Excite Rally-Raid All-female cross-country crew aims for Dakar glory

points, with Georgie Smith and Will Baker close on their heels one 3351.

In Class 2, Hugh Gascoigne and Jack Watson came out on top on 4370 points, closely followed by Rob Curling and Matt Wothers on 4104. Some way behind in third were Richie Lott and Seb Parkes on 2501.

Third place in Class 3 went to father and sone team Alan and Daniel Willcocks, who collected a very respectable 6084 points. They came out top of what can be classed as ‘normal humans’.

Ahead of them were the superhumans. Second place went to Matt Bain and David Burton, who had fi lled a total of four and a half punch cards to gain a total of 11,248 points – a mammoth score any day of the week.

So how does one describe what the two Toms did? The fi ve and half punch cards they fi lled in all was an unprecedented number, especially when one considers that aside from Matt and David, no-one else had managed to complete even one in each of the two sessions. I guess rather than ‘superhumans,’ they were edging into ‘gods’ territory – because with 15,548 points, they were more than 4000 ahead of their nearest rivals.

Not only did they take top spot, they also won the new Toad School of Motoring trophy for fastest time on the special section. What an awesome team they are.

The rest of the fi eld is certainly going to have their work cut out to match the two Toms as the rest of the season rolls out. But the good news is that as it does, we’ll be back to open events again – freedom is never going to have felt so good!

Excite Rally Raid aims for the stars as all-female team campaign production-class Pajero in British Cross Country Championship

THIS SEASON, the British Cross Country Championship is back in action following last year’s enforced washout. And one of the most eye-catching vehicles taking part is a Mitsubishi Pajero T2 being campaigned by Excite Rally Raid.

Running Maxxis Worm-Drive A/T tyres and backed by Duckhams and EBC Brakes, the Excite team is running with an all-female crew led by primary driver Jade Paveley. Along with co-drivers Hannah Davison and Claire Williams, both of whom bring a wealth of experience from various rally series including the BTRDA Rally Championship, she’s on a mission to win titles – and also raise the profi le of women in motorsport.

‘This is the start of a journey for the girls and the team,’ says Excite Team Principal John Hardy. ‘The aim is to move into the European Baja series in 2022 and ultimately compete at the famous Dakar Rally in 2023/24. ‘It will be a tough route to follow but we have come a long way in a short space of time – and we have a crew and backroom team talented and determined enough to cope with it and make it happen.’

After the fi rst two rounds of the 2021 BXCC were cancelled due to residual Covid limitations, the season kicked off at Tong in June before moving on to Sweet Lamb the following month. In a sport with a famously high attrition rate, the Excite team has eased itself into the running in these two events by successfully fi nishing each of them – and winning Class 2 each time, albeit by default in the absence of any other entries.

As the team continues to gain pace in its bid to step up through the ranks of the motorsport ladder, its next challenges for 2021 will come at Kielder Forest in September and Walters Arena in October. You can learn more about Excite Rally Raid and its future plans by paying a visit to www.dakarrallyteam.co.uk.