Cook was born on 14 May 1987 in Maidstone in the English county of Kent. She attributes her interest in rallying to her father Robert, who bought her a battery-powered vehicle on her sixth birthday. Cook studied car design at Coventry University. Her first experience in rallying was at the age of nineteen, when she entered a competition and came second out of 1000 women. Cook's first rally participation was behind the wheel of a Peugeot 205 in the 2006 Rockingham Stages, where she ranked 51st out of 105 competitors. It was at this rally that she began her partnership with her co-driver Stefan Davis.
In 2009, Cook decided to formally compete in a rally championship and sought sponsors for her plan called Promotion 50. The plan focused on obtaining support from 500 sponsors who contributed £50 each. Cook secured the support of 300 companies and, together with commercial sponsors and her own contributions, was able to secure the budget required to participate in the 2010 British Rally Championship.
To commit to rallying, she resigned from her job as a receptionist for Kent County Council in February 2010. Her first season was successful, with four class podium finishes, two victories, and a top-ten standing in the British Rally Championship Challenge. Cook's results led her to win the C4 class title and the Women's championship. In the following season, she was second in her class rankings. Her results allowed her to retain the Ladies' championship for the second successive year.
Cook began competing in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the production class in 2012, driving a Ford Fiesta ST. At the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, Cook became the first woman to claim a production class podium position, finishing second. Her next rally in Greece saw her secure a sixth-place production class result despite her car becoming damaged. Cook's funding had dried up before Rally New Zealand, and she was forced to sell her trophies on eBay to raise £17,000, which enabled her continuation in the championship.
She contracted flu and later a chest infection but still drove cautiously to claim second in the production class. Cook had her first retirement of the season in the Rallye Deutschland. In the Rally d'Italia Sardegna, her car was affected by multiple problems, and she fought through pain in her left arm to finish tenth in her class. Cook was diagnosed with a broken collarbone and was required to withdraw from the season-ending Rally Catalunya. Her results made her the first woman to clinch a WRC title with the FIA Production Car Cup for Drivers of 2WD.
In 2014, Cook trained actor Idris Elba to refine his rallying ability for the BBC documentary Idris Elba: King of Speed.
Since 24 July 2011, Louise Cook has maintained her own channel on YouTube called "Cookie and Cars", with the majority of videos revolving around sim racing and other car-related content. As of November 2023, the channel has 222K subscribers.
List of female World Rally Championship drivers
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