Ashleigh earns title of first lady in tough weekend at Knockhill
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A RACE against the elements and her fellow competitors saw a tough weekend for Caithness racing driver Ashleigh Morris.
Out of the three races at the first Scottish Motor Racing Club event of the year at Knockhill, the first one proved to be the most fruitful for Morris as she was the first lady to cross the line and was 10th overall.
Finishes of 14th and 11th respectively followed in the remaining two races for Morris who was driving her new Mini Cooper number 77 car.
However, the weather had threatened to undermine the whole event. The test run on Friday was called off due to the conditions making the track unsafe.
Fog and rain encroached on both the main test day and the day of the event itself, but thankfully held off to a degree for organisers to deem the visibility levels acceptable and the track safe to race on.
Morris, however, was pleased with her showing despite being up against it at times.
She said: “In race one, I wasn’t great off the line, losing three positions. By turn three there were Minis everywhere – including one in the gravel trap due to contact.
“At the restart, I got a great run out of Clark’s Corner which meant I could go for the pass at the Hairpin. I did so on the outside and managed to get a good enough run up the straight to make it stick.
“A pack of three were ahead and I knew to bide my time. Craig Dillon and myself battled closely for the duration. He passed me at Duffus on what I didn’t realise was the last lap.
“By the hairpin I had set myself up perfectly for passing him the following lap but as we came up the straight the chequered flag was waved.
“With all the stop-starts of the safety car I had no idea where I had finished but when we pulled into the pit lane I was directed into Parc Ferme in front of the podium – I hadn’t a clue why.
“Turns out I was the first lady to cross the line and was bringing home a trophy.”
Ashleigh’s next outing will again be at Knockhill later this month.
