While most students count nights in the pub and hours in bed as viable hobbies, Kate Blake is some what different.

The 19-year-old former John of Gaunt School, Trowbridge, pupil, who is the daughter of Staverton Owners' Group founder Michael Blake, has a need forspeed and gets her fix from rallying.

Kate, a marketing student at Oxford Brookes University, has been helping the MWRT rallying team since October last year, soon after she joined the motorclub at the university.

But now she wants a go at racing herself and plans to compete in the Formula 1000 Championship, which starts at the beginning of July and has stages all over the UK.

She will begin by taking part in a forest rally at Llandovery, south Wales,on Saturday, July 5, followed by a tarmac rally in Trawsfynydd, north Wales a week later. The championship is an introduction to high-level rallying with cars that are mostly under 1000cc competing on gravel and tarmac all over the UK.

Kate has scraped together nearly £5,000 to buy and tune her 1-litre Nissan Micra, and has been helped by sponsors Staverton Owners' Group, Wilts Electrical Wholesalers, Fresh Oven Cleaning and Utting Estates.

Kate said: "I can't wait but I'm nervous as well. It should be really good.

"I absolutely love driving and rallying is something not many people get a chance to have a go at.

"I'm a bit too competitive. I'm a bit like my dad."

"I've saved up quite a lot of money and dad has helped me.

"We bought the car in March and made her ready in about four weeks, that has been pretty hardcore.

"I had a period from when I finished my exams to when I was working (at an insurance company in London), where I was just doing the car and getting it all ready.

"Even now it's still in the workshop being finished.2 Kate, with the help of some of her fellow MWRT members, stripped the car and took the engine to pieces as part of the preparation. The suspension alone cost just under £1,000, more than the £800 cost of the car.

When Kate takes to the road she will have an experienced co-driver in the form of Max Utting, who drives in the Fiesta FT Championship and the South West Championship.

Rallying is not the only sport Kate has turned her hand to. She played for Bath Ladies rugby team for a season while still at school, as well as Trowbridge Under 17s ladies rugby team for three years. She also turned out for West Wilts hockey team on a few occasions.