Wednesday 7th December 2016

Briton wins European Rally Championship Ladies Cup

19-year-old Catie Munnings wanted to be a vet and now she's a rally champ!

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At a time when rallying probably isn't enjoying the greatest popularity, to report on some genuinely positive rally news is a real treat. The good news? There's a new champion in the European Rally Championship (ERC), and she's British. In fact, Catie Munnings victory in the ERC Ladies Cup has also seen her nominated for the Sunday Times Young Sportswoman Of The Year award.

Perfect handbrakes turns at 13, win rallies at 18

Catie Munnings might not be a motorsport name you're familiar with, and certainly it took us until an interview on Radio 4 this morning to be aware - never has PH previously been thankful to Midweek! This year was also her inaugural season having only started rallying aged 17, making her achievements all the more remarkable.

Alright, so there's a little more to it than that. Growing up on a farm with a rally instructor father, she certainly did have a bit of head start. One interview mentions how he had mowed out a stage for her, only for the stage to apparently be set alight by the brake discs on Catie's car... Having originally set her sights on a veterinary career, she said on Radio 4 this morning: "As soon as I sat in a rally car I decided I didn't want to go to university." Seems to have worked out well so far!

2017 will see her continue in the European Rally Championship; in a recent Sportsister interview she said "I hope next year to become a role model and ambassador for women entering motorsport, and in doing so help drive up female numbers in the sport." Intentional pun perhaps? Whatever the case, the future looks exciting for Britain's latest rally hope. The Sunday Times awards are tomorrow evening, with the results in Sunday's edition. Best of luck Catie!

[Sources: Sportsister, Guardian, BBC Kent, BBC Radio 4, CatieMunnings.com]

[ash reynolds]

Waiting for the day a woman gets a full time seat in an F1 car. I'm convinced that through lack of brawn (not meant to be sexist) that a woman would develop a driving style more dependent on finesse and would therefore possibly kinder to the car and also (like or not) they apparently can multi-task better than men in some cases, such as rapid changes in tasks.

Just my thoughts out loud...

[bloomen]

I think it's mainly cultural conditioning. Just as middle class people play tennis, blokes go for motorsport.

Every male on the grid is a freakish superhuman when it comes to reaction times and spatial awareness. I don't see why a few women on this planet can't be equally freaky.

[fttm]

"wins rallies at 18" , care to name some of them

[Onehp]

How many males reading about this would still think they are the better driver?

Anyway, congratulations, I'm gonna see if I can find some rally stage footage on yt.

[ecsrobin]

Slightly old news.