>Women In Motorsport>Sandra Tomlin

I have been involved in Motor-Sport since childhood because my father Phil Chapman competed in sprints and hillclimbs throughout the UK. As soon as I was tall enough to reach the pedals in his car he taught me to drive. When I was 15 he bought me a Reliant 3 wheeler and made me take it completely apart and rebuild it so that I would really understand how everything worked. Then at 16 years of age I repeated the process with a Lotus 7.

I initially started hillclimbing in 1983 sharing my father’s V8 Sports Racing Special which he had designed and built in 1956. But I felt that I needed something more modern so after a couple of seasons in a Reliant Scimitar and a TVR Turbo I moved on to a Sports 2000 Tiga. I achieved a few successes with this car but desired more power so a 2.5 litre Hart engined Pilbeam MP22 followed.

In 1994 I bought a Pilbeam MP58 with a 2.8 Hart engine and with this car I broke the Prescott Ladies Hill Record and the Shelsley Walsh Ladies Record. But again I wanted more power so in 2004 I purchased the ex Moran Championship winning Pilbeam MP72 fitted with a 4 litre F1 Judd engine. This car enabled me to add the Gurston and Harewood Ladies Records to my tally.

In 2009 Mike Pilbeam built for me his latest MP97 equipped with another 600 bhp F1 Judd and a sequential Ricardo gearbox. I have on a couple of occasions qualified for the British Hillclimb Championship Top 12 Run Off.

Since 2006 I have been an AHASS instructor at Prescott Hill Drivers School and in 2007 was invited to join the MSA Women in Motorsport Group.

I am married with a son Oliver and daughter Amy both of whom have followed me into Hillclimbing making them 3rd generation Hillclimbers! I share my car with Oliver. Amy drives an MP87 with her husband.

Initially I trained as an Art Teacher specialising in Ceramics but for the last 20 years I have farmed sheep in South Wales which satisfies my creative side. But SPEED is my main passion!

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