• News
  • Sports News
  • “It’s just kind of lost its spark”: Motorsport rebel Renee Gracie thinks supercars have become stale, calls for diversity and entertainment overhaul

“It’s just kind of lost its spark”: Motorsport rebel Renee Gracie thinks supercars have become stale, calls for diversity and entertainment overhaul

30-year-old Australian driver Renee Gracie criticised the Supercars Championship for losing its relevance and urged for a radical shake-up. Gracie, who retired from the sport in 2017 due to unfair treatment and lack of support, believes that the sport needs a wider audience, particularly women, to remain relevant. Gracie plans to continue her strong form in the GT World Challenge Australia.
“It’s just kind of lost its spark”: Motorsport rebel Renee Gracie thinks supercars have become stale, calls for diversity and entertainment overhaul

Renee Gracie (via Getty Images)


Renee Gracie, who was a promising star in Supercars but is now a sensational name in GT World Challenge Australia, has delivered her most extreme statement yet about Australian motorsport. The 30-year-old driver, who restarted racing last year following a high-profile switch to adult content creation, believes the Supercars Championship has lost its bite — and that the sport needs a radical shake-up if it is to remain relevant.

Renee Gracie criticizes Australia's top racing category and preaches inclusivity after dominant GT win


From Racing Driver To Millionaire Model | BLING LIFE

Fresh from an emphatic victory at Phillip Island, where she took out the AM Cup comprehensively, Renee Gracie was in no mood to mince words. “I think a lot of people have been feeling over the last few years is that it’s just kind of lost its spark. It’s not what it used to be, and GT is a serious threat to them because it’s new and it’s exciting, and there’s a lot of action. I mean, I think Supercars would probably need someone like me to make it half interesting," she said in an interview with Wide World of Sports.
Renee Gracie competed in the Supercars feeder series for the first time in 2015 and made history as the championship's first Australian female. But she retired from the sport in 2017, alleging unfair treatment and a lack of support. With a successful GT team and rekindled enthusiasm for racing now, she's giving blunt advice to the series she once raced for.
Gracie thinks that unless Supercars renews itself to appeal to a wider audience — particularly women — it will fall behind. “I mean, I think Supercars would probably need someone like me to make it half interesting,” she added.

Promoting female participation and dignity in racing


More than entertainment, Renee Gracie's endeavour lies in representation. She identified the structural flaws within motorsport that persistently discourage women from being involved — most especially in top-tier categories such as Supercars.
“There are some categories that still are very old in their ways, and you can just sense that it’s not welcoming because there’s no women in the category,” she said. “And I think in a couple of years’ time, the amount of women that will be in the sport itself, in the certain categories and on track as well, it will be so obvious where they are welcome and where they are not welcome.”
Gracie also spoke about quitting racing in 2017, explaining the constant fight to be treated equally wore her out on passion for the sport.
Also Read: Processing data at F1 speed: How Lenovo’s tech muscle powers F1’s thrills
Racing for herself — and a new audience
Since returning to competition in 2023, Gracie not only established her own squad but also showed she's here to take the cheques. Last weekend, she pulled across the line over 30 seconds ahead of the next closest opponent at Phillip Island in an Audi R8 LMS EVO II, featuring branding from her OnlyFans operation. It was a strong message that she's succeeding on her own terms — and taking the prizes while doing it. The GT World Challenge Australia now moves to Sydney Motorsport Park in May, where Renee Gracie will look to continue her strong form — and perhaps keep nudging Australian motorsport into a more inclusive, exciting future.
author
About the Author
TOI Sports Desk

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.

End of Article
Follow Us On Social Media