With the last round of MRA fast approaching I want to tell you about the current leader in the championship in combined sedans. I am very excited to see a female at the top of the point score. Melissa has a long background of motorsport and countless track days and super sprints under her belt but wanted MRA to be her first race series and is doing exceptionally well. With passing her CAMS course in her hot little hands and with buying and prepping a Mitsubishi Evo 7 to race. Melissa and Husband Shane looked at a few series on offer and chose MRA for it’s easy to enter formalities and variety of cars and times in the respectful categories on offer and ability to sign off her CAMS Provisional Licence.
Melissa has had her fair share of problems with the Mitsubishi Evo 7 as we all do. With her first round she had a problem with her clutch, which decided to die and Melissa had to retire early missing her last race at her dismay. She returned for round 2 of the series and had another problem go wrong with the car, Clutch master cylinder this time, so she limp it around the track as best she could to finish all her races. Round 3 was a lot more exciting for her and with all the problems ironed out this time got to finish all her races and came 3rd in her last race which she was ecstatic about. “Its not about being the fastest car out there it’s showing up to every meeting and doing your best and finishing your races and being consistent” Mellissa told me.
Melissa is a bit different to me where she does better times with another car behind her, trying to pass her on the track. She goes into persistent mode and will block and drive faster when being pushed from behind by another driver. In saying that she told me the funniest thing, she suffers from motion sickness and I commended her for still doing the sport with such an annoying problem to face every time you race. Melissa will take motion sickness tablets at certain tracks that affect her in the morning before her races start. I have also learned that she isn’t the only one with another girl that does rally suffers from this and a friend of mine gets it also but funny how it’s only when I drive him around!!.
Mellissa has found MRA entrants and personnel to be really supportive and helpful and she is excited to be apart of the MRA family. She would like to thank all organizers, volunteers and entrants that help make this series possible. With it being her first series to compete in she feels it is giving her great confidence and skills to tackle her future goals which is to one day race around Mt Panorama being a Bathurst girl at heart.
So if you see Melissa at the next round of MRA do go up and say Hi. Melissa is very down to earth and loves cars as much as the next bloke and I am very happy that I got to chat and find out about her as it is fantastic to see a girl doing so well and would be great to have more girls join this series!
Happy Racing and see you all on 25th of October for Round 4!
Jessica Nicholson