“Yeah, there's been some hostility and some comments, but as long as you can take the banter but also give it back, I kind of stop it in its tracks." Tessa Whittock revels in being a female in what's seen as a man's world. Drifting, Tuning, Wrenching, Stunt driving for billion dollar Hollywood blockbusters. "Sure, there's that element of, 'oh, because you're a girl, you're getting special treatment"," she laughs, "or 'you've qualified better than I have because you're a woman'. No. It's just how I drive. I'm better at it than you are."
Tessa has crammed a heck of a lot into her 33 years. She's an ex-investment banker who taught herself to drift on dirt using an old Suzuki Vitara with the four-wheel drive disengaged. "I've always been mad for cars and tractors because of my farm upbringing. I love a tractor! When I was 14, my dad had a friend who had an RX-7 which we took to Santa Pod. And there was this drift taxi. I got in an R32 Skyline - and literally from that day forward I was like, 'oh my God, how can I do this?'"
So, having blown up her first car the day after passing her test (a shonky Corsa) and quickly upgrading to some choice hot hatches (Fiesta ST and Corsa VXR Nürburgring Edition), Tessa saved up until she bagged a beloved Nissan R33 Skyline at just 21, and could take the art of going sideways pro.
この記事は BBC Top Gear UK の July 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は BBC Top Gear UK の July 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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