About

Name: Jemma Bellingham

Age: 25

Where are you from? Carlisle, Cumbria

Occupation? Journalist for a local Radio Station

Rally Licence? International

 

Best results? 3rd overall on the North Humberside Rally in 2008 co-driving for Ryan Champion in a Mitsubishi Evo 7.  Also co-driving for Charlie Payne in the Mitsubishi Lancer WRC on the Robin Hood Forest Stages. We were leading the event until the gearbox broke. We did 2 stages stuck in second gear and ended up finishing 9th.

Best rallying memory? Going over the start of the Pirelli in the centre of Carlisle – my home event, with my family and friends there watching!

Where would you like to compete? Sweden

What are your plans for 2009? I’ll be competing in the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup with talented young Australian driver Molly Taylor. We’ll be contesting all 6 rounds which follows the British Rally Championship.

How did you start in motorsport? When I was small, I used to go and watch the start of the Pirelli Rally outside the Civic Centre in Carlisle with my Dad, I remember having a little camera and taking a picture of every single rally car that came onto the start ramp! Then Then in 2003 I got back into it through my Dad who’s one of the organisers of the Pirelli Rally. I went over to Gateshead to help out and caught the rally bug! I remember thinking ‘I’ll do this rally one day’. Four years later I did.

What was your first stage event? I did Rali Cwm Gwendraeth in March 2006 with Amanda Macczak in an Escort Cosworth

Have you ever driven on a rally? Yes! I drove on the Specsavers Christmas Stages in December 2007. Chris Birkbeck Rally School gave us a Ford Focus to use on the event and we managed to get sponsorship from lots of local companies and businesses. Rachel Medich co-drove for me and we managed to raise over £3000 for Cancer Research UK

Fave driver? Sebastien Loeb, very entertaining to watch!

Fave co-driver? Phil Mills