It’s not uncommon for motorsport fans to have unique stories about their introduction to the sport.
 
Whether it was seeing a race car for the first time in person, or watching a certain Netflix show that made them embrace Formula 1, there are a variety of reasons how passions for motorsport begin.
 
For first-time official Zoe Mountain, it was a case of being surrounded by motorsport with her father from the age of four.
 
With her dad being a mechanic based out of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, which is just one hour outside of Bathurst, it seemed inevitable that Zoe would soon be involved herself.
 
However, to enjoy it from such a young age was more circumstantial and was a result of spending lots of time at her dad’s garage – which every day, had Formula 1 on repeat.
 
And now 14 years after first falling in love with the sport, Mountain took the first step of making her dream of working in motorsport, a reality.

“I have been watching F1 since I was four years old and I remember watching Seb Vettel when he first started driving,” Mountain said.
 
“I fell in love with it at dad’s shop and I always felt so mesmerised by how fast the cars would be going around the track – I would watch for hours.
 
“As I got older, I would also go to Bathurst with my dad, who was a mechanic for a bunch of teams, and I would watch him work.
 
“From there, my passion for other types of motorsport grew, but my heart has always been in Formula 1 and I just love it.
 
“So for the past 14 years, my interest in the sport in general has never disappeared and my dad and I developed a plan to get me into the industry and that started with this weekend.”
 
Part of that plan was to find multiple avenues to get into the sport, which included being an official.
 
After turning 18-years-old, Mountain was ready to begin her new journey into motorsport and it began with volunteering on Australia’s biggest stage.
 
And although she is still young, Mountain left her parents and travelled alone for the first time to tick off an item of her bucket list.
 
“I really want to get into the industry but I’ve learned that it’s quite difficult so I decided to get some experience here and maybe move up the chain to be an actual official,” Mountain explained.
 
“And it’s a big step for me this year. I feel a bit like a fish out of water but doing something like this without my parents has been a big adventure.
 
“It’s extremely exciting. Seeing the cars and how fast they go in real life is awesome – especially how different it is compared to on TV.
 
“I admire what all the other people do in the sport. It’s not just the drivers, it’s the officials, the team members, everyone – It’s a whole little team. I am looking forward to seeing how it all operates.”