She has been New Zealand's first lady of rallying for a decade and now Emma Gilmour has achieved a top-tier result.
She won her first New Zealand Rally Championship event at the Rally of Canterbury yesterday to become the first female to win a national rally round in New Zealand.
The victory was well-earned, Gilmour (35) said, of the nine-stage event, in which she and Australian co-driver Anthony McLoughlin either won or were runners-up in eight out of the nine stages in their Suzuki Swift Maxi.
"It was particularly satisfying because we led all day. The car was handling really well, despite the changeable conditions and ice, which made it really slippery in the morning,'' Gilmour said.
"We had one moment where the engine coughed and spluttered after going through one of the long, deep fords but thankfully we only lost about 30 seconds.''
MotorSport New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Brian Budd congratulated Gilmour and her team on a great victory.
"A championship round win has been a long time coming but is significant given the fact that Emma was instrumental in bringing to New Zealand a new generation rally car from which the new AP4 regulations have been developed. It is great to see Emma's dedication to the sport over many years rewarded with this win.''
Gilmour has come close to a round win before, including beating home her rivals in one leg of the International Rally of Whangarei in 2012.
"I just want to thank everyone involved. I've had so much help over the years through my sponsors, supporters and various service crews. A special mention needs to go to my current team of Lindsay, Mike and Lane, who have seen the Suzuki through its development years.
"We have had a few heart-breaking times along the way, so tonight is for celebrating its success and rewarding all those who had faith in me,'' Gilmour said, last night.
She now sits second in the NZRC points, six points behind Mount Maunganui's David Holder, who crashed his Mitsubishi Evo 8 out of yesterday's event.
Auckland's Andrew Hawkeswood and co-driver Jeff Cress finished second in his new Mazda 2 AP4-spec car and Waihi's Carl Davies and Tracey Millar claimed the final step of the podium in their Subaru Impreza WRX.
The Canterbury event had a high level of attrition with four of the championship frontrunners falling by the wayside.
Christchurch's Richard Baddock went off the road and was unable to rejoin, while mechanical issues permanently sidelined Matt Summerfield, of Rangiora, defending champion Ben Hunt and Tauranga driver Phil Campbell.
