Year first started volunteering:

2008

How long have you been involved with Rally NZ / in the motorsport scene? And what was it that you started off doing? 

My involvement with Rally NZ didn’t happen till much later on. As a kid my family were ‘car-mad’ and involved in a number of motorsport codes. Either with 2 or 4 wheels on tarmac. They were also a bunch of ‘backyard mechanics’ who had hot rods, drag cars, motorbikes and lived for the adrenaline rush of being in our local speedway demolition derby whenever they got a chance. Long story short, I was the little helper that got to tag along to events around the motu which always made for a good show and tell story on Monday mornings at school.

Fast forward a couple years to 2008. I honestly fell into a volunteering role for Rally NZ. Like literally, I fell into it. Nathan (who is now my husband), came to me to ask if I wanted to chase some rally cars in Whangarei with 2 days notice … and of course I said yes. I had no idea what he meant about chasing rally cars, but I thought why not it sounds like fun.

I found out on the trip up from Tauranga to Whangarei squashed in the back of a ‘beat-up’ Mitsubishi Galant that we were crewing for a start timing crew. I still had no idea what any of this meant, but I soon figured it out once we limped our way to the gear issue shed. First on the meet and greets was Alasdair Gordon who we were crewing for, and the infamous Craig Donald who then introduced me to Brian Lineham and John Holland. Looking back on it, by this point my fate was already sealed and now nearly 17 years later I’m still here.

What was it that made you first get involved in Rally? 

Before 2008 I didn’t have anything to do with Rally at all. So I can firmly say it’s Nathan’s fault!

What is your favourite memory/what has been the highlight moment from your years in the sport? 

This was definitely a highlight. We were doing overnight parc ferme for WRC 2012. As per usual it was some ridiculous hour of the night and we’re waiting for rally cars to show up. They finally start dribbling their way in to park up, and in the first lot of cars is Ken Block in his Ford Fiesta. Instead of parking his car and rushing off like everyone else, he came over to all of us volunteers huddled around the bonnet of a car chowing down on the bloody most expensive pack of fish n chips I’ve ever brought in my life and struck up a convo.

After a few minutes, he was chowing down on those expensive morsels with us. Not a glamorous highlight, but a good one because it showed the caliber of the man Ken Block was and his willingness to hang out with a bunch of randoms eating fish n chips in the middle of the night in a cold parking complex just to show his appreciation for our efforts for the sport.

There is more to the story, but I think I’ll keep that bit.

Out of all the things you love about rallying, what is it that keeps you coming back for more? 

Oh, there’s so many things that keep bringing me back and what I love about rallying. Really there’s too many to mention but, I think a standout is definitely the places we get to go. You can’t deny that NZ really does have some spectacular scenery and we’re lucky that these places are right on our doorsteps for us to enjoy.

But when it really comes down to it, the people are the ones that drive me to continue to volunteer. Rally NZ is about the people, who come from all walks of life and bring to the table so many different skills, knowledge and experiences which makes every event interesting to say the least.

If you could drive in any rally in the world, what one would it be, and what car would you drive – and why?

I can think of a few, but I always swing back to the Motu Road. Over the years I’ve spent a bit of time up that road and I actually live not too far away from it, but driving a truck up the Motu Road isn’t comparable to a rally car. So that’s definitely on the bucket list. Hopefully one day the stage will be used again in an event and I may get my chance to blat up it in something decent.

If you could spectate any rally in the world, what one would it be and why?

It would be Finland. High speeds, long open stretches of road with loose gravel with heaps of crests and jumps. Really what more could you ask for.

Any other highlights to note/stories to tell? 

There are honestly too many stories to mention, we’d be here till next Christmas! But a highlight for me is the amount of young people we have coming into volunteering roles within Rally NZ. My 3 kids included.

Volunteering has definitely given them a different lens to see the world through and experiences that they couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. Let’s hope that continues and we see more young people take up the challenge in the future.

Any other note-worthy comments?

Um… no I don’t think so, other than I’m still stoked that I finally managed to see a finish control in action last year at ROW only after doing this for nearly 17 years!