Camille Taylor, Freelance Writer

Gina Tomlinson - Colin Hamilton Freelance/Photographer

If you'll pardon the pun, 'driven to succeed' is probably the phrase that best describes Gina Tomlinson. The young driving sensation has taken the motor racing world by storm blazing a blistering trail in a traditionally male-dominated sport. And, while her racing career has attracted some amount of attention, Gina has also been quietly making her mark off the track as a dedicated professional who is steadily rising on the corporate ladder and an entrepreneur who recently launched a new business.

Although she has a multiplicity of interests, there is little doubt which is Gina's first love. At the mention of motor racing her eyes light up instantly and passion infuses her usually calm voice whenever she talks about it. Without any coaxing she openly confesses her "addiction to speed" which first made her a diehard fan of the sport and is now fuelling her successful career as both a driver and a co-driver.

The affair began more than a decade ago when she attended her first motor rally and literally fell in love with the sport. "I was captivated," she says of that initial encounter. "The sounds, the speed, the excitement, the fact that the drivers always seemed to be on the edge, everything about racing was captivating."

After her initial exposure, Gina became a fixture at motor race meets across the island. Eventually her enthusiasm for the sport caught the attention of members of the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club (JMMC) who encouraged her to come out of the stands and get behind the wheel. It only took one event for Gina to realise that, while spectating was a thrill, nothing could compare to the exhilaration of moving at lightning speed in a well-tuned machine across a rally course.

"My heart is racing just thinking about it," she tells The Gleaner. "Seriously, it's just a rush, and you don't think 'what if', you only think of the moment. And when the race is finished you're sorry it's over so quickly because it's so amazing to be behind the wheel."

Impressive achievements

Even more amazing are Gina's impressive achievements in a sport that continues to be largely associated with male competitors. Last year alone she won the Jamspeed Adrenaline Rush competition, the JMMC Ladies Dexterity Championship, the Lady Rallysport Championship and took third place in the Ironshore Sprint.

The men have sat up and taken notice and now consider Gina a serious competitor. "There is nobody who is as consistent as she is," ace driver Jordan Powell, states emphatically. "When she won the ladies championship last year she didn't really have much competition and she gave some of the men a great fight."

For all her success behind the wheel, Gina feels her real strength is co-driving and navigation. In 2007 she was second in both the JMMC 2 Wheel Drive (2WD) Co-driver Championship and the Raynor King Memorial Stages Rally as well as third in the JMMC JA3 stages Rally Co-Driver Championship.

"I am a better co-driver than I am a driver," she states without hesitation. "That's my passion and it's more than just giving directions to the driver, you're like a project manager and everything from the beginning of the rally to the end is your responsibility, including the preparation of the car, scrutineering which is like a spot check for the various safety things that need to be in the vehicle and you also need to manage the time because in a rally you're penalised if you get somewhere too early or too late. And of course, you have to be very brave; you can't afford to be afraid of high speed."

It's Gina's fearlessness that makes drivers like Dean Corrodus, past president of the Montego Bay Motoring Club (MBMC), describe her as the best co-driver he's ever raced with. "As a driver, if your co-driver is nervous you can hear it in their voice but Gina is always calm and her voice, is absolutely soothing, which is what you need when someone is calling out instructions while you're driving at high speeds," he says.

Cool head

Gina's ability to keep a cool head and think clearly while piloting a machine at breakneck speed is quite extraordinary considering she was in a serious motor vehicle accident prior to the start of her racing career. She sustained multiple injuries which left her bedridden for three months and it was almost a year before she was able to drive again. Her decision to take up motor racing, albeit after she had fully recovered from the accident, did not go down well with her parents.

"They were not very happy," Gina admits. "My mother in particular expressed a lot of concern because she thought it was too dangerous, but my interest in the sport was still there and nothing can really deter you when you have that kind of passion for something."

One look at Gina and you fully understand her parents' concern considering she is probably about five feet, three inches tall and slender to the point of fragility. But her fellow drivers are quick to point out that no one should be fooled by her appearance because, as Corrodus puts it, "She definitely has nerves of steel." Powell says "If she ever gets nervous it doesn't show."

Having enjoyed considerable success locally, Gina is eager to test her skills in even larger arenas like the United States and Europe. However, she admits that a lot of work has to be done on the home front to get our local drivers ready to compete on the international stage. "Rallying has been around since the '70s in Jamaica, but it started out as a hobby and at first it was not seen as an official sport. So things like training facilities were never really put in place," she explains.

Racing clubs

"Now we have racing clubs that hold different events and we have teams and associations, but we're still not at the point where we're seeing people really develop in the sport, and that is something that I definitely want to be a part of," she adds.

Among the things that Gina feels are absolutely critical to the sport's development are practice facilities. "I would love to see a location where they set up various tracks based on the different types of events and you can just go on a weekend and practise. Right now there aren't places that you can practise so people use the events as training and you find that it takes years to develop certain skills because there are a limited number of races each year."

Training is another area where Gina would like to see improvement and she's putting her money where her mouth is. "I'm working on a proposal for a more developed co-driver training programme and also later on to have proper driver-training workshops throughout the year so even people who are not necessarily interested in entering an event can at least learn car control and defensive driving."

Teaching and developing training programmes is familiar territory for Gina who worked as an IT instructor at the New Horizons Computer Learning Centre after graduating from the University of the West Indies with a Bachelor's degree in IT and electronics. Her next position was at Carerras where she started at the help desk and was eventually promoted to help desk manager. Similarly at the Jamaica Public Service Company, her current place of employment, she started as a business analyst and has since been promoted to customer care officer with responsibility for customer queries, call handling and billing complaints.

Gina attributes her steady progress in her professional life to her intrinsic drive to always deliver when given responsibilities. "I always want to ensure that things get done particularly if someone asks me to do something. I pride myself on being able to complete things, that's just something that's built into my character."

Her willingness to take on responsibilities was quickly spotted by her teachers when she was a student at St Hugh's High School and she was constantly elected or appointed to leadership positions. She was eventually elected head girl and served with such distinction that the school now has the Gina Tomlinson Leadership Award which is given to head girls of exceptional calibre. Gina continues to give back to her alma mater as an active member of the past students' association and has enthusiastically executed a number of projects, including the development of the association's website.

Extensive responsibilities

While balancing her extensive responsibilities at her job and her involvement in racing, Gina has also found the time to embark on an entrepreneurial venture. She recently opened Mother's Choice, a maternity store which she describes as her "pet" and she is hoping to expand in the future.

Gina also sees marriage and children somewhere down the road but is not in any hurry to begin that phase of her life as she is well absorbed by her current exploits. She laughs as she talks about female drivers who still race during the early stages of their pregnancy and drivers of both genders who are still on the track even after they become grandparents.

"The love for there sport does not diminish with age, there are 70 year olds out there beating up everybody, which just goes to show that once you get behind the wheel you're addicted for life."

Surprisingly, Gina's deep love for her sport does not influence her driving once she's off the track. Although she drives a sleek, black high performance Honda Integra R, don't expect to see her racing it on the road. "My friends are very disappointed when they drive with me," she says with a smile. "I love to feel the power of the vehicle but I am not going to take unnecessary risks, particularly when I have passengers in the car. Most of the time I just cruise because I know what I am capable of and I don't need to prove anything to anybody, I've already done that on the track."