Life is the pits for Ayr girl Lee

Apr 17 2009 by Stuart Wilson

TAKE a stroll down the Formula One pit lane and you’ll find one of Ayr’s finest exports.

Journalist Lee McKenzie is part of the BBC team bringing coverage of racing’s glamour world into our living rooms.

And now she’s paid tribute to the Ayrshire Post for helping her get there.

Lee, who began her career as a work experience girl with the Post, has enjoyed a rocket rise to fame ever since.

But she hasn’t forgotten the place where it all started – and she returned from her latest race in Malaysia this week to visit our offices.

“It’s good to be back,” admitted Lee, who penned her own column for the paper when still a pupil at Ayr Academy.

She recalls: “I used to pop in and write rugby reports during my lunch hour.

“From there I was given my own equestrian column and I once got to work on the sports pages when Mike Wilson, the sports editor, was on holiday.

“He arranged for my name to be put on all the stories and I remembered thinking it was great.

“If it wasn’t for the help he and the others at the Post gave me in those days, I wouldn’t have made the early progress I did.”

Mike, who still edits the Post’s sporting coverage, confirmed Lee was an obvious star on the rise.

He revealed: “She made an immediate impression and even as a teenager she was an incredibly versatile reporter.

“It’s no surprise that her talent has taken her this far and it’s great to see the progress she’s made since those days.”

And it’s been some rise. Becoming the youngest ever person to read the Six O’Clock News was big enough.

But a glittering broadcast career has taken Lee around the world to cover a range of sports from horse racing to motor racing.

However, she laughed: “I never wanted to be on TV – I’m not someone who likes being in front of the camera.

“In Malaysia last week it was 90 per cent humidity and they wanted me to do a piece to camera. My immediate reaction was ‘Look at me!’”

In her role as pit lane reporter, Lee interviews all the household names – and admits she can call them friends.

The 31-year-old said: “A major advantage for me is my knowledge of F1 and the drivers. I’ve known a lot of them for years through my previous work on the circuit.

“Guys like Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will automatically come to me for an interview because they know me.

“Working for a respected broadcaster like the BBC means that I often have to lead the questioning on behalf of other journalists, so my voice goes around the commonwealth.

“I’ve had friends in New Zealand contact me to say they heard me – which is quite scary.

“But at the same time, I got an email the other day from a girl I used to work with at Ayr baths when I was a lifeguard.

“I hadn’t heard from her in 12 years, but I’m now getting recognised all over the place. It’s something I’m quickly getting used to!”