Michelle’s interest in motorsport it quite recent, but with her predilection for sports that require the presence of an ambulance it was only a matter of time until she got involved.
Chased by Ambulances
Since childhood Michelle has had an interest in horses; primarily dressage and some show jumping. Michelle’s love of horses has influenced much of her life; from getting used to the idea of an ambulance being required at competitions, to riding, to horsepower, there is continuity throughout her sporting life.
After many years as an equestrian, Michelle eventually found herself without a horse. At the time, getting another horse wasn’t an option due to her other commitments; instead she traded riding a horse for riding a bicycle. As a cyclist, Michelle competed in a variety of styles and was able to collect podiums and wins across various classes up to and including state level competitions.
With the advent of Covid-19 and the lockdowns in Victoria Michelle drifted out of cycling and purchased a horse in foal and both the horse she purchased and the foal it gave birth to play a significant role in her life.
Questionable Decisions
As life started to return to some form of normality in a post-Covid world, Michelle encourage Michael to purchase a toy car, a questionable idea at best. Michael purchased an Austin 7, and through the Austin 7 Club got involved in officiating at motorsport. After attending the AOMC Festival of Motoring at Cruden Farm in 2025, Michelle was assisting with towing Austin 7s back to a workshop when Michael spotted an Austin 7 race car that looked to be in reasonable condition but unused. As Michelle had sometimes joked that she would need to take up racing to see Michael on weekends, it didn’t take long for Michelle to end up sitting in the car. A joke that Michelle looked good in the car and should start racing it soon turned from a joke to a suggestion and finally to reality.
The Racing Mechanic
With promises from numerous people at the workshop that the car is ready to race and doesn’t need any work, Michelle took Fernando to the 48th Historic Winton with the view of driving him in the parade laps. Unfortunately a failed master cylinder meant Michelle could only drive around the paddock area and then had to put Fernando on display in the showroom.
The following week Michelle’s exploration of all things mechanical began with rebuilding the master cylinder. Michelle’s skillset is highly valued at the workshop where she’s created a custom soft-top for an Austin 7, helped to maintain a number of cars and is also building a close-ratio gearbox for an Austin 7.
