Jessica Dane

Jess Dane has seen it all: the good, the bad, the ugly - and the uglier. Jess is relentless in her work ethic, grit, and determination. This is evident in everything she does, from her love of CrossFit to her work, studying law, and many volunteer roles. She has led the charge for women in motorsport in Australia, and her influence reaches some of the highest places in the global  industry. Sadly, our little Aussie island has lost her, but it is for the greater good. Jess is off to spread her wings, pursuing bigger things in America and beyond. WinA caught up with Dane to bring you her story.

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Director Peck here, bringing you a catch up with one of the most interesting women in the automotive world you can find - Jessica Dane, co-owner of the Triple Eight motorsport powerhouse and now a key cog in General Motors’ US motorsports programs.

I first met Jess at a Supercars round during my co-hosting duties for Channel 10’s RPM. I can’t remember if we hit it off, but somehow, seven or so years later, we are good friends and allies. I do remember she had the most incredibly long plaited hair and presence in pitlane. Nothing has changed there. 

So, where to start with Jessica Dane? Originally from the UK, barely 30 (give or take), Jess already has a rich and inspiring career in motorsport. From the outside, many might think things came easily to Jess. Her father, Roland Dane, co-founder of motorsport teams Triple Eight Racing in Britain and Triple Eight Race Engineering in Australia, is a global motorsport heavyweight and an Australian Supercars icon. Surely, Jess is a shoe-in to reap the benefits, right? Wrong. Jess has had to work harder than anyone around her to prove her place in the Supercars paddock, a heavily male-dominated arena, with a father who wasn’t going to hand her anything.

1.  Where did cars start for you

My earliest automotive memory is my dad arriving home in a bright yellow BMW that I got so excited about. I used to yell, "THE BANANA CUSTARD CAR!!" and go sprinting as fast as my little toddler legs would carry me across the house. Around that time, I also remember sitting on his lap to drive Land Rovers on English country lanes and falling asleep as race tracks.    

2.  Explain your job and a bit about your trajectory.

I'm very new to this role and it's also a new role, so it's an exciting work in progress. The purpose of the position though is to connect motorsport to the various parts of the giant organisation that is General Motors, focusing on marketing, communications, operations and technology transfer. I'm still very much finding my feet at GM, so I'm not thinking about my trajectory right now. Just trying to remember where my desk is each day! 

3.  What qualifications do you have, and what is the pathway to your current job? 

On paper, I have honours degrees in law and multimedia journalism and a post-graduate diploma in legal practice. So nothing to do with motorsport or automotive! What qualified me for this job was really my diverse experience in the industry. I have all the marketing, media and comms experience they were looking for, but I have the unique element of coming from a professional competition setting including things like team management and operations.

4.  Give us your stance on work-life balance - is it total BS?

Having been unemployed for 5 months after moving to the US and waiting for my visa to be able to start my job, then going head first back into being a motorsport gypsy with 4 of the biggest events of the year in a row and having a total of 4 days off in my first 6 weeks in the job, I can safely say work-life balance is not for me. I certainly do believe it can and does exist, but I am genuinely happiest with my own existence when I'm hard on the limiter.

5.  You must be on to your 4th passport by now. How does all the travel take a toll on you, and how do you recuperate and bring yourself back to a place of calm after chaos?

Well, I hold passports for three countries, so if one gets full, I've got another two to choose from! I've just come off the back of 4 events in a row, including a six-hour turnaround between getting back from Sonoma and leaving for Le Mans, but I honestly thrive off that motorsport gypsy life. I miss my dog and that's about it! The only thing I get annoyed about though is that my days off are taken up with life admin. I think it's important to have things to look forward to though. I have just booked a couple of short trips to explore my new US surroundings in the coming months, I've always found it good to have a light on the horizon when things are crazy. 

6.  Top travel tips for busy women who fly a lot. 

Avoid US airports. Seriously, they're awful. I miss Australia. But I understand that's not practical advice. The best thing I do is have 2 sets of toiletries - one set lives in my bathroom, the other in my washbag which lives in my suitcase.

7.  What are some of the assumptions people make about you and your work.. males and females? 

I'm too new in my current role to answer for that, but I have soooooo many good anecdotes from my past life. "Can I get a photo, aren't you a promo girl?". "Do you, like, show people to their seats in the grandstands or something?". "Why did you bring your PR girl to this meeting?" That last one was particularly infuriating - said by a very high profile person in F1 when he was having a meeting with one of my drivers. Said driver did well to tell him I was his boss and this particular project couldn't go ahead without my agreement.

8.  Do you love it? What keeps you in the game? 

I do love it. I can look back at times like the 2020 Bathurst 12 Hour, when I was juggling at least four people's jobs and was too busy to find time to pee, and know that that was one of my favourite weeks of my life. Being an integral part of a team that strives to achieve epic things together is what makes me tick. 

9.  Where would you like to go with your career.. What's the end game?

My goals are more intrinsic than aiming for a specific job title. I want to leave this sport and industry in a better way than when I came in. I want to push myself professionally as far as I can. I want to be continually learning. I don't know what all that looks like now that I've thrown myself into a totally different environment, going from a race team to an OEM... So bring it on!

There you have it team. We love your work Jess, keep kicking goals!