Race Results

The Car

Wow, what a fantastic year! To start off with some history, I had a few great runs in late model stock cars on road courses with the Performance group out of Canada. It had been quite a number of years since running the WGGTS, but I never forgot how efficient, fun and challenging the stock car was on a road course. Out of all the cars I have ever driven, they are by far my favorite race car. Built for one purpose, racing. Their scope is wide, and to truly be consistently fast in one, takes a total commitment and a focus like no other car I have ever driven. I have driven a lot of different cars, but with the endless adjustments that can be made to the chassis, and with the right crew chief, it’s like magic. Its is truly a drivers car. But the real kicker is, the sweet spot, these cars reward a good driver. I like to be rewarded. In the right hands, these cars give so much reward, in feel and speed. The deeper you dig the more they give. You never stop learning with them.

Women in Motor Sports:

The Ride and History:

Sitting out several years, with only some Grand Am Cup, Rolex, and Porsche drives. I made up some time giving back with high performance driving instructing with NASA, BMW, PANOZ, Subaru, Saab, Porsche, and Driving Concepts, till saving up enough to purchase a GT2 Mazda to compete with in 05. Unfortunately, I was only able to finish a few races, but did manage to bring home a couple of 2nds. I sold it in late 05. Now out of a ride, I didn’t see it affordable to purchase another race car.

Then, at the beginning of 2006 Carvajal Motorsports gave me an opportunity to run the #99 Chevy Monte Carlo for the full ASC season. Team owner Steve Carvajal, who had also been ASC’s race director, made me an offer to pay for crew, tires, all maintenance, repairs, and transportation. With Carvajal Motorsports record of 2 Championships and one 3rd overall since 2004, I couldn’t turn it down. I took hold of the opportunity with all the recourses I had, literally. I know how infrequent an opportunity like this can come along, and treated it with total commitment.

Women in Racing:

The Focus:

Starting at the first race, I decided to reprogram my head from driving GT Race Cars, and Front wheel drive Touring Race Cars, in order to set my focus on driving this Late Model Stock Car on Road Courses, the way it likes to be driven. My focus was nothing more than giving all I had. I knew this car had the capability to go way beyond any other car I had ever driven. No frills, just pure race car.

So out with the heel toe. You might think that sounds easy but try it at speed. All of a sudden your brain screams, “Your missing half of the steps!” when your so programmed to hearing the sounds of heal toe shifting. Take out the right foot breaking, and apply an uneducated left foot. At first to me, it was like ballroom dancing with a broken high heel on one foot, and a roller skate on the other. Then I had to re-learn shifting. Like I said it sounds easy, but try it at speed, especially if your brain isn’t wired for it. Takes up a tremendous amount of focus. And for some more focus drain, was of course my seat. These cars pull a lot of G’s and for the first several races I felt like I was falling in the door well half the time. It was so exhausting, just hanging on, and I’m a very fit woman. I spent hours doing all the pads between races till Robert Davis, my crew chief, spent a day before the first Thunder Hill race, working with me up in his shop in Atascadero. We finally got it right! Strapping the car to my back properly made a huge difference.

Women in Motorsports:

Coaching:

The first race of the year, team owner Steve Carvajal convinced me to hire Pro Instructor Ross Thompson. Being as I haven’t raced a full schedule since the early 2000’s, I wanted to knock the cobwebs out, and get my head in the game. Ross gave me the 7-10’s rule, which I had never learned before. What a concept! Then I hired Spence Sharp at Infinion. He’s analogy of turn 3 was, “What the heck, you can’t see it anyway, so just matt it!” Working with Spence really lit a fire under my butt, and with my applications of the equipment becoming more efficient I was just getting faster and faster. With the limited time I have had in the car, it was finally all starting to come together. I love it when that happens.

Both Ross and Spence were great coaches; I took everything they had to feed me and applied it, with my own magic. With driving, you have to be flexible, humble, and stubborn at the same time, always on a learning curve. It was about the 4th race in, when I finally got the confidence in my brain and started to drive from my heart and not my head. Took some reprogramming, but with hard work and dedication I started to come into form, and drive this late model stock car like it wants to be driven.

Ahh, purpose in life, just like driving a purpose built racecar at its limits!

Battles on, we win!

Women in Racing:

The Crew:

Where the Mechanics meets the road:

Carvajal Motorsports set me up with an awesome crew. Robert Davis with APS Automotive. Jim, Chris, and all the others, that worked so hard at keeping me out on track for every session. I can’t say enough about how grateful I am with the kind of level of commitment Robert Davis and crew has to the sport. This crew really dedicated themselves to winning. As independent as they are, they have the same goals, and their work for me was outstanding. There is in no way I could have finished the ASC Series as well as I did with out them. This 2nd in the Championship and every finish I had was because they got me out there with a well-prepared race car. It was because they did their homework, gave great track support and were always professional. It’s that dedication and commitment to teamwork that wins championships. All I had to do is make the car perform to the max of what they gave me, I had to dig deep. When you don’t prepare to succeed, you prepare to fail.

Ahh, purpose in life, team work!

Women in Motorsports

On track, the competitors:

The group of ASC drivers is very colorful. Like the cars, they all have a big range of scale in character. There is nothing fake about these guys. They wear it on their sleeves.

They care about nothing else but just to compete, to see what their made of, and what their competitors are made of. With the racing so tight, this group pulls together, with great camaraderie. All of which will give you the shirt off their back just to get you out on the racetrack to try to beat you. They are all very passionate, just like the cars. Makes for a lot of fun both on and off the track.

With the racing so tight, there is contact. But that’s another great thing about the stock car, they are made for it. Rubbing is Racing so they say. You also need to have a spotter,

as these cars are not easy to see out of. Steve became my spotter as he decided to sit out the season. He’s a great spotter and was a tremendous help both on and off the track.

His most remembered words of encouragement to me were to always remind me to “Man-Up”. I didn’t disappoint him.

Ahh, Life’s purpose, its all dedication!

Women in Racing

2006 Wrap up.

2006 has been the best year in racing I have had to date. It has been the hardest, most demanding, both mentally and physically, but by far, the most fun I have ever had in a racecar. I’m quite pleased of my accomplishment in my rookie year with ASC and credit my 2nd overall in the Championship to hard work and dedication from crew chief Robert Davis, to Team owner Steve Carvajal, and me, Manning-Up for the challenge. God has blessed me and I am forever grateful. I will consider this 2nd overall as my best and hardest earned driving achievement to date. Thanks again guys for everything!

For more on the 12-06 Phoenix Race and 2006 ASC Championship go to:

http://www.ascracing.com/press36.html