Sam Bell is hoping to live out her dream and fly the flag for women in the process.

Bell, 33, is one of ten national finalists in the prestigious 2005 Silverstone Rally School Lady-Quest title.

She beat off competition from more than 100 other hopefuls to reach the grand final which takes place at Silverstone this Wednesday.

The prize up for grabs for the winner is a fully-sponsored rally drive for the forthcoming season, worth more than £30,000.

Whether she is successful or not in the final, Bell is hoping experience from this competition can help her take her first steps into motorsport.

It is something she has always wanted to do, although she had never driven a rally car before attending the assessment day at Silverstone from where she was selected for the final.

She said: "Both my parents raced Minis and my dad did some club rallying. You could say it's in the blood.

"A have always enjoyed driving cars. I learnt to drive when I was 11 on farmland in Wales.

"It is something I have always enjoyed doing but the opportunity has never presented itself to me before now.

"The most competitive I have been before now has been at corporate karting days."

The Lady-Quest title, which has been running for 12 years, is open to women without previous motorsport experience and is designed to promote women into the largely male dominated sport of rallying.

Bell, who lives in Haywards Heath with husband Stephen, was tipped off about the competition by her brother and the opportunity came at a perfect time.

She has taken a break from her job head-hunting in London and has been renovating a property for the last two years. Her break from the city allowed her the time to attend last week's assessment day and next week's final.

If she wins, Bell will be taking part in the prestigious Lombard Revival Rally in November.

She said: "The prize is a package probably worth nearer £35,000. You get a fully prepared rally car and the full support team including a co-driver.

"That is something you would need raise an awful lot of money to achieve on your own or an awful lot of sponsorship.

"It is a fantastic prize, not to mention the experience this has given me. I have learnt an awful lot in the one day I have done so far.

"It has given me a massive vote of confidence in my own driving ability.

"Just to have an independent person in a qualified capacity to say you can handle a car quite naturally makes a lot of difference."

The Lady-Quest title is designed to promote women in motorsport. The competition will certainly help, although maybe it is stereotypical views that need to be changed.

Bell said: "The reason why there aren't more women in motorsport is quite elusive.

"You need to be fit to do any form of motorsport but I don't think that is an issue.

"I can only suspect it is something to do with the fact that mechanics and engineering have been male-dominated industries and often that is how people have become interested.

"There is no logical reason why women should not be involved. The reason why I have not done it before was that I was the first person in my family to go to university and therefore didn't have the funds.

"When I left university I had to work to get myself straight. I worked hard at my career in advertising and then recruitment and didn't have the spare cash or time to dedicate to my hobby.

"I hope now that, whatever happens Wednesday, I can find my way into motorsport.

"If it isn't via this competition I am saving hard to fund my own car in a club competition, although I am still a way off."