Dani Ben-Ari

The Driving Range

Louise Cook, aka “Cookie,” is actively seeking sponsors as she returns to the road for her World Rally Championship home event, the WRC Wales Rally GB, one of Britain’s largest sporting events. The event kicks off on October 3rd. In doing so, her team is offering supporters a special “Boot It” package giving businesses the chance to benefit from a combination of Rally Car Branding, Social Media content and eye-catching Action Shots from the whole event for £500 ($625.30)+VAT. Meanwhile, “petrol heads,” are being offered the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a rally car on a gravel forest stage for an additional £500+VAT with the Boot It 2 package.

Born May 14, 1987, Louise Cook began her official British rally driver career in the 2006 Rockingham Stages, piloting a Prugeot 205 alongside co-driver Stefan Davis. The youngest driver in the race, Cookie ended up with a rank of 51 out of 105 competitors. Although she later claimed the British Rally Championship Ladies’ title in 2010 and 2011, and became the first woman to win the FIA Production Car Cup for Drivers of 2WD in 2012.

Her subsequent career, however, has suffered several setbacks due to serious health problems including a broken collarbone, which forced her to withdraw from the season-ending Rally Catlunya. Then, just days before she was scheduled to compete in the 2015 Rally d’Italia, she suffered post-surgical problems preventing blood flow from an artery. Consequently, she was rushed to the hospital, unable to compete. Even so, her results throughout the season earned her the title of being the first woman to clinch a WRC title with the FIA Production Car Cup for Drivers of 2WD.

Cook’s greatest setback however, has been financial: Raising the money to compete. In 2017, she was forced to sell several of her trophies on E-bay to cover fees for WRC-3 season that year. Unfortunately, she was still unable to come up with the funding to take part in the fourth round of the season, despite being listed for the Tour de Corse. Yet, thanks to another bout of crowd-funding, Louise was able to drive Team Floral’s Ford Fiesta R2T for the Deutschland in 2018, placing third place, out of four. She then followed the race with a ninth-place finish in the season’s next round, rally Turkey.

If you’re interested in supporting Cookie continue her quest for success on the British World Rally Championship Round, you can donate to the cause by contacting her directly at  louise@rallyteamgb.com