First motor-sport post of 2008

Now, this year is looking to be very interesting from where I'm sitting.

I am now in the second year of my Journalism degree and have also thrown myself head first into my desired specialty, motor-sport. In particular, rallying.

So far this year I have taken over as Hamilton Car Club Bulletin Editor, this is a monthly magazine that goes out to all the car club members as well as to other car clubs throughout the country. The perspective readership is quite large. Hamilton Car Club is the biggest in New Zealand currently, with about 300 members.

My second big role this year is doing the publicity for the Waitomo Rally. The Inframax Rally of Waitomo is going to be the 4th round of the Top Half Series and the 2nd round of the Rally Extreme Series, this added to the fact that it is a gravel rally will put the entries up towards 100. I'm in charge of sending out and writing all the press releases, up to and after the event. I think I will also be doing promotion type things as well, such as talking to the local radio stations etc.

Then of course, the end of August will be Rally of New Zealand, our round of the World Rally Championship. I will be working again with British journalist Martin Holmes, working on drivers quotes and interviewing drivers.

There also may be a plan to go to another round of the WRC this year, possibly Wales Rally GB. But at this time I am still waiting on some confirmation as to what I could get into doing at that rally, so no tickets booked yet unfortunately.

On the published works front, I had an article published in my regional paper, the Waikato Times, yesterday. It was on a recent Hamilton Car Club event, a 9km tarmac hill climb at Ngutinui towards Kawhia. I also competed at this event, coming 38th out of 50 starters and finishing second female. Not too bad for the wet conditions and the fact that I haven't done a long event in quite some time.

Lastly, I had my 'letter to the editor' published in the New Zealand Autocar magazine. Not a huge achievement, but it is still something and will hopefully show a bit of diversity for my work portfolio.