Carlisle: Louise Cook event summary

Cookie Conquers Killer Kielder

British Female Rally Driver Louise Cook, 22, from Maidstone in Kent contested her first British Rally Championship Challenge competitive round this weekend taking on the Killer Kielder forest of the Pirelli Rally based in Carlisle, Cumbria.

Louise came up with an ingenious way of breaking her way into the rally world. Louise has been hunting for sponsors since last year. Instead of focussing on the large £10,000 deals Louise has been asking for just £50. She decided each £50 sponsor would be entered into a free prize draw to win prime spots on the car as well as being given a guaranteed spot.

The first winner picked out of the pink hat was the "Natalie Louise Streather Memorial Fund". Natalie died in a tragic accident involving drugs and the memorial fund has been set up in Natalie's memory to help raise awareness of the dangers of drugs and hopefully help prevent people being in the same situation. The memorial was placed in the winners spot on the rear quarter panel for the Pirelli Rally and raised some really good interest for the memorial fund on the event.

"The raffle has been a great success, and people have entered from all over Europe which is amazing! I just need a lot more support to get to the next round now. "So watch out Kent I am coming to see you all" said the Kent lady, 22.

Louise managed to raise enough funds to contest the first round but needs that local support now to make the difference.

Louise was under strict team orders to complete the rally and gain the experience and bring back the loaned car in one piece. "Borrowing someone else's car to nip to town in is scary enough but to borrow someone's car to drive down a forest track having only ever driven 90 miles on gravel in my entire life was pretty petrifying" Said Louise,22.

Louise had constant reminders as she drove through the notorious Killer Kielder forest with an amazing 16 rally cars ending up rolled or crashed into ditches, the forest definitely lived up to its name.

"The Pirelli tyres were amazing, I could not believe the grip they were giving and the resistance to punctures over the massive rocks that were flung out by the other drivers. I was sure a couple of them would have bent a wheel but the Speedline rally wheels were incredibly strong too. They needed to be at times!"

Louise finished 12th from the 20 starters and more importantly avoided all the ditches, big rocks, and even bigger trees to come home with her first points of the season.

Louise is looking forward to the next British Rally Championship Challenge round the famous Jim Clark Rally based in Kelso in the Scottish Borders, the only closed road event in mainland Britain.

Cookies Corner

"It was the scariest thing I have done and the most exciting at the same time. I have heard for years about Killer Kielder and its car destroying so it did not help on the psychological front. I was over the moon to finish, especially after driving past so many abandoned and upside down cars. I am looking forward to Jim Clark now and being out in my own car!"

-source: cutecookie.co.uk