«Unknown» Hedda (21) drives with superstars:
Being the right person in the right place at the right time can sometimes lead to major upheavals in life. 21-year-old Hedda Hosås is one of many proofs of this.
Half a year ago she was a mechanic’s apprentice in Voss. Well, she travels the world to compete with some of motorsport’s biggest stars.
In February, she debuted in the motorsport series Extreme E.
– It has gone very fast. Much faster than planned, says Hosås.
Driven far to train
For it is not really many years since she started driving. As a 15-year-old, she started with motocross because she had some friends who did it, the following year took her on a carcross race. Then Hosås realized that this was what she wanted to do.
But in the western countryside of Voss, there is not a large environment for motorsport. The motocross track is not approved for competition, and tracks for car driving do not exist.
Therefore, father and daughter Hosås had to drive a car and trailer to Bergen to train – that hours every way.
– We have spent a lot of money on petrol and bombs, but when Bergen was an opportunity, we just had to do it, Hosås explains.
Fortunately, motorsport is so exotic in the ski and extreme sports village of Voss that several local companies found it interesting to help a local talent. With sponsors behind her, Hosås competed in both motor and car cross, until in 2020 she sold the motorcycle to be able to bet on rallycross.
Discovered in Denmark
Last year, Vossingen took the initiative one step further. She became part of the Danish team Linnemann Promotion, which works to develop young drivers.
For a deductible, the talents get access to car, mechanic and trainer so that they can only concentrate on driving. And it was here, during a test run in Denmark, that Hedda Hosås was in the right place at the right time.
For among those who followed during was British Ian Davis. The team manager of the London-based Extreme-E team Veloce Racing, was looking for a new female talent, and had been tipped off about a talented 20-year-old from Voss.
– When he saw me, he thought that «she there must be something». So he asked if I would like to test their car, says Hosås.
Circus full of stars
Extreme-E is a new motorsport series with electric off-road racers that compete around the globe. The series markets itself as climate-friendly, and has proven to race to remote locations marked by climate change to make the motorsport audience aware of the challenges. For example, in the desert in Saudi Arabia and on the ice in Greenland.
In addition, the series differs from other motorsport series by having full equality among drivers. Each team must have a male and a female driver.
This has made the series interesting for several of motorsport’s biggest profiles. Formula 1 profile Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg each fund their team, while rally stars such as Sebastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz Sr. is among the drivers.
Impressive test
And this circus Ian Davis and Veloce Racing envisioned that the young mechanic apprentice Hedda Hosås could be a part of.
– I had to test the car during a race in Sardinia at the end of last season, but then it was so damaged that I did not get the chance. When the car was ready again, I tried it in France, and I was impressed by my driving, Hosås explains.
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So impressed that they offered her a contract that will make her the team’s reserve driver for the next three years.
The 21-year-old from Voss is thus one of very few Norwegian motorsport athletes who is paid monthly by a team.
– It’s a little sick, really. I do not have much experience, so it is nice that this has happened to me, says Hosås.
Debuted in Saudi Arabia
When she met TV 2 at Bergen Gokartsenter, she had just been on a trip to the Middle East. First to train on sand in Dubai, then to Saudi Arabia to be a reserve during the season’s first race in February.
And already there, the mechanic apprentice, who has now taken leave to fully invest in the sport, was to make his Extreme-E debut.
Because when one of the team’s drivers, Spanish Christina Giampaoli Zonca, crashed the car, she also suffered a fracture in her foot. Hedda Hosås was told to get ready to drive the next day.
In the country which banned women from driving until 2018.
– At first I thought that the car could not be fixed, but they saw that it could be fixed and that it was my turn tomorrow. Then I felt all sorts of emotions. I wanted to show myself to impress the others, but at the same time I did not want to ruin the car, says Hosås.
She was very nervous. On the mobile phone, messages are still ticking in from people who came with advice on how she should solve the biggest task of her career.
She put down her cell phone, walked through the trail with the male driver, and tried to get a good night’s sleep.
– I felt very ready, but then it ended up that the power steering smoked right away. That was very stupid. I just had to finish the race. The car was destroyed, says Hosås, who thus did not show what she was good at in the debut.
More attention
Nevertheless, that day she became the youngest to have competed in Extreme-E. It has given her more followers in social media, more attention and name in international motorsport.
– It has upset a lot the last six months. The team manager has said that he did not think my talent was that great. He envisioned that I would only run a couple of tests a year. It has become much more, says Hosås.
– What is it like to be part of a motorsport circus with such profiled people?
– It’s pretty sick. I kind of put them on TV and in social media, and suddenly they just walk around like ordinary people. It was scary to talk to them in the beginning, but it has recovered a bit over time, she says and laughs.
Dreaming of Dakar
Her long-term goal is to become one of the drivers young boys and girls follow on TV and on social media. The dream is to first get a quick look in Extreme-E, then she will drive world famous Rally Dakar.
And thus becomes one of very few Norwegian, female motorsport profiles.
– I have set up for all the ladies who do motorsports. They have inspired me. If they can do it, then I can do it too. It has helped a lot to see that other ladies can make it happen. I want to be like them, says Hosås, who has given some thought to why motorsport is still male-dominated.
– I think many girls give up early because they lack the experience that many boys have. Guys are introduced to cars earlier, it’s like something guys should like. They get small cars and tractors for birthdays, girls do not, says vossingen.
Maybe she, and the similar position in Extreme-E, can change that.