Louise Cook was second in her class in Monte Carlo

Louise Cook exceeded her own expectations with a successful debut in the World Rally Championship in Monte Carlo last weekend.

The 24-year-old’s Ford Fiesta was up against much more powerful cars in her category, the Production Car World Rally Championship (PWRC), but she guided it home in second place.

The opening stages were made tougher by patches of ice and mechanical issues, but after making the cut the Maidstone driver’s focus was on reaching the finish. Despite having to nurse the car home, Cook was delighted with the result.

She said: “We achieved our goal though and I am so pleased as anything could have happened with the car, the gearbox has never done more than 400 miles on a rally and was now faced with 1200, so that was a constant worry.

“We did it though, we got her to the end and gained second place in the PWRC, a result that we could never have imagined, but we had to be there at the finish to take it. I may have driven like my grandma, but it would have been crazy to do anything else and risk it all, I am really really pleased with the result.”

Cook is now working hard on raising the £70,000 needed to compete for the rest of the season. The next round is in May, with the Acropolis Rally in Greece.