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Joan Hoskinson - The Woman Behind The Wheel “Making Dreams Come True” is the mission statement at Joan Hoskinson’s financial planning office and is an ethos that she does not simply preach to clients, but practises in her own life. After a hard day at the office, Joan sheds her corporate skin to transform herself into the stylish and racy Rally Girl. |
Joan Hoskinson is breaking all the stereotypes associated with women of her age and is clearly steering her personal ambitions in her own direction. As the only Canadian female Rally car driver in an otherwise male dominated sport, Joan Hoskinson is an inspiration to women of all ages. Joan Hoskinson was born in Montreal but grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her passion for cars and racing began to surface whilst Joan was still in her teens and by the time Joan was in university, she had become the only female member of the UBC’s Sports Car Club. Despite a surge in feminism during the early 1970s, the very notion of a female racing driver as well as the lack of female role models in the world of racing sports, meant that there was little opportunity for Joan to make her interest in racing more than a hobby. Joan continued to excel academically and after graduating with a BA in Art History, Joan moved to Thunder Bay, Ontario with her family. Once in Thunder Bay, Joan completed a diploma at Confederation College in Broadcasting. After working as a freelance journalist in Thunder Bay and as the local TV weather girl, Joan’s career shifted gears. She achieved her professional designation of Certified Financial Planner, which became and continues to be her 9-5 career. It was not until the mid 1990s that Joan decided to accelerate her Rally driving interest to the next level. She made the decision to learn how to road race and signed herself up for training at Mosport International Speedway in Toronto. After showcasing her driving skills at various fundraising rallies, Joan was persuaded to take up rally driving on a more serious level by Thunder Bay business owner and former Rally driving professional, Tom Jones. Joan’s first participation in a major rally Championship was in 2001 at the prestigious Monte Carlo Historic Rally in France. Competing in this first event was not an easy task for the novice, as Joan herself not only had to personally fund her maiden voyage but also, undertake more extensive training, find an experienced navigator and rent a rally car. Incredibly, Joan and her navigator went on to win the Coupes des Dames title and bring the prize back to North America for the first time since 1911. It was this classic win that fuelled Joan’s motivation to move into high speed performance rallying on a more professional level. Since then, Joan has found herself a new co-driver, Laurence-Fanny L’Estage from Quebec and together they have been mapping out a whole new image for women in the world of performance rally. In 2003, the pair became the first women ever in rally history to win the top Novice title and the Production-4 Class title at the Ontario Performance Rally Championships. The duo also went on to become winners at the Ontario-Quebec Independent Rally Championship during the same year. Undoubtedly, 2004 promises to be an incredibly momentous year for Joan Hoskinson and her 1996 Subaru Impreza R.S 2.5 as they chase their dreams and race towards professional rally driving status for 2005.
2003 Ontario Performance Rally Championships 2003 Ontario-Quebec Independent Rally Championships 2002 Monte Carlo Historic Rally, Coupe Des Dames 2001 Classic Marathon Rally |
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