Offroad Racer a Modern Superwoman

While chatting with female offroad-racing phenom Emily Miller, I kept seeing images of Superwoman running through my head, accompanied by the melody of Alicia Key’s latest hit song, which shares the name. Moms, grab your daughters. This is a tale you will want to share with them. [Read more]

Things heat up for Jessica Brannam and Tiffany Daniels during desert race

Team Glacier Bear Racing went into the Best In The Desert Vegas-Reno 500 mile race full of optimism. Team drivers, Jessica Brannam, Tiffany Daniels and Cliff Daniels, worked late into the night on the eve of the race planning strategy and plotting their course. Even though this was the first time for all three to try their hand at off road racing, there was no lack of confidence amongst the young group of drivers.

The morning of the race, the team found a few problems that needed to be addressed. The biggest of the problems was with the two-way radio system. Unfortunately, the crew was not able to correct the problem with the radios. This meant that the drivers would have to take to the desert course without a means of communicating with their crew.

As the truck was pushed into line at the starting grid anticipation was building. Tiffany and Jessica were scheduled to start the race with Daniels behind the wheel and Brannam navigating. The teammates declared, “We are ready”!

The two rookies drivers headed off into the desert. Meanwhile, the crew left to meet their drivers at the first pit stop area 20 miles down the course. Brannam was scheduled to take over driving duties from Daniels at the first pit stop. As we all know, plans don’t always work out the way they should.

After traveling only one mile, the Glacier Bear Racing Ford F250 was bogged down in the desert sand. The young ladies got out of their truck and proceeded to dig their truck out of the silt. After working for about 10 minutes, the teammates were able to free their truck and get back on their way.

Brannam said, “It was no big deal. We worked together and got ourselves unstuck”. She went on to say, “We are not two helpless females out here, we are racers just like the rest of these guys”!

Brannam and Daniels did not let the set back get them down. In fact, they felt even more confident knowing they could get them selves out of trouble if they had to. Unfortunately for them, their troubles were not over.

At the five mile mark of the five hundred mile race the teams truck started to loose power. Daniels pulled the truck off course to see if they could figure out what was wrong. As the drivers exited the truck they noticed a fire under it. The two quickly sprung into action to extinguish the flames.

Despite their efforts and the efforts of another team that stopped to help, the fire kept getting bigger. The ladies recognized that there was no saving the truck. Because they had no radio communication with their crew, they had no choice but to start walking through the desert to seek help.

Meanwhile, a very nervous crew waited at the first check point for their drivers and truck to arrive. It had been over two hours since they last saw their drivers. Of course, the crew had no idea that the truck had burned to the ground and the girls were stuck in the desert.

“The worst thing was not knowing what was going on”, declared team member and Brannam’s mom, Diane. “We started the race worried about the girls not being able to communicate with us, and now we were just sitting there not knowing what was going on”.

After the long wait, the crew was relieved to finally see their drivers coming into the check point with the safety crew.

Unfortunately for Jessica and Cliff, they never got a chance to drive. “We were all very excited about getting our chance to drive. It just wasn’t meant to be”, Brannam said. She continued, “I am very grateful for the opportunity Glacier Bear gave me. This was an experience I will never forget”.

Fire ends Shelley Rogerson’s Woodpecker hat-trick hopes

Rally co-driver Shelley Rogerson suffered a dramatic exit on last Saturday’s Woodpecker Stages rally when the Peugeot Cosworth she was competing in with Andrew Burton had a fire.

Problems obtaining parts meant that work to get the car ready for the event following an accident on its previous rally continued right up until the start on Saturday morning. However, Burton and Rogerson made it to the start line in Ludlow and all the parts seemed to be working as they set fastest time on the opening Bringewood stage by 5 seconds from Shaun Gardener in his Mitsubishi.

“We were pleased to make the start of the event, it was all very last minute with a new radiator being fitted on Friday night and various other bits being finished on Saturday morning,” said Shelley.

“It was a relief to get to the first stage and we were delighted to set fastest time. The stage was quite unusual with bits of tarmac road between the normal gravel tracks but Andrew drove well and we had no problems.”

Another fastest time followed on the second stage, High Vinnells, before a 4th fastest time on stage 3 saw Burton and Rogerson arriving back at the service area in Ludlow in first place overall with Gardener second and Steve Perez, who was co-driven by Burton’s son Josh, in third.

Disaster was to strike on the fourth stage of the event which took place in Radnor forest. Burton and Rogerson started the stage but as they approached the second junction large flames appeared from the passenger side of the car. The crew immediately stopped and Shelley was dragged from the car through the driver’s door, the flames preventing exiting on the other side. The fire was quickly extinguished but their rally was over.

“It was a very scary moment when the flames appeared, especially as they were on my side! I’ve never experienced a fire in the car before and it’s an experience I don’t want to repeat, ” commented Shelley.

“It’s very disappointing, we were having a good battle with Shaun and Steve and it would’ve been good to continue the battle to the finish and possibly get my third victory on the event. After our accident on the Swansea Bay rally and this I hope we have better luck soon! I’d like to thank Co-ordSport, Legend Fires, AMG TV, Nicky Grist, Alan Cookson from GillettsSpar.com and Songasport for their support.”

It is not certain what the next event for the Peugeot duo will be but the car should be ready for the Plains Rally on September 20th should they decide to put an entry in.

Three great heats for Shelley Wakeling

The Minis provided the best racing of the day as ever with a 16 car line up for Round three of the Minicross Drivers Associations Rallycross event on Bank holiday Monday held at Blyton Rallycross circuit.
[Read more]

Barbara Terry heads to Baja

LAKE WYLIE — Gentlemen won’t be the only ones starting their engines today when the 2008 Baja 500 rolls off in Enseñada, Mexico.

Billed among the toughest automotive endurance races on the planet, the Baja makes history with its 40th annual edition as the first female racer, Barbara Terry of River Hills, competes in the Score Light series hoping to outduel 12 other teams in the 500-mile, two-day event.

Her professional racing career includes stops in New York and Los Angeles, although she “fell in love” with Lake Wylie and quickly set up shop for Barbara Terry Racing in February.
[Read more]

Italian Job Done! for Shelley Jory

“It’s been a great weekend” - speaking from San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy Shelley summed up her first outing on the World Championship P1 powerboat racing circuit.
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Robby Gordon’s sister, primarily an off-road driver, will be in Saturday’s Pro/Celebrity race.

Beccy Gordon just might be an accident waiting to happen Friday on the streets of downtown Long Beach.

It’s not that NASCAR driver Robby Gordon’s sister, one of the competitors in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race, can’t handle a race car. In 2006, the Dana Hills resident teamed with her sister Robyn Gordon and Heather Bonnani as part of All American Girl Racing and finished the Baja 1000 while competing in the Baja Challenge division. That made them the first all-female team in the race’s history to complete one of the most grueling endurance tests in motor sports.
[Read more]

Somerset victory hopes dashed for Shelley

Bentham’s Shelley Rogerson, 22, suffered her first rally retirement since September 2006 when a broken crankshaft denied a chance of taking victory on last Saturday’s Somerset Stages rally.

Shelley was partnering Andrew Burton in his Peugeot Cosworth and their rally got off to a brilliant start when they set the fastest time on the opening three mile Broadwood stage. Two more forest stages followed with Burton and Rogerson once again setting the fastest time, taking a lead of eight seconds over second placed Damian Cole at the first service halt of the event.
[Read more]

Becky Kirvan Makes Mint Debut in New Polo

Witham-based rally driver Becky Kirvan successfully debuted her new VW Polo rally car last weekend on the Lookout Stages, taking 40th place on the Trackrod Motor Club organised event.

The rally was held at Melbourne airfield near York and consisted of 8 stages using the old runways and perimeter roads of the venue.

[Read more]

Shelley Rogerson set for Border Counties battle

Bentham’s Shelley Rogerson will head north next weekend when she contests round 2 of the MSA Gravel Rally championship, the Jedburgh-based Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally.
[Read more]

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