HAVING?SEEN photos of so many girls and boys her age at rallies and then hearing about all the fun and excitement they boasted of having, Julia Caine wanted to find out what all the noise was about.
Listening to countless stories from her father about his visits to the Vaucluse raceway back in its day, was another motivating factor that stirred the interest of Caine even more.
All it took was one visit with one of her work colleagues to a night stage at Yorkshire in Christ Church some eight years ago to convince her that attending rallies would be her new hobby.
Now she will be getting her feet wet in her first Sol Rally Barbados.
“Even today the sound of the engine notes still ring distinctly in my ears,” Caine said as she described that first experience.
“The cars with their very bright lights appearing and disappearing at phenomenal speeds, the atmosphere and the conversations about whom the last driver was through the stage even though it was difficult to identify the cars, was just amazing.
“That fans were able to accurately identify each driver just by the sound of his car again was also mind blowing. I was converted right there and then.”
Going to a rally alone was not Caine’s idea and therefore it was not long before she aligned herself with three of her male racing enthusiasts, each one of them rooting for a different competitor. Arguments of who was the best driver were always their topic of discussion.
There was one driver in particular that caught her interest and admiration even though he was not considered among my colleague’s best. That was Harold “Doc” Morley, known by racing enthusiasts in Barbados and around the region as the oldest rally driver on the scene. Watching the way he handled his cars was very impressive for a man his age.
Little did Caine know at the time that eventually she would one day be offered the opportunity to sit in the navigator’s seat next to him in this year’s Sol Rally.
How the offer and opportunity came about caught young Caine by surprise, since even though her love for the sport grew rapidly after each event, she never saw herself in a navigator’s seat.
“That situation happened very spontaneously. It actually had nothing at all to do with my love for car racing. My former boss at her current place of employment, Legends Cricket Museum, and I were researching ways to make the link between cricket and car racing and we had approached some of the other drivers previously regarding how they would like to be part of the project. Mr Morley was among those we spoke to about the project.”
It was shortly after that meeting, that Caine got the shock of her life.
“Harold messaged me one afternoon with the news that his navigator for this year’s King Of The Hill and Sol Rally Barbados events could no longer navigate for him due to unforeseen circumstances and asked if I would like the opportunity.
“I was in instant shock. All I remember asking him was “What does navigating entail? After listening to what was involved, I eagerly accepted his offer and looked forward to my first experience in a rally car beginning with the King Of The Hill warm-up event, a precursor to Sol Rally Barbados.
Speaking about the experience in last Sunday’s King Of The Hill event, Caine could not contain her joy.
“I scarcely slept (last) Saturday night. I was really nervous, before and during our first run of the day, but that soon went away and even though it was hot and humid, I totally enjoyed the experience. The atmosphere was really great, especially the camaraderie with the other competitors. I am now looking forward to the real test this weekend in the Rally,” she said.
