DirtFish Women in Motorsport Summit panellist Pernilla Solberg has been named as president of the World Rally Championship Commission.
Solberg, a highly regarded driver and multiple World Rallycross Champion team principal, was one of five women appointed as president and chair of commissions by the FIA World Motor Sport Council on Wednesday.
The new role isn’t the first FIA appointment for Solberg, who has previously served as a member of the FIA Technical Working Group for rallycross, and as the rallycross teams’ representative in the FIA Off-Road Commission. Solberg brings a wealth of rallying knowledge from a lifetime spent in the sport to the new position, where she will be responsible for the ongoing development, growth, and management of the WRC.
Solberg will be present with DirtFish for the third annual Women in Motorsport Summit on Saturday. If you can’t make it to Seattle to meet the woman charged with delivering the roadmap for the future of the WRC then tune in on DirtFish.com to watch the stream live.
Turkish rally driver Burcu Çetinkaya is the new chair of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission
Five-time Turkish Ladies’ Rally champion Burcu Çetinkaya has been appointed as chair of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, a role she will continue alongside her current position as the FIA Correspondent of the Turkish Touring and Automobile Club.
Elise Racette becomes chair of the FIA Volunteers and Officials Commission following her long-standing work in the planning and co-ordinating of all volunteers at the Canadian Grand Prix, while Emilia Abel, current clerk of the course on the Ypres Rally and head of the Estonian Autosport Union Rally Committee, has been appointed as president of the FIA Road Sport Committee.
Finally Nathalie McGloin, who is currently the only female tetraplegic racing driver in the world, has been re-elected as chair of the FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission.
Each sporting commission chair and president has been selected on the proposal of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and will hold their positions for two years.
Commenting on the FIA’s new appointments, Ben Sulayem said: “I am delighted to welcome all our new Commission Presidents and Chairpersons to the World Motor Sport Council. The FIA is dedicated to growing the number of women in senior positions within the FIA, and these latest appointments, based on merit and professional credibility, are an important step in our efforts to achieve this.”
