Robertson Racing will create history when they field the first all-female driving duo in the American Le Mans Series in the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Challenge in August.
Regular driver and team-co-owner Andrea Robertson will be joined for the two-hour, 45 minute enduro in their #40 Ford GT by her friend and experienced GT star Melanie Snow, with Andrea's husband and normal co-driver David Robertson stepping aside.
Snow, currently fifth in the IMSA GT3 Challenge, last raced in the ALMS back in 2009 when she clinched the GT Challenge class but also won on debut in the main GT class at Sebring 12 years ago.
Snow is delighted to get the chance at Lexington and is hoping a good weekend performance will ensure girl power is not a one-off affair.
She said: “Andrea and I have been friends for a while and always joked about forming an all-girl team. It was something I never really expected though so when I got an email out of the blue it was a shock, but also a nice surprise.
“Obviously a lot has changed since I last raced in what was the original GT class, but the Challenge cars aren't too far way in terms of performance so hopefully it won't be much of a step up.
“Having said that I'm expecting the Ford to handle completely different to the Porsche I usually race. I'm sure I'll get to grips with it during the test so we can hit the ground running in Free Practice.
“At the moment the deal is just for Mid-Ohio but we'll play it by ear and see what happens for the rest of the season.”
And Team Manager Andrew 'H' Smith is pleased the opportunity to field the historic female line-up has been presented to them and like Snow is not ruling out further races later in the season.
He concluded: “It's great to have Melanie onboard for Mid-Ohio. She has a lot of experience in GT cars so I'm confident it won't be long before she's up to speed in the Ford.
“Andrea had expressed an interest in her joining the team and I think it's a great opportunity for them to show how well they stack up against their male counterparts.
“We've had lots of women racers take part in the ALMS over the past 12 years so it's about time an all-female crew was given their chance.
“We're not ruling out running Melanie again later in the season but at the moment Mid-Ohio is the only round scheduled.”
