Michelle is ready for race to be top female motorist (From This Is Lancashire)

Michelle is ready for race to be top female motorist

6:15pm Thursday 28th June 2007 in

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CAR-mad Michelle Perry is hoping that she has the winning formula to make tracks in a man's sport.

For fragrance maker Michelle is to swap her beloved Mini Cooper for a racy Caterham 7 sports car and the scent of perfume for engine oil to take part in the Formula Woman Championship.

The 31-year-old, of Hollins Lane, is through to the elimination round of the women-only motorsport competition.

She will compete against 99 other women for a place in the final 16, who will race at circuits such as Silverstone and Brands Hatch later in the year.

Michelle said: "I've been obsessed with cars since I started driving. I suppose I'm a bit of a geek. I read all the magazines and keep up with the new models.

"I love driving and the sensation you get on an open road.

"These days you get stuck in traffic all the time on public roads so this is a chance to get on a racetrack and enjoy driving for what it is."

The elimination round to decide the best 16 female motorists in the country involves a series of driving and fitness tests at a two-day camp on July 3 and 4.

To get this far Michelle has already had to go through a tough assessment round, with examinations, fitness tests and a face-to-face interview.

She said: "People don't always realise how fit you have to be to compete in motorsport. It's a physically draining activity and you've got to have your eye on the ball all the time."

The location of the elimination camp has been kept secret to prevent competitors checking out the site in advance.

Formula Woman was founded in 2004 with the ambitious aim of changing the face of the male-dominated world of motorsport.

Michelle said: "I've been to track days before and I've had a couple of lessons with instructors but it's hard for a woman to get into motorsport. Formula Woman is quite a pioneering competition. It's an opportunity I don't want to miss."

Last year, pensioner Jean Neville, a member of Bury Photographic Society and Bury Athenaeum Bridge Club, burnt rubber with Formula Woman.

The 68-year-old raced at Caterham Scotland's Knockhill racing circuit.