Hayward has been
competitive in
Clubmans since 2012JOY^ RICHIN
GSassessment and was picked for a race place in the last 16. She picks
up the story: “We had a couple of preliminary races, and then, six
weeks before the championship was due to start, Graeme said he’d
been unable to fi nd the full funds required for the championship
and that we’d all got to raise £10,000.”
After completing an MSc in Motor Sport Engineering, she was
working at Xtrac at the time and was able to fund the fi rst couple
of races at Pembrey in a Caterham. Race-winning pace marked
her out as one of the favourites, but fi nding £10,000 put a full
campaign out of reach.
By now Hayward was in a relationship with ace Clubmans racer
Mike Evans and, coincidentally, the Clubmans pack was at the
same Pembrey meeting as the fi rst Formula Woman Championship
round. Typically for a formula of racing that has maintained a
glorious spirit over more than half a century, the Clubmans
fraternity responded with support and generosity.Hayward (centre) with
fellow racers Trish Hunter (l)
and Monika Arvidsson
22 AUGUST 2019 AUTOSPORT.COM 39MICHELLE HAYWARD