NEWS

An abridged account of Adam and Ellie Jones's day

MSUK governing body rules require under-18s without a full licence to be accompanied in a sub-2-litre saloon at AutoSOLOs — making daughter Ellie's Austin 7 RK Saloon the only option for her Donington debut, with dad riding shotgun.

Some field practice at home had familiarised Ellie with the notoriously tricky Austin 7 clutch, and after basic car prep the pair headed to the Melbourne Loop's cone-marked AutoSOLO course. Dave Rushton had devised tests challenging enough without overwhelming beginners.

Will Marsh's Ulster and David Pryke's Morgan/Riley Special set the pace, whilst the father-daughter duo focused on clean runs. A stall aside, Ellie completed every test correctly — apparently one of very few to do so first time — improving her times with each run and growing visibly in confidence throughout.

By the final slalom test, Ellie was thoroughly at home. Heading back, she immediately asked which event she could enter next. Another youngster successfully recruited.