Doran: “I Loved It From The Minute I First Sat In The Ginetta”
It’s always hard being the ‘new kid on the block’ when it comes to racing, especially when you’re thrown in at the deep end over half way through a racing season. Everyone else around you has at least six months racing experience under their belts, if not more, and they know what to expect when the lights go out and there’s no turning back.
Rounds 13 and 14 at Knockhill were no different, except for one young lady who turned up to the Scottish circuit for the first time ever to race in the Ginetta Junior Championship. Christie Doran who has just turned 16 from Falkirk in Scotland, was entered into her first ever motorsport race, and with no motorsport or racing background either, Christie tells BTCC Crazy how she went from school girl to racing driver in just seven months:
“Ginetta came to my dad (Deputy Motors Editor at The Scottish Sun), wanting to try something new. They decided they would try and get someone who had no experience in karts or driving a car at all onto the grid inside seven months. We wanted to prove that if you want to race… just do it! You don’t need years of karting experience!
For the Knockhill weekend, Christie joined the Jamie Hunter Racing team, who were always on hand to not only get the maximum out of the car, but the maximum out of Christie too. By keeping her cool, calm and collected, Christie could focus on qualifying and get her car on the grid ready for the race.
When the races dawned, everything was to play for. Having never sat in a position to race before, Christie’s aim wasn’t to fight for position and try and gain as many points as possible, but to purely finish the race, an achievement that she could truly be proud of:
“I came 13th out 15 on Saturday, which amazed me. The team were so proud, so were my family. I think my dad was getting older by the minute. I was so proud of myself that I had managed to finish the race, but not coming last was a bonus.
“On Sunday, things didn’t go as well. I had just set my fastest time of the weekend – 67.4 seconds – but on the next lap, I came off the track and couldn’t get back on. I was so gutted and upset. My aim wasn’t to beat anyone, it was just to finish again.”
Although race two didn’t quite go to plan for Christie, it was still a fantastic achievement for a girl who had never raced a Ginetta before, let alone any other four-wheeled vehicle. So, to go from nothing to sitting in a G40 on the grid in just seven months, how did it all happen?
“I had done a couple of kart session with my brother on holiday – and even he beat me! So, to start off, I had to learn to drive a car, so I went to Onboard Training. They taught me from scratch. I went to Xtreme Karting, where I learned overtaking, race lines and things like that. I did a couple of days with the Ginetta Academy. They were the only times I drove a Ginetta before the race weekend. Ian Forrest, at Knockhill, was brilliant. He worked really hard with me. He has helped all the top drivers and trained me to race a car instead of just driving it. Then I took my ARDS licence on August 19 and it was all systems go for the race weekend.”
Unfortunately for Christie, she was only scheduled to run in her G40 at Knockhill, but with her knowledge gained from this whole experience, if she was ever to be offered another seat in the Ginetta Junior Championship, would she do it again?
“Yes, I would definitely do it again! It was an amazing experience, and I would love to improve on it. It was something that I never thought about doing before, but when my dad offered me the chance to do it, I loved it from the minute I first sat in the Ginetta.”
Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey
Becki Mitchell
