her on track results once again brought multiple trophies back home to Cornwall, finishing in a top 10 position in the British Open Championship meeting as well as achieving a total of 3 wins and 7 top 3 finishes in races entered. . The climax of Amelia’s year saw her awarded the Jem Hepworth Girl Racer Trophy at the Mansell Kart Racing Club Awards Ball, in recognition not only of her on track performances but also for how she worked to get a package and budget together to enable her to compete at this level.
The Story…cont
A year like no other in 2020 saw Amelia once again shine both on and off the track. During the long periods when motorsport was halted due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Amelia kept her training schedule going at home and worked tirelessly to gain more funding to enable to compete once restrictions were lifted.
When racing was allowed, Amelia was consistently at the sharp end of the field and in line for a top 2 placing in the Mansell Kart Racing Club Championship until the last round in October. She was cruelly forced to miss the meeting through having to isolate at home after a number her teachers tested positive for Covid-19.
Amelia’s actions both on and off the track have impressed enough for her to have been given the opportunity to join the Motorsport Woman family. She has joined a group of talented and driven individuals as an Ambassador. And in a busy end to the year, Amelia became a member of the Florida based organisation, ShiftUpNow, made up of top female racing drivers working to ensure more female athletes are funded in top seats in motorsport.
The Story…cont
2021 started with not being able to race at all due to Covid restrictions once again putting a stop to all motorsport in the UK. Amelia used the time instead to train as hard as she could (at home of course as all the gyms were closed as well) and put as much time and effort into PR / Marketing / Sponsorship as possible. With the added support she gained through a number of different sources, it enabled her to buy her very first new chassis.
Strong performances through the summer including top 10 placings against full British Championship grids created an unexpected offer from ZipKart. - A fully supported factory team drive for their newly formed Rotax team was finalised and she quickly got down to working out the new chassis. A 2nd place finish at Clay Pigeon Kart Club on her debut with the kart was quickly followed by winning the Southwest Championship at Mansell Raceway in emphatic style. The 2021 season and Amelia’s final race in Junior Max was finished off nicely by winning the final round of the Mansell Kart Club Championship and securing Junior Max Club title. She also finished the year, taking 2nd place in the British Women Racing Drivers Club Kartsport Trophy.
The Story…cont
2022 started in the colours of ZipKart, running for the first time at National level in the UKC series. However, she was quickly offered a drive with Hunter Motorsport - the team run by 2021 Senior Rotax British Champion, Rhys Hunter. This was a perfect fit for her first year in the Senior class, and although the step into national level racing was challenging, she ended the year with some amazing results.
The British Open Championship meeting saw Amelia qualify 6th against some of the strongest drivers in Europe before producing a truly stunning drive in the final to come from 21st on lap 1 to finish 7th. Similarly, the Rotax Festival which was setup as a practice round for the British Championships saw her finishing 8th, 5th and 6th in her 3 heats.
Overall a massively positive year, showing top 10 pace against the best in the UK in her first year in the Senior class.
When out of the seat Amelia has continued to work to help other drivers improve with her unique coaching skills.
Looking to the future
Amelia is looking forward to continuing her career in Motorsport. Plans are in progress to enable her to do selected national events in karting but her focus is firmly on making the transition from karting to cars.
She is always happy to chat to anyone about getting involved with her journey so please get in touch if you want to come along for the ride.
Other Interests
When Amelia is not racing or studying at college, she enjoys spending time at the beaches around her hometown of St Ives, Surfing, CrossFit training as well as relaxing with family, listening to music and taking time to pursue her interest in photography, graphic design, & PR / Marketing.
#DriveLikeAGirl
#WeRaceAsEquals
#ThisGirlCan
“We want to get more women into the sport, whether that be marshals, volunteers, engineers, female racing drivers. We want to open up the sport and show there's opportunities out there.”
— Susie Wolff