NEWS
Celebrating Women of the VSCC - Q&A with Katie Forrest
Wednesday 28 February 2018
In our final installment of Q&As celebrating women of the VSCC, we interviewed one of the Club's newest Members and Competitors, Katie Forrest...
How did you get involved with motorsport?
My father has always been very passionate about cars and that certainly rubbed off on me from a very early age. Even if I couldn’t drive them, I still sat at the wheel pretending for many a happy hour as a child (of which we unfortunately have countless embarrassing photos to support!) Horses got in the way a little during my teens/early twenties, but it’s so wonderful to have the opportunity to get back into the car scene and reignite my passion for the other great form of horse-power!
How long have you been competing with the VSCC and how did you get involved with the Club?
I am very much a newbie to the Club having only been a member since January 2018. I have been driving our Edwardian car for a number of years with various other clubs but I heard rumours of the enormous fun to be had with the VSCC and I’m very pleased to say my informant wasn’t wrong! I’ve had the most wonderful time at the few VSCC events I have been to so far and on each occasion I have come away with the broadest of smiles upon my face!
Motorsport is traditionally a male-orientated sport – what are your thoughts on this, and do you feel that it impacts your involvement in the Club?
In all honesty I don’t think it makes any difference and it certainly hasn’t impacted on my involvement in the Club. I attended my very first VSCC event at Brooklands completely on my own, knowing only one other competitor and all I can say is that everyone, both male and female, welcomed me so warmly and were wonderfully supportive. It was the most wonderful introduction to the Club and has helped me forge many new friendships with some inspiring and remarkable people.
What is your favourite VSCC event of the year and why?
Having only participated in one VSCC event so far, I‘m afraid I don’t have much to compare it to, but I can imagine the New Year’s Driving Tests at Brooklands will be a hard event to beat! The tests were superbly varied and despite my car being fairly inappropriate for the task (she’s a 1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost with a 12ft wheelbase!) the car exceeded all of my expectations and managed every test without fault, proving that despite her age and enormous size, she could still perform the same challenges as those much younger and smaller (all be it at a slightly slower pace!)
Everyone at the event was so encouraging and I remember driving the car home that afternoon feeling ecstatic at how well she’d performed, wishing I could relive the day all over again!
Tell us about your competition car...
Well she’s more a member of family than a competition car! We call her Nellie because when she arrived with us in the early 90’s I was about 5, and I remember recalling she was big and grey and came from India. She has been fondly called Nellie (as in Elephant) ever since! She is officially called the Taj Mahal having been named by Claude Johnson prior to her being shipped to India in 1912. Despite her size she is fairly light, and with a 7.5 litre engine, she’s surprisingly spritely off the start! She may not be the most practical of vehicles to participate in, but she’s certainly one of the most fun to drive, and does it in her own unique style and grace! She is a very special car but we don’t believe in keeping her wrapped up like a show-pony! We’ve toured in her all over the world and the VSCC events are just another wonderful way to enjoy and appreciate her!
Which VSCC events are you looking forward to this year?
Certainly the Double Twelve at Brooklands later in the year will be a highlight. I hope Nellie’s looks will count in our favour! I’m also looking forward to the AutoSolo in April at Silverstone. It’s such a legendary circuit so it’ll be an honour to have the chance to drive around it!
My father has always been very passionate about cars and that certainly rubbed off on me from a very early age. Even if I couldn’t drive them, I still sat at the wheel pretending for many a happy hour as a child (of which we unfortunately have countless embarrassing photos to support!) Horses got in the way a little during my teens/early twenties, but it’s so wonderful to have the opportunity to get back into the car scene and reignite my passion for the other great form of horse-power!
How long have you been competing with the VSCC and how did you get involved with the Club?
I am very much a newbie to the Club having only been a member since January 2018. I have been driving our Edwardian car for a number of years with various other clubs but I heard rumours of the enormous fun to be had with the VSCC and I’m very pleased to say my informant wasn’t wrong! I’ve had the most wonderful time at the few VSCC events I have been to so far and on each occasion I have come away with the broadest of smiles upon my face!
Motorsport is traditionally a male-orientated sport – what are your thoughts on this, and do you feel that it impacts your involvement in the Club?
In all honesty I don’t think it makes any difference and it certainly hasn’t impacted on my involvement in the Club. I attended my very first VSCC event at Brooklands completely on my own, knowing only one other competitor and all I can say is that everyone, both male and female, welcomed me so warmly and were wonderfully supportive. It was the most wonderful introduction to the Club and has helped me forge many new friendships with some inspiring and remarkable people.
What is your favourite VSCC event of the year and why?
Having only participated in one VSCC event so far, I‘m afraid I don’t have much to compare it to, but I can imagine the New Year’s Driving Tests at Brooklands will be a hard event to beat! The tests were superbly varied and despite my car being fairly inappropriate for the task (she’s a 1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost with a 12ft wheelbase!) the car exceeded all of my expectations and managed every test without fault, proving that despite her age and enormous size, she could still perform the same challenges as those much younger and smaller (all be it at a slightly slower pace!)
Everyone at the event was so encouraging and I remember driving the car home that afternoon feeling ecstatic at how well she’d performed, wishing I could relive the day all over again!
Tell us about your competition car...
Well she’s more a member of family than a competition car! We call her Nellie because when she arrived with us in the early 90’s I was about 5, and I remember recalling she was big and grey and came from India. She has been fondly called Nellie (as in Elephant) ever since! She is officially called the Taj Mahal having been named by Claude Johnson prior to her being shipped to India in 1912. Despite her size she is fairly light, and with a 7.5 litre engine, she’s surprisingly spritely off the start! She may not be the most practical of vehicles to participate in, but she’s certainly one of the most fun to drive, and does it in her own unique style and grace! She is a very special car but we don’t believe in keeping her wrapped up like a show-pony! We’ve toured in her all over the world and the VSCC events are just another wonderful way to enjoy and appreciate her!
Which VSCC events are you looking forward to this year?
Certainly the Double Twelve at Brooklands later in the year will be a highlight. I hope Nellie’s looks will count in our favour! I’m also looking forward to the AutoSolo in April at Silverstone. It’s such a legendary circuit so it’ll be an honour to have the chance to drive around it!
