One half of Bradford's racing sensation the Simmonite sisters has swapped the big track for the small screen.

Three times British Ladies Rally champion Rachael Simmonite, who made her mark on the racing world with her sister Stephanie, is fronting a new show which will hit TV screens later this month.

The 29-year-old rally star came out from behind the wheel to fire the starting pistol on a new series of The Discovery Channel's Thunder Races 2 with co-presenter Adrian Simpson.

Rachael and Adrian - he is on the Fifth Gear TV show - will offer three teams of three racing fans £1,000 to turn a clapped-out old banger into a souped-up mean machine to battle it out on the track for a place in this year's grand finale.

Hot off the track from the French off-road championships with her sister, Rachael said: "The producer rang me up saying they wanted a female engineering and rally expert.

"I thought it was an exciting opportunity.

"For this programme there were three cameras and three crews.

"It was a bit nerve-wracking at first but I soon settled into it. I think I might look a bit nervous on the first few shows and then I start to relax."

The former Bradford Girls Grammar school student who still lives in Thornton joined her co-presenter and a bunch of contestants in Oxford to film the 10-part series.

"I enjoy cars and motorsport and that is what the programme is all about so we were always talking about something I was interested in," she said.

But the racing fanatic was forced to leave the driving to contestants and was only allowed to take the wheel to show them around the racetrack in a Discovery.

"I just egged them on. Some programmes plant things in the scrapyard but this was genuine so contestants had to find the stuff to convert the cars from old scrapyards, garages and metalworks."

Rachael admitted she had never considered working in TV before the show but has not ruled out future appearances.

A Discovery Channel spokesman said: "Thunder Races 2 is Rachael's first television presenting job.

"However, with her background and vast knowledge of cars and racing, she is enthusiastic, competent and a natural presenter."

Thunder Races 2 is due to be screened at 8pm on October 27 on The Discovery Channel.