Bedfordview karting star joins elite global female driver programme

Fifteen-year-old South African karting champion Gianna Pascoal was recently selected for the prestigious More Than Equal Driver Development Programme.

The Bedfordview racer is one of only five drivers worldwide participating in the initiative designed to identify and accelerate female drivers towards Formula-level competition.

Pascoal is the only South African in the 2026 intake.

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She joins a group of young drivers from Britain, Australia and Europe in what is considered one of the most competitive female driver development programmes in international motorsport.

Her selection marks the latest milestone in a career that has seen the teenage racer rapidly rise through the ranks of competitive karting.

Having already represented South Africa at major international events, including Champions of the Future, the FIA Academy Trophy and FIA Arrive and Drive, Pascoal is now preparing for the next phase of her career with her official move into MSA Formula 4, signalling her transition from karting to single-seater racing.

“Pascoal’s work ethic and race intelligence are at a level we typically see in far more experienced drivers,” said her coach, Wesleigh Orr of WORR Motorsports, a South African motorsport development organisation.

“She absorbs information incredibly quickly and translates it into lap time.

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“She has all the ingredients to climb the single-seater ladder and we can’t wait to see what she achieves next.”

Gianna started karting at 11, later than many of her competitors.

But within a few seasons, she had closed the gap and was setting results that marked her as a front-runner across national ROK and Rotax series competitions.

She has since represented South Africa at major events, including Champions of the Future, the FIA Academy, and FIA Arrive and Drive, racing in Europe and the Middle East.

“I’ve been lucky to discover motorsport, and the biggest thing for me has been learning quickly,” Pascoal said.

“Every time I’m on track, I try to learn something new and find another tenth of a second.

“That’s what I enjoy the most – pushing myself and seeing how much faster I can go.”

Since the More Than Equal selection was confirmed, Pascoal’s calendar has grown considerably.

To date in March, Pascoal has competed locally at Killarney Raceway and attended an intensive international training block in Austria, a high-performance camp that combines biometric and cognitive assessments wit  physical conditioning tailored to the demands of single-seater racing.

The programme includes testing of visual scanning, selective attention, and reaction speeds, alongside specialist neck and endurance work designed to prepare drivers for the G-forces produced by Formula machinery.

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Mental performance coaching, developed by specialists including Hintsa Performance, is also integrated into the camp.

Pascoal is scheduled to race at the Redstar Raceway in Delmas on March 24 and Zwartkops Raceway on March 25 – circuits that have served as key proving grounds in her development.

Pascoal’s rise comes at a moment when women are increasingly visible in motorsport, both on the grid and in its governance.

South Africa has its own chapter in that story.

In 1980, Desiré Wilson became the first woman to win a Formula One-category race when she took victory at Brands Hatch in the British Aurora F1 Championship, a feat that remains unmatched.

More recently, Susie Wolff, now Managing Director of the F1 Academy, has become one of the sport’s most prominent advocates for structured female development pathways. For Pascoal, those opportunities matter, but so does how drivers are ultimately judged.

“I’ve always wanted to be seen as a top-tier racer, not just a female champion. At the end of the day, we should all be judged by our racing ability,” Pascoal added.