Emma Gilmour’s year has felt like a dream.
You cannot blame the Dunedin driver for feeling that way.
She broke new ground as the first female driver for McLaren, rubbed shoulders with motorsport royalty, drove at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and travelled to remote locations around the world.
"It’s very much like a fairy tale, the things I get to see and do," Gilmour said.
Her whirlwind year was capped off last weekend when she and her American co-driver, Tanner Foust, came second at the Uruguay round of the Extreme E, and she became the first female driver to stand on a podium for McLaren.
"It was just such a relief because it is really challenging racing. Anything can happen, so there’s no guarantees. Even if you’re the fastest out there, that doesn’t mean you’re going to win."
That result added to an already challenging season.
Having two "basically written-off cars" after the first two events was a learning curve, and while Gilmour was still sore from the second-round crash, her team fixed the car.
It proved to be a "blessing and a curse" having the third round two days later, as there was little time to prepare the car, but she did not have to wait months to be back behind the wheel.
A clean run in the third event gave her and the tight-knit 10-person team confidence.
"We really built on our momentum after those setbacks, and I think it made the success we had last weekend taste that much better.
"It would have been nice to have been on the podium in that first round, not to have gone through all that ... but it definitely makes you appreciate just how hard it is."
Extreme E had been a high-pressure event, and the environmental ethos to race without leaving a trace meant drivers had limited preparation and mileage on the course.
"Yet you’ve got to go out and perform straight out of the box, so every metre counts.
"I know that’s true of all motor racing, but with us it’s a terrain that’s changing every time we go out, so it makes it really hard to know what you’re dealing with each time."
Add in other drivers, dust, and different terrains - including the variations on grass - and it made for a tough combination.
"But it’s also very special because you’re competing against multiple world champions, which is pretty cool," Gilmour said.
"The thing I love most about the series, especially for me, is the male-female part of it.
"For a motorsport series to have females getting equal driving opportunity has done a lot for women in motorsport, more so than anything else we’ve ever seen."
Traditionally, Gilmour had been an athlete who took the losses on her shoulders, but McLaren’s team-first approach to dealing to mistakes was refreshing, she said.
"It’s a really nice environment to be in because you know it is high-pressure, but it is still racing at the end of the day and things happen, and you’ve just got to deal with it and do the best going forward."
While it had been a demanding year, the highs and personal development had all been worth it, she said.
"I think I’m proud of how I’ve grown as a driver of this series. Knowing that I still want to do better but I like the fact that me and Tanner as a team-mate, we work very well together.
"I’m most proud of overcoming the setbacks we’ve had and still coming through."
She also enjoyed the experiences out of the driving seat.
From clearing habitat terrains for frogs in a Chilean desert to visiting wind farms in Uruguay as part of the series’ legacy programme, each moment left a lasting impression.
Then there was visiting the McLaren Technology Centre launch alongside Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, being at the Indianapolis 500 and acting like a "fan girl" seeing Sebastien Loeb in person.
"It’s still surreal in many ways and I still feel super lucky to be doing it."
When she got into motorsport, Gilmour harboured a dream to join the world championships. But she could have never imagined she would be where she was today.
"I’ve been really lucky with the opportunities I’ve had, but to be honest I never saw an opportunity like this coming along.
"It’s nice timing for me because I’m probably driving the best I’ve ever driven and [I’m] as mentally tough as I’ve ever been through all the experience I’ve had, so it’s pretty cool to have that opportunity now."
