OUEEN OF COMBE TAKES TWO VICTORIES AT ‘HOME’ CIRCUIT
Despite living nearly 150 miles away from the Castle Combe Circuit Ilsa Cox considers visiting the Wiltshire venue ‘like coming home’.
It’s perhaps not surprising as the 52-year-old has had considerable success at the track over the past two decades.
She competed aboard a Peugeot 205 in the inaugural season of the Saloon series in
1995, taking several wins, before winning the championship outright two years later.
More recently, she’s claimed back-to-back Castle Combe GT titles in her SEAT Leon Cupra and has even been dubbed ‘the queen of Combe’ such is her affiliation with the circuit.
“It’s a lot like coming home when I go to Castle Combe,” said Cox, who travels to the circuit from her home in Brighton.
“I was friendly with Howard Strawford [former owner] and I worked here as an instructor for 15 years, I’d get up at 0500hrs and get to work at 0800hrs to work with
Alan Cooper and the rest of his team.
“People come up to me now and say they remember watching me race in the 205.
“It’s a wonderful circuit to race on, but
I do like racing other circuits because I do think it isn’t that great for your driving if you’re only racing on the same circuit.”
She began racing in 1987, driving a Suzuki Swift in the Production Saloon Car Championship having got into the sport after meeting her now husband, Brian, who retired from racing himself in 2012 but still attends meetings alongside his wife.
Having competed for more than three decades, Cox has established herself as a leading female driver in a sport which is still considered male-dominated.
“I think when you’re new to it, they don’t want to be beaten by a girl but then they realise you’re just another person on the grid,” she said.
“I really enjoy being in a race. I had a few years in the 205 where I was leading from the front after taking pole, but my love is to be in the middle [of the pack] honing your defence and attack skills. I love it when
I’m out in the car.”
At last weekend’s meeting she took a brace of wins in the Classic Touring Car Racing Club’s BOSS and Classic Thunder races, re-passing Andy Robinson’s Ford Falcon for the lead in the opener and holding off Lucky Khera’s BMW M3 in the second.
Any effort to repeat her success in the two Castle Combe GT Championship outings was thwarted by rising temperatures in the car, however.
After taking seventh overall and second in class during the first race, she decided to withdraw from the second race and will be next out in the CNC Heads Sports/saloons at Donington Park next month.
As for her long-term plans for the future,
Cox is keen to carry on racing for as long as she can.
“We’ve been saying it will be our final year for the last five years, but we will keep going all the time he [Brian] wants to,” she added.
“Because we have always been together, as soon as he’s had
enough that will be it for me.”