Barley 7 years old, Lauren first took to racing as a Midget kart racer, learning to compete in a vehicle now accepted as the entry to today’s motor sport. By the age 9, she had moved up to the Karting Rookie Class.

Lauren could drive a car at the age of 12 and readily made the transition from hurtling around the remote back blocks of Melbourne to putting in the hard yards at Calder Park Raceway on practice days.

Here she learnt to handle a race car at high speed, refining her hands-on driving skills and finding confidence as a fully-fledged member of the motorsport community. A 100-lap, all-weather session at the Sandown circuit meant she was well equipped for the next step.

That next step was improved production – driving a Toyota Corolla. This was the car that would boost Lauren into the limelight at the very front of the sport in Victoria. A campaign at a national level, in a LGM-prepared Toyota Echo was the next step, in the Australian Production Car Championship. Despite having the least powerful car in the field, Lauren impressed with her tenacity and ability behind the wheel.

And this didn’t go unrecognized – Formula 3 Team Scud Racing noticing her abilities and putting her behind the wheel of a ’96 Dallara F3 car for a test at Winton – which went well.

Lauren made her F3 debut at Queensland Raceway and over the next year scored plenty of podium finishes in the ‘Trophy’ class, for older model cars. A step up to the National Class awaited in 2007 and it started well, scoring podium finishes in her first few rounds. Unfortunately, a strained back left her unable to drive the high-g force cars and left her out for the remainder of the season.

This didn’t hinder Lauren, however, the team quickly regrouping and putting plans in place for a full campaign on the 2008 Australian Manufacturers Championship in the Lauren Gray Motorsport Class E Toyota Echo.

Before that, however, Lauren was invited to be part of a factory-supported team in the return of the Bathurst 12-hour production car endurance race.

Joining Leanne Tander, Samantha Reid and Christina Orr driving a bright-pink Holden Astra diesel, the team proved their pace and Lauren put in a consistent performance despite minimal laps before the car failed to finish the race due to a mechanical problem. It wouldn’t be Lauren’s last shot at the 12 hour, however...

The 2008 season went particularly well, Loz, the Echo and the LGM team clinching Class E of the Manufacturers Championship beating a works-supported Hyundai in the process.

In 2009 Lauren returned to the mountain and achieved a childhood dream by standing on the podium after finishing second in class driving a BMW 130i for True Blue Motorsport.

As well as racing the production cars and Formula 3 open wheelers, Lauren has also tried her hand at Autocross competition and is also an active driver trainer in Melbourne.