Maria Costello reminds car drivers to check their mirrors
It seems fairly obvious to us but there are clearly drivers out there that need reminding what those shiny bits on each door are for!
STARS FROM THE WORLDS of racing and rallying have come together to provide their best driving advice in a series of short videos produced by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.
Queen of Bikers Maria Costello MBE, race and rally legend Paddy Hopkirk MBE, rally champion Catie Munnings and war veteran turned racing driver Ashley Hall all star in their own mini-videos produced by the charity, with the aim of getting across a clear piece of road safety advice in a bite-size segment.
Paddy, Maria, Catie and Ashley are all ambassadors for IAM RoadSmart; promoting the road safety message during the course of their racing lives and promotional work.
All four have highly successful careers behind them and are well placed to share their expertise in a concise form:
Paddy Hopkirk MBE (IAM RoadSmart mature driver ambassador) has become a legend in the world of rallying thanks to his wins at the Monte Carlo and Acropolis Rallies in the 60s, but has also conquered race tracks as diverse as Bathurst, Sebring and Le Mans, as well as an amazing second place at the epic London-Sydney Marathon in 1968.
Maria Costello MBE (IAM RoadSmart rider ambassador) has made more than 40 starts at the Isle of Man TT and returned there in 2018. She became the first woman ever to claim a podium at the 2016 Classic TT alongside 23 times TT winner John McGuinness. For five years Maria held the Guinness World Record as the fastest woman to lap the TT course.
Catie Munnings (IAM RoadSmart car ambassador) has proved to be a trailblazer for women in the world of rallying, becoming 2016 FIA Ladies European Rally Champion in her first year of competing at the tender age of 18. She continues to rally around the world in her Peugeot.
Ashley Hall (IAM RoadSmart ambassador on disabled issues). Ashley served in the Royal Engineers for 10 years; while serving in Afghanistan in 2010 he was hit by an improvised explosive device causing serious injuries - which led to the amputation of both legs above the knees and shattered his pelvis. After bravely enduring many operations and surgery, Ashley has now become a racing driver and is involved with Team BRIT, which is aiming to become the first ever all-disabled team to enter the Le Mans 24 Hour race by 2020.
To see each of their videos click on the links below:
Paddy’s video, which covers the two second rule: https://youtu.be/hn2cvV6xOAc
Maria’s video, which covers looking out for other road users: https://youtu.be/Z9PORn87hKs
Catie’s video, which covers looking ahead and vision points: https://youtu.be/_JIYI13bdy
Ash’s video, which covers correct seating positions: https://youtu.be/u3iiVoWH7LQ
Mike Quinton, IAM RoadSmart Chief Executive Officer, said: “Often the best advice is simple, clear and short – and this is what our ambassadors have done in our videos. They are all highly successful in their fields, and we hope that drivers will enjoy watching what Paddy, Maria, Catie and Ashley have to say, and take on board their words of wisdom.”
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
