Renee Gracie has faced constant criticism throughout her career, but the adult entertainer turned motorsport star isn’t listening to the noise. Motorsport isn’t just a part-time hobby for Renee Gracie.
The former Supercars driver-turned adult entertainer made her grand return to racing last year following a six-year hiatus from the sport.
The 29-year-old has faced constant criticism from revheads, with social media users quick to try and tarnish Gracie’s return to behind the wheel.
But as the world gets a peek behind the curtain into her life in the recently released documentary on Stan, Revealed – Renee Gracie: Fireproof, Gracie has one hope that viewers take away.
“One that I hope people see, and I hope people take away is that I had the passion for motorsport and I’ve always had a passion for motorsport. And I really dedicated my whole life to motorsport,” Gracie told news.com.au.
Gracie’s first stint in motorsport was far from pretty, with the talented driver “unfairly treated” despite what many may have thought.
“People assume that because I was a woman in motorsport that I got handed everything on a silver platter in life and it was actually kind of the opposite,” she said.
“I didn’t get treated fairly. I missed out on a lot of opportunities.
“It’s what led me to eventually making the decision to go, you know what, I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t want to do this anymore.
“This isn’t for me anymore. And this space that I’m in, in this industry that I’m in, is no longer my love and passion and desire.” But after walking away from the sport, the fire continued to burn, and it wasn’t a snap overnight decision to return.
Gracie’s return to get back behind the wheel came after years of planning and ultimately saw her get back on the grid as the boss of her own team.
While more skepticism was thrust upon her when her return was announced, Gracie proved the doubters wrong by claiming a championship trophy in her first season.
“I was already under such tough criticism, returning. And we had to be strategic and it sort of worked in my favor because I was competitive. And I showed people, and I was in an older car, beating people in new cars,” Gracie said.
“I think that that just sort of added to the story as well, on top of obviously competing and winning the championship.
“I feel like it was just a really good, subtle way to say, like yep, you lit a fire in me, you made me come back and not only have I come back, I’ve just gone and won this thing when I really ultimately shouldn’t have won it.” After taking out the championship trophy in her return season, Gracie made the step up to the GT World Challenge Australia pro-am series.
The move up in class means Gracie will step up into the Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo 2, a move that has been made easier with the help of experienced co-driver Paul Stokell.
Stokell, 56, has a wealth of knowledge behind the wheel and has helped pass on his experience as learning the ropes of what the new car can deliver sinks in.
“The jump has been huge. It is nothing like I’ve ever driven,” Gracie said.
“These cars are just, they’re incredible. They’re amazing. You can’t fault them. They’re challenging, and they’re hard to drive, but they’re really enjoyable. And it’s exactly what a race car should be.
“Paul’s incredible. It’s no doubt in my mind that I really think Paul is probably one of the best drivers on the grid.
“He is a really invaluable part to my progression forward. One of the best things that could happen to me moving forward is learning from him and sucking his 30 years of information out of him and trying to apply as much as I can.”
While the step up has come with its challenges, Gracie is just looking at closing the gap on her co-driver and continuing to prove the doubters wrong that she does belong in the sport.
“I definitely would like to improve myself as a driver getting used to these high aero cars, and really just trying to understand them a little bit better,” she said.
“I think I’m really close to getting it.
“I feel like I’m close to sort of being able to really drive the car to its full potential, but I’m not quite there yet. And I think once I unlock that, I think Paul and I are going to be a really good pairing. I would love to be a similar time to Paul.
“I just want to make sure that I don’t ever get sucked into a position like I did previously, where there’s so much background noise, things are getting pulled away from me, and I’m not being the best driver I can be.
“And I think that’s one thing that I really want to make sure that I continue to do for the rest of the year and cancel everything else out.”
Revealed – Renee Gracie: Fireproof was released on May 26 and is available to watch only on Stan.
Credit: News.com.au
