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Emma Gilmour is an nzgirl going places fast. She’s involved in rally car driving, it’s not always easy but she has a lot of fun doing it. She was 22 when she started driving herself, after being a co-driver for several years. It’s an expensive sport and she’s given up shopping to fund it. Emma talks to nzgirl about staying motivated, keeping fit and what she does to relax...
What age did you start rallying? I was 22 when I first started rally driving. I started co-driving when I was 19.
What gave you the initial interest in rallying? My cousin and my sister were both driving and I enjoyed the challenge of co-driving. I never considered driving as I never thought I would be very good at it. My family has always been involved with cars. My Dad is an A-grade mechanic and before owning a car saleyard, he owned a car tune-up place. My mum’s father was a mechanic too. When she was very young they came out from Germany for her father to be a Volkswagen specialist here in New Zealand.
What is the best thing about the rallying environment? There are lots of things that I love about it. Firstly I love the feeling of driving a car on its limit and just feeling like the car is an extension of myself. I love the adrenalin rush of course.
And the worst thing? The expense of it!!
How do you train or practice – do you find a dirt road or is there a track/circuit? It is very difficult to practice as firstly you need somewhere to drive and secondly you need a car to practice in. My rally car is very expensive to run, so I only drive it on events or a practice day if we can budget it in. Basically the gearbox and the engine can only do so many kilometres before we will need to rebuild it, so we try and keep its miles to a minimum. Earlier in my career we had a practice car that I would take to a local quarry and practice in. Unfortunately we had to sell the car though.
What sacrifices have you made to live your dream? Hmmm, I guess it is mainly financial ones, so perhaps shopping. It isn’t much of a sacrifice really and I am more than happy to make it, but I do miss the ability to go shopping and not quantify everything with how many tyres I could buy for the cost of that pair of shoes!
Have you ever had a bad crash that’s made you re-assess what you’re doing? I have had one bad crash but nothing that has made me reassess what I am doing. The cars are very safe and we take all the safety precautions possible.
What keeps you motivated? Winning! I am very competitive and I always want to be the best at whatever I do. I also really enjoy the driving and I want to make the most of all opportunities that come my way as nothing lasts forever and I don’t want to look back and have any regrets. How many races – on average – would you participate it per year? Probably 6-8. This year the New Zealand Championship has six events. As well as doing that I will also compete in the Targa Rally, the Rally of New Zealand and the Race to the Sky Hillclimb in Wanaka, and I was also lucky enough to compete in Germany and Finland this year. So this year I will be lucky enough to compete in 10 rallies.
Will you need to relocate to advance in rallying? It is hard to say. If I do make it to the World Championship than perhaps it would be easier to be based in Europe somewhere. I think that whatever the future holds I will still spend as much time as possible at home.
Did you ever consider getting involved in other sports? Yes! From the age of eight until well in my twenties my sole focus was to represent New Zealand at the Olympics in three day eventing. I lived and breathed horses and I was also pretty competitive at it, being selected for NZ development squads in dressage and eventing. After giving them up I had a go at downhill mountain biking and also motorbike trail riding. I also did a season rowing.
What do you do to relax? I enjoy playing sports with my partner Glenn – squash, tennis, mountainbiking. I also enjoy going trailbike riding with my father. And I love reading.
Any final message for other nzgirls? Dream big and believe in yourself. You are the only one who can stop you achieving what you want out of life. Be happy and be nice to yourself – no one is perfect!
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