KEY POINTS:
New Zealand driver Emma Gilmour has accepted an invitation to contest the Bettega Memorial rally challenge in Italy next week.
Gilmour, 26, of Dunedin, will become the first woman to compete in the challenge, named in honour of Attilio Bettega, an Italian world championship driver who lost his life in a rally accident in 1986.
Among her opponents next weekend will be world rally championship (WRC) regulars such as Chris Atkinson, of Australia, Gigi Galli, of Italy, and Tony Gardemeister, of Finland.
She will drive a Ford WRC car for the first time.
"There will be no opportunity for testing. I'll arrive in Italy and be expected to get into the car and compete, so it really is an exciting adventure into the unknown," Gilmour said.
"The closest I've come to experiencing a full WRC car is probably driving my Vantage Team Subaru Impreza WRX in specially-tuned Race to the Sky hillclimb form."
Gilmour understands the challenge is raced in a stadium packed with fans.
She said confirmation of the one-off drive in Italy gave her a boost after missing out on the Fiesta Sporting Trophy International Challenge in England this week.
"Things actually went pretty well for me, but it was a very tight contest against some really talented European drivers," she said.
"The people that were quickest in the challenge shootout were those who had been driving their cars all season, whereas others -- myself included -- had to get behind the wheel of a new machine for the event."
- NZPA
