Gilmour drives to top 10

Emma Gilmour and Scottish co-driver Claire Mole have landed a top 10 result in the Cambrian Rally after coping with everything the wet Welsh roads had to throw at them.

They reunited after an eight-year hiatus to finish eighth overall in their Ford Fiesta R5 MkII, pictured, at the event last weekend, which comprised the final round of three local championships and the British Rally Championship.

Gilmour and Mole’s campaign couldn’t have got off to a worse start after their rental broke down before their recce of the seven-stage, 70km rally. 

It was the first time in their combined 50 years of competing that this misfortune has occurred and it meant “the first time we saw the stages was when we were racing on them”, says Gilmour.

“It wasn’t ideal. The two-pass recce is crucial for getting a feel for the stages. Not being able to drive through them certainly put us on the back foot. 

“However, we didn’t dwell on it. We created pace notes off a video, which I’ve never done before, and we went out and gave it our best shot.”

Heavy rain prior to the northern Wales event meant the predominantly forestry-based stages were technical and damaged quickly. Gilmour describes them as “slippery, slimy and greasy, with lots of standing water and puddles”.

She adds: “The roads were challenging and as our notes weren’t 100 per cent, it was difficult for Claire. As I got more comfortable in the car later in the day, the conditions worsened and I had a pretty decent spin. At that point I thought, I should just get the R5 home safely.

“Despite the inauspicious start, I enjoyed competing with Claire again and loved driving the impressive R5. Martin Wilkinson and CA1 Sport did a great job running it for us. It was an incredible experience.

“I’m grateful to the Cambrian Rally for having us, the team at CA1 Sport for running us, and Vantage Windows and Doors for supporting us. Thanks to Claire for all her help. I’m hoping we did a good enough job and showed what an all-women team can achieve.”