New storybook by female mechanical engineer puts girls in the driving seat 

In a match made in STEM heaven, Daisy’s 1st Race Car is written by a female engineer who is also 'mad into Formula 1'

Laura Hannon author of Daisy's 1st Race Car

Daisy’s 1st Race Car – the first in a series of STEM-inspired children’s books – follows the journey of a young girl through the world of motorsport.

Author Laura Hannon, a mechanical engineer, has worked in a male-dominated area for over 10 years. A 2013 CIT graduate, she was the only female in her class.

“I was always drawn to engineering, but I didn’t know any engineers. I was naturally good at technical drawing, science and maths. I’m also mad into Formula 1 – that’s what really sparked me to look at mechanical engineering as a career.”

The Waterford woman’s passion for motor racing came from her dad, a Michael Schumacher fan who did some bike racing. “I just grew up with it. I’m not racing yet. I’m trying to get into it.”

She’s on her way to achieving her goal. In November she competes in a first trial “to see if I’ve any natural talent for racing” – in a bid to get a spot in the 2022 Formula Woman Racing Series. “There’ll be a couple of hundred girls. We’ll be whittled down to about 50 to go forward to the next stage.”

Laura’s doing as much physical and mental training as possible and has been training in Mondello Park.

Daisy, the heroine of her early reader book, dreams, creates and believes anything is possible. It’s a book Laura wishes she had as a small girl. And she wants it to make the biggest impact possible – not just in inspiring young girls to follow their dream – but also in supporting children’s services through the CUH charity ( www.cuhcharity.ie), with proceeds going to this cause.

Laura Hannon, author of Daisy's 1st Race Car

CUH paediatric consultant Dr Muireann Ní Chróinín says the paediatric unit has been in what were meant to be temporary facilities for seven years now. “Our greatest need is to progress with building the children’s hospital here. Progress has been frustratingly slow over the past few years.”

Current facilities aren’t geared for children/families – CUH has 5,000 paediatric inpatient stays yearly. “Very sick children with complex needs are being accommodated in cramped conditions. When a child is admitted, their parent has to be accommodated too. Some are here for months. Modern hospitals take account of that.”

Funds like those from Daisy’s 1st Race Car go towards making a difference in the lives of children/parents in the hospital. “They could be used in various ways, from décor to facilities to equipment, for example,  improving quality of the parents’ room or more access for children to technology on the wards.”

• Formula Female is collaborating with Laura on the launch of her book.

Formula Female:

Founded by Olympic hockey player Nicci Daly, Formula Female’s #DrivingFemalesForward has three pillars:

• Engage: get females behind the wheel.
• Educate: use motorsport as platform for STEM education.
• Empower: increase visibility of role models; showcase fierce, brave, competitive nature of women in motorsport.

Formula Female’s GoGirls karting Initiative allows young girls learn how STEM subjects can be applied to Motorsport and gives them the chance to get behind the wheel of a go-kart.