Hello.....
and welcome to my website.

My name is Karen Watts I am known as Kaz by most of my friends and I am from The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

I am a long time member of the Forest of Dean Motor Club and am very much involved in the Wyedean Stages, my father is Clerk of the Course and my Mother is Entries Secretary.

Since both my parents are involved in Rallying I guess it was only a matter of time before I got into a rally car.

Since 2005 I have competed in rallies from Wales, Cornwall and to Humberside as a co-driver. Including The Wyedean which is the first, and best BTRDA round of the year.

At the end of the 2009 season I attended the BTRDA awards dinner and received BTRDA 2009 Lady Co-Driver Championship award and also an award for 2nd in class B9 Co-Driver in the Welsh National Championship

In 2010 I took class wins on both the BTRDA and Welsh National Championships.
Also to round off the year I added the MSA English Codriver O/A title to my collection.

This is my story, this is my life, please enjoy your visit.

Millers Oils BTRDA 1400 Champion & BRC Challenge Ladies Champion.

No one, let alone Kaz, could have predicted the fantastic year that lay ahead for the top Gloucestershire co-driver, picking up a total of five top awards, and firmly putting her stamp on the title as one of the best UK female co-drivers.

Kaz Watts has been competing in two of the countries top-line championships in 2011 – the BTRDA Millers Oils 1400 Championship with Darren Pinchin in the Proton Satria 1400, and the British Rally Championship Challenge (BRCC), sat alongside Becky Kirvan in the KC Rally Team Ford Fiesta.

With the season getting off to a flying start with Darren in the BTRDA 1400’s, Kaz picked up three maximum points hauls on the trot – the Wyedean, her home event, the Cumbrian classic, The Malcolm Wilson and Somerset stages.

During her Millers Oils BTRDA 1400 campaign, Kaz joined forces with Becky Kirvan and the KC Rally Team to compete in the KC Ford Fiesta ST and tackle the British Rally Championship Challenge – a proving ground for young talent looking to make the step up in to British Rally Championship.

A new pairing with Kaz and Becky saw the pair get off to a steady start, learning a new car and building confidence between the team. The Bulldog Rally was the first round of the new championship and saw the all-female team pick up 3rd in class in the North Wales forests.

A trip back up North for the Pirelli International Rally saw Kaz and Becky head in to the forests of “Killer Kielder” – so named amongst rally fans for very fast, long straights and deep ditches, known to catch out those who don’t treat the stages with respect.

Another third in class on the Pirelli showed Becky and Kaz had the pace and the confidence in the team was growing. The next round of the BRC Challenge was moving to tarmac so the team faced another new challenge.

Before Kaz and Becky could head to the tarmac rally of the Jim Clark Memorial, Kaz moved back in to the Proton Satria to partner Darren Pinchin in the BTRDA 1400’s on the Plains Rally.

The Plains Rally, the previous year, was not a great event for the pair, so looking to get to the end they stared the event with a cautious approach. With Justin Lawson returning to the BTRDA 1400’s for a few selected events the fight wasn’t going to be easy. By the end of the day the pair conceded first place and settled for 2nd in the 1400’s, taking enough points to maintain their overall lead in the championship.

Returning to partner Becky Kirvan in the KC Rally Team Ford Fiesta, Kaz and Becky headed back North for the all-tarmac Jim Clark Memorial Rally. One of only a few tarmac outings for the pair, they wuld get off to a disappointing start losing a lot of time with a puncture and a faulty jack.

“We were really disappointed” Karen said. “We’d had such a good time through the earlier stages and then to lose all that and nearly go out of the event with a puncture.”

The pair managed to put points on the board for the third consecutive event and picked up 5th in class on their first tarmac outing together.

Meanwhile, back in the BTRDA 1400’s, Kaz rejoined Darren for the Dukeries Rally, based in the Sherwood Forest complex around Mansfield. After the rapid start to the season, it wasn’t going to be all plain sailing though, with an off on one of the opening stages.

“We were travelling down a short stretch of tarmac which turned in to gravel on the corner just down from the start. We knew the tarmac was slippery under the trees so made sure we broke early but the car wouldn’t stop – we ended up sliding sideways into the ditch but managed to get back out. It seems to have caught quite a few crews out. It wasn’t the end of our dramas for that stage – we picked up a puncture just before the end.

“The service crew did a fantastic job in service and got the car through the rest of the day – I really can’t thank them enough. We managed to get the car to the finish and picked up a second place.”

Maintaining their lead in the Millers Oils BTRDA 1400 Championship, the crew headed in to Wales for the Nicky Grist Quinton Stages, with an outside chance of clinching the title with two rounds remaining.

“We knew what we had to do and despite it being a tall order we went in focused on the championship”.

The event wasn’t going to be easy and despite leading for much of the event, the Proton Satria crew slid wide on a corner in Halfway – losing 2 ½ minutes and the rally lead.

“To be honest, when we finished, we had no idea we’d wrapped up the Millers Oils 1400 Championship. It wasn’t until later that evening we were told Darren had got the title and then the next day when we had it confirmed I’d just pipped Karen Robinson to the Co-Drivers title”.

With the Millers Oils BTRDA 1400 crown wrapped up, Kaz could return to concentrating on co-driving Becky Kirvan back in the BRC Challenge. The next outing for the paid continued their run on tarmac and crossed the Irish Sea for the Todds Leap International Rally Northern Ireland.

In a huge turn of pace, Kaz and Becky managed to battle through the notoriously difficult event, whilst the competition fell foul of the slippery conditions, to pick up their first class win in only their second tarmac outing together.

“It was a great feeling. We’d been working towards this all year and it really helped to bolster the feeling of confidence throughout the team.”

With the BTRDA 1400 Championship wrapped up for both Kaz and Darren, the pressure would be lifted from them on the Woodpecker Stages, the penultimate round of the BTRDA Championship and a qualifying round of the Welsh National Championship and Swisher MSA English Rally Championship.

Not everything was going to go in Kaz’s favour on the Woodpecker with a broken driveshaft in the last stage dropping them from 2nd, just 8 seconds behind Lawson, back to 5th overall, picking up 3rd in Championship points.

It was to become clear just before the Trackrod Rally of Yorkshire that it was going to be the final round of the British Rally Championship and the Challenge, with the Rally Isle of Man being cancelled.

With the final foray in to the forests of 2011 for Kaz and Becky they were keen to really put their stamp on the event, after a class win on the previous round in Northern Ireland.

After a confident start, and pushing to take 10th overall, Kaz explains what happened next;

“I had my head down, reading the notes, when I heard Becky on the intercom say we had no brakes. Heading in to a fast downhill square right, Becky was doing everything she could to slow the car down but we left the road and hit a tree. We landed upside down in a ditch but thankfully we were both okay, a bit sore and bruised, but eager to get the KC Ford Fiesta fixed and back out.”

“We picked up the BRC Challenge Ladies Title which softens the blow a little”.

The off ended their year on a bit of a low but the team planned to get the Ford Fiesta fixed and back out to compete on the World Rally Championship round, Wales Rally GB.

Back to the final round of the BTRDA Rally Series, having picked up the Millers Oils BTRDA 1400 Title, Kaz was concentrating on the Welsh National 2wd Title with Darren and taking on the Cambrian Rally.

In a drama packed event, which saw the pair nearly not make the start due to an electrical fault, the pair took the Proton Satria home 2nd in the 1400’s and picking up yet another maximum championship points.

The final event of the year, with all the championship points counted and dropped scores taken in to account, meant Kaz had secured no less than 5 titles in 2011!

Together with the Millers Oils BTRDA 1400 Championship and BRC Challenge Ladies Title, Kaz picked up the Hankook Welsh National 2WD Co-Driver and BTRDA Ladies Co-Driver Award with her maximum points on the Cambrian Rally. Finally, even without contesting the Tempest Rally, Kaz picked up the Swisher MSA English Rally Co-Driver Champion title for the second consecutive year.

For press information please contact David Benson – RallySport Media Tel: 07834 049038

My 2011.

After a successfull rally season in 2010 I am back out attacking the BTRDA 1400 Championship with Darren Pinchin in the Proton Satria along with the MSA English and Welsh National forest Championship.

Last year I took class wins on both the BTRDA and Welsh National Championships and also the MSA English Codriver O/A title.

2011 seems just as exciting and both Darren and myself are hoping for some good results with this being the 3rd year that we have teamed up.

Also for 2011 I have teamed up with Becky Kirvan and will be competing in the 5 rounds of the BRC Challenge, the last round being in the Isle of Man.

We are the only all-female crew of the championship
I teamed up with Becky back in 2007 on the Mid-Wales Stages rally and since then have formed a great friendship so we are both really looking forward to making our mark on the Championship.

Check out Becky's website at:- http://www.beckykirvan.co.uk/

Rallying can be expensive and I am always looking for a little extra help with sponsorship.
If you are interested please email to kaz@kazrallying.co.uk

Sponsors.

Those kind people that helped me this year, without them I am sure that I would be grounded.

I can't forget Castlewoodcraft, well one half of the business is my Dad. Thanks for the road books and pace notes.

And finally Gibson's of Coalway where I occasionally pop in to make long phone calls and annoy the boss.

Not forgetting my family and friends who have helped me and with my children

Kaz.

And Finally .......

I would like to thank all the photographers who kindly send me the pictures to post on this website
My good friends Gary Simpson, Julian Jones, Russ Otway, Wayne Goldring, Chris Huish,
Geoff Mayes and Kevin Baldwin.

Thank You.