BICESTER HERITAGE HOSTS WINTER’S WOMEN IN MOTORING INITIATIVE

BICESTER HERITAGE HOSTS WINTER’S WOMEN IN MOTORING INITIATIVE

Closing the events season in fine fashion, Bicester Heritage hosted its final Women in Motoring initiative of 2018, this time in conjunction with the Vintage Sports Car Club, in which a number of female enthusiasts were given the chance to truly experience the joys of vintage motoring. The event capped off a great year of Women in Motoring initiatives aiming to increase female engagement within historic motoring.

Bicester Heritage continues to support and encourage more women into our sport – be it participating in rallies, driving tests, trials, attending shows or just getting under the bonnet of vehicles, and has taken great pleasure in hosting a number of ‘Women in Motoring’ events throughout 2018. As the year draws to a close, the Vintage Sports Car Club Winter Driving Tests provided the perfect opportunity for such an event. 

Ten women participated in an afternoon of vintage motoring, familiarising themselves with a selection of different vehicles, having the opportunity to drive and to navigate and finishing with timed tests. The participants had a range of experience behind the wheel but none had competed in driving tests in a vintage car prior to the event. Owners kindly loaned 5 vehicles ranging from a 1910 Overland to 1937 Riley 12/4 allowing participants to experience a range of vehicles and the idiosyncrasies of each one.

Offering an exceptional opportunity to learn, experience and enjoy such fine machines ensured a truly memorable day, with many new converts to the world of vintage motoring.

Georgia Peck, Director of Events, Vantage Media, said “The VSCC Winter Driving Tests – Women in Motoring event was by far one of the most enjoyable days of my year. I was warmly welcomed, as always, by the Bicester Heritage staff and made to feel completely at home from start to finish. The array of pre-war cars available to drive were equally as fantastic as their owners who had kindly let us use them for the day - it was an utter delight to be in their company and hear stories of the cars’ motoring history, dating back over 100 years in some cases! Thank you again to the Bicester Heritage team and VSCC car owners!”

Bicester Heritage wishes to thank the Vintage Sports Car Club and its members Mark Elder, Harry Fraser, Gilly Howard-Orchard, Guy Lachlan and Emily Fraser who kindly loaned cars and gave their full support to the event – bravely stepping into the back-seat of their own vehicles to help the drivers. Gilly Howard-Orchard, proud owner of the 1928 Austin Chummy used in the event, was full of praise for the initiative, saying “It was a huge pleasure to be part of the day and to see everyone being so hugely enthusiastic and loving being at the wheel of a vintage car for the first time. All grasped the idiosyncrasies of vintage driving in no time”.

Tiggy Atkinson, Bespoke Events Manager at Bicester Heritage, commented “It was a great pleasure to see our guests having so much fun and equally the owners enjoying sharing their passion with new recruits. The supportive yet competitive atmosphere was all that I had hoped it would be, with the women relishing the challenge. We are looking forward to having more fun in 2019.”

Bicester Heritage is already planning similar events to start in the Spring of 2019.