Renee Gracie speaks out after stunning return to professional motorsport

Renee Gracie has opened up about her decision to return to professional motorsport after walking away from the sport to start a career in adult entertainment. Gracie shocked the motorsport world in 2020 when she revealed she'd turned her back on racing to pursue a career in X-rated content - namely on OnlyFans.

After struggling to make ends meet in motorsport, Gracie's earnings skyrocketed into the millions on OnlyFans - a subscription website that charges fans for content provided by their chosen stars. Last year, Gracie revealed she wanted to spend $1 million to get back into Supercars and add to her two starts in the Bathurst 1000.

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That hasn't come to fruition, but the 28-year-old has now secured a return to professional racing after two years of planning. Gracie revealed on Saturday that she'll be competing in the GT World Challenge Australia series and will be on the grid for the Perth Supersprint - which starts on April 28.

“I started planning a return to the sport in 2021, which is when I started getting serious, talking to people and discovering what was possible,” Gracie told the GT World Challenge Australia website. “The first indication was that there were challenges to find the support within the industry to make it work, so we took our time to plan and get the ideal program together.

“I was very strategic with who I worked with and who I wanted to deal with on my comeback. Some opportunities that presented were right and some were wrong, but the stars have aligned to pull all this together.

“Everything has worked and fallen into place and I’m really happy with everyone I am working with and who has been part of this journey. It was proof to me that yes, this was the time to get back into racing.”

Renee Gracie overcomes obstacles in pro motorsport return

Gracie revealed how her return to professional racing has been hampered by a number of obstacles, including racing bosses who frowned upon her career change. “Ultimately it shouldn’t matter who you are or what you do,” she said.

“If you want to achieve something and you set your mind to doing it, you should be able to achieve that. It’s taken two years to get to this point with some people frowning on what I wanted to do and trying to stop me or discourage me, but the fact we have got to this point shows that it doesn’t matter – and it shouldn’t matter. This announcement is the proof of that.”

Supercars officials had previously smacked down Gracie's attempt to compete at the Bathurst 1000 as a "publicity stunt". An official told the Daily Telegraph: “She is just using the sport to sell more videos. It is not even worth commenting on because it is not going to happen."

In 2015, Gracie became the first female driver to take part in the Bathurst 1000 when she teamed up with Simona de Silvestro. They teamed up again to drive in the showpiece event in 2016, and Gracie was eyeing off a return to Mount Panorama for the 2021 race.

However Supercars officials poured cold water on the idea, suggesting she was simply using it as a platform to drum up publicity for her OnlyFans career. Her best result in her debut Supercars season was a 12th-placed finish, before she ended up 18th in the championship standings.

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