BWRDC GOLDSTARS AWARD
The BWRDC GoldStars Award is an initiative conceived by our unique motorsport club to promote talented women in motorsport. Only two of the prestigious GoldStars Awards may be presented annually at the discretion of the Club, and the GoldStars are not always awarded.
The GoldStars Junior Award is recognition for Club Members under 25 and the Senior Award is for Club Members over 25. GoldStars Awards are given to Club Members to recognise their progress and to help them take their motorsport career to a higher level. The nominees are put forward by the BWRDC committee to an independent panel of judges who decide the final winners.
Our 2020 award winners will be announced on the Motorsport UK stand at the Autosport International Show on 11th January 2020.
BWRDC GOLDSTARS NOMINEES
The 2020 Nominees:
The Senior Nominees :
CAROLE NICHOLLS
Carole was bought up with cars & racing as her father, Ken Nicholls had set up his company- Nicholls Engineering & Development Ltd in 1960- initially repairing & rebuilding race cars, including NIKE Formula Fords for Hillclimb and Sprints.
Carole started in Autocross with her Mini and navigating for road rallies. On her fathers’ death in 2014, she vowed to put together a register of his cars and started looking for a NIKE. In 2016, she found a NIKE and started competing in it.
In 2019, Carole was 2nd in the Henneys Handicap, 4th in the HSA Championship and 8th in the Midland Hillclimb Championship.
CATHY SEWART
Cathy is a 45 year old mum of two who started rallying in 2006, initially as a co-driver. In 2011, she changed seats to become a driver. She completed her first full season in a Lotus Sunbeam in 2013, winning the ANWCC Ladies Rally Championship.
Since 2015, Cathy has competed in the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship. In 2017, she became the Rally Secretary of the BWRDC where she has helped grow the rally section and organise their presence at the annual Rally Day. In the 2018/19 season of the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship, Cathy won the Protyre Challenge, was 2nd in Class C and 7th overall.
ELISE WHYTE
Elise is a rally co-driver, often competing with her sister (and fellow GoldStar nominee) Seren. She started in a mini cooper S in 2012 and has co-driven in many different types of cars since, including a BMW 1602, MGA, Triumph TR4, Austin 7 Super, Porsche 911, Standard 10 and a Datsun Stanza. In 2018, Elise achieved first in class in 6 rallies. In 2019 she was 2nd place in the Golden Roamer Championship, winner of the Clock Watchers Award in the Iceland Saga (FIVA), London to Lisbon (FIVA), and was 2nd in class in both the Rally of the Tests and the Hughes Rally.
SAMI BOWLER
Sami’s first year of racing was 2018 and she achieved 5th overall in the Mini Challenge Cooper S Class and 2nd in the Rookie cup, running her own car with no racing or mechanical experience.
In 2019, Sami achieved 4 podiums, the ladies cup and 4th overall, as well as being nominated Club Racer of the Year in the Mini Challenge.
She also joined the all-female team in the C1 24 hour race where they finished 5th overall, Sami also holding the fastest lap for any lady competing.
SARAH MOORE
Sarah started karting at the age of 8. There have been numerous highlights since, including 2nd in the Toyota GT86 Cup, being the youngest ambassador for the MSA Go-Motorsports campaign, winning the Ginetta Junior Championship at the age of 15, receiving the BARC Densely Trophy, Autosport Awards Club Driver of the Year and shortlisted in the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year. She also won the BWRDC Lord Wakefield Trophy and was a BRDC Rising Star. In 2019, Sarah came 8th overall in the inaugural W Series Championship. She also took part in the Britcar Endurance Championship and GT4 South European Series in Portimao.
SASHA HERIOT
Sasha is predominantly a rally co-driver. She competed on her first National B rally in 2006. Since then, she has navigated on 110 road rallies, 95 stage rallies, 5 targa rallies, 2 endurance rallies, 1 eco rally, 3 historic road rallies and she has driver on 5 road rallies. Sasha has achieved many wins, both class and overall. In 2019, she achieved 3 outright wins in the Stocktonian Targa Rally, the Ilkley Targa Rally and the Ryemoor Trophy Rally. Sasha is also on the Motorsport UK Rallies Committee, is an accredited stage rally marshal and Clerk/Deputy Clerk of the Course.
SEREN WHYTE
Seren has been driving (and co-driving) since 2012, initially in a 1964 Mini Cooper S. She has gone on to compete in both historic endurance rallies and national B rallies. In 2019, Seren was first in class and second overall in the Icelandic Saga Rally in a Standard 10 as a driver, and first in class in the London to Lisbon Rally in a Datsun 240Z as a co-driver. She also came second in class in the Hughes Rally (driver) and 4th in class in the White Rose Classic (co-driver).
SHELLY DEACON
Shelly started racing in 2015 at the age of 31, after visiting the Autosport Show. After joining her local motor club, Truro and District, she and her husband entered the hillclimb academy, sharing a Mk1 Mazda MX5. In 2016, Shelly changed to competing in an Audi TT Quattro. Since 2017, Shelly has also been on the committee of the Truro and District Motor Club, helping to promote and run events. The 2019 season brought a big change. Shelly was still competing in the Audi TT Quattro but had also acquired a single seater racing car, a Hi-tech DP powered by a 600cc Suzuki GSXR motorbike engine. She achieved several class wins and top three finishes.
The Junior Nominees :
CHLOE GRANT
Chloe began racing in 2014 when she was 8 years old. She started competing at the East of Scotland Kart Club and was awarded Newcomer of the Year in her first year. She has subsequently moved into Minimax and, in 2019, Junior Rotax. In 2019 she was ESKC Junior Club Champion, NSKC Junior vice champion, 3rd in Grampion Kart Club Junior Championship, 6th and best novice in the Scottish Championship, ASKC Scottish Female Driver of Year, 2nd in the GKC & NSKC Northern Challenge, and NKKC Best Rookie Driver of the Year and recipient of the Ben Bhraggie Shield for Best Female Driver of the Year. To finish the year, she was chosen as a SMRC Rising Star.
ELLA STEVENS
Ella first started karting in 2013 in the Bambino class. She then moved into the Cadets and in 2017 was the BirelART Champion. In 2019, Ella was 10th in the LGM Iame Cadet Championship, 15th in the British Iame Karting Championship (including the first female to qualify on pole).
JEMMA MOORE
Jemma started karting in 2015 before moving on to the Junior Saloon Car Championship in 2017. In 2019, she had podium finishes in every round she competed in and two fastest laps. She also raced in the 24 hour kart races at Le Mans and in the UK. She finished the year with races in the GT4 Southern European Champion at Portimao and Estoril – with 2 podium finishes at Estoril.
LYDIA WALMSLEY
Lydia began racing in 2011 at the age of nine. Starting in Honda Cadets, she was awarded the Ellough Park Young Driver of the Year in 2013. She then moved into Minimax (Champion in 2015) and Junior Rotax (Champion in 2016) before graduating to cars and the Junior Saloon Car Championship in 2017. Lydia then moved into senior racing in the Mini Challenge UK Cooper Pro Championship in 2018. In 2019, Lydia achieved 5 podiums including a win at the season finale at Snetterton and 4th in the Championship, Ladies Champion and nominated for the Henry Surtees Teen Racer of the Year.
MORGAN KIDD
Morgan started racing when she was nine in corporate karts before moving on to Honda Cadets and Junior TKM. She has been Lincolnshire Kart Race Club Champion, Hunts Kart Race Club vice champion, third in the O Plate final and Henry Surtees Teen Racer of the year nominee. In 2019, she finished 10th in the Our Motorsport UK British Championship.
GOLDSTARS WINNERS
The 2019 GoldStars Award Winners were:
Senior GoldStar - Jo Polley
Junior GoldStar - Abbi Pulling
Jo Polley, Racing Driver
Jo Polley has been around motorsport all of her life and has been racing since she was 15 years of age. She has over 35 career podiums from oval and circuit racing. 2018 has been Jo's best season to date as she took part in the Super Mighty Mini Championship. She achieved 1 win, 4 podiums and a fastest lap and led the championship for a large part of the season, never finishing outside the top 6. She was still in contention for the title in the last round but a mechanical DNF meant she had to settle for 4th in the Championship.
Abbi Pulling, Racing Driver
Abbi Pulling started racing in 2012, at age of 8. Since then, she has not looked back. In 2018, Abbi dominated the Super One British Championship taking the title with 22 top 3 finishes and podiums in all 7 of the Grand Finals. She became the first junior karter to win back to back Super One British Championships and also retained the Junior TKM Festival Trophy. Abbi also made her car racing debut in 2018, taking part in 3 rounds of the Ginetta Junior Championship.
Previous GoldStars Award Winners:
2018 Sara Williams (Elite), Elen Worthington (Club)
2017 Katie Milner (Elite)
2016 Sara Williams (Elite), Elen Worthington (Club)
2015 Anna Waleswka (Elite), Roz Shaw (Club)
2014 Amanda Black (Elite), Amy Barker (Club)
2013 Zoe Wenham (Elite), Sian Stafford-Atkinson (Club)
2012 Sarah Reader (Elite), Gail Hill (Club)
2011 Alice Powell (Elite), Cat Lund (Club)
2010 Alice Powell (Elite), Ilsa Cox (Club)