Freya Lally

Freya Lally is a rising British karter from Cheadle who’s proving that the girls who start with curiosity can finish at the front of the pack—leading both Club100 North and South series while mentoring the next generation of female racers.

EARLY YEARS

Growing up in Cheadle, Lally’s route into motorsport wasn’t the typical family-steeped-in-racing story. Her introduction came through the F1 Discover your Drive programme—the predecessor to what’s now Motorsport UK’s Girls Karting Academy—designed to get girls aged 8-12 behind the wheel at indoor karting tracks across the country. These weren’t glossy test drives; they were proper taster days at TeamSport venues, the kind where you show up not knowing if racing is your thing and leave with your heart rate still elevated.[1]

The programme worked exactly as intended. Lally took to karting in the Cadet class, the 8-11 age bracket where drivers are still figuring out racing lines and whether they’ve got the nerve to hold their position into a corner. She didn’t just participate—she qualified first in the Regional Finals at her local track in Stockton, a result that made it clear this wasn’t a passing interest.[2]

OTHER INTERESTS

Outside the kart, Freya plays dodgeball at school—a sport that, let’s be honest, rewards quick reflexes and a willingness to take a hit, qualities that translate surprisingly well to competitive karting.[1]

EARLY SUCCESS

Lally’s progression through karting followed a well-designed but competitive pathway. After the initial Girls Karting Academy taster days, she entered TeamSport’s mixed-gender Race Academy, an after-school programme where enthusiasm meets reality and not everyone sticks around. She did.[1]

Her lap times at the regional TeamSport venue earned her a spot at the British Indoor Karting Championship National Finals in Warrington—a significant step up in competition. Racing in the Cadet class, she finished ninth overall, but more importantly, she was the highest-placing participant from the entire F1 Discover your Drive programme.[2][3] That result came with more than bragging rights: a fully funded season in Club100, the UK’s top level of arrive-and-drive karting, where drivers compete in identical equipment and success comes down to skill, not budget.[2]

At the Daytona Championships held from November 22-28, Lally competed in the Cadets class and won both heats comfortably—the kind of dominant performance that turns heads and makes organizers take note.[4]

In Club100, she’s currently leading as the top girl in both the North and South championships, sitting seventh overall in the North and fifteenth in the South.[1] Those aren’t token positions or “best female” asterisks—they’re legitimate placements in highly competitive fields where drivers show up ready to race and nobody gives you a corner just because you’re still in school.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2024: Finished 9th overall and highest-placing participant from F1 Discover your Drive programme at British Indoor Karting Championship National Finals in Warrington, Cadet class.[2][3]
• 2024: Qualified 1st in Regional Finals at Stockton track, Cadet class, F1 Discover your Drive programme.[2]
• 2024: Won both heats at Daytona Championships (November 22-28), Cadets class.[4]
• 2024-2025: Leads as top girl in both Club100 North (P7 overall) and South (P15 overall) karting series.[1]
• 2025: Awarded Motorsport UK Girls Karting Academy Scholarship.[1]
• 2024: Awarded fully funded Club100 season as highest-placing karter from F1 Discover your Drive programme at BIKC.[2][3]

INSPIRATIONS

No information currently available.

REPUTATION

Freya has evolved from participant to role model faster than most drivers progress through the gears. She now acts as a mentor for new rounds of the Girls Karting Academy, living proof that starting at a nationwide taster day can lead to legitimate competitive success.[1] It’s one thing to tell young girls they can race; it’s another to have someone their age already doing it at a high level.

Media coverage from Motorsport UK and Motorsport Magazine has highlighted her achievements with the kind of genuine respect that comes from results, not potential. She’s been featured as an example of how the academy-to-competition pipeline actually works when the talent and drive align—the top female achiever from BIKC who turned that opportunity into a fully funded Club100 path.[1][3] That’s the kind of trajectory that gets noticed, not because it’s unusual for a girl to succeed, but because it’s impressive for any driver at this stage.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Lally’s immediate future is secured with a Motorsport UK Girls Karting Academy Scholarship for 2025 and her ongoing fully funded Club100 season.[1][2] She’ll continue racing in both the North and South championships, competing in identical equipment against drivers who’ve been karting for years—some with considerably deeper pockets and family connections. The scholarship provides support, but it’s up to her to maintain the pace that got her there in the first place.

Her dual role as competitor and mentor means she’s helping shape the next cohort of female racers while still building her own career—a balancing act that requires showing up fast on track and accessible off it. Whether she’ll progress beyond karting into car racing remains to be seen, but she’s already accomplished what the Girls Karting Academy set out to prove: that talent doesn’t care about gender, and opportunity matters.

References:

Freya Lally continues to lead in Club 100 North and South karting series – Motorsport UK
Freya Lally highest placing F1 Discover your Drive Karter at British Indoor Karting Championship – Motorsport UK
How to be a racing driver… with arrive-and-drive karting – Motorsport Magazine
Daytona Championships (22nd-28th November) – Daytona Karting