The businesses, ranging from car yards to restaurants, jumped to Gilmour’s assistance after her dramatic crash at Rally Whangarei, donating more than $30,000 towards the cost of her new Subaru Impreza.
The fund-raising was started without Gilmour's knowledge, and she says she still feels quite humbled when she thinks back to the day last month when she was presented with a card reading, "To Emma and the Team: some local support and best wishes for your rallying career." It was accompanied by dozens of cheques and cash.
"When you have to start from scratch with a new car after a major crash, and pick yourself up from an injury, your own confidence inevitably takes a knock," says Gilmour.
"As well as helping with the costs, the fact that so many people in my home community have dug deep shows they believe I can get out there and challenge for a top result again.
"Their belief has helped mine, and winning one of the two national scholarships for Rally New Zealand later in the month, has also meant a lot for the same reason."
Gilmour is confident she will be challenging for stage wins and a top result in the Hawkes Bay Rally, round four of the NZ Rally Championship, despite it being a one-day event, rather than the usual two-day format.
"With just seven stages totalling 166km, this not an event where you can afford to ease yourself on to the pace," she said. "It's a case of going hard from the start if you want to end the day with a strong result.”
"After our excellent 150km test session a couple of weekends back, I know both car and driver are properly sorted, and am really excited about facing the challenge of serious competition once again."
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