BFGoodrich Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship (AORC) driver Ally Howells has been enjoying an outstanding run of form, so much so that she is currently sitting third on the 2022 outright standings.

Starting with a top 10 finish at the Cobb & Co Hotel St George 399 in March, Howells backed up her performance with an 11th place at the Coomealla Memorial Club and Bendigo Bank Pooncarie Desert Dash – an event many struggled to finish.

And while the biggest test of her career-best form will come through the famous Tatts Finke Desert Race, Howells enjoyed a different sort of challenge last month – inspiring the next generation of girls in motorsport.

Having attended the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships event at Sydney Motorsport Park, Howells was a special guest at the FIA Girls on Track’s career pathways program.

A newly included ‘Champion’ of the initiative, Howells joined fellow champions Charise Bristow and Loren Hazelwood and FIA Girls on Track Ambassadors Romy Mayer and Jessica Nicholson.


The six discussed their journey in the sport, answered questions and then had breakaway sessions where they connected and engaged about possible pathways in the sport.

It was a first-time experience for Howells and one that she thoroughly enjoyed taking part in.

“It was really good and a sweet day and there are some seriously passionate young girls out there looking to break into the sport, which is fantastic to see,” Howells said.

“I have never done something like this before and I don’t think what I do is very special, so it was a bit daunting but quite cool in the end.

“Seeing those girls asking serious and good questions was an eye opener. I am very lucky to come from off road, so I just fell into it.

“But these girls have been inspired by Drive to Survive on Netflix and now they’re looking at the options to get work. They don’t come from a motorsport family and are doing it on their own accord which is very cool.


“There were a few girls interested in off road and asking how to go about it and the logistics and although it’s a bit of a difficult sport to just do, it was great to see them show so much interest.

“I would love to do it again and I am looking forward to the next opportunity because I would love to see more women as drivers in the AORC and hopefully we can continue to inspire.”

Howells will be in action at this month’s Tatts Finke Desert Race, which serves as the third round of the AORC season, in Alice Springs on 10-13 June.