Episode 1 - Charlie Broughton
From Beauty to the BTCC: Charlie Broughton’s Road to Success
“You’ve got to be joking. You’re a girl. They’ll never employ you.”
In the debut episode of The Spark Inside, hosts Christian Hewgill and Becca Knight introduce listeners to the world of cars and motorsport, sharing personal stories and insights. This episode features an inspiring conversation with Charlie Broughton, the number one mechanic for Power Maxed Racing in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). Charlie shares her unconventional journey from studying beauty to making her mark in a male-dominated motorsport industry. Whether you’re a motorsport enthusiast or looking to break into the automotive world, this episode is packed with motivation and tips for finding your own spark.
Tune in to hear how Charlie kicked down doors to follow her dreams and why she encourages aspiring mechanics to “just go for it.”
This is an episode full of passion, perseverance and love for all things automotive.
Key Moments:
[00:00:00] Introduction: Meet your hosts, Christian and Becca
[00:10:14] Guest Intro: Welcoming Charlie Broughton
[00:10:56] Early Motorsports Passion: From F1 fan to mechanic
[00:16:55] Breaking Barriers: Overcoming gender obstacles in motorsport
[00:22:04] Life as a Mechanic: What a typical day looks like
[00:28:13] Advice to Aspiring Mechanics: Charlie’s tips for newcomers
[00:29:47] Closing Thoughts: Encouragement for aspiring automotive professionals
Featuring: Charlie Broughton
Presented by: Becca Knight and Christian Hewgill
Episodes are released weekly and you can follow the Spark Inside on:
Podcast Website: www.thesparkinside.co.uk
The Spark Inside is an 18Sixty production brought to you by Niterra UK Ltd.
Charlie Broughton
Motorsport Technician, currently Number 1 mechanic for Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing in the BTCC, and previously in WRC, TCR, and various other modern and classic series. Also Project Manager / Technical Document Author at Tuthill Porsche.
What first ignited my spark was...
...watching Colin McRae on a stage of the RAC rally in 1995. The atmosphere, noise and smell - I knew from that moment that I wanted to work in motorsport!