Celebrating, promoting and supporting female racers and women in motorsports
Erica Ortiz is a professional drag racer from the all-female pro modified team Horsepower & Heels and strong advocate of women in motorsports. A veteran both behind the wheel and behind a torque wrench, Erica brings over 10 years of experience navigating the male-dominated motor sports arena from the female perspective.
Competitiveness is a wonderful thing harnessed by strong, capable ladies in the sports world. Many women in motorsports were also athletes in other sports before they began their racing careers.
These sports minded female racers drew on the experiences they gained in other sports to help them in the racing world.
Leave us a comment below with your sport and experiences!
Another Fast Women Friday! This week is the SEMA Special Edition, so I’m sure there’s tons of cool new things to share!
Last week was a slow week, but we heard from a few new women for Fast Women Friday #2.
Kelly Morris stopped by to share her Kelly Morris Racing page. Kelly is building her own drag racing ride, and helps her dad in his shop working on and building cars for drag racing competition. Kelly has big dreams to pursue in racing, and she’s just getting started on her journey. Stop by and check her out on her Facebook page, and stick around to stay tuned into her career progression.
Gina Woods returned to share her Feel the Horsepower Chocolate Bar project. Tired of the same terrible food choices that typically represent the average track/bike rally events, Gina wanted to create something she could take with her on the go for a healthier, tastier option. These new healthy chocolate bars are not only delicious, but a great nourishing option for the horsepower-fueled lives of those constantly on-the-go and living life in the fast lane.
11 year-old Flyin’ Faith, a racer from Washington, stopped in to share her website with us. Faith has already been racing for 6 years, and is doing a great job! She was named rookie of the year this season in the bandit division of the Bandolero’s at Spartan Speedway, finishing 3rd in points and attending every race.
This Fast Women Friday Link Party is hosted to feature more amazing content and resources that help and highlight female racers, women working in motorsports, and any of the ladies in the automotive/gearhead spaces.
This week, the SEMA show is dominating headlines in auto and motorsports worlds, we can’t wait to see what everyone is raving about! Got something interesting to share? This is a great way to mingle and discover others around the net who are just as passionate about Women in Motorsports! Join up below!
In the motorsports world, drag racing often is regarded as that weird cousin of the motorsport family – the less polished, not as well known, and often forgotten form of the sport that so many just dismiss with a pat on the head to some of the more “regal” motorsport varieties in F1, Indycar, NASCAR, etc. I mean, to them, we just point the car and hit the pedal… what could we possibly contribute to the motorsport fold that our flashier and larger counterparts don’t?
Not only is that stereotype largely untrue, and definitively insulting, but it also prevents the other forms of motorsports from learning a much needed lesson that only NHRA and Drag Racing currently is apt to teach – Gender Equality in Motorsports.
In a day where Indycar has seen only one female winner in Danica, where NASCAR still awaits a winner with very few even able to compete on their prize stage, and in Formula 1 where women still can’t even get past the fight to compete in a race, NHRA and drag racing has proven the most successful in creating a Gender Equal landscape in the sport.
They have created a racing environment not only where it is comfortable and accepted for women to compete, but where they win, and win BIG. Where the topic of being a female is an afterthought and not a question for pre-qualification. Where diversity programs and special development efforts aren’t needed or necessary because they all fit in without preconceived bias and judgement. Drag Racing could stand to teach the entire Motorsports world a thing or two about diversity.
I have been very fortunately, not only to have had a front-row seat to watch more and more women and girls getting involved in the sport in all aspects- from drivers, crew members, owners and industry professionals, but to have also had the opportunity and access to throw my own hat in the ring and compete myself. To some, that could label me biased, but instead I think it makes me qualified to voice my opinion: I truly believe that the open and welcoming access NHRA and Drag Racing provides to the sport is the key to why it has achieved the most success in gender equality.
It wasn’t always this way. Shirley Muldowney led the battle in the trenches in the 1970’s for all women in racing. She fought for and secured not only acceptance, but went on to change the face of Drag Racing by winning races and championships at the pinnacle of the sport.
Countless others followed in all of the classes…. Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle. They continued to break the molds and earn the victories and stood beside men on the stage of success. The more who came and conquered, the easier the road became to travel. Although you still hear people stuck in the old-rooted sexist mentality that try and discredit the success of the women by labeling them a by-product of who their family is or who they were romantically involved with, the key has been an organization that chose to embrace women and give them the equal billing they deserved, eliminating many of the roadblocks placed in other forms of motorsports. And with an organization embracing this culture from the top down, it wasn’t long for teams, sponsors and fans to all follow suit.
Last year, the NHRA celebrated the 100th national event professional win by a woman. One-Hundred. Not first, not qualified, not made the starting grid. Courtney Force earned the 100th WIN on the national stage in a professional class comprised of both men AND women. This weekend, Erica Enders secured her second World Championship in Pro Stock – in dominant fashion, becoming one of many who have also earned this distinction at the top of the sport. Look down the ladder and you see hundreds of girls and women competing and WINNING in everything from Pro Mod, Alcohol, Comp and down to the the Junior ranks.
And although there will always be roadblocks challenging age-old gender bias for women, drag racing has shown to be the most progressive and evolved of all the forms of motorsports.
Bob Frey put it best at the Women of NHRA Breakfast presentation during the SEMA Show:
From Leah Pritchett – who had won a Nostalgia Funny Car championship in the NHRA Heritage Series, with wins in everything from Jr. Dragster to Pro Mod, and competes in Top Fuel; Courtney Force – Rookie of the Year recipient, multiple Funny Car winner, and tireless ambassador to the sport; Alexis DeJoria – Mom, multi-class champion, and all-around badass; Erica Enders- lethal weapon on the tree, two-time class championship, and prolific Pro Stock winner; To the one who arguably paved the way for them all, Shirley Muldowney… the list of accomplishment that these and all the other women in drag racing have achieved is pretty darn remarkable.
but as he best summarized it in closing… “and then you have Danica, who has won ONE race.”
Touchee, Bob. Not to disrespect or discredit the hard work that all of women who pioneer the motorsports world put in, but maybe it is time that these other organizations stop and listen to Drag Racing and effect change at the organizational level to make ALL genres more gender-equal.
It’s FAST WOMEN FRIDAY #2!
Thanks for a great first week for #FastWomenFriday! We had a great turnout for the inaugural link-up party! A few highlights if you missed it:
Rachel from SpeedQueens sent over a great tribute on French rally racer Marie Laurent. Marie pioneered the rally racing circuits in 1970’s, and Rachel’s post about Laurent highlights her career in the sport, her departure from racing in the early 1980’s for family, all the way to her death in 2015 at the age of 71. The piece is a beautiful tribute to ensuring Marie’s legacy is never forgotten.
Megan Meyer shared with us her Drag Illustrated blog that talks about her shift into licensing for Top Alcohol Dragster, her successful class-debut this summer, and her 2016 racing plans- including the launch of an “augmented reality” marketing program with her team that she developed to make it even easier to interact with fans at the racetrack.
Road racing/drag racing crossover racer, Shea Holbrook represented Women in Motorsports at the Annual Women’s Sports Foundation Salute in NYC this week. She joined 7x Indy 500 driver and mentor, Lyn St. James, to represent motorsports in the salute. Holbrook is a past recipient of the “Women’s Sports Foundation’s Women in the Winners Circle Project Podium Grant,” designed to help young racers overcome the business challenges unique to motorsports.
Courtney Lambert from Wide Open Radio and Gina Woods from Open Road Radio both stopped by to share their pages. Both ladies are longtime popular radio personalities on two of the largest motorcycle enthusiast radio programs on the air for the biker community.There were plenty more great posts from McKenna Haase, Elaine Larsen, Girls N Garages, and Michelle Abbate you don’t want to miss, so be sure to check them out.
Horsepower & Heels is passionate about celebrating, supporting and promoting Women in Motorsports and Automotive. This Fast Women Friday Link Party is hosted to feature more amazing content and resources that help and highlight female racers, women working in motorsports, and any of the ladies in the automotive/gearhead spaces.
Got something interesting to share? This is a great way to mingle and discover others around the net who are just as passionate about Women in Motorsports! Join up below!
Whether it’s the soundtrack that inspires a long road trip to clear the mind, an adrenaline spiked song that sets up each trip down the track, a song out with the girls or one sitting beside your sweetheart, driving songs can meet every mood. Here’s my top 5 driving songs for different gears:
If I could choose only one song to be my favorite, this would be it. My total geekdom for Top Gun aside, there is absolutely nothing like dropping the windows on the the Mustang and hitting play + repeat on this classic. When I really need to clear my mind and just BE, I’ll silence my phone and hit the road to the sound of Steve Stevens’ unforgettable electric guitar solo.
I think everyone is a little different when it comes to what they need to get pumped up (or focused) on race day. For me, preparing in the staging lanes for a run, I liked to start out by calming my nerves and tuning out the world to focus on the round ahead of me, but as we neared the starting line, that would gradually reach a crescendo right up to the point where the tree drops and I’m flying down the track. This song embodies both of those components for me, with the contradiction between the increasing intensity of the beat and Sarah’s soothing voice. The biggest part though for me is the break in the song (skip to 4:38) which begins the intense build-up that brings me chills that parallel what I feel going through the burnout, staging, and then the drop of the tree and racing down the track until parachute deploy.
Nothing beats rolling out on the Harley with Bayside Militia for a chill cruise through town, listening to KCamp’s 1Hunnid bumping from one of the baggers. Whether rolling to a show or just around the bay, everyone has their own style in the group, but all appreciate the urban riding culture.
When it comes to road-tripping with my favorite gal pals and pumping each other up, Pink is *THE* go-to songstress for unapologetic badassery. After a few verses of So What, me and my gal pals are ready to take on anything!
It’s been awhile since I’ve even listened to country music, but when I heard this beautiful song, it instantly made me smile. What a perfect song for crusin’ with the soulmate! Roll, won’t you come roll with me slow, fast, full speed…
Tell us your favorite driving tunes and why they MOVE YOU. Share them in the comments below!
Welcome to the first ever FAST WOMEN FRIDAY!
Horsepower & Heels is passionate about celebrating, supporting and promoting Women in Motorsports and Automotive. Every day, women all over the world are breaking barriers and making amazing contributions to the motorsports and automotive industries. We want to share these stories!
There are lots of great people, blogs and resources out there devoted to Women in Motorsports and the Automotive industry. I’ve decided to host this Fast Women Friday Link Party to feature more amazing people, blogs and resources that highlight female racers, women working in motorsports, and any of the ladies in the automotive/gearhead spaces.
Got something interesting to share? This is a great way to mingle and discover others around the net who are just as passionate about Women in Motorsports! Join up below!
GREAT SCOTT! Today is a very special day in time.
If you were a kid of the eighties like me, then Marty McFly and his time-traveling DeLorean in Back to the Future are a childhood staple. Not only is the DeLorean a piece of finely crafted and under-appreciated machinery well ahead of its short-lived time, but it’s also an iconic highlight of our youth. Of course, it also means that the date October 21, 2015 should have recognizable meaning for you.
Geek out with me here, folks.
In Back to the Future II, Marty McFly set the flux capacitor-equipped DeLorean for a trip 30 years into the future. That date…. is TODAY. So what did the 1989 movie accurately predict for 2015? Well, they actually got a lot right. Scarily right.
JVC Glasses? Check. We have Google Glass. Video Phone Calls? Check. Hello, Facetime. Immersive hands-free gaming? Kinetcs Check. Drones for news reports? Check. Electronic payments via flat wireless device? Paypal Check. Biometrics? Everywhere, Check.
The Cubs winning the World Series? Still up for debate, but wouldn’t that be just eerily cool?
I’m actually a little miffed that Nike didn’t deliver on the power-lacing sneakers. And Mattel has failed us on the Hoverboard. And don’t get me started about the disappointment in the obvious lack of flying cars…. that was THE most anticipated feature of the future for childhood me. Think of the customization options of cars that FLY!
I will however, consider it a tentative win that they are developing high heels you can change color of via a Smart Phone app on the go! *Squeeee!!!*
So now that we know the outcome of reality in October 21, 2015, and the inevitable remake that is bound do happen to ruin revive an old classic like Back to the Future, let’s set the dial on the DeLorean another 30 years. Let’s go BACK TO THE FUTURE… to October 21, 2045.
What do YOU think the future will look like??
If the pace that racing evolves lately is any indication (how out of the loop and antiquated can you get in just a few short years?!?), then my guess is that we still probably won’t be modding our cars with retro-hover conversions though.
Raise Your Voice for Women’s RightsAs a 10+ year Women in Racing advocate, I naturally hold the interest of advancing women in their endeavors very near to my heart.
Back then, they burned bras, now we BURN RUBBER. It’s the motto I first coined for this website. Women in Racing have for decades blazed trails to success in a male-dominated motorsports industry. But it wasn’t without conflict, as early pioneers to the sport could attest. Women like Shirley Muldowney and Lyn St. James fought through tough issues for entrance and acceptance that paved the way for all the female racers, crew, and professionals that succeed in the sport today.
But what about women in other parts of the world who are still fighting for basic human rights and freedom? Fighting not to be marginalized as property, but to be regarded as equal individuals and empowered to know their true worth? Women who endure horrible discrimination, violence, sexual abuse, and are subjected to gross exploitation and trafficking.
It is in knowing the struggles that women face and in knowing the limitless potential that empowering women creates, that we should seek to RAISE OUR VOICES for WOMEN’S RIGHTS.
It’s a statement that seems to go without saying, but for some women, those rights are gravely violated, subjecting them to horrors of mutilations, sexual abuse, marginalization, and many, many more injustices. For many of us first-world athletes, the days of the Women’s Suffrage movement seem so far distant in history, that its hard to grasp the discrimination and abuse still present in other parts of the globe. Women’s rights for us have evolved from suffrage and burning bras, to today’s hot topics of gender equality. Successful female CEOs and celebrities speak out about feminism and removing the stubborn remnants that remain of eons of gender inequality- things like equal wages, objectification, and the labeling of strong and empowered women as bossy, aggressive, isolating, and anti-male. (One of my favorites: Emma Watson’s UN speech)
And though those type of issues still are present in every country on the planet, the more urgent and basic rights of some women, who have remained so repressed that they HAVE no voice of their own, THEY are the ones that truly need us most.
There are many organization working tirelessly to help bring support, protection, and advocacy for women suffering basic human rights violations. Organizations such as Equality Now, provide countless resources internationally to help focus on areas of abuse that plague women worldwide. These organizations fight for issues in law discrimination, by calls for the repeal of laws that discriminate against women in accordance with international and regional human rights standards, and for women’s access to justice at all levels. They take a front-line stance against Sexual Violence, not only by helping to prevent incidents of abuse through change in the negative stereotypes of women and girls that contribute to their objectification, but by ensuring that victims are afforded proper response- investigation, prosecution and punishment of perpetrators. In conjunction with the United Nations, organizations band together to end female genital mutilation, a tortuous, cruel, and often deadly practice done to degrade and demean women in the most inhumane fashion and inflicted on between 100-140 million young women worldwide. They work to end human trafficking, a pervasive and under-reported crime that enslaves more than 12.3 million women and children, by seeking more sanctions against traffickers and buyers, and decriminalizing victims, instead providing rehabilitation and protective support.
Organizations working to change legislation need your support in petitioning change from governing bodies internationally. There are plenty of ways to help speak out: from signing petitions, to writing letters seeking legal changes, to raising funds or volunteering your support in grassroots programs working on the frontlines to rescue women in repressed areas.
A few years back, I made a comment online about a wonderfully insightful speech on feminism and the ‘He for She’ movement to aid in the elimination of gender discrimination. I prefaced my statement of praise by saying that I didn’t consider myself a ‘feminist’. Jim, a friend of mine and a respected journalist, quickly challenged my statement. He said to me, the “definition of feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men”, and if I did not identify with feminism, then which of those did I not support? Of course, my answer is that I wholeheartedly support all of those things, and that DOES make me a feminist.
Somewhere along the lines, feminism has been assigned a negative title meant to label women as men-hating, anti-establishment, reverse-misogynists. But gender equality isn’t just a female issue, as it also take the form of the stoicism and the enforced inability to express sensitivity and emotion for men, the devaluation of fathers in the family unit, and the gender stereotypes that perpetuate the entire situation. As Emma Watson said in her UN address, ‘If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled.’ That is the voice we all should share equally.
What do you Raise YOUR Voice for?
Today begins National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and with it comes the chance to highlight a cause very near to us all – the fight against Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer affects women all over the world, with 1 woman every 2 minutes being diagnosed with this deadly disease. Most everyone now has known someone touched by breast cancer. October’s Pink-Out brings great awareness to the disease, and boosts efforts to support research aimed at preventing and finding a cure. Sports teams go pink, fundraisers abound and special reminders to
Horsepower & Heels officially supports the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to achieving prevention and a cure for breast cancer by providing critical funding for cancer research worldwide to fuel advances in tumor biology, genetics, prevention, treatment, metastasis and survivorship. They are the highest rated breast cancer organization in the US, and have donated half a billion dollars directly to research efforts since 1993, with over 88% of all funds going towards research efforts.
The Stats about Breast Cancer(taken from BCRF)
In the United States:
It doesn’t matter how you choose to help. What’s important is that we each take a moment this month to help end Breast Cancer. Horsepower & Heels has an active Breast Cancer Research Foundation fundraiser that we encourage you to take part in and support. Please, find the time to help be part of a cure.
There’s only one way to make your first official grand entrance, and for newborn baby girl Shelbi Leigh, that can only mean one thing: a high-horsepower homecoming in her namesake pony.
Born on September 27th, little Shelbi Leigh was greeted at the Orange Park, FL hospital doors on discharge day by her awaiting first ride, a beautiful Shelby GT500 Mustang. Fully-decorated for her arrival and homecoming by her grandparents and extended family, the car was decked out with pink balloons, pink streamers and window paint that celebrated with “It’s a Girl: SHELBI” on the rear glass.
The memorable occasion was fitting for the newest member of a multi-generational gearhead family. For years, they have been involved in high-horsepower rides and racing, passing down through the family, and making certain that little Shelbi is destined to become the next generation horsepower princess in a legacy of high-octane memories.
Shelbi’s proud grandma Angie said the idea came from one of their racing family’s patriarch. For many years, the family traveled and raced with the Gullett family in Fun Ford Weekend Pro 5.0.
“[It was] the late Big John Gullett that impressed this amazing tradition that he did with his grand babies, bringing them home in his 55 Bellair street car or his old Ford F100 pick-up. So we decided to start our own tradition with our grand children. Our first just so happened to have the name Shelbi.. so it was perfect.”
Shelbi’s namesake Mustang belongs to her grandpa, ‘Big Poppa’ Paul. Though there were no burnouts or smokey drifts on the trip home, the new family enjoyed the rumble of the GT500’s exhaust to welcome sweet Shelbi Leigh home. They said they plan to continue the custom, adding they hope to bring out the Shelby GT500 tradition “for birthdays, dances, “chaperoned” dates, prom, weddings and then.. our great grand babies to come home from the hospital in.”
