Molly's Blog - 6 December 2011

Hi everyone

Wow! December already. What a year 2011 has been.  I would like to thank a few people who’ve helped me through one of the biggest years of my life, starting with Pirelli. What an incredible experience they have given me, and the other Pirelli Star Drivers who have done the Academy this year.

I still remember the last round of the British Rally Championship in Yorkshire, September 2010 and I had absolutely no idea of what I was doing the next year or where I would get the funding from. A month later it was the Pirelli Star Driver Shootout in Spain and the chance of competing in the World Rally Championship Academy – way beyond anything I could have dreamed of.

And getting that far wouldn’t have happened without the FIA Women in Motorsport, and the long-term support I’ve had from the Australian Motor Sport Foundation, VDG, Summit Innovations, Trenching Systems Australia and the Supporters Group who’ve helped me get to this point.  It’s been a busy year trying to make the most of the opportunity that their support has given me, and I couldn’t have done it without them.

Naturally, the year has not been without its trials and tribulations – and a few adventures too! But everywhere we have been, and through everything that has happened, I have been amazed at the incredible help we have received all along the way.

I think back to the first round – Rally Portugal – which was such a massive jump in the deep end. So many local people helped us out when we had problems with the test car, towing us to workshops, and helping find a recce car for us, and all that sort of thing.  Or in Germany, when we were given free entry to another rally, and we had our own marching band! Or the rally in Sardinia – we had a seven-hour wait for a recovery vehicle, which turned into a seven-hour feast with some of the local spectators!  It just seemed that it didn’t matter what country we were in, where we couldn’t speak a word of the language, there was always someone happy to help us, happy to do something for no reward, just to help you out. It was just pretty special.

I also want to thank you – all the supporters. I’ve been overwhelmed and humbled by how many messages of support we’ve had. And it doesn’t matter whether we’re having a good rally or a bad rally, that support is always there. It’s hard to explain how much it means, especially when things aren’t going well, and it has been fantastic. Thank you very much.

Obviously the year wouldn’t have been as productive as it has been without the help I received from people like Michèle Mouton, Fabrizia Pons, Neal Bates and Vittorio Caneva.I am forever grateful to them for sharing their experience and expertise, and for their encouragement.

Of course I would also like to mention Seb – he has been a fantastic help this year and put in a lot of hard work. His knowledge of the WRC rounds and attention to detail has helped enormously in terms of our progress and I look forward to working with him next year. And last, but definitely not least, to the best parents in the world, for all their love, support and encouragement. Although they now have two puppies to replace the noise in the house my sister and I used to make before we moved overseas, I know they really do miss us .

I won’t close this by wishing you all a merry Christmas, because there will be another blog before then – and the next one (I promise) will lift the lid on some of the really funny little things that happened this year.

Cheers Molly