Rally star Catie Munnings completes IAM RoadSmart’s road safety ambassador line-up for 2017 and beyond

With the appointment of 19-year-old rally superstar Catie Munnings as Car Ambassador, the UK’s leading road safety charity IAM RoadSmart has completed its line-up of stars who will be spreading the safer driving and riding word around the UK.

Catie was appointed to the role this week. In spite of her young age, she has an incredible CV – the highlight of which is winning the 2016 FIA Ladies European Rally Championship in her first year of competing age 18, thus becoming making her the first Brit to win a European rally title in over 49 years.

Her interest in all things motorsport was fired up watching her father working in the family workshop, taking part in her first auto test at 14.

At 17, she was invited to test a works rally car in the French Alps. She impressed her team so much she was offered a seat with them for the following season.

Incredibly she not only raised sponsorship for her season rallying in her Peugeot, she combined this with her A Level studies in 2016.

This year she continues in the series in her Peugeot 208 run by the Sainteloc Junior Rally Team based in France.

Catie said: “I am excited to be working with IAM RoadSmart. I’m here to encourage younger drivers to come along, take advantage of the wide range of courses and even progress to the advanced driver course. It’s nothing like I expected. It’s all about getting the best from your car, driving efficiently and enjoying what you’re doing. I really want as many young people doing it to see how much they can benefit from it”

She joins Marie Costello, Paddy Hopkirk and Eloise Peabody-Rolf as IAM RoadSmart’s quartet of ambassadors. Maria was appointed Rider Ambassador last week, while rally and race legend Paddy, best known for winning the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally, became Mature Driver Ambassador last year. Eloise is 18 and an advanced driver, and holds the position of Younger Driver Ambassador.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Further information from:

IAM RoadSmart press office – 020 8996 9777 – press.office@iam.org.uk                    

ISDN broadcast lines available

Follow us:

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/IAMRoadSmart                   

On Twitter: @IAMRoadSmart 

IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com                  

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart’s Driver Retraining Academy visit www.iamdra.org.uk         

To find out the name of your own local IAM RoadSmart group please visit: https://wwwiamroadsmart.com/local-groups                 

ENDS ALL