New documentary showcases Britain’s first Black, female race team owner

A new documentary is set to launch on sports broadcaster TNT to showcase the work of Carol Glenn, who is Britain’s first Black, female motorsports official. The short film follows Glenn through the launch of her new Formula Ford team, Next Generation Racing, which saw her become the country’s first woman of colour to launch a race team.  

Directed by filmmaker Daisy Ifama, Set Pace is the first in a new series of three short films as part of a joint initiative from TNT Sports Reframe the Game and the Warner Bros Discovery Access development programme. The series aims to highlight the untold stories of women in sport. 

Ifama previously directed numerous documentaries, which highlighted subjects such as police brutality in London and mental health. Her latest film spotlights Glenn’s story as a trailblazer in her field and follows the creation of her new team, Next Generation Racing. 

“[Daisy] had done her research, she’d looked about what I was doing. And she could see that there was a story to tell,” Glenn told Autosport.  

“Especially nowadays, I think it is very important because as somebody that’s now representing for people of Black and Brown, and they haven’t got very many role models, other than maybe Lewis [Hamilton], and there’s not many people who are actually visible.  

“I always thought of myself as being a bit behind the scenes, but now having the last few years out there talking to kids in schools and universities, I realise a lot of them actually do Google to find out who’s in the industry and that I am that face for them.” 

The film, which is available to stream on TNT Sports and discovery+, follows Glenn’s story as she manages her team over a race weekend in Silverstone. It highlights the obstacles and microaggressions that she faces over a weekend, and discusses the origins of Next Generation Racing.

“I’ve been around motorsport for 37 years, and at the time I never set out to break any records or barriers or anything,” Glenn said.

“I just did it because I was interested, I really loved being around cars.

“When I started off as a marshal, I was the first person of colour, and I didn’t know that at the time.

“Being around in the space and realising that there was nobody else like me around. There was very, very few.

“Now, I really want to try and change that to make sure we’re not always talking about the first and the only, it should just be normal conversations going on.” 

Since the film’s premiere, it has received positive reviews, with TNT Sports presenter Suzi Perry saying that it shows Glenn is an “amazing person.”

“She was the first black official in British motorsport, and now the first Black woman to have a team in motorsport in the UK, and I hope that she does really well, and I think she will,” Perry said.

“She’s an inspirational character. I think people will be inspired by her – young women, and particularly young Black women. Because if you see somebody that you relate to doing well, it opens a door for you, you think it’s possible.”

The film’s director added that she was “inspired by Carol’s tenacity and perseverance” over her 37-year career in motorsport. Ifama said that she hopes the short film will serve as an “example of the sport’s future.”

“I want people to see a piece of themselves in Carol’s story and feel galvanised to keep up the fight, not be swayed by obstacles and be the change they wish to see in their world,” Ifama added.

“As Carol says in the film, ‘the only way I can see change is if I make it happen’.”