A teenage stockcar racer from Whitworth has defied the odds to claim her first race win, just weeks after a devastating crash left her hospitalised and her car written off.
Savannah Montgomery-Brown, 15, is celebrating her first ever win in Ministox stockcar racing, capping off a rollercoaster season that saw her survive a dramatic crash at Buxton and bounce back stronger.
The Whitworth Community High School student had been struggling to make her mark in the sport, but the tide turned on 17 August when she took the chequered flag in the Netherlands. It was the first win of her three-year racing journey.
“It was my first ever race win, everyone was cheering for me,” she said. “I had tears in my eyes. I’ve never heard a crowd cheer so much for me.”
Her victory came just weeks after a terrifying crash saw Savannah knocked unconscious and cut free from her wrecked Mini at Buxton Raceway. The impact was so severe that emergency crews had to slice through the roll bars to extract her from the vehicle before rushing her to hospital. She was later diagnosed with a pulled neck muscle and thankfully suffered no further injuries.
The crash came just after Savannah had spent £3,000 on a new engine, following an earlier mechanical failure during a race in June when the engine blew, filling the car with smoke and launching pistons across the track.
“I knew something wasn’t right, but I kept going,” she recalled. “I couldn’t see where I was going but managed to stop the car safely.”
Despite the setbacks, Savannah’s racing dreams were kept alive by a close family friend and sponsor, who runs Colliers Bar in Benidorm. He provided a new race-ready Mini, this time black with pink roll bars, and a full set of safety gear.
During a family trip to thank him in the summer, Savannah made a promise: “Just for you, I will win my first ever race.”
Weeks later, she delivered on that vow.
Savannah balances her racing ambitions with school life, as she enters Year 11 and prepares for her GCSEs. She plans to take a two-month break closer to exam time, but insists her studies come first.
“In between races I get my homework done,” she said. “I’ll be attending before and after school revision clubs too.”
Despite her mum Davida’s early resistance to her racing, having once told Savannah to “forget it”, she has now become a key supporter. It was Savannah’s stepdad, Coilin Dimelow, who first introduced her to the sport by taking her to watch local races. For her 12th birthday, Savannah asked for a chance to race, and has never looked back.
With her 16th birthday approaching in November, Savannah will now graduate from Ministox to the more competitive Formula 2 class. Her sponsor has already provided a Formula 2 car, soon to be painted in her signature pink and white.
Looking ahead, Savannah’s ultimate ambition is to earn a place at the Formula 1 Academy and pursue a professional career in motorsport.
“The social side of racing is massive, but on the track, there are no friends,” she said. “Still, I’ve made racing friends for life.”
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