Q&A: Emilie Le Fur - Peugeot engineer.

Emilie Le Fur has carved out a place in the highly masculine world of motor sport as a qualified female engineer working with the Peugeot Sport WRC team. Here she talks about her profession and her life in world class rallying:

Q:
A WRC rally engineer is something of an unusual career choice for a young lady...

Emilie Le Fur:
It's a choice that came naturally. I have always been interested in cars and automotive technology. When I was little, I always wanted to check the engine oil level and the pressure of the tyres. At secondary school, I was determined to become an engineer.

Q:
What was your parents' reaction?

ELF:
There were accustomed to my 'tom boy' side, although I counter-balanced that by taking part in more traditionally feminine activities such classical dancing and ice hockey. My mother always left me free to make my own decisions. She would give me advice, but would never impose her ideas on me. She felt I was happy working in this direction, however strange she may have found it.

Q:
What are your qualifications and experience?

ELF:
I had an ordinary schooling to begin. I went to a technical sixth form college and got my baccalaureat specialising in economics. After that, I went to an engineering college called L'ESTACA. Then everything went extremely quickly... I spent some job-experience time in a motorcycle racing environment and that was immediately followed by two years in Grand Prix motorcycling at world level. After working on a programme involving privately-entered Honda 500s, I joined a Swiss-German team that was developing its own bike. My duties included engine bench testing and the design of certain components. I learnt so much. Our rider, Luca Cadalora, scored some top results and the competition bug bit. After that, I switched to four wheels with my move to the Peugeot World Rally Championship team.

Q:
How easy is it for a young lady to carve out a place in such a traditionally masculine field?

ELF:
It's true that the number of female colleagues in my immediate entourage has progressively diminished. At my technical sixth form college, there were fifteen of us. But then, in the automotive department of L'ESTACA, I was the only girl. I was a sort of curiosity. That was occasionally quite tough and, when classes finished, I had an instinctive need to be in the company of other girls. My dance lessons were a sort of compensation. When I entered the world of motorcycling, I was aware that I didn't have any margin for error. If I had made mistakes, people would have said it was normal because I was a girl. In the paddock, I had a few unpleasant experiences because of rumours and other difficult moments. Having said that, being a curiosity can also have the opposite effect. When you do a good job, people take more notice than they perhaps would with a man. In that case, being a girl becomes an advantage... When I arrived at Peugeot Sport, I already had some experience under my belt and I was warmly welcomed. Today, I feel I fit into this world quite naturally and my place isn't questioned.

Q:
Do you think your position might encourage other would-be female engineers to follow your example?

ELF:
Why not? I don't think I'm an exception. There are plenty of girls capable of doing what I do, and with the same enthusiasm. A group of engineering university students recently visited a Peugeot Sport service park on an event and the girls were all very interested. The process is under way. Indeed, I'm no longer on my own because a new young lady electronics engineer joined the ranks of Peugeot Sport this year.

Q:
Seen from the inside, and through female eyes, what is your perception of the world of motor sport?

ELF:
When you're green, straight out of school, and find yourself suddenly immersed in motor sport, it doesn't take long to realise that in addition to the theory, human relations - from the boss to the mechanics - are also extremely important. With the drivers, psychology is a big part of my work. It's an aspect I discovered once in the job and one I appreciate a great deal. This year, at Peugeot Sport, I am in charge of the third works car. Working with drivers with such different characters as Gilles Panizzi and Harri Rovanper? is a particularly rewarding experience. They are both extremely kind and motivating.

Q:
When one is new in an established team, the reigning World Champions to boot, is it difficult to make oneself heard? Especially for a young lady?

ELF:
I had already worked with Gilles Panizzi at Peugeot Grifone and he put me at ease from the outset by having confidence in me despite my inexperience and I was quickly accepted by everyone in the team. I am sometimes complimented... like the others. Sometimes I get a good shouting... like the others. And that's the way it should be. If everything were diluted just because I'm a girl, it would be very vexing. Everyone is there to progress together...

Q:
What about the inevitable attempts at seduction?

ELF:
You have to keep clear of them, even if that means putting a lid on dressing up as you might like during work hours. To be dressed in the same way as the rest of the team can be frustrating for a girl, but it's a small price to pay for the immense joy my job brings me...

Q:
Is there anything about your job you would like to change?

ELF:
I feel it's a shame that the regulations mean we have set up camp in the same service park for three days. We go to so many fantastic countries without getting a real chance to discover them!

Q:
What do you like most about your job?

ELF:
The sense of communion within the entire team when we win. Everyone, whether French or not French, man or woman, engineer, driver or mechanic, is united in the same complicity and that's always very emotional. I can't wait for our next victory!