Still trying to take this one in.
This weekend we celebrated two 50ths — my sister Monica’s birthday, and the 50th Otago Rally.
If you’d told me when Moni turned 34 — and I finished 2nd at Otago — that I’d have to wait until her 50th to stand on the podium again… I’m not sure I would’ve believed you. Or had the patience for it.
This rally has broken my heart more times than I can count.
So to finally stand on the podium again — at the 50th event — is pretty special. One of the highlights of my career.
And yes… finally winning my weight in Speight’s after all these years 🍻😅
Massive congratulations to the Otago Rally committee and the army of volunteers behind it. It’s a world-class event — and a credit to everyone involved.
To everyone who’s messaged, commented, or supported along the way — thank you. You’ve all seen the tough days, which makes this one mean even more.
Ben — 7 years, 8 events, 5 DNFs… so it’s a relief to finally stand on the podium together. You deserve it with the brilliant job you do every single time. Thanks for sticking with me.
Ollie & the team — the C3 was great all weekend. Thank you.
Hayden — appreciate everything you’ve done to help get us back here. And seriously cool to see you back on the WRC podium again this weekend.
I’ve had a lot of ups and downs at this rally over the years, with a lot of different teams and people backing me along the way — this one feels like it’s for all of them too.
And to my partners and supporters — thank you. I genuinely couldn’t do it without you.
2026 will be my first season rallying without Vantage Windows & Doors on the side of my rally car. I won the sponsor “lottery” 21 years ago when that partnership began, and I’m so thankful for the friendships, relationships, and memories made along the way.
We achieved a lot together. There were plenty of highs and a few lows, and I’m genuinely grateful for their support through all of it.
Onwards to a new chapter. 😊
@vantagewindows
#TeamVantage #Vantage
✨ Looking back on a year ago, I feel incredibly proud of everything I achieved in 2024 and deeply grateful for the amazing people who have been part of my journey.
A year ago, I was still slowly recovering from my Extreme E crash, battling a badly sprained neck and the lingering effects of a bad concussion. I wasn’t sure if I’d still want to drive or if I’d even be able to when I finally jumped back in the car in March.
Thankfully, the buzz was still there! 😮💨💥 Despite the ongoing fatigue from the concussion, we pushed through the challenges in the first half of the season. By the end, we finished strong – standing back on a national rally podium at Rally Bay of Plenty after 8 years, and wrapping up the NZ Championship season on the podium -12 years since I last did that!
None of this would have been possible without the incredible people around me: 🌟
🧡 Gary – for supporting me through my physical recovery.
🧠 NeuroFlex, MREMG, and all the physios and medical specialists – for helping me heal my brain.
🏁 Hayden, Ollie, and the Paddon Rallysport crew – for the encouragement, belief and running the C3 faultlessly all season.
👨✈️ Malcolm, Ben, and Katrina – for your support from the navigator’s seat.
🤝 To my amazing sponsors, all of whom have supported me for multiple years – your loyalty means the 🌎 to me. A special shoutout to Vantage, as we celebrated 20 years together in 2024! 🥳
To my friends, family, competitors, and supporters – thank you for believing in me and encouraging me along the way. You have no idea how much it all meant.
Here’s to 2025! Let’s keep living the dream! 🚗💨
#RallyLife #MotorsportNZ #RallyDriver #NZRC #PaddonRallysport #WomenInMotorsport #Resilience #ConcussionRecovery #MotorsportFamily #Grateful #RallySeason2024 #BringOn2025
New merch has landed 👀💕
Bit of cheese for the selfie 😁
Big thanks to the team at Uniform NZ — they’ve done a great job with these and made the whole online ordering process super easy too. Plenty of options for everyone 👌
If you want to check them out, link is in bio.
Made it to the PINC Stand Up Ball last night 💕
Beautiful event, great cause, lovely people… and very much proof that my social stamina (and feet in stilettos rather than racing shoes) is about two hours max 😂😩.
I’ll be honest — I’m not always great at this one.
I can get pretty focused on responsibility, performance, goals, fixing problems… always trying to optimise the next corner.
But life can get pretty heavy if everything becomes serious all the time.
Sometimes we actually need to do things purely because they make us smile.
No outcome attached.
No productivity points.
Just fun for the sake of it.
What’s your go-to thing that helps keep life fun?
#pacenotesforlife
Recently I wasn’t okay.
Sad. Lonely. Struggling.
I had a really good session with my therapist and when I said how I was feeling, she asked if I shared that with my friends.
I said no — I didn’t want to burden them.
She challenged that.
So I told a couple of close friends… and their response was immediate:
“Sharing isn’t a burden. That’s friendship.”
That hit me.
I think we’re all a bit guilty of going quiet when we’re struggling.
We don’t want to take up anyone else’s time, so we keep it to ourselves.
But in a rally car, if something feels off — I say it.
My co-driver can’t feel what I feel. I’m the only one with the steering wheel. But they can help me manage it — if I tell them.
Life’s no different.
The people around you can’t support you if they don’t know what’s going on.
And something I had to own —
you don’t get deep friendships if you only ever show the polished version of yourself.
It’s not a burden.
It’s friendship.
Pacenote - Say it. You can’t be supported in silence.
#pacenotesforlife
There’s no room for distraction at speed.
Funny how easy it is to forget that in real life.
I catch myself doing it too.
Pacenote: Look where you want to go. #pacenotesforlife
