Balloch powerboat racer Oban Duncan admits that collecting her awards for a superb 2022 alongside her heroes was a special feeling.
But the talented 17-year-old now has her sights firmly set on achieving more success in 2023, with pre-season testing just a month away.
Earlier this month Oban collected her GT15 British Sprint Champion crown, as well as the GT15 masters trophy, third in British F4 and an award for her British speed record in the Clubman 1000 catamaran class.
And she said that receiving the awards four months after the end of the season let the magnitude of her achievements sink in.
Oban told the Lennox: “It was amazing. Because you have a few months between the awards ceremony and the end of the season, you have time to forget about it all. Then on the night you can reflect on the year you’ve had, that’s when I realised I’d done quite well considering it was the first year we had with the new boat. It was really when it hit home.
“It’s amazing to see all the people who have raced for years who I’ve always looked up to and then to be standing on the stage as them, getting awards at the same time. It’s unbelievable and hard to comprehend in the moment.
“It’s great to be there whilst you get an award after always watching other people getting them.”
Mum Karen added: “It was so emotional. I was super-duper proud. She looked so beautiful.
“It was wonderful to see Oban up on that stage collecting her awards.”
Oban’s sights are now set on pushing for the British F4 championship in only her second season in the class – and she’s eager to get back behind the wheel.
“It’s nice to have a little break. But it feels like a lifetime over winter. You miss being in the boat, you miss seeing everyone,” she explained. “It’s nice to know you’re now a little bit closer to getting there.
“The boat is still getting work done to it at the minute.
“It’s getting bits and bobs finished off, but we should be ready for testing at the end of March.
“We’re confident about how the year will go. I’d like to say this time next year we’ll have a few more titles, but everyone knows how difficult that is to do. Like last year we’re going in with an open mind and we’ll see how things will go.
“You never know what will happen.
“I’m still learning the boat, just like everyone else. Hopefully we’ll have more success this year.
“Everyone starts the year with new tricks and new things to try. All we can do is just try our best.”
And with Oban’s nearest race in St Helen’s, Merseyside, Karen hopes that Oban passing her driving test means she’ll get a hand on long journeys down south.
She laughed: “Now Oban can help out with driving us all over the place.
“I’ll still drive her back from races when her brain will be frazzled, but at least if I get too tired I can now wake her up!”
