It’s a family affair for Kyla Birdseye in the MG Metro Cup as she follows in some well-trodden wheeltracks
The MG Car Club, as outlined, prides itself on its family ties – ‘family’ both in the metaphorical and literal sense. Yet there cannot be many who can match the number of ties that Kyla Birdseye has.
Not only does 24-year-old Birdseye compete in the MG Metro Cup, so do both of her parents – Mel Trevett and Richard Garrard – and her grandfather Dick Trevett. Dick also alternates in the car from year to year with Birdseye’s uncle David Javes, and Javes’s daughters Emma and Kim are the championship’s coordinator and secretary respectively!
“I’ve actually been going [to MG races] since I was four months old!,” Birdseye tells Motorsport News. “I was born in the November and my first race meeting was in the March! My grandad started [racing] the year before I was born and then I just got brought up with it.
“And [later] I just thought ‘you know what, I want to give it a go’, and there wasn’t many women in motorsport and I was like ‘is that even possible?’
I got my licence and it was the best thing I’ve ever done!”
Her transition from watching to competing wasn’t initially straightforward though. “It was nerve wracking,” she admits. “It was awkward and embarrassing because I was so far behind. I started off in my dad’s car, so I was scared of crashing that as well!
“But because I already knew all the drivers, after the race they would come up and give me a hug and say that was good. And they’ve seen me improve over the years and they said it’s so nice being able to watch me get more confident with my car.
“I have known everyone there pretty much since I was a baby so I pretty much consider everyone there as family. It’s such a welcoming community.”
As for racing her actual family members? “It is friendly but it’s also competitive,” Birdseye confirms. “Last year I spent most of the season battling with my dad! So it’s been a running thing that I’m going to beat him, that’s my aim for this year anyway!
“MG Car Club has been my life for the last 24 years. And I think in my last 24 years I’ve probably missed about four races. So I don’t know what I would do if I ever had to stop.”