It’s a family affair
It’s a family affair for six of the Press and Journal’s Young Driver of the Year semi-finalists, who will go head to head with their nearest and dearest for the chance of winning a new Seat Ibiza, writes Caroline Brodie
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A BIT of sibling rivalry is nothing new to Anne Marshall, 19, and her big brother Brian, 21, although they usually fight it out on the golf course rather than in the driver’s seat.
The opposite is true of Rory Cruden, 20, and his younger brother, Callum, 17, who have been go-kart racing for the past seven years and often find themselves up against each other behind the wheel.
While sisters Rona Nealgrove, 20, and her younger sister, Ailidh, 17, of Alford, usually confine any sibling rivalry to the heel-and-toe world of competitive Highland dancing.
But all six are now gearing up to out-drive the other in the hope of being crowned Press and Journal Young Driver of the Year.
Rory and Callum said battling it out would be well worth it if one of them brought home the first prize to Loaneckheim, Kiltarlity.
The brothers, who share a Honda Civic but would each love a car of their own, don’t mind who wins as long as it’s someone in their family.
Callum, an apprentice electrical engineer for Scottish Water in Inverness, who passed his driving test in December after just four lessons, said: “We share a car at the moment, which is not too bad because Rory also has the use of a works van, but it would be nice to have a car each.”
Neither would be drawn on who was the better driver, but Callum did say he beat his big brother on the racetrack last weekend.
Rory, a plumber, admits they are used to a bit of sibling rivalry, but added: “It would be good if either of us won the car.”
Anne and Brian, of Muir of Fowlis, Alford, were also spurred on to enter the competition in the hope of winning the car.
Brian, an electrician, said the prize was a big enough draw to risk being beaten by little sister Anne, a third-year pharmacy student at The Robert Gordon University, who added: “We compete against each other all the time on the golf course, so it’s nothing new. There won’t be any animosity if one of us wins.”
Both siblings, who passed their tests at 17 and also completed Pass Plus, the Driving Standards Agency training scheme for newly qualified drivers, believe advanced driving skills are the key to cutting the death toll on the nation’s roads.
Anne said that seeing the hard-hitting Safe Drive, Stay Alive presentation – which tells the true horror of road traffic collisions through the eyes of a grieving parent, a wheelchair-bound accident victim and emergency-service workers – had a big impact on both her and her brother.
Karen Tremain, whose 16-year-old daughter, Michaela McRobb, was killed in a crash near her Westhill home in April, 2005, was among the participants and has since given the Press and Journal’s competition her full backing.
Speaking at the launch, she said: “I fully support anything that can be done to make young people safer on the roads.
“Death for them is final, the end, but for the people who love them it’s just the beginning of a life sentence.”
Westhill Academy pupil Ailidh is also currently completing Pass Plus, having passed her test first time in November. Her elder sister, Rona, an accounts and finance student at The Robert Gordon University, went through the course for free after coming top in a driving theory contest while at Alford Academy.
Ailidh said: “I’m finding it’s really helping me a lot with my driving. It gives you a bit more experience.”
At the moment, she has to borrow her father’s car if she wants to drive and hopes the competition will be the road to a car of her own.
However, she insists there will be no hard feelings if she loses out to big sister Rona, who she concedes has a few years’ more experience behind the wheel.
All six are now looking forward to their assessment drives with the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), which each of the 25 semi-finalists will take part in over the coming weeks.
The best 12 will be selected to take part in an unforgettable day at the home of Scottish motorsport at Knockhill, in Fife.
There, they will be put through their paces by instructors from Knockhill and Grampian Police on the skid pan, the track and the open road.
The winner will be announced at the Taste of Grampian Motor Show in June.
See Your Car next week for more about our 25 semi-finalists.
