This year’s Motorsport Australia Hill Climb Championship at Mount Cotton was a special event for many reasons.

In addition to Dean Tighe winning it for the first time and entering the rare feat of being a National Speed and Auto Test champion in two disciplines, the event saw five women serve as the most senior official roles for the event.

Those senior roles included Clerk of the Course Mary Caplet, Deputy Clerk of Course Judy Evans, Starter Leigh Evans, Chief Scrutineer Carmel Wilcox and Event Secretary Annette Truscott.

All five women have spent many years in the sport and have volunteered with the MG Car Club of Queensland for a long period of time – making them obvious candidates for their respective roles at the national event.  

In celebration of FIA Volunteers Weekend, Motorsport Australia shares the story of each woman’s journey and how they worked hard to secure senior roles in Queensland.

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Mary Caplet – Clerk of the Course

Caplet started directing motorkhanas for the Holden Sporting Car Club Queensland under the guidance of experienced people in the 1980s, before getting serious in 1996 at her first event at Lakeside as a Scrutineer.

It didn’t take her long to find her niche as a scrutineer at Mt Cotton Hill climb.
At the turn of the century, she got the opportunity to be Assistant Clerk of Course at a race meeting and by the end of 2000, she was appointed Clerk of Course at several local hill climbs.

Although it would be two decades before she would get her first major gig as a Clerk of Course at a national event, the silver grade scrutineer and event command representative put the hard yards in at every meeting she went to.

“My appointment as Clerk of Course for the Motorsport Australia Hill Climb Championship was one I was very pleased about and I really looked forward to the event,” Caplan said.

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Judy Evans – Deputy Clerk of Course

Starting off building engines, spray painting cars and changing tyres at Speedway, it wasn’t until 1998 when a chance meeting in Brisbane inspired Judy Evans to become a volunteer official.

In early 2005, Evans participated in an official training day at Queensland Raceway and joined the spot instantly.

Since then, she has done almost every volunteer role possible – from Flag Marshal, Comms, Safety Car Observer and CATO to Race Control Comms and Chief Flag and Sector Marshal.

Mt Cotton has always been special to Evans as it was her first licenced event. Now, she is often Clerk of Course for state level meetings at the popular hill climb, while also having a section named in her honour.

As a result of her recent Silver Event Command course, she was invited to serve as Deputy Clerk of Course for the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships at Queensland Raceway and the Motorsport Australia Hillclimb Championship.

“I enjoy motorsport and hope to participate for many years to come and hope to pass my knowledge on to others,” Evans said.

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Annette Truscott  – Secretary of the Meeting

After first moving to Brisbane, Truscott was inspired by Ivan Tighe to get involved in the Historic Racing Car Club as an administrator, before moving to MG Car Club Queensland to help with the Mt Cotton Hillclimb.

In addition to the many club events, Truscott’s Silver Admin licence in 2012 saw her receive the Event Secretary position for both the 2012 Motorsport Australia Motorkhana Championship and 2013 Motorsport Australia Hill Climb Championship.

Over the years, she has volunteered as an event secretary in many khanacrosses, motorkhanas, national rallies and off road events, state-level circuit racing and one appearance at a Formula 1 event for the experience.

“I am a volunteer official and really enjoy the club level motorsport. I have met many wonderful people along the way who are just out there to have a great day racing their cars and if they are lucky they might pick up a trophy.

“It has been an honour to be associated with all the clubs I have been privileged to help along the way.”

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Carmel Wilcox- Chief Scrutineer

Carmel Wilcox has been involved in motorsport for 23 years and has held the role of Chief Scrutineer at all levels of the sport.

First joining Gympie Auto Sport Club, Wilcox went from being a member to a canteen lady before landing a gig as a scrutineer, which paved the way for her journey.

Starting scrutineering 16 years ago, Wilcox was doing up to 20 events a year that included off road, Supercars, Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships, Leyburn Sprints, khanacross and Queensland rallies.

An experienced campaigner, Wilcox led an all-woman scrutineering team at the 2022 NTI Townsville 500 – highlighting the growth of female officials.

“The people you meet and friendships you make over the years are also important to me. I often take the time at events to pass the knowledge I have learnt onto new scrutineers,” Wilcox said.

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Leigh Evans – Starter

Leigh Evans’ first event was the 1998 Bathurst 1000 and she enjoyed it so much, she continued to volunteer for a further few years on the Gold Coast for Indycars.

Taking a small hiatus, she returned in 2010 where she has participated in many forms of motorsport such as hill climbs at Mt Cotton, Mt Coot-tha and Noosa, sprint events at Leyburn, Wondai and Oakey and many circuit racing events around the country, including Morgan Park Raceway, Townsville, Bathurst, Ipswich, Adelaide, Eastern Creek, Symmons Plains, Gold Coast and Hidden Valley.

Before her current role as Mt Cotton Hillclimb Starter, Evans obtained a Silver Circuit Officials licence, which saw her land roles as the Chief Flag Marshal role at national events and the Assistant Chief Flag Marshal for both Bathurst and Newcastle Supercars rounds.

“I enjoy motorsport and the friendships that I have formed due to my participation. I hope to continue to pass on my knowledge and encourage other officials to strive to be the best they can be.”