Suzie Brailsford

 

Suzie Brailsford competed in rallycross in the UK in the early 1990s.

Her career began in the summer of 1989, driving a Mini in the Minicross class. She was in her mid-20s and working as cabin crew for British Airways, which she used as a promotional talking point.

She raced a Vauxhall Nova in a one-make championship class of the British championship in 1990 and 1991. The 1990 edition was the first one-make series in British rallycross, apart from Minicross. 

The Nova and Suzie proved capable of good laps. At Lydden in July, she won a heat and was the fourth fastest in the championship, but she could not keep up the momentum through the other heats, with rain not helping matters. Among her rivals was boxer Barry McGuigan. By December, she had improved and was into the second day of heats at Brands Hatch, despite some rain, but contact with another driver put her out of the final. In between, she finished fifth at Cadwell.

In 1991, she won a race at Lydden Hill, but was later disqualified. She was announced as a driver for the 1992 series and did at least some of the races, including one at Lydden in April.

From the beginning, she was sponsored by Texaco. In 1992, she was part of a public competition organised by the company. The winner, Joyce Robertson, won herself a Renault Clio by guessing how far Suzi could drive the car on 7.5l of Texaco fuel.

She also raced a Nissan Sunny at some point, possibly a little later. In 1998, she made a comeback and competed in autocross in Suffolk, driving a Mini which she shared with Tim Compson, another former minicross competitor. 

(Image copyright Farnborough News)

Shelley Wakeling

Shelley is a multiple British rallycross championship winner. Her father is Richard Wakeling, a car preparation expert and rallycross competitor. Her brother, Paul Wakeling, also competes in rallycross, usually in a different class. She began racing in Minicross in 2004, after some time in Autograss.

She was sixth overall in her first season, with a best finish of sixth at Mondello Park. In 2005, she was fifth in her second. During her third season, 2006, she was runner-up, after achieving her first win at Blyton, the last meeting of the year.

A new car for the 2007 season allowed her to raise her game, and she walked away with the championship after four wins. A trip across to the continent resulted in a fifth place at Maasmechelen, in Belgium.

She defended her crown in style in 2008, winning with one race to spare. Her “A” Final win tally was increased to five. As well as the UK Minicross championships, she has also competed in Europe again. Her team entered the non-championship event at Eurocircuit in the Netherlands, and was rewarded with another win from Shelley, plus a fourth place for Richard.

In 2009, she moved up to the Procar 2000 class in a Honda Civic, and was third overall, despite missing the first rounds, as her car was not ready. Her other results varied between second and fourth. 

Her second season in this championship gave her another title to add to her collection, the BTRDA Modified 2000 trophy. This time, she was competing against much more powerful cars in the same races, so only managed one win, but she was consistently the best in her class. This also gave her an overall win in the BTRDA Clubmans series. This is a first for a female driver.


In 2011, she stepped up again to the British Super National class, in the improved Honda. Competition was much more intense this time, and she did not manage any wins, but she was ninth overall in the championship, with a  best result of eighth. Competing in the BTRDA series in the top Supermodified category, she managed two third places in the two meeting she entered.


In 2012, she aimed to be more competitive in Super National, and her Honda was fitted with a supercharger to improve performances. She contested four of the six rounds, and her best overall finish was fifth, at Pembrey. This was good for eighth place on the final leaderboard. She would have completed the season, but a broken differential on the Civic prevented this. It followed a big roll at Lydden Hill, from second place, although the car was rebuilt after this.

Shelley was less in evidence on the British rallycross scene in 2013, entering only a few races. She did travel to the Netherlands in July, finishing second and fourth in two of her races. She also took part in some autograss events, in a Class 14 Buggy. However, most of her motoring activity was as a part of Terry Grant's stunt show, with which she toured around Europe. 

The Honda Civic was still in her possession, in the process of being overhauled for the 2014 season, but she does not appear to have competed at all in 2014. She was still involved in an administrative capacity, for the British Minicross Drivers' Association. 

She returned to the circuits in 2015, racing a Mini in five of the seven rounds of the BTRDA Rallycross championship. She won the Clubmans series Classic Mini championship.

In 2016, she appears to have done at least one BTRDA rallycross meeting, earning second and third places at Blyton, driving a Mini. She was fourth in the Minicross standings.

In 2017, she raced only occasionally, making a guest appearance in the Netherlands in a rallycross car, and trying Autograss in April. She was second in her first Autograss meeting.

Shelley also appeared on an episode of Top Gear, in a segment about rallycross, racing against Richard Hammond in her old Mini. She was referred to as "Gary The Girl".

(Image from www.revivals59.com)

Junior Rallycross

Jess Gwynne

The British rallycross championships all run junior series for drivers aged fourteen to sixteen. The usual car used is a Mini; all are prepared in the same way. Other countries use different cars.
Recently, girls have been competing quite successfully in these races, with many due to cross over to senior competition. Below are some profiles.

Emily Axtell - competes in rallycross in her native New Zealand. She was the 2016 Junior champion in the Raleigh RallyX championship. This appears to have been her first season of competition. Further information about Emily is not forthcoming.

Shauna Baxter - commenced Junior Minicross racing for the 2010 season, in the BTRDA Junior Minicross Championship. Her best result in a final was third, although she struggled to qualify for finals in other rounds. She was eighth in the championship. Due to budgetary constraints, she has not competed since then. Her car was stolen in 2014.

Drew Bellerby – began competing in rallycross in 2013, taking a seat in the LHMC Academy Suzuki Swift, at Knockhill. She was fifteen. In 2014, she contested the whole of the Junior Swift championship, and was one of the leading drivers. She led the championship until the fourth round, and won two rounds outright, finishing second overall. In 2015, she had her final year in the Junior category. It started well, with a win in the first round, but Drew had to make do with second again, despite being tied for the title for much of the season. In 2016, she competed in the British Rallycross series in a Swift, as well as doing some rally co-driving. She was seventh in the Swift championship. At the end of 2016, she did her first rally as a driver, the Christmas Stages. She was 45th overall in a Swift, co-driven by her father. In 2017, she raced in the BMW Mini class of the BRC, and was second overall with three wins. Another season in the Mini gave her a championship fourth in 2018, with one win. This race win was converted to a BMW Mini championship win in 2019. 2020's championship was reduced to a "5 Nations" meeting and she shared the Mini with her  father. She was second in the first round. She only appeared in one round of the 2021 championship. Drew is the sister of Paige Bellerby.

Eleanor Corner - raced in the MSA’s Junior Rallycross championship in 2018. She did four rounds of the series and had a best finish of fifth at Pembrey. This was her first season in the championship. Her car was a regulation Suzuki Swift. She moved up to senior competition in 2019 and did the last two rounds of the BMW Mini rallycross series, earning one sixth place. She is the daughter of British rallycross driver Guy Corner.

Jessica (Jess) Gwynne - competitor in Junior Rallycross championship in 2007 and 2008, in both major championships. She has won races in 2008, including the final of the first MSA Championship round, and often finishes in the top five in the final. She was second in the Bill Gwynne Rallyschool MSA championship in 2008. In 2009, she raced buggies as part of the rallycross championship, and she made the transition to the senior scene in Legends in 2010. In Legends, she was fourth in the Rookie standings. In 2011, she returned to Legends, after a deal to run in the Porsche Carrera Cup fell through. She was 17th overall. She hopes to move into stage rallying, and has co-driven in some club events.

Jennie Hawkes – made her debut in British rallycross in 2014, at the age of fifteen, contesting the Swift Junior Championship. She was fourth overall in this small class, with a best finish of third, achieved at Knockhill and Blighton. She is part of a motorsport family, and competes alongside her father, Martin Hawkes. They were eleventh in the Swift team championship. She continued to race the Swift in 2015, and scored at least one third place. Part-way through the season, she turned 17, and made her debut in the senior series, driving a Mini. In 2016, she was sixth in the Mini championship, with a string of fourth and fifth places. She was eighth in the 2017 championship, having missed four rounds. Her best finish was another fourth. 

Becki Johnson – entered the MSA Stars of the Future Junior Rallycross championship in 2004, driving a Mini. She does not appear to have raced since then, as a junior or a senior.

Matilda Procter - began racing in Junior rallycross at the end of 2017, aged fifteen. She was driving a Suzuki Swift. In 2018, she was seventh in the junior standings, with a best finish of sixth at Lydden and Croft. She is the daughter of Kevin Procter who races in Supercars and is the cousin of Paige and Drew Bellerby.

Samantha Thom - Junior Rallycross competitor from Northern Ireland. Her first forays into full-size competition were rallysprints, and she won one of them in 2006, aged just fourteen. Her car was a Vauxhall Nova. She started Junior Ralycross in a regulation Mini shortly afterwards. In 2007, she managed to win two rounds of the championship, and was third overall, as well as tackling the Irish championship. She did not run quite as well in 2008 and came fifth, with one second place. Although she has tried circuit racing in Ginetta Juniors, Samantha is more focused on rallying as a senior motorsport career. She began her stage rallying career in 2008, and has competed in a number of events since then. Her first car was a Peugeot 106. She won the Northern Irish Ladies' championship in 2010. In 2011, she started driving a Citroen C2 in Irish rallies, as part of the Citroen Racing Trophy. Her best finish seems to have been ninth, in the International Rally of the Lakes.

(Image from http://www.porschesport.com/)

Sue Jeffery

Sue's former car, in action at Croft

Sussex lady Sue Jeffery's main discipline is rallycross, the invented-for-TV racing formula that pits competitors against both rough and tarmac surfaces. The cars are powerful; up to 700 bhp, and the races are short and fiercely competitive.

Sue's first forays into motorsport were mixed-surface club Minicross races in 1991. Like so many racers in many disciplines, the Mini proved a good starter car for her. In 1994 she broke into the top ten of a championship for the first time, when she came tenth in the Grass Minicross championships. Grasstrack racing is one of the most popular entry-level motorsports in the UK.

A move up to rallycross proper beckoned in 1995, still with the Mini, and Sue was up there with the best of them. She ended the season in fourth place. The following year she swapped her Mini for a more powerful Talbot Sunbeam in the now-defunct Colway class. She was sixth in the Croft track's Colway championship. it was now time to branch out a little more and the next season was a vintage one. She was fourth in the BTRDA's National Colway Championship and won the Lydden Colway competition outright, making her the first woman to win a rallycross crown in the UK.

Her career was really progressing, and for the 1998 season she purchased an ex-Rolf Neilson European Rallycross-spec Porsche 911. She was now ready to take on rallycross's biggest class: Supercars. It was another female first, as no woman had ever attempted Supercar competition before. Speeds in this class are high and this is where the established stars like Dermot Carnegie and Pat Doran ply their trade.

After a learning year, Sue was fourth in Supercars in 1999, after some very strong performances. As well as being the only woman she was also the highest-placed English driver in the division. She sat the following year out while she and partner Barry Stewart worked on developing the car. (Barry also drives it on occasion). It is capable of running on both two and four-wheel drive. For her return, Sue moved down to the Modified division in 2001, where horsepower is slightly lower, but competition is still intense.

The Modified campaign was being fought on two fronts - the BRDA National Rallycross championship and the BARC Championship. Sue was competitive in both, and came away from the season with a second and third in class respectively. For 2002, the multi-pronged attack continued and she was second in class in BRDA again, as well as thirteenth out of 67 in the overall standings for all classes. She also tackled the BTRDA series and was eighth in Class One, the top class for Modified cars over 1650cc.

In 2003, Sue was everywhere. She improved on her BRDA scores and came eighth overall, with the Porsche now back to two-wheel drive permanently. She was seventh in the BTRDA standings and third in the BARC points, with an overall class win. The MSA British Rallycross Championship had been resurrected the previous year and Sue entered the Blyton round. She came thirteenth in a large, mixed Supercar and Modified field. Throughout the year the Porsche had always made at least the "B" Final or better, apart from one round where Sue had to settle for fourth in the "C" Final. The system of small heats and multiple finals in rallycross means that a driver has several chances of qualifying for the "A" Final or the mixed-class Superfinal, which award the most points.

After thirteen years of rallycross, Sue decided on a change of tack for the 2004 season and switched to circuit racing in the Uniroyal Fun Cup series, a set of endurance races for Audi-powered Volkswagen Beetle silhouette cars. She became part of the all-female CO Racing team, alongside drivers Natalie Tomsett, Claire Mayo, Rebecca Morrell and Becky-Beth Cox, plus female engineers and managers. The team competed in one race, and Sue hoped that it would lead to others, and maybe a switch to full-time circuit racing.

I have been unable to track down any more details of the Uniroyal race and it seems that Sue herself has not been active in motorsport in 2005. She remains involved through administrative work for the BRDA.

(Image from www.retrorallycross.com)

Amy Binks

The Binks family are well-known in British rallycross circles. Amy's father and brother both raced in the Minicross class, so it was natural that she wanted to get in on the act.

She first raced her Mini in the British Championship in 2002 and had an excellent debut season. The Minicross class tends to consist of a mixture of novice and more experienced drivers, as it is the cheapest to enter, so the opposition is no pushover. The system of qualifying heats and pre-finals gives drivers multiple chances of success, and Amy was capable of working her way through several rounds if the initial heat did not go her way.

2003 started quite badly for her, when her Mini ended up upside down in the first race and ruled her out of the rest of the meeting. Perhaps this knocked her confidence, as her second season was not as successful as her first. She finished 19th in the BRDA Championship, the best position in the three rallycross championships she entered.

Amy entered at least some races in 2004, still driving a Mini, but after that, she disappeared from the scene.

The Binks family continue to be involved in the upper echelons of rallycross.