After her first high-profile racing career ended in controversy and disappointment, Renee Gracie is back in the sport with a new goal – fun.
The 30-year-old was famously part of the first Harvey Norman-backed all-female Bathurst 1000 attempt with Simone de Silvestro in 2015 and ‘16, but despite three seasons in Super2, she couldn’t make the full-time move to Supercars.
Disillusioned with the sport Gracie began a career on the subscription service website, OnlyFans, and after success there she was inspired to return to the track. The nature of her new role, coupled with a sponsorship deal with OnlyFans, led to a difficult return as she claims some categories weren’t too keen on her arrival.
In the end she made her racing return in the GT World Challenge Australia, racing an Audi R8 GT3 in the Pro-Am class.
“ Yeah, look, it hasn’t been easy,” Gracie tells Torquecafe. “It’s had its ups and downs, that’s pretty public knowledge now, obviously with the trials and tribulations that I’ve had to go through to be able to return.
“But honestly, I’m in my third year of this program and after the first year, I feel like it’s just been smooth sailing. I feel like it was just that getting back in it, which is where all the friction and where it was difficult and people didn’t know what to expect and everyone was nervous about me coming back because they didn’t know what I was gonna do and how things were gonna be.
“But I worked really hard to make sure that it was just a normal racing program. And I did it because I wanted to come back because I love it and I love motorsport and I love being a part of the industry and I think I proved that in many ways. Obviously wanting to return, being stubborn enough to come back after all those years. And I think people are sort of just used to me now and I will say like my previous career many years ago obviously gave me a bit of credibility for obviously having a name for myself. And once I just got in and I got back and it was just a normal program, I feel like everything sort of just dolled down and people just see me as a car driver now and back just doing what I love, which is great.”
She admits she considered other categories but ultimately was approached by GT World Challenge organisers and felt it was a better fit and a more welcoming environment. Which has worked out well, because she admits she’s really enjoying racing the current GT3-era sports cars and the nature of the series.
“ I think it’s because it does fill that gap of, there are people in motorsport who don’t want to get fed down the Supercar direction. They don’t wanna have to go overseas and race something overseas. They just want to race cars and they want to race good cars that have power, speed, and, you know, a bit of sex appeal as well. So, and to me it wasn’t a huge category back when I was racing, so I think that maybe I just didn’t know much about it and I’m very grateful for them obviously being willing to have me and run me and wanting me in the category.”
It’s a move that has worked out quite well for her, Gracie was leading the Am category at the time of publication (after three of six rounds).
With her passion for racing rekindled, we asked Gracie about her road car preferences and what would fill her Dream Garage.
Daily driver: Ram 1500 TRX
Gracie admits she already has her eye on this 523kW supercharged V8 super ute. It’s the most powerful ute and can launch 0-100km/h in just 4.5 seconds.
“ I already know that [I want one] because I have a Ram 1500 at the moment and it’s got a big canopy and a big tray on the back of it. And if I was to upgrade it, I would get a TRX and have that as a daily,” she said. “So it’s a real life scenario that I think about in my head.”
Something special: Bentley Continental GT/Aston Martin DB12
“Can I have two weekend cars? I can’t choose.”
Allowing Gracie to bend the rules, her two weekend specials have a surprising similarity – a pair of British grand tourers.
“The original answer would’ve been a Bentley Continental,” she explains. “And I’ve already thought about it in an emerald green color with saddle brown interior.”
But recently she admits to becoming more interested in Aston Martin’s DB12, the AMG V8-powered machine that is also one of the most stylish cars on the planet.
“ So they’re pretty sexy. So I could see myself in one of those,” she said. “Same situation, a nice emerald green with saddle brown interior.
“I would’ve never have thought I would’ve been an Aston girl, but there’s just something about them has tickled my fancy in the last year or two.”
Track toy: HSV Maloo R8
Now that she’s racing an Audi R8 GT3 regularly, the idea of a racing car as a ‘track toy’ doens’t really work for Gracie anymore. Instead, her preference is to have fun and the expense of some tyres and would love an Australian-made HSV Maloo R8 ute.
“ I would actually choose something fun, because if I’m getting my fix from motorsport,” she said. “I would honestly have an R8 Maloo. Drop the clutch and just thrash and do burnouts for weeks on end and just have fun with it.
“ I like shred some tyres and just drift and do burnouts and still go fast in it if I needed to. I feel like that would be, if it was current, that’s what I would do. Or I would have an R8 Clubsport or something like that if I needed a bit more get up and go. But I feel like a ute would just be a really fun thing to be able to thrash and have fun on the track with every weekend.”
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