AN incredible journey across five continents – and counting – for Bantry native Catherine Levis-Shinnors is woven by personal milestones, like engagement and marriage, into an international adventure of motorsport.
Not just from a sporting or tourism aspect, Catherine’s travels have immersed her and her husband Matt in the cultures and communities of each country they have visited.
Explaining the reason behind their various expeditions, Catherine laughed before joking, 'It's probably madness between the two of us, I suppose! One of us is as bad as the other!'
Those personal milestones trip off her tongue with consummate ease.
‘The very first rally we did was Barbados in 2012, and we got engaged there,’ she said.
It also had a lucky omen.
‘I actually won €2,000 in the lotto and that covered the shipping of the car (a Ford Escort Mk. 2) on a banana boat!’ Catherine said, and added, 'Then, our second rally abroad was the Arctic Rally in Finland (2016) and we got married there just before the rally.'
A sign on the rear of their BMW 325i E36M simply said ‘Just Married’.
The obvious question of where they met and how it all began brought another rally event into focus: the Trackrod Rally in Yorkshire in 2009 when Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors (Matt's cousin) won the British Rally Championship.
'I was there supporting Keith and Matt was supporting Greg, so we were supporting both sides of the car. We met at the celebrations in the pub afterwards and as the expression goes, the rest is history,’ Catherine said.
Matt Shinnors/Catherine Levis-Shinnors (Mitsubishi Lancer E6) during the recent Boggeragh Rallysprint near Nad. They were fifth after the opening stage but mechanical issues dropped them out of contention. (Photo: Martin Walsh)
It's worth noting that prior to that, Catherine competed in events as a driver with her younger sister Laurna calling the pacenotes. As a co-driver Catherine competed with Donegal's Eamonn McCafferty (Ford Puma Kit Car) for around 18 months, taking a national championship class award in 2009.
Home nowadays is along the Cousane Gap between Dunmanway and Kealkill. Matt is originally from Bruff, County Limerick. The decision to opt for West Cork was relatively simple and rally-related, of course, as Matt explained.
‘The house came with a big shed. We spent years looking for houses that either had a shed or room to build a shed, and then tried to get planning for a shed. Initially, our big attraction to this particular location was the shed for the cars, and it's also very scenic where we are.’
Both are content for sure, as Matt added, ‘With six acres around the house, there's plenty of ground for playing around with the shed that will take quite a few cars. Yeah, we're living the dream.’
Following their wedding, which they were the only attendees, they had a party back home and then Matt, a medical engineer, was sent to America for work. Catherine added the detail.
‘I went over on my summer holidays and we did a rally in California, a case of going back to North America again. We did the WRC candidate event of Rally Safari in Kenya and the same year we did the WRC candidate event in Japan, the Shinshiro Rally so that took care of Africa and Asia,’ Catherine explained.
‘Before I met Matt, he had already competed in WRC New Zealand; we were going there but then the very first lockdown happened. That hasn't come back in the books yet! We did Thailand last year and also a rally in Uruguay.’
There's no need to look at a globe as Catherine adds what’s next: ‘It's to get to Australasia, because I haven't done anything down there.’
Of course there's much more to their trips aside from the rallies, like experiencing the culture and food.
‘You could visit a country and do city breaks and just do tourist things. When we are there, we're out in the middle of nowhere with the genuine people from the country. We make good friends with a lot of the competitors. We end up going for dinner with them, chatting at the start line, whatever,’ Catherine said, though on events, language can be a barrier.
‘Yeah, it can be difficult sometimes because like in Thailand there are very few English-speaking people. It’s the same in South America where it's mainly Spanish and Portuguese, so it's when you get caught on the hop when there's an alternative roadbook thrown in the (navigator's) window and you're trying to translate it while Matt is driving.’
Matt researches the various locations and makes lots of contacts, spending time trying to suss out cars and getting something affordable.
‘Matt wanted to do the Arctic Rally and I wanted to do snow and the whole wedding and everything there,’ Catherine said, before adding, ‘It was just me and Matt were at the actual marriage, not even a best man or nothing! But when we came home we had a reception.’
Competing at home brings a comparison.
‘What we're spending on an event abroad, we're probably not spending any more than doing, let’s say, the Rally of the Lakes, so, we're getting our holiday, an adventure and a rally.'
On events, they stick to a plan.
‘We drive at 90 per cent because there's no fun in going out and going off from a driver error, you want to get around and enjoy the event. Our main thing is to finish the rally, that feels like a win to us,’ Matt added.
Yes, there are times when they win class awards, but it's the competing and finishing that's more important.
So, how do their friends react? Once more another laugh as Catherine added, ‘I don't think they expect any better. I don't think it shocks them anymore. They're almost like, “where next?” In general though we tend not to tell people before we go away as we don't know how things will work out.’
Catherine suffers from long Covid and hasn't returned to teaching since 2022.
‘I struggle with the fatigue and at times I can appear quite rude. Once I've finished my job and got to the last time control I have to leave and go to bed for a few days. Matt has to deal with service and all that,’ she added.
Matt understands, adding: ‘You can't stop your life because of it.’
Indeed, the couple take inspiration from a young Italian woman that has cystic fibrosis and is doing WRC2 this year.
‘Look, you just got to get on with it,’ Matt said.
‘If you don't feel well, it's more of a challenge when you can do it and while life may not be dealing you all the right cards, if you can get up and keep doing stuff and try and treat things as normal it makes more of a challenge, one has to forget about what everyone else thinks.’
Catherine agrees as they think about that next adventure, it's more than a dream.
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The continents and events that Matt and Catherine have competed in: 1. Asia (Japan for Shinshiro Rally and Thailand for Chachoengsao Rally); 2. Africa (Kenya for the Safari Rally), 3. North America (Barbados, California); 4. South America (Uruguay); 5. Europe (Arctic Rally, Finland).
