FEATURE
Stuart Wing
Ryder competing at Loton Park
Williams’ passion for motorsport also came from her father, but more in the garage at home than on the track. She spent her younger days tinkering on cars with him, but he died when she was young, and she did not get into the sport until many years later.
“ When I learned to drive, I was told I should really be on track and that spurred my interest. But I had no family to support me, and I was on an apprentice wage so there wasn’ t much I could do to progress that,” she recalls.“ Later in life, when I had earned some money from having my own business, that’ s when I started to get involved.”
Her husband was a top remote-control car racer, but they both wanted something they could do together, and started karting at club level before moving into cars. After a few years, the business-minded pair bought the MINI Challenge itself – which Williams’ husband now runs – and then took their own team to British GTs and, ultimately, into the BTCC.
INTIMIDATION
Taking your first step into motorsport can be intimidating, whatever your gender. However, the male bias that still exists in both the competitive environment and within groups of marshals and officials can make it challenging for some people to get involved.
Ryder believes some women worry more about what other people think but says:“ If you go back a few decades, I think women were judged, but it has changed enormously these days. We’ re not quite there yet, but having more and more women involved will help.”
Williams never felt any intimidation thanks to her background in judo – where she was a junior champion and fought internationally for Britain – and a robust grounding in her working life. She was the first female apprentice electrician at the Sizewell B nuclear power station and at one point she was the only woman among 5,000 male workers.
As team owner, Justina Williams makes her presence visible and continues to support other women on their motorsport journey
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Revolution- March 2026