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.
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