Hello, I'm Hannah...

Where do I start? Well, my name is Hannah Chapman, I am from Scotland, I'm 21, I LOVE Minis and I have currently just finished my first full season racing cars - and what a season it was! (Of course it would have to have been in a Mini!)

So with this being my first diary entry for love:mini, I guess I'd better tell you all a bit more about myself...

BACKGROUND

Unlike most racing drivers, I wasn't introduced into the wonderful world or motor racing at an exceptionally young age. Nope, for me it all happened when I was around 14/15 (better late than never) when by chance my family took me karting and I made the amazing discovery that I was actually really good at something! It was the first thing having had no previous experience that I seemed to naturally excel at and obviously from then onwards, there was no looking back. I was instantly hooked and my competitive nature meant I kept going back for more.

For the next couple of years I partook in many rental-kart races and began to build a strong reputation for myself. I was beginning to get noticed for being quick and in 2013 I was asked to join an all-girls team in the Elite Karting League. Prior to that I had also taken part in both British Rental Kart and British Schools Karting Championships and 2014 saw me compete in my first 24hr endurance event... In DUBAI! I was invited by a Swiss racing team (Kart Excellence) and who would say no to an opportunity like that? One of my teammates was GP3 driver Patric Niederhauser and one of my opponents was none other than Fernando Alonso! Sadly, I did not beat Alonso but it was an amazing experience and I hope to rejoin the team again for 2015.

Now back to the Mini side of things... After leaving school I was unsure of what to do so I went on to study mechanics - not the obvious career choice for a girl and I didn't actually want to be a mechanic but if I was going to race cars I at least wanted to get an idea of how they worked. This then worked in my favour as it served as my main introduction into the Celtic Speed Scottish Mini Cooper Cup where I got a job helping out at Knockhill Racing Circuit with Minimax Motorsport in 2012. 

MINI RACING

The following season, Minimax helped me finally get out for my first ever go in a race Mini! Unfortunately, what was meant to have been my debut season in 2013 ended up becoming what I'd like to call my practice "dip your toe to test the water" run (it was cut short due to terminal damage that I couldn't afford to fix) but from the half season I did complete, I learned a massive amount and came back to try again this year with Tim Sleigh Racing and certainly managed to turn a few heads whilst doing so. 

At the start of this year I was running near the back of the pack - not a place I enjoyed being! By the end however, I'd managed to work my way up the grid first breaking the top 10 barrier mid-season and then into the top five by the last round. I was a girl on a mission and drove the wheels off my race MINI (Lola) managing to achieve a laptime just one tenth off the overall champion. I now also hold the lap record for ladies and newcomers categories, I am the 2014 Newcomers champion and just recently at the SMRC Awards Dinner I was awarded the Knockhill Young Saloon Driver of the Year Award as well as being chosen earlier this year by the Scottish Motor Racing Club as one of five of their Young Rising Stars. As part of the Rising Star Initiative my off-season so far has been filled with a visit to Mclaren GT/Mclaren Technology Centre and an MSA Masterclass day taken by BTCC's Tom Onslow-Cole and rally driver James Wozencroft. 

For a first season, I'd say I definitely exceeded my own - and everyone else's - expectations and can look forward to what will hopefully be the beginning of a long and successful racing career. Now back to fighting the off-season blues with lots of hard work, sponsor searching, exercise, training and preseason testing. Scottish Mini Cooper Cup 2015, here I come! And who knows, maybe a guest round of Mini Challenge could be on the agenda also...