Five female drivers are entered in this weekend’s Otago Rally, meaning the 2021 event has one of the highest numbers of women behind the wheel ever, according to chairman Norman Oakley.
The long-time competitors are hometown girl Emma Gilmour, who is going for New Zealand Rally Championship (NZRC) glory, while Deb Kibble from Waimate will compete in the classic section.
Auckland’s Amy Keighley and Cantabrian Daph O'Rourke have both been on the rally scene for a few seasons and will pilot a Subaru Impreza H6 in the classic 4WD section and a Toyota Corolla in the Allcomers rally, respectively. A guest addition to the mix is New Zealand’s fastest woman on two wheels, Avalon Biddle, of Christchurch, who is swapping her 600cc motorbike for a Subaru.
Dunedin’s Gilmour leads the charge as sixth seed in her Suzuki Swift AP4. She has resurrected her performance credentials recently with a win at the Popotunoa Rallysprint and in 2020 claimed third at the 2020 Bay of Plenty Rally and fourth at the City of Auckland Rally.
The results are the by-products of a tough 2019 season, which prompted some big decisions, including changing her team.
Pukekohe-based Choice Performance has taken over preparing and running the Suzuki and after more than a decade working with Australian co-drivers, Gilmour decided to keep it Kiwi last year, enlisting Cambridge’s Malcolm Peden.
Having been on the rallying scene for 19 years, she stands out not just as a female with longevity in a traditionally male-dominated sport but as a rally driver full stop.
“Even if you removed gender, competing at the top level of any sport takes dedication and tenacity. Of all the NZRC competitors still competing with me, there are very few that have been there the whole time. The amount of work required means it’s a real commitment,” Gilmour said.
She’s the first to admit to some “terrible seasons” but mixed in with the lows are the highs, such as, becoming the only woman to win an NZRC round at Canterbury in 2016.
“If it inspires the next generation of women and young girls, I am happy to pave the way,” Gilmour said.
Early in her career, she remembers looking up to Kibble, who started competing in 1992 through her then husband Jamie Kibble, with encouragement and support from his family.
“I don’t think I would have become involved in rallying without Jamie and the Kibble family and I will be forever grateful to them for that,” she said.
Looking back over the years, Kibble sees empty spaces in her garage that she wishes were still filled by her faithful chargers — a Datsun 1200, Ford Escort Mk2, Suzuki Swift GTi, Mazda 323 BFMR, Nissan Pulsar GTiR and a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6. The last car also holds a special place in her trophy collection, as she and Jamie won the 2001 Group N Championship and 2002 Rally Founders Trophy in it.
Now competing in a Mitsubishi EX Lancer, Kibble pins the multi-faceted appeal of continuing to rally down to one main reason.
“The team aspect keeps me coming back, almost every season since 1992. It takes much more than the car and driver — my long-term co-driver and friend Heather [Barton], mechanic and partner Mark [Smith], plus Jeff Judd and the magnificent Magnum Motorsport team.”
Biddle will be looking to Kibble for some pointers this weekend as her H6 Subaru will also be run by Judd’s Christchurch team.
The first woman to win New Zealand’s Supersport 600 title and a two-times winner of the FIM European Women’s Cup, Biddle also called on one of the rally’s other women for advice.
“I've never competed with four wheels, but I've been involved in motorsport my whole life and have been hugely inspired by the likes of Emma Gilmour. I had a lap in the passenger seat of her car at Jacks Ridge Rallysprint last year and actually rang her to see what she thought of me taking up this opportunity [to compete at Otago]. She said it's diving in the deep end, but everyone has to start somewhere,” Biddle said.
Her natural competitiveness won’t cloud her judgement, she promised.
“The red mist only really comes for me when I can see a victory within reach. We all know that is not going to happen in Otago, so I'm all about just enjoying and soaking up the experience.”
Like Kibble, Keighley also had family connections, introducing her to rallying “and while there was never any pressure to start, it’s been a huge advantage having a close group around me that know the sport so well,” she said.
She cites many influential women who’ve inspired her rallying journey but says female involvement extends well beyond the driver, co-driver and team triangle.
“It wouldn’t be a rally without our organisers, administrators, support crews and spectators. While we have some fantastic women drivers, I see so many women behind the scenes that are really making things happen as well and they should be celebrated. Any women who are involved in any capacity are champions for the sport.”
O'Rourke came from a karting and circuit racing background and began rallying around three years ago. Although it’s been a big change she finds “the environment is a lot better” competing on gravel compared to asphalt.
She has a mate Blake Murch in her co-driver’s seat, while two of the other five women have chosen closely-related women to call their pace notes. Kibble’s navigator Heather is Keighley’s co-driver Nikita Gibson’s mother.
They are among around 20 women calling the shots as co-drivers this weekend in husband and wife, sibling, professional partnership and simply good mates teams.
- Catherine Pattison
Photo: Geoff Ridder
