Susie grew up in Oban, where her parents owned a motorcycle dealership and her dad raced bikes competitively. It was here that her interest in motorsport was sparked and despite her extensive travelling throughout her career, Oban still has a special place in her heart.
‘There’s lots I miss about Oban, especially the proximity to my family now that I have a son, so to always have my family close would be really nice. I grew up near the water and I still love being close to water. Also, the scenery is just beautiful. Life there has a slightly slower pace and you can appreciate the smaller things much more just because it’s such a picturesque part of the world.
‘You really appreciate home when you’re on the road a lot. But on the other side, I definitely appreciate other countries and cultures because it broadens your horizons and takes you out of your comfort zone. I think that’s important because sometimes you get comfortable in your surroundings and you stop developing and improving as a person.’
Given her complex schedule, it’s no surprise Susie still holds a torch for her sleepy, idyllic hometown. In her Williams F1 team days, her off-season training schedule was gruelling to ensure maximum performance on the track. Women have generally 30% less muscle mass than men, so Susie trained incredibly hard to reach her performance goals and remain in control of the exceptionally strong G-force in order to drive with precision. For those unfamiliar with Formula 1, training generally focuses around stability, strength, agility and coordination. Susie documented some of her complex exercises on her YouTube channel including this elaborate one to improve balance.
Following her retirement, she discovered that even without the diet and fitness regime, she still loved being active and starts every day with a vitamin mineral drink.
‘When I first decided to stop racing, I kind of stopped from one minute to the next with my really hard training regime and let my body have a rest after I had put it through so much. But what became apparent quite quickly was that I like to move my body. Whether that means walking, working out or doing a sport. Now I can do it for enjoyment without the added pressure of knowing that I had a certain regime to stick to.’
Her slightly less intense day-to-day life leaves her with a bit more time to spend at home and of course, drive. But we had to pop the all-important question – what does she listen to in the car?
‘If it was up to me it would be 80s music such as Eurythmics, Michael Jackson, Madonna – I can never get enough of that stuff. My husband says I’ve got terrible taste in music so recently I’ve been listening to the radio to get up to date!’
Look out for part three of this interview coming soon.