ABOUT LYDIA

2017 provided Lydia with a new and exciting challenge. She competed in the Junior Saloon Car Championship, which entailed travelling across the UK, racing at national tracks such as Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Snetterton. It was an exciting year for Lydia as she experienced great highs, such as finishing 4th in the first race of the season at Silverstone and being awarded with Driver of the Meeting at Knockhill. However, it was a pretty eventful season too, after a scary roll and two huge trips to the tyre wall.

The following year, Lydia made the step-up to senior racing in the Mini Challenge UK Cooper Pro championship. Being the youngest on the grid, it was a huge step but one that Lydia and her team tackled well. This put them in good stead for the 2019 season, which proved to be very successful with five podiums (two third places at Oulton Park and Brands Hatch, two second places at Donington Park and Croft and a maiden victory at Snetterton) and front row qualifying results. Lydia was also nominated for the British Women Racing Driver's Club (BWRDC) Junior Goldstar award and came third in the Downforce Radio Henry Surtees Teen Racer of the Year Award. She was also the recipient of the BWRDC 'Jean Denton' trophy.

Lydia then completed her third consecutive season in the Mini Challenge Cooper Pro championship. It was her first season experiencing being a part of the British Touring Car Package with races broadcast live on ITV4. She finished the year 5th in the standings out of a full capacity grid and top independent driver.

The strong finish prompted a move to the top of the Mini Challenge ladder, the JCW Championship. This was a massive step in Lydia’s career and was a fantastic stepping stone into the world of professional racing. Lydia completed her first season with a team before returning in 2022 with her family-run outfit, something which is truly unheard of at this level of British motorsport. Lydia and her team spent 2022 and 2023 fine tuning the car and learning the characteristics of such a challenging car. 2023 saw fourteen trips to the top 10 which lead the way for a promising 2024 which did not disappoint. Fighting at the top amongst the bigger teams with much more man-power and undoubtedly on the smallest budget, Lydia and her team proved that with hard work comes reward. Lydia became the first ever female to stand on a JCW podium and also scored the fastest lap in the final race of the year by over a second which is the first time in a 7 year JCW history this has happened. In her time within Mini Challenge, Lydia was voted by the public as 'BTCC - British Touring Car Chat' Supported Driver of the Year for the 5th year running and also JCW driver of the year for the 3rd year running. She was also runner-up at the Active Suffolk Awards for Sports Personality of the Year in 2024.