Buggyra ZM Racing has joined forces with Motors Formula Team (MFT), a motorsport start-up focused on enhancing diversity in the motorsports industry.
Together they have launched the Equality & Diversity Program, a campaign to raise awareness about equality, respect, and diversity in motorsports and to help young racers from unusual backgrounds to become successful in motorsports.
Twin sisters Aliyyah and Yasmeen Koloc, 17, who race for Buggyra ZM Racing, are both racing drivers who experienced sexist and degrading remarks by a competitor when they were competing in the 2021 Dakar Rally. They were only 16 years old at the time.
They have both decided they wanted to raise awareness about inequalities in motorsports and beyond and set a sign for respect and diversity.
Martin Koloc, Buggyra ZM Racing CEO said:
“Buggyra ZM is opening a new chapter in the motorsport world with this close cooperation with MFT. #EQUALITY #RESPECT #DIVERSITY are qualities that are still not a given in today’s motorsport world. By supporting talented young drivers who will join our Academy program in Europe and the Middle East we want to instigate change.”
Ludovic Pezé, CEO of MFT also commented saying:
“I am delighted to partner with Martin Koloc and Buggyra ZR Racing as we share the same goals in terms of developing new talent, especially from emerging countries.
“With our motorsports program, we would like to increase diversity in motorsport. This is something we have been fighting for since our debut in 2014 and which was acknowledged by the Sir Lewis Hamilton commission in 2021.”
Apart from continuing to raise awareness for #EQUALITY #RESPECT #DIVERSITY in motorsports and to help young racers through the Academy program, Buggyra-MFT has set two important goals for its cooperation.
The first one is entering the 2023 Dakar Rally with Aliyyah and Yasmeen Koloc, when, at 18, they will become the youngest twin sisters of African descent to participate. The second, equally important goal are the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024 where Buggyra-MFT intends to enter the first team mainly composed of racers and staff of African descent and black heritage.
In addition, the partnership of Buggyra and MFT will enable both teams to raise the profiles of their respective driver line-ups, sim-racers, and technical teams as well as allowing a new generation of promising drivers to benefit from both Buggyra’s and MFT’s racing expertise and technical know-how.
Aliyyah and Yasmeen said:
“Being at the receiving end of abuse from a motorsport competitor was a big shock to us. We wanted to set a sign and be heard, so we started to wear these caps to remind people about #EQUALITY #RESPECT #DIVERSITY, not just in motorsports but everywhere. We will continue to do so until these words start becoming reality.”
In 2022, Buggyra ZR and MFT will enter selected GT races and the 24-Hour Series with Aliyyah and Yasmeen Koloc and 30-year-old British GT racer Jann Mardenborough. He won the Nissan PlayStation GT Academy in 2011 and started in GT racing the year after. Jann is therefore one of the few racers to switch successfully from gaming to real circuit racing. The experienced British GT racer achieved a podium in the LMP2 category at Le Mans and raced successfully in LMP1 as well as the GT500.
Other drivers as well as details of the Academy program will be announced in due course.
