You could possibly call this a second generation racing family, although father Paul Hill only began his racing career four years before his sixteen year old daughter Karah.
Although they are both very serious racers when their visors drop, the Hill’s racing motto is ‘first have fun’ and they believe their racing should be enjoyed without the pressure of performance. This casual attitude to racing seems to already be paying dividends for both Paul and Karah.
Under no pressure to perform, Karah has done exactly that – perform. At only sixteen years old, this young lady already possesses great talent behind the wheel of her blue and white VW Polo nicknamed ‘Gumball’. “My dad has been a big influence on getting me to start racing,” says Karah, and my family supports me every step of the way.”
Paul started racing a little over five years ago when he purchased an ex-production BMW 330i race car. The racing bug bit as it inevitably does and soon Paul wanted more power and speed as he carved his way through the pack and often tussling with and beating the front runners in his class.
He currently races a BMW E90 335 Turbo wide-body which produces an astounding 350 kilowatts through fat sticky slicks. “Brandon Fourie who prepares all our cars, has built an animal of a car,” admits Paul with a grin, “but it is a real adrenaline rush to drive and I am normally quicker in a race than in qualy which messes with my competitors.”
Even when he is standing on the pit wall watching his young daughter behind the wheel, Paul remains relaxed and calm. “Karah has put in a lot of practice and she is a very confident driver which makes me confident in turn. I have a lot of trust in her ability.”
Proof of Karah’s composure in a race came when she slammed into the tyre wall during one of her races. She kept in constant radio comms with her father on the pit wall and brought the car back to the pits where it was repaired in time for her next heat.
Both Paul and Karah stay fit by mountain-biking and the occasional round of golf. But their aspirations on track are to compete in more endurance type races and possibly compete overseas. For now though they are enjoying the track as a racing family and showing their peers how it should be done.
