Molly's Blog - March 2009

It’s been a while since I last wrote and now I am writing this from the other side of the world!

I have only just arrived after a very long flight. I spent the first leg next to a French guy who was practicing his English, which was quite fun. The next leg was spent sitting behind a crying baby for 12 hours, so needless to say, I was a little tired by the time I landed in London at 5.45am!

I then caught three trains to get to Milton Keynes (about 80km north west of London), which is where Monster Sport Europe is based. I was picked up from the train station by Nicky Finlayson (the logistics manager for Monster Sport) and we headed to the workshop for a while before heading to my new apartment. At the workshop I had a quick look around at all the cars. The car I will be driving is brand new and is still in the process of being finished, so I will be able to help out with the completion of the car. I am staying at a farm about 30 minutes from the workshop. My apartment is an old barn conversion and very English. There are a number of these barns on the site and two of the guys that work at Monster Sport live here, too, so at least I am near a few people I know.

Before I left home, I had the chance to compete in my first ever circuit race, at the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour, in February. It was a fantastic experience and a big eye opener. To have the opportunity to race at Mt Panorama was incredible and I hope to do it again. I shared my drive with two other girls; Heather Spurle and Christina Orr. Both the girls are very experienced on the track, so it was good for me to learn from them. We drove as part of a three car team with Jim Hunter Motorsport in a 2 litre Subaru R. The other cars were a 2007 2.5 litre RS and a new STi driven by Jim Hunter, John Bowe and Gavin Bullas.

It was great for me to be able to get some tips from John Bowe and I was lucky enough to go for a hotlap with him around the mountain. I was also able to get some tips from Neal Bates, was competing in a Celica. Prior to the race, Neal and I went for a bike ride around the track to have a closer look. On a bike, you definitely appreciate the steepness of the circuit – and coming down the mountain is definitely the enjoyable part!

Due to the length of the track and with three drivers sharing the car, I was surprised at how few laps we were able to complete in practice. I think by the time I started the race I had completed only six flying laps. However, in the race itself I got to drive for a total of 4 ½ hours, split into two stints, so I certainly had my fair share! I did the last stint, a 2 ½ hour leg to the finish, and it was a great feeling to get it across the line, especially after a 12 hour race.

Having said that, I don’t think 12 hours has ever gone so quickly before. I thought that going around and around would get boring, but there is so much to think about that you really don’t get a chance to be bored. Especially being in a slower car, there is always a lot going on around you and you are always mindful of the faster traffic coming up behind. To make it more interesting, my radio wasn’t working properly – I could hear the crew but they couldn’t hear me. We had our own ‘morse code’ system using the radio button.

I am really grateful for a fantastic team – a bunch of really enthusiastic and hard working guys who I think suffered a bit of sleep deprivation over the weekend, so thank you!

I am counting down the days until my first rally for 2009 – the Bulldog Rally of North Wales. I am told it is always wet over there, but I am hopeful of some sunshine!

We now have only one week until the Bulldog and a fair bit of work to get through. I’m looking forward to doing some testing, time providing.  In the meantime I need to find a job to pay for my rent (and food is really expensive here)!

I’ll keep you posted, and in the meantime, enjoy the warm weather down under!!

Molly