What words of wisdom did your mother share with you ? What gems do you offer young women who show an interest in rallying ? What advice do you offer young men ?
Maybe it ’ s a mother thing , but she ’ s always telling me to believe in myself more . That ’ s sometimes easier said than done . Ultimately , [ it ’ s best ] to not overthink it : If you enjoy it and want it , give it your best go ! I think the advice for young drivers , boys and girls , is the same . To make sure , deep down , you have the passion for it , and that will give you the drive to pursue your goals . When the helmet goes on , the stopwatch doesn ’ t know [ whether ] you ’ re a man or a woman , so I ’ d never let that be a reason to not go for it .
Who inspires you , inside and outside the world of rallying ?
It ’ s a bit cliché , but my mum has definitely been one of my biggest inspirations . Neal Bates , who my mum codrives for , has also been someone I have looked up to all my life . Within rallying , Michele Mouton is a huge inspiration and I ’ ve taken a lot from watching her grit and determination during the Group B era . Outside the sport , my good friend Tara Winkler is someone I ’ m in awe of . She lives in Cambodia and runs an NGO called the Cambodian Children ’ s Trust . Her story is incredible , as is the work and advocacy she does . She is one of the strongest and most inspiring people I know .
Your mother thundered through the glass ceiling decades before you . What drove her to break new ground ? What difficulties have you faced as you followed in her footsteps ?
For my mum , it was about doing what she loved . She never set out to prove anything and just became “ one of the boys ” in the rally community . She drives the trucks to the events , stays up in the workshop helping the team pull overnight shifts when needed and generally never sought any different treatment because she ’ s female . She got on with the job and the fact that she is so good at it meant the results speak for themselves . For me growing up , I didn ’ t see what she was doing as something usual for your mother to be doing — I just thought it was normal . So , in my mind , being a female has never been something that made me question whether I should pursue rallying or not . For sure , there was some added pressure for me , given her success . On the flip side , [ it ] also meant I was lucky to have such a great pool of knowledge to learn from . At the end of the day , you ’ re the one behind the wheel and [ you ] ultimately have to do the job . But to have the support of someone who knows what it takes to be successful taught me a huge amount .
Jump ahead 10 years : Describe how you imagine your life and your career have progressed .
A few more national and international championship titles under my belt ! And the beginnings of my own team , workshop and motorsport facility .
28 six star magazine