Christ church racer reveals 'THE TRAGEDY BEHIND MY TRIUMPH'

Award-winning racing driver Sharon Keir has an extra-special reason for putting pedal to the metal

- Sara Bunny

Whether it’s the roar of an engine or the thrill of hitting the throttle, Sharon Keir says cars are her happy place. With nearly a decade’s experience in racing, the sporty Cantabrian spends countless weekends at Ruapuna Motorsport Park, tearing up the track in her beloved B18C-powered Honda Civic and scooping awards as she goes.

“I absolutely love it,” laughs Sharon, 32. “You can’t beat the feeling of getting up to 200km/h on the home straight! I’ve met some amazing people through motorsport and it’s a great support network.”

Sharon, who started racing at age 25, regularly finishes in the top tier for her class and has since gone on to win the female trophy an impressive seven times. The steely speedster says she never gets scared behind the wheel, but an unfortunate prang once left her in tears.

“We had just spent about three months stripping my car, putting new panels on and repainting it, and the first time I drove it, I got hit!” she recalls. “I was totally gutted. But when you’re out on the racetrack, it’s just one of those things that happens. I always know my limits and I don’t like to push it too much in case I break the car or have an accident.”