MITO is giving eight automotive apprentices the opportunity to join the crews of Hayden Paddon and Emma Gilmour across four rally events.
Two apprentices will attend each rally with one being assigned to each driver for the duration of the event. They will spend their time with the whole team, to support Hayden and Emma with their technical requirements and get to experience behind-the-scenes of professional motorsport.
The rally events are:
- NZRC Otago: 1-2 April (Applications close Friday 5pm 3 March)
- NZRC Hawke’s Bay: 22 July (Applications close Friday 5pm 23 June)
- NZRC Coromandel: 2 September (Applications close Friday 5pm 4 August)
- NZRC Bay of Plenty: 14 October (Applications close Friday 5pm 15 September)
This is the second year MITO is running this offering after four apprentices joined Hayden Paddon at Ashley Forest Rallysprint and WRC Rally NZ in 2022. The apprentices proved to be valuable members of the crew, and all walked away as members of a gold trophy-winning team.
“It was a real privilege to have the MITO apprentices on the team with us and we were all impressed by how involved and enthusiastic they were to help out. They really gelled as part of the team in a short space of time while we were able to give them a first-hand experience to rallying,” says Paddon.
Now with the addition of Emma Gilmour joining in on this initiative, hopes are that more women will get involved and show their appreciation for the sport, and the industry.
“It’s great to be involved with this initiative from MITO and giving someone a first-hand experience of what it’s like to work in a top rally team,” says Gilmour
The two kiwi rally legends want to see more technicians consider motorsport as a career with the experiences of the eight apprentices shared on social media to inspire others.
MITO is seeking expressions of interest from current automotive apprentices who can apply for the initiative here.
Main image: Supplied | Words: Supplied
