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Vicky Thorpe, a classic stock car racer
Vicky Thorpe was not born when her classic stock
car left the assembly line, but none the less the
25 year old girl racer can pilot the old beast
around the track with the same kind of skill that
the ‘old boys’ who grew up racing the
classics first time around find hard to keep up
with.
25 year old Vicky got into stock car racing
watching her Dad Mickey Thorpe from an early age.
Racing is definitely in the family genes as her
cousin was British Ministox champ, so it was only a
matter of time before she got behind the wheel.
Now piloting her 1800cc MGB powered 1956 MG
Magnette Vicky mixes it up with the classic stock
car pilots, including her dad, who in true stock
car style does not let a little thing like family
get in the way of being first under the chequered
flag.
In fact, Vicky rates her best win as one against
the old man after a bumper to bumper and neck to
neck race over the last three laps. “I managed
to squeeze up the inside and took the win,”
she recalls, “it is not often that I beat him
and it was a really good battle.”
On the other side of the stock car racing coin,
Vicky recalls her worst crash as the one when her
steering rack broke and she hit the very
unforgiving safety fence at Angmering head on at
about 40mph. “There’s no give to that
fence and it stopped me dead,” she remembers,
“besides the bent car my shoulders and neck
certainly knew about it!”
Vicky rates Angmering Raceway, West Sussex as
her favourite track, loving the long, fast and wide
straights and sweeping top bends. However, she is
quick to recall the perils of the pit bend.
“No matter how many times you go round it the
dreaded bottom corner (which is very sharp and
tight) it always catches you out and what ever
plans you had about your racing lines go right out
of the window.”
Vicky plans to get some seat time in the Front
Wheel Drive Saloon Rods at Angmering in the near
future to see what it is like to drive a modern car
around the track and how that compares with her
“old 1956 beast.” On the classic stock
car front, she is working with the rest of her team
Oval Legends Go Out Racing (O.L.G.O.R.) to grow the
club and get as many people on the circuit having
as much fun as she clearly is. “I think
classic stock car racing will grow,” she says,
“as it becomes better known. There are still
plenty of suitable cars out there, from abandoned
classic restoration projects to retired stock cars
and once you have the car built and keep it well
maintained it is for life.”
Vicky has a few words of encouragement for any
girl racers considering taking to the track behind
the wheel of one of these ironed up old track
warriors; “Go for it,” she says, “it
is not as scary as you may think and the buzz is
great and once you have done it you will have the
bug for more. Plus, we’re just as good as the
chaps out there and it’s great to give them a
run for their money.”
To learn more about Oval Legends Go Out Racing
contact them on 01435 863811 07833 744955
Angmering Raceway (www.ovalraceclub.co.uk)
runs classic stock cars regularly, so do go along
and see the bumper being put in classic style.
Source: www.girlracer.co.uk
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