6 days ago
Superstar Silsden racer and mother admits UK triumph 'still feels very surreal'
HAVING not long given birth to her first child Harry, it is no surprise that Silsden stock car superstar Phoebe Wainman-Hawkins did not really believe she stood a chance of winning the UK Open last month.
But she held her nerve in Skegness to claim the first F1 final win of her career, a moment she will treasure, given she knows racing will never quite be the same again for her.
The 29-year-old told the Keighley News: 'I've had a very long career, I've been racing for about 15 years, so when I fell pregnant, I expected that my best years were behind me.
'So, to then go out and race for the first time after having Harry and win a championship, it still feels very surreal.
'I never thought I'd be able to do that after having him.'
Asked if she had made peace with that prospect in her head before Skegness, she said: 'It was a little hard to accept.
'But my husband (fellow racer Karl Hawkins) and I were planning on having Harry last year anyway, so he was definitely wanted.
'But it was tough for me to come to terms with putting that huge part of my life on pause, and I don't think I'll ever get back the way I was before I gave birth, because you don't have the time.
'Before I had Harry, I'd be in the garage most nights until late working on the car, and you obviously can't do that with a young baby.
Phoebe Wainman-Hawkins is having to get used her racing career looking different now she has baby Harry, who she took with her to Skegness. (Image: Colin Casserley)
'It's not possible for me to go back to racing full-time, so it has all been a little bittersweet.'
Harry has very much been his mum's priority since she gave birth to him eight months ago, so she was not expecting to be competing for the UK Open title at all on May 11.
Asked when she felt she could be a genuine contender for the crown, she said: 'There definitely wasn't any moment I believed that before I went to Skegness.
'I probably only had the realisation that it was my race to lose when the board came out telling me there were five laps to go.
'That was the moment where I thought, 'oh my god, I could possibly win this', because even when I took the halfway flag, I just felt something was going to happen, someone was going to catch me.
'Never in a million years did I think I was going to be leading for the duration of the race.'
Phoebe Wainman-Hawkins (car 211) was in command during the UK Open final at Skegness, but she still didn't believe she could win it for much of the race. (Image: Colin Casserley)
Wainman-Hawkins has long been used to being the lone female competitor in a field of men, but being a new mother as well makes this achievement even more remarkable.
Asked if her success could give other talented sportswomen hope that a great sporting career can still lie ahead after becoming a mum, she said: 'I don't think anyone expected me to do what I did in Skegness, even before having Harry.
'But it's something women and mothers can look at and realise their whole life doesn't have to change just because they've had a baby.
'It's fantastic because I remember I had those little doubts about my racing career never being the same after I had Harry, but me going and winning the UK Open when he was just seven months old kind of proved I can still do what I did before he was born.'
The stock car season is relentless, with events most weekends between March and November, with the odd marquee one like the UK Open a few weeks ago, then the European Championship and British Championship later this month.
Wainman-Hawkins admitted: 'It's probably going to be picky and choosy for me, as I don't have my own car at the moment.
'When I won the UK Open, I was racing my husband's car, and obviously he's generally using that and he's doing really well this year too.
'Because I've got Harry now too, I just don't have the time to get the car ready like I used to, which means I have to rely on Karl's help for that.
'I feel a bit guilty about that, even though I know he's over the moon for me.'
