Roscrea's Nicole makes stunning debut at Enduro racing

Roscrea racer Nicole Drought teamed up with the PRO-AM Racing squad for her EnduroKA debut at Donington Park in the UK last weekend.

Horrendous conditions meant her test session on the Friday was shortened to just four laps and worse was to come when a power failure disabled the timing system at the circuit on race day.

The grids were subsequently pulled from a hat and Nicole, along with team mates Louis Harvey and Will Hillyard, drew number 31 - meaning they would start near the back of the capacity grid for the five hour race.

It was soon clear that both car and strategy were on point though and Will and Louis had climbed to 21st when Nicole took to the track for her stint.

As the rain fell, she scythed her way up through the grid to second and took the lead just before her pitstop, timed to perfection by the team.

Will then returned to the car and with all pitstops done, the team had a lead of over a lap on the rest of the field.
Disaster was to strike though, as a suspension part failed inside the final hour, necessitating another stop to remove and replace the offending component.

Unsurprisingly, this dropped them well down the field once again, but the point had been proven- both drivers and team were capable of victory.

Scott Thompson. Team Owner, PRO-AM Motorsport said after the race that “it was great to have Nicole join the team for Donington. She quickly adapted to our Ford KA, a new car for her, and her pace hugely impressed.

He said the Roscrea woman not only brought the speed but also the consistency and safety you need for endurance racing.

“She made her rise from P21 to P1 in her stint look effortless. The calming energy and enthusiasm she carried with her off track was a great addition and her desire to win was obvious,” he said.

After the race Nicole said she really enjoyed making her debut.

“The final result was heartbreaking, we definitely had it in the bag.

“Take that out of it though, and all the components were there. The team are fantastic, really hard working and meticulous and the car was great to drive”, Nicole said.

“Sometimes in sport, the performance is more important than the result and this was one of those days.

“The team and I definitely have some unfinished business”, she said.

“As ever, a big thanks to all or my commercial partners who make this happen. Gem Oils, ITM Digital, Siltex Safety, Westgrove Hotel and Conference Centre and Joe Mallon Motors."

Nicole is daughter of well known Roscrea mechanic and fellow racer Owain Drought and is a past pupil of Coláiste Phobal in Roscrea.