Nicki Beverley came across the male-dominated sport of rally car racing quite by accident.
Several years ago, the 23-year-old was working atTim Hortons in Merritt and noticed many modified cars sitting in the parking lot of Canadian Tire during one of the Pacific Forest Rally (PFR) events that visit the city every fall.
"These are hot," she told herself about the modified cars as she checked them out. That day, she also got to meet some of the drivers. But after she watched the racers drive a few loops, "That was it," she says. Beverley was hooked on rally car racing, which is road-legal cars racing on public or private roads.
"Male-dominated motorsports can be tough to get into, somewhat intimidating; however, if you are open, work hard, then I don't think it really matters if you are female."
Whether or not she envisioned herself one day actually competing in rally racing, she got in touch with the right people at the West Coast Rally Association, and before she knew it, she was volunteering.
"My dad and my sister competed in a navigational rally that I organized a few years ago," says Beverley, who has worked at rally functions on weekends for seven years while working as a nurse during the week.
"We're still looking for volunteers," she says of this year's PFR event, which runs Sept. 30 – Oct. 1 and will be telecast on national sports station TSN/RDS.
But after spending seven years in rally, Beverley will be doing more than just organizing the PFR this time around. She has moved her way up and will compete as a co-driver alongside Jim Shepherd of North Vancouver. They will compete in their Little Black Dog Racing 2000 Toyota Celica in the production class, which is the competition category for cars less than 200 horsepower.
Beverley says that you need more skills and a lot more money to compete in the open class category, where cars can have unlimited modifications.
"I feel very comfortable in the car," she says, having raced for one complete year with Shepherd.
Beverley and Shepherd will need to be comfortable, as the terrain of the Nicola Valley makes the Pacific Forest Rally one of the most difficult, yet fun, race tracks on the Canadian Rally Championships circuit.
"These are incredibly challenging roads in comparison to the other roads that you see in Canada," admits Beverley.
"I love racing in Merritt," says Shepherd, a 48-year-old husband and loving owner of two black dachshunds, of which his racing team is named after. "The roads are good, the people are great."
Rally participants will spend almost eight hours over the two-day rally in Merritt careening around corners on dirt roads, and launching into the air off small hills on the road. Racing will continue into the night, presenting even more of a challenge to racing teams.
"Cars come over the corner ridiculously fast and over the cattle guard. It's hard not to get excited when you are there," explains Beverley.
Designated spectator areas include Cutoff Road on Highway 97 for Friday's race and Helmer Lake, Dillard, and Active Mountain on Saturday.
"I am so excited. I've been dreaming of racing in Merritt since I saw my first car come around the corner, and we have never had any competitors from Merritt—ever."
"Should be able to get in the top five," predicts Beverley with some confidence.
"She is a great competitor," says Shepherd, who has known Beverley for about four years. "She's learning a lot and making an effort to learn a lot. It's nice working with her…."
But before Beverley and Shepherd can put the petal to the medal and go airborne, the team will have to comb the track.
Little Black Dog Racing will scrutinize the racetrack—every corner, every bump, everything, in what is called the recce event, where co-drivers take notes as their drivers manoeuvre the track at no more than 60 km/h.
"We try to pick out all the hazards ahead of time," explains Shepherd. The team will ride the recce event Thursday and Friday before the race begins.
Shepherd says the purpose of rally is to, "Drive as fast as possible from point A to pint B on some pretty rough roads."
He recalls once being told, "If your brakes are glowing red but your pads aren't on fire, you're not going fast enough."
Beverley and Shepherd will be available to meet with the public during Parc Exposé, which runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at Canadian Tire Friday, Sept. 30.
For more on the Pacific Forest Rally, see the Merritt News special feature Sept. 29.
To see the full article go to- http://www.merrittnews.net/article/20110910/MERRITT0201/110909865/-1/MERRITT/first-merrittonian-to-race-in-pacific-forest-rally
