Trevor Jackson
WHILE motorsport in general is male dominated, there are still plenty of women around giving the sport a go.
Tania Langcake is one such women, with the 42-year-old heading down to Mount Gambier from Adelaide for her eighth Legend of the Lakes hill climb next weekend.
Langcake wrestles a Subaru WRX up the hill and says she absolutely loves the event here in Mount Gambier.
It all began with a daily-driven WRX, before moving up to her current Subaru after deciding to give motorsport a go.
“I always had an interest in motorsport and cars in general,” Langcake said.
“When I got divorced I decided to get into something a bit more car related, so I joined a car club which was involved in motorsport, did a come and try and got hooked.
“That was a hill climb at Collingrove in the Barossa Valley.”
Langcake’s passion for Subarus goes back even further and she has stuck to the brand ever since.
“Back when I was about 10 or 12 years old dad had a little Brumby ute and I just loved the sound of it,” she said.
“It developed from there.
“Now I just it in the car and think it is fantastic to be able to drive it at a hill climb.”
Langcake said her current WRX is no mega-build, but simply a vehicle designed to perform reliably without any major finances thrown at it.
“The WRX was an eBay bargain when I first bought it,” she said.
“It was stock standard and I have slowly built it up over the years.
“Now it has 240kw at the wheels, sporting 265 nice fat tyres and it is great fun to drive.
“It has had a new heart put in it which is an STi motor, but as far as some builds go, it is probably budget.
“It just shows you don’t need mega bucks to have a great deal of fun.”
Langcake said she first heard about the Legend of the Lakes through Damian Brand, who she met at the car club she is a member of in Adelaide.
She enjoys the challenge of the course compared to Collingrove and has not missed weekend since.
“I think it is the best hill climb in SA by far,” Langcake said.
“It is the perfect venue, is extremely well run and has that good combination of tight and twisty and flat out, where you have to have nerves of steel to keep your foot down to get those 10 10ths.”
Langcake competes in the Unregistered 4WD category against some fast competitors and enjoys that challenge as well.
“It is an extremely competitive category,” she said.
“I am under no illusion I am going to beat the big boys, but I think my times are competitive either way.
“Last year was my best time – a 58.6.
“It took a few years to get under 60 seconds, but now I am there I intend to stay there and get better each year.”
Langcake said the esses at the bottom of the course is her favourite section, while other particular spots are tough to get right.
“I really like the tight esses down the bottom, just trying to get that line right,” she said.
“It is almost a straight line through there, but one little mistake and you are into the guard rail.
“I try to challenge myself to get quicker through there and get that line.
“Up the top is probably one area I can improve on.
“You are telling yourself not to brake and you are looking at that corner.
“Your subconscious kind of takes over and brakes, but maybe that is the maternal motherly instinct built into me.
“It is very nerve racking but great fun.”
While Langcake may not be right at the pointy end of the field in contention for an outright victory, she certainly enjoys her time here in Mount Gambier, along with her two daughters who have both raced other hill climb events.
At the end of the day it is all about personal improvement and a fun weekend of competition.
“I like to challenge myself,” she said.
“Sometimes the conservative side of me holds me back when I should keep my foot down, then I kick myself.
“I am going for PBs first, but I always aim for that top 20 or top 30 as a bit of an added challenge.”
The Legend of the Lakes kicks off on November 11 and runs through November 12 and 13 at the Valley Lakes precinct.
