Catie Munnings
Catie Munnings is a Red Bull athlete, Harley Davidson and Cartier Ambassador and motoring prodigy. In her first year in the sport Catie won the FIA Ladies European Rally Championship making her the first Briton to win a European Rally title in over 49 years – all whilst sitting her A Level exams.
Catie’s interest in motorsport began at an early age. She spent her childhood in her father’s workshop and as a passenger in his rally car. Aged 14, Catie began competing in autotesting, a motorsport that develops car control and efficient maneuvering. By 17, she was invited to test a factory rally car in the French Alps among the best drivers, cars, and teams in Europe. The teams were so impressed they offered Catie a drive for the following season. Catie had four months to train and find sponsorship, while revising for her A-levels – and she loved it.
One year on, following her success in the ERC, Catie has ambassador roles for: UN Tolerance Day, The London Motorshow, Sean Edwards Foundation, Woman Of the Future, IAM Roadsmart, as well as being shortlisted for The Sunday Times’ Young Sportswomen of the Year awards.
Competing in a male dominated sport, Catie now works closely with organisations to even out gender ratios in workplaces, and encourage the next generation to challenge gender stereotypes. Her passion for life and doing what you love is contagious. Having proven how much you can achieve in a year if you put your mind to it, she wants to inspire others to do the same.
Catie now competes in the Junior World Rally Championship and also presented the new twenty part series of Catie's Amazing Machines (Cbeebies, 2018), showcasing and test-driving her favourite machines to a pre-school audience.
Catie is also currently competing in Extreme E for the Andretti United team. Extreme E is an off-road racing series that uses electric SUVs to race in the most remote parts of the world, such as the Amazon rainforest, Arabian desert and the Greenland Ice sheet. All racing locations maintain a ‘legacy programme’, which is chosen and run by expert Scientists, to make a positive contribution towards the impacts of climate change relating to that area, all while using the power of the voice that sport has to raise awareness of the climate issues we’re facing.
Catie Munnings is racing in the first ever E1 all-electric raceboat championship series for Team Brazil (owned by Marcello Claure) alongside fellow Extreme-E team mate, Timmy Hansen. In the UK, national broadcaster ITV airs the action across ITV4 and ITVX, and with the first race behind us it is now available to watch on catch-up on the E1 website. The E1 series recently saw eight teams battle it out under the Jeddah sunshine in high-octane racing, with speeds in excess of 50 knots (92kph/ 57pmh), captivating fans as teams competed for the top podium finish. Season one will continue in some of the most breathtaking coastal cities across the world, with the next stop Venice on 11 and 12 May and the series culminating in a Race to Hong Kong on 9 and 10 November.
In and amongst her busy schedule, Catie is also a regular columnist for Top Gear magazine, as well as partnering with brands such as Zenith Watches and Teamsport UK across her social media platforms.