Scottish Lady Driver of the Year
Carol Brown
CAROL BROWN RACING
Scottish female racing driver
We are delighted to choose Carol Brown as our very first FOXY Lady Driver of the Month as a result of her many racing successes and her personal determination to get where she is going FAST...
Voted Scottish Lady Driver of the Year in 2006, 2007 and 2008, Carol Brown lives and breathes motorsport. When she isn't racing herself she's the Indoor Karting Manager for Xtreme Karting at Falkirk.
Here is what Carol had to say when we caught up with her recently.
Q/ How long have you raced and what have you driven?
A/ 2010 will be my 13th year in motorsport. I started in karts when I was 8 years old. At 18 (in 2006) I moved onto Legends race cars and in 2009 I raced in the Scottish Formula Ford Championship.
Q/ When did you realise you were so fast on wheels compared to others?
A/ Karting was only meant to be a bit of a hobby for me when I was younger. I realised it was starting to go my way when the trophy collection started to mount up, wins started to turn into championships and it all just kept on going...
 Carol Brown
A/ Winning the Scottish Legends Championship in 2008. I led the championship from Round 1 and won with two rounds to spare after overtaking 210 cars on the way!
Q/ What are your racing ambitions for the future and how do you plan to achieve them?
A/ My dream is to compete in the British Touring Car Championship. It always has been since I was young. To reach this level I have to attract some sponsors and bring home some good results. I have been lucky enough to already have been introduced to many teams however the funding isn't there just now.
Q/ What work do you do when you aren't racing?
A/ I enjoy my job at Xtreme Karting but all my spare time just now is spent trying to attract some sponsors. It's proving to be very hard work especially during today's tough trading times; sadly sponsorship isn't top of anyone's list.
Q/ What are the main differences between men and women racing drivers?
A/ Working at an indoor karting centre has made this an easy question to answer! Women are definitely more cautious than men, they tend to take their time to get used to it whereas men already think they know what to do (even if that's not quite the case).
Q/ What advice would you give a young female who was considering a racing career?
A/ I will always tell women to go for it! More and more women are racing now and it's not so unusual to see a woman winning. It may seem to be something different but if it's what you want to do then who cares what others think.
Q/ How can sponsorship help you towards your ambition?
A/ I totally rely on sponsors to help with my career. I don't have a lot of money of my own so sponsors are crucial. They are what make it possible for me to carry on.
Q/ What can you offer a sponsoring business and why should they be interested in you?
A/ Female racing drivers appeal to men and women alike. They pave the way for different types of promotional opportunities. I am lucky that I get a lot of media attention and am in many newspapers. Successful female drivers get a lot of support from women; perhaps they like to see us doing so well competing alongside men!
Q/ Do you think the motor industry should do more to encourage women racing drivers? If yes, why and what more could they do to help you...
A/ The good thing with motorsport is that women don't race separately from men. We are all equal and to do well we have to do better. Motor manufacturers would do well to back female drivers, knowing that so many of us buy cars and that it is such a competitive market. Again, in the same way as sponsorship can bring in a different customer, so could the industry or a leading motor manufacturer, dealership group or garage chain.
 Carol Brown Racing
To find out more about Carol and her racing calendar, visit her website www.carolbrownracing.com.
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