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URS Formula Ford 2000 Driver Competition has never been too far away from Julie. Her father, Ray, regularly raced a motorcycle in the 60's and was quite successful, but Julie was distracted by her love of horses. She worked with them seven days a week and competed in local competitions. She showed great promise, but working as a groom for a showjumper and carriage-driving team (a timed competition for 2-8 horse-drawn carriages) gave her little time and money to continue riding competitively. There were only the winter skiing holidays that gave her the excitement of speed and control. Julie could have never thought she would end up loving every minute of being behind the wheel of a race car.
Julie completed her Royal Automobile Club racing licence course at Goodwood race circuit and entered her first race at Snetterton in April 1993. It was to be a false start as the race was oversubscribed, but she had her first taste of driving a car on a racetrack in testing and she was absolutely hooked. In her second race, at Oulton Park, she finished in the points. Julie enjoyed her next race at Pembrey, but the following races all ended with various mechanical failures. It would be a long winter before testing could start in 1994. Plagued with more mechanical upsets in 1994 and 1995, Julie battled to learn the circuits and racecraft in this competitive 40-plus car racing series. The highlights included a front-row start at Silverstone and a third place finish in wet conditions at Snetterton. It was a tough training ground.
Julie started the 2000 season with her first win at Silverstone, the first lady to win a MGOC race in the twenty year history of the club. Another two wins followed and Julie achieved five pole positions, four fastest laps and two lap records on her way to second place in the Championship. Julie had long been keen to try a single-seater race car and was offered a test drive in a Van Dieman FF2000. She experienced mixed weather conditions at Silverstone but was quickly on the pace. This was definitely the car to be racing in 2001.
Julie works as a manager of equestrian retailers in Buckinghamshire. She spends all her spare time and money on her racing, the winter months are spent studying circuit maps, watching race videos and keeping her reflexes sharp by racing karts. Her other love of skiing has to wait but she fancies trying the skiing in America in 2002. Julie has set her sights on single-seater racing, and hopes to compete in a Formula 3 car as soon as she has mastered the art of winning in FF2000.
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Julie
Clark
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