At 22 years of age Alice Bevans is a British champion several times over in the highly competitive sport of autograss racing and recently retained her crown as she attended the Ladies National Autograss Championships in Gloucester, where she not only defended her Class 4 Title, but again was ‘Champion of Champions’ and also claimed the silverware in Class Five! 

Sisters race off in spectacular final

It was a very special day for the Bevans’ family because her older sister Michaela Dance was also racing and won the Class One competition in similar style, setting up a meeting of the sisters in the Champion of Champions finale.

“I managed to get off to a great start in third but with a couple of laps to go took the lead,” said Alice, “and throughout those laps I could see Michaela in my rear mirror, pushing me all the way but I managed to hold her off to win.

“We are both highly competitive but above all else we are sisters and we didn’t even wait to get back to the pit area but stopped our cars as quickly as we could to have a huge sisterly hug!”

Involved from her time as a nipper

That Alice should be an autograss racer should come as no shock because from the time she was a baby she was being pushed around the racing circuits in her pram, watching the majority of her family complete. 

They all have amazing pedigrees in autograss racing because dad Mike was national champion in Class 2 and mum Joan won the Class 2 national championship on five occasions, following on from her parents, Gerald and Shirley Harries, who won the nationals once and three times respectively. 

Mike now takes on the role of chief mechanic and all the rest of the family are totally behind Alice and Michaela in continuing the amazing family reputation for a third generation!

Competitively racing at 12 years old . . .

“I raced our 1000cc mini in the junior category of the Pembrokeshire Autograss Club for the first time at Hodgeson, near Lamphey, when I was 12 and I was so nervous,” admitted Alice.

“I can still recall shooting out of the bungee (the strong elastic starting gate) to lead at the first corner but gradually I was overtaken by the more experienced racers who were up to 16 years old – and I came last but really enjoyed it!”

“But as I gained experience I also picked up points and was delighted to finish fourth out of 30 junior members in the club.”

. . . And then winning at senior level too!

After completing her junior career Alice went onto the Ladies classes and in her first year out of the junior category she confirmed her potential as she won the Class 1 National Championships, competing against over 50 competitors in her class and showing her fearless nature, her naturally quick starts and her ability to spot the ideal overtaking opportunities. 

“I also went on to win the British Autograss Series Championships in Ladies Class 1 at 17 years of age and then I went onto a new challenge in 2015 in the form of a Class 5 Peugeot-powered rear-wheel drive mini pick-up, and I came runner up in my first season last year and this year I am leading the current British Autograss Series Championship this year with 1 round left to go in a couple of weeks.

“I also started racing in Class 4, with a 1130cc Nissan powered Micra, after Rob Corbett, a great family friend, offered to race the car at National level. 

New challenges successfully negotiated

“This year I have been competing in the British Autograss Series for the first time, and after the fourth round, with one round still too go, I have tied up the championship and have won the British Autograss Series title after previously winning the Class 4 ladies national championships in 2014 and 2015. 

“A few weeks ago I attended the Ladies National Autograss Championships in Gloucester, to try defending my Class 4 Title, as well as defending the Champion of Champions Title and try a new challenge in my class 5. 

“I competed in three qualifying heats and made both Class 4 & 5 finals. This is my most important championship in the autograss calendar and I was almost overwhelmed with nerves and excitement. But after both intense finals I led both from the first corner and became Class 5 National Champion and a three-time Class 4 National Champion! 

“This was a dream weekend for us all and won every title that I could possible gain,” said Alice, “to make it two days I will never forget!”

And finally . . .

Ask Alice about ambitions and she would say that a fourth successive British title would be nice because it would create a new record since winning it three times on the trot allowed her to share the record, which was created in the early 1990s.

But she would add that she just loves competing whatever happens in that area because racing provides the perfect pressure valve from her important work as a staff nurse in Ward Four at Withybush Hospital.

As Alice told us in summing up the wonderful success she has already enjoyed,
“I couldn’t think of anything else I would rather be doing with my weekends and feel so lucky to have the opportunities I have been given. I have been supported by my family throughout my racing career and couldn’t have achieved as much without them!

We can only add that Alice is a wonderful credit to her family, a terrific flag-bearer for her sport - and we wish her every success in the future!