They say an army marches on it’s stomach and behind every great man(or men) is a great woman.
We asked Gemma to be our roving reporter on Sunday and as part of that, she interviewed Anne, the woman behind the scenes that helps makes it all happen
( Thanks to Lorna for taking the notes ! )
I’ve interviewed Anne Colburn, mother of James and Ben, two drivers here at Westbourne – by Gemma Macdonald-Grant
Gemma: What’s your role here at Westbourne Motorsport ?
Anne: I organise the catering, the motorhome, act as PA , make sure everyone has what they need. For race weekends, we are catering for anything from 20 to 30 people , 3 times a day, every day they are here. So breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Gemma: What’s it like being the mother to 2 racing sons?
Anne: I get nervous when the boys are racing and I don’t like to watch the start because that is where most of the crashes happen – its better when they get on the straights .
Gemma: Do you have any funny stories from racing ?
Anne: Too many to think of a particular one !!!
Gemma: What do you need to do to get ready for a race weekend ?
Anne: I have to make sure the overalls are washed and clean. I have to do them on the coolest wash because they are covered in a fire retardant coating and if the wash is too hot, you can damage them. You have to let them hang to dry as well, no tumble drying, for the same reasons, so that takes a while. I also need to get the motorhome ready. Clean, tidy, make sure all the beds are ready etc. Now both boys are racing in separate championships, we are doing most weekends. Depending on the circuit and when it needs to leave, I get anything from 2 days to 4 days to do a turnaround That means doing at least 4 to 5 trips to the supermarket/cash and carry getting load after load of food shopping making sure everyone gets enough to eat and drink, plus all the washing and making sure the boys are packed up.
I’m also responsible for making sure we have all the passes we need and that I know who has them at all times. Passes for the weekend are worth about £330 a time so it’s really important I keep track of them .
Feeding an army
Gemma: How do you feel if you see them crash ?
Anne: Scared , concerned. I want to see them moving and getting out of the car. At Silverstone, James had a big impact and initially they said he was alright but then I got a call that he’d been taken to the hospital at Silverstone so I had to rush over. Luckily it was just a check up and he was fine.
Gemma: Do you even get roped into doing any manual labour with the cars ?
Anne: No!!! Pit wall is the most technical thing I’ve done to do with the cars.
Gemma: Do you know about cars ?
Anne: No !! That’s what the rest of the team are for !!
Gemma: What’s your proudest moment ?
Anne: When James got his first win at Brands Hatch . It was also very emotional when Ben got his 2 podiums at Anglesey.
Gemma: With such a large team, can you remember everyone’s names ?
Anne: Most. We’ve got a couple of new people this year so I’ve had to learn them
Gemma: Do you have to still remind James and Ben to bring their own things with them ?
Anne: YES !! Mum ends up doing most of it but they do remember the essentials . They have to bring helmets, racing gloves, overalls, HANS (head and neck ) device…. clean pants !
Gemma: What are the best and worst tracks ?
Anne: Facilities wise ? Rockingham is the best, Thruxton is the worst
Gemma: Which track have you not been to that you would like to go to ?
Anne: Knockhill in Scotland. I prefer going to the ones closer to home because of the travelling and the time we have to get ready.
Gemma: Last comment ?
Anne: Yes . Mum’s quote is : I’m very proud to have two sons who have both been on the podium.
