Revelling in the familiar sensation of getting to grips with gravel, Emma Gilmour enjoyed the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship’s (GRC) penultimate round, which had a distinct rally vibe, in Seattle yesterday.
Held in front of a sell-out crowd at DirtFish Rally School in Snoqualmie, the circuit was about 10-15 per cent dusty tarmac and the rest was a familiar favourite of New Zealand’s first lady of rallying.
“It was a really fun predominantly gravel track. I was actually allowed to drive rally- style, which of course I loved!” Emma says.
After missing out on a finals spot in the semi-finals, she had a great time in the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) mixing it up with the other seven drivers, who included Emma’s team boss Rhys Millen, also driving a Hyundai Veloster Turbo, plus Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross’ Scott Speed.
“I missed out in the LCQ. It was tough with eight cars going for four spots with only four laps and a lot of dust. I still raced well, had fun, and kept with them all the time.”
In the final, three-time European rallycross champion Sverre Isachsen scored Subaru Rally Team USA’s first-ever Red Bull Global Rallycross victory.
Positives for Emma were that her Veloster ran almost faultlessly all weekend helping her ever-improving speed curve. She also appreciated her growing fan base in the crowd, who flocked to her for autographs after each race.
Between now and the GRC’s final round in Las Vegas on November 5, Emma plans to have her Suzuki Swift Maxi back on the road in Dunedin and out for some testing.
