More than just a pretty face

Whilst there is little doubt that the cars and drivers are the stars of the British Touring Car Championship, there’s a group of characters within the paddock that are almost as popular as the likes of Jason Plato, Colin Turkington and Matt Neal.

In fact, in some cases, they might have more of a following than the drivers who they are there to represent…

That group is the promo girls who help to bring a touch of glamour to the BTCC paddock as the series travels around the UK, with each of the 30+ girls involved with the championship this year having established their own fanbase.

For some, the chance to be involved in the series is simply part of the job whilst for others, it is an opportunity to embrace a love for everything automotive.

And perhaps the best example of the latter is Team HARD’s Michelle Westby, a familiar figure in the paddock for a number of years but someone who is also embarking on a racing career of her own.

This season, Michelle is competing in the Drift Cup at the wheel of a Nissan 200sx S14a and currently sits fourth in the standings with three rounds – at Rockingham, Kings Lynn and Three Sisters – having been run.

But how did she make the move from standing in front of a car on the grid to getting behind the wheel herself?

“I’ve always been into cars and was a real tomboy when I was younger who wanted Hot Wheels rather than dolls!” she told TouringCarTimes. “When I was old enough to learn to drive, I went for my test and passed first time and then bought myself a Toyota MR2.

“Being rear wheel drive, I was used to be it being a bit tail happy so it helped me to understand a bit about how to handle the car. I did a few track days and then got offered the chance to work at a drift event, which was something I’d never seen before.

“When I saw it, my face lit up and I knew it was something I wanted to have a go at. I was invited along to a drift day where I had a passenger ride and a bit of go and then I just started to save for my own drift car, which is a Nissan 14a. I started to go to practice days and worked hard to teach myself.”

Whilst she now does a range of behind the wheel work and competes herself, it’s not been an easy road to get to where she is now, with long hours having been put in to make her dream a reality.

“It’s taken four years or so to get to where I am now,” she explained. “The first year was spent getting the car to a decent drift spec and I had to save really hard to get the basic stuff done. From there, I did three drift days at Santa Pod before writing the car off, and I then had to save again to repair and re-shell the car.

“In reality, I probably had only done about 15 drift days before I felt confident to push and to do that, you have to compete. I wanted to prove myself and a championship is the best way to do that.

“Drifting is weird as you learn from your mistakes as you don’t know what the car can do without really pushing it to its limit and finding out what is too much and what is too little. As a beginner it can be frustrating as you are trying all the time and then it will suddenly click.

“It’s harder than it looks and you are always playing around and learning more. The excitement of seeing yourself make progress is something that has pushed me on.”

As well as making a name for herself on track, one of the major challenges Michelle has been forced to battle is to be accepted as a competitor in her own right – something she admits hasn’t always been easy to do.

“It’s funny that you used the word accepted,” she said, “as at first, I would turn up at events on my own and would feel very shy as people wouldn’t come up to me or approach me. I’d say it took a good twelve months for me to feel like part of the crew.

“I think I had a point to prove to people that I wasn’t just there to show off and wasn’t doing it for promotional purposes, so I needed to show the others that I was serious about my drifting and that I was up to the job.

“Now I’m competing, I do get a lot of support although there are some people who I think feel a little threatened and assume that I am given a lot of help. Nothing could be further from the truth and I’ve had to work bloody hard to get to where I am and there have been sacrifices along the way.

“But the way I see it is, the better I become on track, the more accepted I’ll be for what I can do behind the wheel.”

A second place finish at Kings Lynn was the undoubted highlight of the season so far for Michelle and provided an indication of her talent behind the wheel; talent that has already seen her secure leading roles elsewhere, such as in the Ben Collins DVD ‘Stunt Driver‘.

In fact, it’s driving where she now sees herself in her future career, with it being ‘no contest’ if forced to choose between a driving and modeling role.

“This season I never expected to be finishing on the podium, so to have done it in just the second round was fantastic,” she said. “In the first round, I’d qualified well but then got knocked out in my first battle, which was a shame. My aim in round two was to win my first battle but the wins kept on coming and I was over the moon to take second place; I’d have said there was no chance in hell of that at the start of the year.

“I now find myself being offered more driving work as well, which is brilliant, and to do something like the Ben Collins DVD was a real honour. I’ve also done some precision driving work, including something with a manufacturer that is still to be made public, and plan to go for my race licence later this year.

“That will open up the chance for me to do more film work as my ultimate aim is to do as much driving work as possible, as I now that my promo and modeling work will only go on for so long.

“Give me the option of a driving job or a modeling job paying the same and it would be the driving gig every day; there is no thought needed in that one at all!”