Renee Gracie will make her long-anticipated return to Motorsport in 2023, today announcing her entry into the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS Championship.

Gracie’s participation in Australia’s top series for GT machinery represents the culmination of a two-year plan for the Queensland-based driver to return to motorsport.

Following a successful career in karting, Gracie, now 28, graduated to circuit racing in 2013 in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship.

She then progressed into Supercars competition in 2015 and contested three seasons of the Super2 Supercars Championship.

She also made a pair of high-profile starts in the iconic Bathurst 1000, including a best finish of 14th position in 2016.

The Fanatec GT World Challenge features some of the most spectacular cars in the world of motorsport, from iconic brands like Mercedes-AMG, Audi, Porsche, BMW and more.

The Australian championship is contested over six rounds and a mixture of sprint and longer-distance races across both Shannons SpeedSeries and Supercars Championship events around Australia.

Details surrounding the car, team and sponsors supporting her return will be announced in due course.

Plans are underway for her to make her debut in the championship at the second round in Perth, Western Australia, later this month.

QUOTES – RENEE GRACIE

On planning her racing return..

“I started planning a return to the sport in 2021, which is when I started getting serious, talking to people and discovering what was possible.

“The first indication was that there were challenges to find the support within the industry to make it work, so we took our time to plan and get the ideal program together.

“I was very strategic with who I worked with and who I wanted to deal with on my comeback.

“Some opportunities that presented were right and some were wrong, but the stars have aligned to pull all this together.

“Everything has worked and fallen into place and I’m really happy with everyone I am working with and who has been part of this journey.

“It was proof to me that yes, this was the time to get back into racing.”

On selecting the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS Championship…

“The series was the natural choice for me to make a racing return.

“Aside from the fact I have previous experience in GT vehicles, it’s an international category.

“What I do now means I have a lot of international fans and a lot of people who support me from overseas.

“Competing in GT World Challenge means it’s a category with a global footprint and something that my fans overseas can watch and understand – a category that’s desirable wherever you are in the world.

“Everyone knows Mercedes, Porsche, Audi or BMW and people support the brands and the manufacturers involved.

“GT Racing has come a long way. It’s popular and fresh and it’s very different now to what It was when I was racing previously. It felt like the right time to get involved.

On her hopes, both personally and professionally…

“Personally, it’s about going racing and rediscovering that enjoyment and passion for the sport that had disappeared for me.

“When I left, the actual racing was about one percent of what I was doing, and the rest was not enjoyable.

“I want to get back to enjoying the sport again and get that thrill of being back behind the wheel.

“Ultimately, I want to be competitive and the program we have developed is about getting up to speed and getting to the front.

“Beyond that, there is the opportunity to compete internationally if I can put myself in a strong position here.

“I have been doing some karting, and I got behind the wheel recently and was really pleased with how quickly things came back to me.

“I honestly don’t know how I will go but it’s like riding a bike – you don’t forget.”

Renee’s main message on her racing return..

“Ultimately it shouldn’t matter who you are or what you do.

“If you want to achieve something and you set your mind to doing it, you should be able to achieve that.

“It’s taken two years to get to this point with some people frowning on what I wanted to do and trying to stop me or discourage me, but the fact we have got to this point shows that it doesn’t matter – and it shouldn’t matter.

“This announcement is the proof of that.”