November 3, 2022
Carbon Positive Motorsport catch up with Jasmine Philpott of Excite Team GB
In May this year Carbon Positive Motorsport and Excite Team GB announced their partnership, to work with carbon offsetting and support the teams’ environmental ambitions.
During the year Jasmine Philpott joined the team - we took some time out with Jasmine to understand how she got involved in the sport, her ambitions for the future and why she’s committed to making motorsport sustainable.
CPM: Jasmine, thank you for giving us your time for this short interview – what motivated you to get involved in motorsport?
JP: My pleasure! I idolised my dad as a kid, and he used to disappear at weekends to ‘go racing’, and I was so keen to go along too. As soon as I turned 16 I went with him to a comp safari at Salisbury Plain for my first co-driving experience. It was February and freezing cold. We launched off the start line in his Simbugghini and broke down immediately, and that was the end of that! But it was my first taste of that adrenaline rush and I was bitten by the bug. I navigated for him for several years all over England until he upgraded to a new car and gave me his old one, which I’ve been driving since around 2017.
CPM: What made you want to get into offroad road enduro event driving?
JP: It’s the only motorsport I’ve ever competed in, so of course I am biased, but I think it’s the best – not only in terms of the level of driving skill required, but also the soft skills you need to excel in it – teamwork, drive, resilience. One of my favourite things about the sport is that it takes you all over the country (and in the future in my case, the world), and you race in some beautiful places. It’s also unbelievably friendly – the motorsport community, particularly the clubman sport I’ve competed in, is like an extended family or friend group.
CPM: We first got involved with Excite Team GB and were very impressed by their ambitions for long enduro events such as Dakar – is that the ultimate event for you?
JP: Absolutely. It’s the ultimate driving challenge, and everyone I know who’s into bikes or cars would love to have the opportunity to do the Dakar. It’s one of those terms that needs no introduction – it’s nice to finally be in a position where people automatically know what I’m talking about when I’m explaining my sport – you say ‘Dakar’ and people know it’s a big deal.
CPM: At the recent Stone Enduro event you were competing with two cars on the same event, quite unusual – it must have been tiring doing twice the event?
JP: Yes, I’ve only seen one other competitor do it before so it was a bit of a mad idea, but it worked. I was absolutely fine during the event, but clearly running on adrenaline, because when I finally stopped and got out of my racesuit, I hit a wall and just went into a daze for a few hours! I would definitely do it again, it was great fun.
CPM: Have you any ambitions to try other motorsport disciplines?
JP: I briefly dabbled in motorbikes a few years ago, but just green laning so never anything competitive. I think motocross etc. is for the truly insane! I must admit that no other types of motorsport appeal to me in the way that off-roading does, it’s just the best. I would however love to try rallying, as in WRC sort of stuff – the places they go look amazing, and the cars are so impressive. Plus, they get great exposure so there are opportunities to earn a living racing, which is very rare.
CPM: Finally, how important do you think taking action to mitigate the sport's environmental impact is for the future?
JP: I’ve always felt guilty about the impact that my years of racing have had on the environment, and I think it’s a matter of time before governments start coming down harder on motorsport for its contribution to CO2 emissions. But the industry is moving in the right direction – look at Extreme E and the amazing electric trials bikes that are out there now. I think the ultimate solution is of course to stop using fossil fuels in racing, but in the meantime offsetting our emissions is a practical way of making a difference. There’s really no excuse for not doing our bit!
Catch up with Jasmine on instagram @offroadjasmine @exciterallyraid
Follow the Excite Team on social media:
Facebook – Excite Team GB
Twitter - @ExciteDakarGB
Instagram - @exciterallyraid
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