Retired 'Her Indoors' set to burn rubber drag racing in honour of her late husband
A retired woman will tackle speeds of more than 130mph when she becomes a drag racer for the first time in honour of her late husband.
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Elaine Southworth, who lives in south Shropshire near Bewdley, has been involved with the high-octane motorsport for more than 40 years.
But her involvement with the family team Daddy Cool is about to undergo a serious change of pace as she steps into the driver’s seat later this year.
It's following in the tyre tracks of Dave 'Sag' Southworth who raced right up until his death from a rare cancer in August 2017.
“He always told us all how proud he was of everything we did, and it is to that end that we’re still here, still doing it, still enjoying, together,” Mrs Southworth said.
Their children Shana, Kyle, Faye, Chloe and partners Jamie, Becky, Ste and Andy all have different roles in the team.
Faye pilots the same Daddy Cool machine her father did from August 1989 while Kyle operates Big Bro.
Mrs Southworth is going to climb into Her Indoors at a yet-to-be-confirmed venue and date with the popular Santa Pod Raceway the likely debut destination. It is hoped she will cover a quarter-mile distance in under 11 seconds.
She said: “I have no competitive racing experience so this will be my first time racing in my 60s.
“All our family members bring their own attributes into the mix, and the combination of our abilities has allowed Sag’s project to continue.
The team overall has a more modern outlook and very much wants to beat the times and speeds Sag achieved.
“With Faye as driver of Daddy Cool, we are all hoping to do Sag proud for a very long time to come. He always told us all how proud he was of everything we did, and it is to that end that we’re still here, still doing it, still enjoying, together.”
“When things go wrong in drag racing, they tend to go spectacularly wrong but because safety is paramount and at the forefront of everyone’s mind, there are a lot of things in place to avoid dangerous situations as much as possible," she said.
“I think the whole family, particularly long-term friend Alan Grimes, is driven by continuing Sag’s legacy.
"Sag always referred to Daddy Cool as a project, and always tried to continually develop the engineering of the car.”
She is sponsored by Adrian Flux, one of the UK’s largest specialist motor insurance brokers, covering everything from classic and vintage cars to modified sports cars and much more.
