Michelle Fish commenced her motor racing career at the age of 14, following her older brother Paul into karting, strongly supported by her parents Ralph and Perri Bottomley. 

After four years of considerable success in karts, including being named 1984 Junior Driver of the Year, Michelle graduated to Formula Vees in 1987, joining her brother on the grid – it was to be the category in which she spent most of her racing career.

Her first Formula Vee was a locally built Trowbridge, in which Michelle was the top qualifier in the 1988 Tasmanian championship, becoming the first woman to qualify in pole position for any scratch race in Tasmania, but unfortunately, mechanical problems caused an early retirement in that race.

Keen to improve her racing, Michelle enrolled in a mainland racing school in January 1989.

Fired up and ready for the 1989 season, Michelle upgraded to a two year-old Elfin Crusader, in which she was a close runner-up that year in a single race state championship to a mainland driver.

Michelle was also named Tasmanian circuit racing driver of the year in 1990 and 1991.

Always  competitive in Formula Vees, Michelle won the 1994 Tasmanian championship series, becoming the first woman to win a Tasmanian circuit racing title in open company.

At one stage she held the Formula Vee lap records at both Baskerville and Symmons Plains and was named the Hobart Sporting Car Club sportsperson of the year award in 1994. 

Michelle continued racing competively until “retiring” in 1997 to focus on her business interests.

She returned to active competition in 2016, competing in a borrowed Formula Vee at Symmons Plains and running comfortably midfield, despite her prolonged absence from the track.

Michelle raced again in 2017, competing in all rounds of the state Formula Vee championship series.

After 2017, Michelle regularly competed in khanacross and regular appearances interstate in “24 Hours Lemons” events, where she ran as part of a three- person team usually finishing in the top 10.

It was her experiences with the “Lemons” events that led to Michelle being a driving force behind the highly successful Baskerville 1000.

In fact, Michelle’s last circuit racing appearances were in the Baskerville 1000, as a competing team member in the “123CABS’ Hyundai.”

Michelle’s involvement was long and distinguished, starting as a 13 year-old grid girl at Baskerville.

She was a long-term member of Southern Tasmania Women for Wheels, serving the organisation in a number of positions, including being secretary from 2006, assisting in raising money for the purchase of safety equipment.

In latter years, the Baskerville 1000 event became the focus of Michelle’s motorsport activities, and using her amazing networking skills, she took on responsibility for putting together and managing the large team of officials needed to make the event work.

As her health deteriorated over 2020, more and more of her contact with the B1000 team was done at arm’s length by phone, email and Zoom, but still done 100% in the Michelle Fish way.

Michelle passed away in January 2021.

Written by Dennis Burgess