Ruth Senior

Name

Ruth Senior 

Profile

I’m a second year Sport and Exercise Science student at Loughborough University. 

Racing CV:            

• 2006 – UK Formula Ford           
• 2005 – BRDC Single Seater Championship           
• 2004 – T-Cars – 2nd in championship                       
• BRSCC East Anglian Driver of the Year           
• 2003 – T-Cars Scholarship winner – only novice with 2 podiums           
• 2000-2002 – Karting – Club champion

I also compete as a middle distance runner, and in 2006 I represented Great Britain at the World Junior Championships in Beijing, where I finished 9th in the 3000m steeplechase. 

When did you first became interested in the Motorsport industry and why?

I started karting when I was eleven and moved into cars at the age of fifteen when I won the T-Cars scholarship. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in racing though! 

What steps did you take to get into racing?

My family has a background in motorsport. My Grandad was a works rally driver in the ‘50s and ‘60s and my Dad used to race karts and drive in historic rallies. I’ve always wanted to race but it wasn’t until I was eleven that I first went indoor karting. I then tried outdoor karting and we bought our own kart to race. 

What does kart racing involve?

Apart from the year in which I drove the scholarship T-Car,  we ran the kart/car ourselves. Therefore each race weekend we had to pack everything into the trailer and drive to the circuit. We then unloaded everything, set the kart/car up and drove. After racing we had to pack everything up again and head home. And when we got home everything had to be cleaned! We spent a lot of time in the garage debating set-ups and fixing any accident damage. It definitely involved a lot more than driving and took up a lot more time than just the race weekends! 

Details of any major obstacles faced and how these were overcome?

The major obstacle for us, like so many other racing drivers, was a lack of money. We got over this by running the kart/car ourselves instead of paying a team to do it. The higher the level you race at though, the more expensive it gets and the more difficult it is to run the car yourself. We found my last year in Formula Ford very difficult. 

What do you like best about racing?

I love close races, where you’re wheel-to-wheel with other cars for the whole race, swapping positions every lap.  

Are there any disadvantages? 

The cost and the difficulty in raising the money necessary to be competitive. 

Have you found it tricky competing in what some consider to be a male-dominated sport?I

’ve always been one of the only girls in my races, so it’s normal for me.  Some of the guys I’ve raced against in the past haven’t enjoyed being beaten by a woman, but most treat me like any other driver.  Everyone just wants to win; it doesn’t matter who the competition is. 

Do you have any additional involvement with Motorsport?

I haven’t raced cars this year, due to a lack of funds, but I raced in the British Universities’ Karting Championship (BUKC) for Loughborough. 

What are your plans for the future?

I want to do another season of British Formula Ford, with the correct set-up behind me. But any opportunity I get to race I will take! 

Advice you would give youngsters wanting to get into Motorsport

When you get to drive, enjoy it!   ‘

Since winning the T-Car Scholarship Ruth has never been just a "token" girl on the grid. She mixes it with the boys and never gives an inch.’ Bernard Cottrell – T-Car Clerk of the Course and BRSCC Chairman.