Meet the teenage girl racer from Rugby who is driving her way to the top
Fearless Rugby racer Megan Rowledge first got in the driving seat at just 13 years old.
Since her first taste of karting, the girl racer has never looked back.
Megan’s dedication and skills have paid off and she’s now gearing up for the national finals of the British Indoor Karting Championship.
Now 16, Megan tried her hand at several hobbies before finding her true passion.
She said: “I love everything about it; the smell and the speed of racing.”
Before becoming a semi-pro karter, Megan tried street dance and kick-boxing which she loved.
Her dad Adam said: “She liked them but it didn't seem to spark a flame.
"In 2022 we took her karting for the very first time. She came off the track and said that was what she wanted to do.”
Megan is no stranger to racing at competition level in what has traditionally been viewed as a male-dominated sport.
The national finals take place in Warrington on November 16 and will be live streamed on YouTube at around 9am.
“From more than 6,000 entries, Megan’s down to the last 32 drivers,” Adam added.
"The competition is held over three stages and so far, she’s been pretty much untouchable. We’re so proud of her. She’s an excellent karter.”
More girls are getting into karting in the UK, a trend driven by dedicated new initiatives and programmes.
In 2024, the F1 Academy Discover Your Drive Karting UK programme saw a 265% increase in females participating in the British Indoor Karting Championships (BIKC), with a 93% increase in female participation in the final stages compared to 2023.