LOCAL rally ace Debbie Blackburn has teamed-up with a glamorous new co-driver. And the future has never looked rosier - in spite of a little bit of adverse publicity last year.

The 'little bit' of not exactly glowing copy (the story was splashed on Pages One and Three) ensued after a Bolton Evening News reporter agreed to accompany Debbie for a spin in her car.

At the time, Debbie, who by day works as a legal secretary, was on the lookout for a co-driver, and reporter Dave Roberts believed he could help her search, by experiencing the thrills of co-driving for himself.

Alas, this didn't prove to be the case on that fateful night back in December.

The pair hadn't even reached the track when Debbie's car spun out of control, smashing into a massive stone boulder, before rolling over one and a half times. Fortunately, both survived the crash without serious injury.

Sadly, it put our intrepid reporter off the sport for life.

But this was not the case for Debbie, aged 25, of Bradford Road, Great Lever, who is looking to take her dare-devil antics to further - even dizzy - heights.

This year, Debbie is hoping to pick up a sideboard of trophies in the Skoda Trophy Championship, and is looking forward to working with her new co-driver, Gaynor Cheetham, from London.

The fact that both driver and co-driver are women will no doubt cause a stir on the circuit.

"It's very, very unusual for both of us to be female.

"I caused enough of a stir when I was co-driving for a male driver,' says Debbie.

Gaynor, also aged 25, was among many who applied to be Debbie's co-driver/navigator - in spite of our reporter's ordeal.

And Debbie chose Gaynor because: "She's into marketing, she's very intelligent, she's ambitious - and she can read a map."

She went on: "There's much more to being a co-driver than just reading a map. You have to be good at mathematics and there's an awful lot of paperwork. Plus I'm looking at the bigger picture. To be in with a chance of entering the world championships we will need more sponsorship. And as I've said Gaynor's good at marketing."

Debbie became hooked on the sport when she saw a rally car on display at a show in 1995. She quickly became a co-driver and after just a year, became a driver in her own right. And for 1998 Debbie has high hopes of doing well in the Skoda Championships, which involves seven arduous races, including one in Belgium.

Not only does she have a new car driver but her sponsors, Parkside (Skoda) Garage in Peabody Street, Bolton, have provided Debbie with a new Skoda Felicia car.

And all this good news has renewed Debbie's confidence in her driving ability. "Last year, my first as a driver, we took part in loads of rallies. What we've decided to do this time is concentrate on the big one."

There are also hopes that after the championship has finished, Julie and Gaynor will be able to enter the RAC Rally at the end of the year.

Plans which underline the fact that rally driving is much more than a hobby for Debbie - she is deadly serious about it.

Her ambition is to make the grade as a world champ, which also means access to mega bucks in prize money.

And it's all within her grasp - if she continues to win races and attract sponsorship.

"I'd leave my job tomorrow if I could make the grade," she says, with a determination that is entirely convincing.

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