Meet the Club's Ambassador

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Only one at the moment - more on the way

 

JODIE HEMMING - www.jodiehemming.co.uk.

Soon after the Committee confirmed Jodie’s appointment as a Sporting Bears Ambassador I had the pleasure of spending some time with her swapping racing stories and looking over her cars.

Jodie’s first driving experience was at the age of 9 behind the wheel of a Suzuki Jeep belonging to long time family friend and now racing sponsor Ben Muttock and she was immediately bitten by the car bug we all know.

Aged 11 Ben went with Jodie to the Wilton Locks Kart Circuit near Northampton.  It was clear at this stage that she was quick even if she did develop a penchant for spinning.  She was soon taking her Kart Licence Test which she passed despite the attempts of some more seasoned drivers to unsettle her.

Within a month she’d had the first race of a 3 year karting career which ended with her finishing 3rd in the junior KTM series, missing out on the title courtesy of broken bodywork in the last race.

It was time to move on to bigger things and in 2003 she entered a Formula Honda 600 race in a Jedi single seater, winning the Scholarship class in her first season.  More success followed in 2004 as she won the Formula Honda Championship winning 15 out of 15 races including a remarkable last to first drive (following a blown engine in practice)in the season finale at Brands Hatch.  In the same year she was also crowned BWRDC Newcomer and Woman racing Driver of the year.

In 2005, having moved up to the Formula Honda 1000 class she endured a frustrating season full of mechanical failures but 2006 was to see a big step up competing in the Euroboss and Formula Renault series.

 

Ben purchased a 1997 Jordan which had been used as a test car by Ralf Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.  Powered by a 3.5litre V8 producing 640 bhp (detuned from 750bhp!) it proved a totally different beast to drive.  In her first outing at Brands she achieved a podium finish.  She was soon travelling Europe competing at the Jim Clark Revival meeting at Hockenheim amongst others, her most memorable meeting being at the Donington GP Live event where she chased down a 4litre Ascari.

2006 and 2007 also saw Jodie competing in the Formula Renault series where progress was more often than not thwarted by mechanical problems, mainly gearbox.

2008 will hopefully see Jodie take further steps forward in her racing career.  She will compete in a limited number of Eurboss events in the Jordan but will major on the TOCA Formula Renault series which will be a stepping stone to bigger things

What immediately struck me was Jodie’s down to earth nature and her belief that racing is meant to be fun (they’re called the Hillbillies amongst the Euroboss fraternity).  She not only enjoys the racing but also gets stuck into the car preparation with Ben.

I am delighted that Jodie has accepted our invitation to become an Ambassador for the Bears.  I look forward to a long and beneficial association.

Andrew Lake