Motor-racing championship contender Geena Watkinson gears up for A-level studies at West Notts College

An A-level student at West Notts College is determined to go far in both her studies and motorsport.
Motorsport competitor Geena Watkinson is aiming for a career in coroporate law to finance her expensive interest.Motorsport competitor Geena Watkinson is aiming for a career in coroporate law to finance her expensive interest.
Motorsport competitor Geena Watkinson is aiming for a career in coroporate law to finance her expensive interest.

Geena Watkinson, 16, from Shirebrook, has competed at Silverstone, Mallory Park, Donington and Croft and is currently second in the championship in her mark one Mazda MX5 car.

In her latest race at Silverstone, she was injured in a smash. Geena said: “I lost control when another driver pushed me wide. I ended up on the gravel and because the car was going sideways I kept my hands on the steering wheel and hit the wall. The force caused me to fracture my little finger and I have a small wrist break and soft tissue damage.”

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Now resting her injury Geena is looking forward to racing in the MX5 cup next year.

Meanwhile, she is getting stuck into her A-level studes at the college having chosen business, law and history and has ambitions to become a corporate lawyer. Geena said: “I enjoy business and law so it makes sense to put them together. I want to go to Oxford University, then work for a few years to apply my knowledge and then aim for a PhD at Cambridge. Motorsport is an expensive lifestyle so I feel that I could fund this with a career in law.

"I was nervous on my first day at college but I soon got over it. It’s amazing and I’ve already made new friends. I wore my racing shirt and jumper on the first day and this became a talking point. I normally only wear these on race weekends, but it meant I could talk to the class about my sport – it was a real ice breaker.”

Geena discovered her love of racing at the age of eight when she started karting at a race circuit with her dad Stephen. She said: “Dad bought me my first kart for Christmas – a Honda Cadet – which was like a lawnmower engine but super-fast! I soon began driving on circuits around the country.”

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Her interest in motorsport continued and she met Scott Mckintyre and Molly Dodd – now junior saloon car champions. It was on a trip to the Anglesey Circuit in North Wales to watch the pair racing that she spotted a Mazda MX5 – a car which she now races at speeds of up to 110mph.

Her 17th birthday falls at the end of the month and she hopes to pass her driving test soon afterwards – with a Renault Clio ready to drive as her day-to-day car!

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