Learning Through Listening: Elaine Brice on Mentorship in Motorsport

Mentor Spotlight

Elaine Brice is an accountant based in Northern Ireland with years of experience in motorsport. She's been involved in the sport for a long time, working as both a steward and marshal at racing events, and she wanted to find a way to share what she's learned with others coming into the field.

Passing It Forward

Elaine's decision to become a mentor came from a straightforward place: "I wanted to pass on my years of experience in motorsport to help others have the life I have had in motorsport and to achieve their dreams."

She's had a fulfilling career in the sport and saw mentorship as a way to help others navigate their own paths, whether they're pursuing roles as officials, working in media, or exploring other opportunities in motorsport.

Unexpected Learning

What surprised Elaine was how much she learned through the mentoring process itself. Her mentees brought perspectives and challenges she hadn't encountered in her own motorsport journey, particularly around accessibility.

"It has made me think about certain areas that I haven't before. Such as media being able to get accessible parking," she explains. As a steward and marshal, parking has never been an issue for her, so it hadn't occurred to her that others working at events - particularly those in media roles - might face different challenges.

Another moment stood out: learning that at the British GP, someone on crutches wasn't allowed into a viewing area. This prompted her to inquire at another circuit, where she discovered they prioritize wheelchair users but would accommodate people on crutches if space allowed. These conversations opened her eyes to accessibility gaps she hadn't previously considered.

"It has encouraged me to find out about things I haven't thought of before, so my knowledge has grown," Elaine says. Mentoring became a two-way learning experience.

Why It Matters

For Elaine, mentorship serves a practical purpose. "Sometimes you just need someone to talk things through with, a sounding board, so to speak and other times just somebody who will listen if you are having a bad day."

It's not always about big breakthroughs or career-changing advice. Sometimes it's simply about having someone available who understands the context and can offer a listening ear when things get difficult.

Everyone Has Something to Offer

Elaine's advice to anyone considering mentoring is simple: "Do it, everyone has something to offer."

You don't need to have all the answers or be an expert in every area. The value comes from sharing your specific experiences and being willing to support someone else's journey. And as Elaine's experience shows, you'll likely learn things you hadn't expected along the way.

A Resource Worth Remembering

When asked what resource she'd recommend to people in motorsport, Elaine's answer was succinct: "Yourself."

It's a reminder that the most valuable resource often comes from within - trusting your own experience, being willing to reflect on what you know, and using that to help others while remaining open to learning from them in return.

Building Awareness Together

Elaine's mentorship journey highlights something important: sometimes the greatest value of mentorship isn't just in what the mentor teaches, but in what both parties learn together. By creating space for conversations about accessibility, challenges, and different perspectives, mentorship relationships can help the entire motorsport community become more aware and more inclusive.

For Elaine, mentoring has expanded her understanding of the sport she knows well, while giving her the opportunity to help others find their place in it. That exchange - experience shared, perspectives broadened, connections made - is what makes mentorship work.