Rally Driver
Sports, Leisure and Service Industries

We are women in a man’s world.

The man’s world that Kate is referring to is the world of motor sport.

A world of which she is very much a part. Kate not only runs her own business offering rally driving experiences to businesses and parties, she is also a professional rally driver competing at the highest levels of the sport. In 2002 Kate was British Ladies Rally Champion and she will be competing to regain her title again this year.

“I am one of very few women in Britain competing in rallying at this level. It’s a very tough sport. I often think of it as a combination of an endurance sport because it takes place over two to three days and an extreme sport because of the risks and the danger involved and the high speeds. It is certainly very exciting and I really enjoy it.”

Was this what Kate always wanted to do?

When Kate was a child, she was always interested in motor sport and dreamt of becoming a racing driver. However she didn’t take her interest further because she just wasn’t aware of the opportunities that existed.

“I just didn’t know what was available.”

So how did she end up where she is?

After she left school, Kate obtained a degree in modern languages and went into sales and marketing in the motor industry. From there she became involved with training and people development in the Connexions Service.

For several years Kate led a double life. In the daytime, as a Connexions Business Director, Kate led a large team of people running projects involving information, advice and guidance for adults on learning and work. But in the evenings and at weekends all Kate’s time was taken up with rallying and running her rally team.

“Ever since I was a small child, I’ve been absolutely nuts about cars, what you might call a complete Petrol Head! I’m reasonably technically minded but I’m not an engineer, so I felt the best way I could get involved with cars was to go into the motor industry in sales and marketing. But since taking up motor sport and becoming a rally driver, I can get my car fixed elsewhere!”

Kate finally took the plunge to work full-time in the motor sport industry that she loves only last year, starting her own rally driving business. In addition she devotes time to spreading the word to other women about the opportunities that are available to them in the motor sport industry.

“Women are incredibly under-represented in motor sport and when I ask why, people tell me it’s because women don’t apply. I’m sure it’s because they just don’t know what’s available. I didn’t know that it was available! I’m on a mission now to make sure they do know what’s there. There are some fantastic opportunities for people out there.”

Is there anyone that Kate feels has influenced her interest in cars and rallying?

“In the 1930’s my grandmother used to ride a motorbike! I knew her as a very demure, white haired lady who was about 5ft tall. She worked for the London Fire Brigade in the Second World War in the control room but also went out and drove the food van round to the firemen as they were putting out the blazes in the Blitz. On a couple of occasions in emergencies, she used to drive a petrol tanker and go out to refuel the pumps! When you see somebody who is physically tiny and it’s completely not what you would expect, then you kind of think well, why not, anything is possible!”

Kate has said that the world of motor sport is very much a man’s world so has Kate ever felt she has been treated differently in the motor industry because she’s a woman?

“There may have been occasions when I was first working in the motor industry when I was treated differently because I was a woman. The motor industry is very male dominated. With the last motor manufacturer that I was working for, I was the only woman in their UK operation who wasn’t a secretary and that’s quite hard to deal with. But that was relatively unusual. Other manufacturers have more and more women working for them in senior positions.”

What are the male rally drivers’ attitudes towards women drivers?

“There’s no discrimination amongst the competitors. I’ve had a few jokey remarks but no seriously negative comments. They just view me as another driver. It’s great to be treated that way.”

Does Kate think you need to be technically minded to be a good rally driver?

“It’s my view that I couldn’t do what I do and get the best out of the car without understanding how it works. I’m not an engineer, but I could have a reasonable go at taking a car apart and putting it back together for you. I get involved in working on the greasy bits whenever I can!”

What advice would Kate give to a girl wanting to get involved in motor sport?

“I would tell them to go for it but to go into it with their eyes wide open. It’s incredibly expensive. You need to work extremely hard and be very dedicated. They need to develop their skills to the highest level, whether they’re a driver or a technician.”

Kate explains that there are some wonderful opportunities in motor sport, particularly on the technical side for those people with the right skills.

“What I think is fantastic is that increasingly we are seeing female engineers working with the top teams because those people – those very prestigious teams in the motor sport – are really interested in what you can do for them, not who you are. It’s definitely a field where men and women should be able to succeed equally.”

For women drivers though, Kate does not believe it is so equal, and says there are still a few people who think that maybe women can’t hack it on an equal footing with men.

“It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation. If you don’t put a woman in a fast car she doesn’t have the opportunity to compete on equal terms with the men.”

Kate feels that one reason why there are so few women competing in motor racing is that it’s hard for women to get sponsorship.

“Motor sport is perceived very much as a man’s sport so advertisers wanting to aim their product at a male audience don’t want to advertise that product with a female competitor. And equally companies aiming products at women don’t want to advertise in male sport.”

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