From Novice to Night Racing & Rallycross – Laura Hannon - My Motorsport Journey.
My journey in Motorsport started just over three years ago in Mondello Park as a driving experience customer. From this I competed in a novice competition in the UK for a GT4 seat and made it to the final, coming 18th overall, out of hundreds of applicants from all over the world.
This opened doors for me in Motorsport, I was originally a Mechanical Engineer in Pharma but changed my career, first moving to a sim racing company as an Events Manager, bringing stands to the F1 Montreal Festival and Autosport. I then started as a driving instructor in Mondello Park and eventually moved into my current role of Guest Experience Executive, managing corporate events, and making sure that every customer has the same great experience I had three years ago.
During this time, I started racing in the ICCR Fiesta Zetec championship and got to learn racing craft and what it takes to succeed as a racing driver, which gave me a great respect for drivers who make it. In 2023 I was honoured to race against Micheal Fassbender and Tommy Bryne in the Fiesta Zetec 6 hour, my first ever endurance race. I qualified first in my team and got to start the race alongside some of the best drivers in the country. I did three 45-minute stints for my team, the start, middle and much to my excitement/dread the night stint. Racing the circuit in the dark was a challenge but I loved every minute and finishing the race is a memory I will treasure forever.
In 2024 I had to step back from racing but was encouraged to try Rallycross which was one of my goals for the year. I had no idea what to expect but had a test day to figure it all out. The morning of the test I was the first car on track as I was excited to try the course for the first time. The track was like nothing I had raced before, every time I went out the surface changed which was great for car control and brilliant craic. I was getting lap times around 50 seconds which was good but off the pace. At the start of every run, I had a chat with one of my fellow instructors who was timing me, and he encouraged me to figure out the track on my own. We talked about what I did different after each run and my times began to drop. On my last run I decided to change my approach and go back to basics, take each corner smoother by going slow in, fast out. This was a great decision and in one day I went from not knowing the track to getting my times down to that of the championship contenders at 46 seconds. The race weekend had its ups and downs, but I finished with a 2nd place trophy and a bucket of my own tears from the pressure I had put on myself to do well!
I competed again at the 6 Hour Fiesta Endurance race at the end of 2024 in Mondello Park which is fast becoming my favourite race of the year.
My plan for 2025 is to compete in the Future Classics Championship with my new Mazda MX-5. My main goal this year is to work on my car control and a MX-5 is the perfect car for this.
Getting into Motorsport has been the best decision of my life. I sacrificed a lot and thinking back it was a big leap of faith, but I cannot imagine my life without it. For anyone thinking about taking part in any capacity my advice would be to get in contact. There are many active clubs that would be happy to help you to get involved. I am always available to contact and will help anyone interested in taking the next step.
Photo credits: Paddy McGrath, Laura Hannon