Horsepower & Heels Blog

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.

Helping Cale Aronson

May 7, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Cale and Tinzy Aronson are two of the hardest working people I have had the pleasure of meeting in the drag racing world. I originally met them back in the Fun Ford Weekend days, when they were just dating, and was always proud to see how far they had come, both as a couple and in the Pro Stock ranks.

A few weeks ago, I got an opportunity to chat with them at the Bradenton IHRA race, where they were competing in Pro Stock. We caught up and reminisced some on the Fun Ford Weekend days, and discussed some ideas for the possibility of a Fun Ford Reunion.

Sadly, just one week later, on April 25th, at the IHRA Palm Beach Nationals in West Palm Beach FL’s PBIR, Cale was involved in a terrible accident, with the car crossing the track and impacting the wall before rolling onto its roof and sliding down the track. Initial reports were that Cale was alert and ok, but he was airlifted to the hospital and things got really quiet about his condition, until now.

Competition Plus.com just released the family’s statement. Cale has suffered some very serious injuries to his spine, and is recovering from surgery to fuse vertebrae damaged in the crash. Good news is that he has tingling sensations across his body, showing there is connectivity, but is still limited on the amount of movement he has over his upper body. For now, he must let his body heal before beginning a long road of therapy to regain his strength and mobility.

The family has had an outpouring of support from the racing community since the accident, and continues to draw on that strength during this difficult time. The Gwynn Family (of the Darrell Gwynn Foundation) stepped in to provide the Aronsons guidance and support, having experience with Spinal Cord injuries.

Helping Cale Aronson and Tinzy

Cale remains in the hospital in Florida, surrounded by his family, all displaced from their Missouri home. They will need support during this difficult recovery, helping them to offset the costs of his care and the family’s accommodations in Miami. Godspeed Ministry, the official chaplain for the IHRA, has set up a Bridge the Gap fundraiser for the Aronson Family to help defray medical expenses.

For anyone wanting to send the family care packages or get well notes, they can mail these to:
Bupa International Patient Services Center
DTC Building, Ground Floor Central 152 for patient Cale Aronson
1080 NW 19th Street
Miami, FL 33136

Details of the Crash

Cale remembers every moment of the crash, and vows to help make these cars safer upon his recovery. All the details can be found on Competition Plus. Please visit their story for more.

Speed Scene Live TV

April 21, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

On Air: Speed Scene Live TV

Tonight, listen in as I join the crew at Speed Scene Live to talk about the new car and Horsepower & Heels returning to racing. The show airs live on www.speedsceneracing.com Tuesdays at 6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern (worldwide, GMT -8 hours winter, GMT -7 hours summer).

Be sure to tune in and support us!

Clutchfunded SUCCESS

April 10, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Clutchfunded Campaign a success at 112%

We DID IT! Thanks to all the support of my family, friends and fans, our Clutchfunded campaign was a total success! In just 30 days, 36 people contributed $3,350.00 to our Clutchfunded campaign, putting us at 112% of our goal of $3,000. Over 1,100 people shared the campaign across social networks over the course of the 30-day program. All of you are now part of the ReIgnite Team, and are a huge part of getting us back on the track.

Crowd funding for the Motorsports Community

This campaign was one of the first for a new crowd funding platform called Clutchfunded– the brainchild of another racing veteran, 25 year old Shannon McIntosh. Phase One of ClutchFunded’s long-term development includes a crowd funding platform to help connect racers with the ever-growing motor sport fan base. Following overwhelming response through a crowd funding initiative of her own, Shannon knew there was opportunity to create a unique approach for supporting race teams and drivers across the country. Campaigns use an ‘All or Nothing’ funding model, meaning drivers/teams must meet or exceed the original goal before receiving their funds. Contributors can choose from different racer-defined perks awarded for their donations. If your sponsor is your biggest fan, why can’t your biggest fan be your sponsor? The platform is open to racers, teams and other motorsport entities. Check it out and set a goal for your season!

The Horsepower and Heels ReIgnite campaign was the first successful campaign on the new platform, and we are super proud of this achievement! Thanks to everyone that made it possible!

Next up for Horsepower and Heels Project ReIgnite

What’s next? Well, we get to start the build process. I’ve been talking to several key folks to re-familiarize myself with current technologies that have evolved since the project was initially started. Excessive Motorsports came on as a new sponsor, and they are helping us round up the last missing components for our engine program. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’ll be keeping you informed on this blog, so be sure to subscribe for updates!

Join Ignite Team Elite and the ReIgnite Team

Its not too late to help! Since the Clutchfunded campaign was such a success, we’ll be offering some of the same perks here on Horsepower & Heels for our fans who would like to join the ReIgnite team and Ignite Team Elite. Keep an eye out this weekend for the Perk Pages to be added to the team home page.

Fun Ford Weekend Alumni Reunion

April 1, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Lately, there has been a resurgence of photos making their way around Facebook (thanks to Derek Johnson) from the Fun Ford Weekend (the Original Series) archives. It has led many of us down that memory lane of the “FFW good ole days” , and reuniting many of the now retired Fun Ford Weekend racers of the day.

(you can see some of the pages here: Pro 5.0 Photo Archives | Outlaw Archives | Steve Grebeck tribute | Racin Jason Tribute )

The Original FFW Alumni

The original Fun Ford Weekend series started in the early 1990’s and pioneered much of the drag racing street car scene throughout that decade and into the next, before shutting down in 2009 due to the economic downturn that hit the country. But for the racers, FFW was like an extended family, and that presence is what is missing for many of the originals.

Amidst all the photos and throwback discussions posted around Facebook, a few of us started discussing the idea of a Reunion. Whether it be just a social weekend event or maybe even a nostalgic race of sorts, there were many people interested in the idea of a FFW Alumni Reunion. How fun would it be to get the old group back together for a weekend?!?

I’m definitely on board, and someone’s got to get the ball rollin’, so…..

Fun Ford Weekend Reunion Survey

In order to gauge interest on this project, I’ve put together a Google Survey to collect everyone’s info and opinions. Once we get enough feedback, I’ll put together a Facebook group and Newsletter to keep everyone informed of the progress and details.

Here’s the form: FUN FORD WEEKEND ALUMNI REUNION SURVEY

Please, fill out the form and share! I’ve tried to stay in touch with as many people as possible, but I’ll need your help to get the word out. Please share this post with all your old FFW pals and let’s GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Comments are open below if you want to connect!

Half way there! Clutchfunded Campaign

March 25, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

We’re at the half way mark in our Clutchfunded Campaign. But we still need YOUR help!

Clutchfunded

Similar to other popular crowd funding platforms such as Kickstarter or GoFundMe, ClutchFunded was founded by a fellow female racer, Shannon McIntosh, after having achieved great success in her own crowd funding campaign. Her idea behind Clutchfunded was to create a platform geared specifically towards racers and motorsport teams.

The way Clutchfunded campaigns work, friends, family and fans can contribute towards meeting an ALL or NOTHING goal. Once the goal is met or exceeded, the driver is considered ClutchFunded, and receives the funds raised through the campaign. The campaigns offer racer/team defined “Perks” that donors can choose from based on their contribution amount.

Horsepower & Heels ReIgnite Clutchfunded Campaign

Our campaign is focused on getting us some funds to ReIgnite the team and get us back on the track. We have 15 days left to reach or exceed our goal of $3,000, and are currently 63% of the way there. We need YOUR help to spread the word and get us to our mark. Any amount is greatly appreciated, and you get some neat perks if we reach our goal!

ReIgnite Perks

Depending on your contribution, you’ll be listed on our Official ReIgnite page as a supporter, receive an Autographed Hero Card, Horsepower & Heels logo decal, Pin-up Girl style T-Shirt, exclusive access to the “Team Elite” membership group and more! You can check out all the ReIgnite Campaign Perks on our Campaign Page.

We need YOU.

We are SO close, but with just 15 days to go, we could really use your help. If you can’t contribute, we’d really appreciate if you could share this campaign often and everywhere. We hope to see you soon, as we work to get Horsepower & Heels BACK on TRACK.

Check out the >>> Horsepower & Heels ReIgnite Clutchfunded Campaign

In Memory: Ryan Alexander McClure

March 21, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

In Memory of Ryan Alexander McClure

June 17, 1988 – March 12, 2015

My heart broke Thursday when I heard the news that we lost a very dear family member of mine. Ryan and his dad John are the two other gear heads in my family who I loved to talk shop and horsepower with. They always lived too far away in Ohio, but some of my favorite memories growing up were their summer trips down to Florida to visit. Those summer trips when we all got to be together I looked forward to all year long.

I used to kid Ryan about his various imports and Chevrolets he drove. Kept trying to convince him if he wanted something fast, he needed to buy a Ford. When he was younger, he even worked for Summit Racing. As adults, we didn’t get to see each other every summer anymore, but I still had a blast with him at his brother Sean’s wedding, where I was able to beat him at a few games of beer pong (if you can believe it).

It still hadn’t sunk in when I boarded a plane to Ohio to be with the family this week. I kept expecting to see you roll in, joking like you always did. The services held to celebrate your life were beautiful, man. So many people loved you. So many people’s lives you touched. We got to hear all kinds of crazy stories, all the mayhem you caused and the laughter you always cultivated where ever you went. You certainly are always the life of the party. But the one common chord that rang clear, beyond all the shenanigans and funny times, is that everyone knew the loving and caring Ryan who just wanted to make everyone around him happy.

I am going to miss you so much. I wish you were here so I could call you and tell you all about the new race car. Wish I could hear you tell me how it’d be so much faster if it was a Chevy. I was so looking forward to planning that trip to Norwalk to see you guys. The passenger seat is now yours, Ryan. I know you’ll be riding beside me, guiding my way down that track safe and sound. I love you always.

Ryan’s Obituary

Ryan Alexander McClure of Stow departed this life too soon Thursday, March 12, 2015.

Ryan was born on June 17, 1988, in Akron and was a lifelong area resident. He graduated from Stow Munroe Falls High School in 2006, and worked at A-1 Parking Lot Services for the last 11 years. We knew Ryan as a generous, selfless young man who never knew a stranger.

Ryan was a loving son, brother, grandson, uncle and friend, and is survived by his parents John and María McClure of Stow; grandparents Jack McClure of Cuyahoga Falls and María Ortiz of Orlando, FL; three sisters, Ana (Steve) Theisen of Tallmadge, Joanie McClure of North Canton, and Kathy (Seth) Fritz of Louisville; two brothers, Aaron (Starla) McClure of North Canton, and Sean (Elissa) McClure of Dallas, TX; 16 nieces and nephews, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; and Larry Weitzell of Stow, Ryan’s second dad.

He often said that his work was his heart. He enjoyed the challenge of fixing things whether it was his truck or a washing machine. Ryan loved making us laugh especially while wearing his banana suit and singing the “Peanut Butter and Jelly” song.

He is preceded in death by grandparents Felipe Ortiz, Sr. and Evelyn McClure.

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Heat #2: Racing on the Clock

March 20, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

While I don’t have any REAL racing news to report, (*Yet!*) I figured I’d update you on our now bi-weekly office racing series results. Gotta LOVE Racing on the Clock!

TRC Grand Prix Race #2

So this Friday, I would start in the #2 position (not that it matters on the course, you’re racing for time). This would mark my 2nd time ever trying these carts, and now I had a better idea of what to expect out there. The pressure was definitely on this time though, as some of the other guys had even taken to some weekend practice laps, gunning for the top of the list.

I started off in a pretty decent groove, and was maintaining and keeping position pretty well. Pushed a bit too far on the hairpin turn, and ended up just saving it before spinning completely out. I came to a complete stop on the track, and had to adjust and get back up to speed as quickly as possible. I thought for sure I was done for, and all the remaining laps just felt off-pace afterwards. I’m not sure what lap that happened on though, and it had to have been a REALLY fast lap before it occurred, because none of my laps were that far off my average at the end to even guess where it had happened.

Winner, Winner

At the finish line, it was HORSEPOWER & HEELS at the top of the leaderboard. Wooohooo! I had taken the fastest lap time, just barely edging out the previous champs time by like 5-thousandths of a second. My best lap time had improved by more than 2 seconds on the same course from my first attempt a few weeks back. My lap average just missed the top spot by less than a tenth of a second, so I’ve got some improving to do for next race. I’m also just trailing in the overall points lead.

Maybe some of my cart/circuit racing ladies will chime in with some pointers and tips before our next race. If so, lookout guys!

Racing on the Clock

March 6, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

It’s Friday, and just before lunchtime, I was informed that a group of my colleagues were taking a “Team building” field trip to Tampa Bay Grand Prix for a little lunchtime go-cart racing. Apparently, a few had done this before and now were opening up the competition to the whole office.

Naturally, my reaction time in giving my “HECK YES” answer was 0.09 seconds.

Go-Cart Racing is Racing

Now, some knowing my drag racing background assumed I’d be a shoe-in, but apparently there are some rather competitive cart racing folks in engineering, so I knew the only advantage I would carry was about a 20 lbs weight advantage over the rest of them. Add in the fact that I’ve not been in a go-cart (or anything remotely fun and fast like it) since 2008, and I was pretty uncertain of where I’d land in the final finish order (or how I’d ever live it down if I came in at the back).

Because they start you off with some space between you and the other go-carts in front of/behind you, it really becomes a race of you vs. the clock. They started off by having us all throttled back, but around lap 4 they started turning them up. It took me a minute to figure out the braking/accelerating curve of these things, especially once I figured out that mid-lap they had removed the throttle limiter. I started really getting the hang of it the last 5 or so laps of the race. We had a “Caution” throttle down in lap 8, but I am happy to report that I didn’t spin out AND stayed pretty consistent in my lap average. I ended up in 2nd place in both average and top lap times, about 4 tenths of a second behind the 1st place average, and 7 tenths behind the fastest lap time.

Competitive, Much?

Completely stoked, I cannot wait for the next outing. I’ve already been pumping up the rest of the office to start a bi-weekly lunch series, where we’ll post “The List” up in the breakroom in Street Outlaw style. One of my coworkers pointed out that of course they’d leave it to the competitive racer to come in and make a full-on series and competition out of the team building experience.

But hey, what did they expect?

Woman Driver Advisory: Speed Dating

February 11, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

As a woman in the racing world, or even a car enthusiast in general, you get your fair share of guys that want to “Show you how its done, sweetheart” on a regular basis. I could write a book on the amount of smug one-liners people would throw my way thinking they were all so funny.

“Hunny, do you know where the gas pedal is on that thang?”

“Careful, you might break a nail.”

“Why don’t you slide over and let a real man show you how its done. ”

After about the first hundred occurrences, you eventually just adopt the “If only you knew, stupid” face and suffer through the machismo. Ladies, you know the face I’m talking about.

The Face I Make When a Guy Offers to Show Me How Its Done…

But what if you could turn the tables? I saw this Speed Dating video online…. and was instantly jealous I never thought of it first.

Speed Dating – Stunt Driver Style

ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. I am still laughing at their reactions.

How fun would that have been? And I love how all of them were trying to remain calm. I wish that seat also measured their “pucker” factor as well, I’m sure it would’ve been off the chart.

Kinda reminds me of this one time…. my little street racing prank back in the day.

Silly boys. ::Shaking Head::

Las Vegas Gearhead Tour

January 21, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

One good thing that comes from traveling for business, is that occasionally I get to do/see some interesting places that I likely would not have had the chance.

This week, I traveled to Las Vegas for a convention in the RV industry, but thanks to my good friend Eddie Maloney, I was able to escape for a few hours to see some of the greastest Las Vegas gearhead sightseeing opportunities Sin City has to offer.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

The Strip at Las Vegas is probably one of my favorite tracks that I’ve never raced before. Having seeing it briefly back in 2010 on another work trip, the atmosphere and scope of the facility is breath-taking. Eddie actually works for the speedway, so he was able to take me around on the grand tour of the facility. Its massive and highly impressive. Many people never leave Las Vegas Blvd. to see what else the city has to offer, and by this are missing the impressive activities happening just north at the Speedway. In addition to the Strip, one of the most scenic stops on the tour with the desert mountains in the background, there is also the expansive NASCAR oval, dirt tracks, road courses, exotic car racing experiences and more offered on the premises.

We drove through the pit area of the NASCAR track, as one of the prominent NASCAR teams was on the track testing. We didn’t go near the garage area, but driving through the tunnels and just seeing all the infield area was a neat experience.

I promised Eddie that once we get back on the track, if we are able to find the sponsorship support to make a trip out west for an event at the Strip, I’d definitely make the long haul west for the chance to race at this legendary facility.

Location: 7000 North Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89115
Phone: (702) 644-4444

Nellis Air Force Base

Anyone who really knows me, knows that my first love has always been fighter aircraft. In fact, its one of the reasons that I took up drag racing to begin with. Just across the street from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, lies Nellis AFB. During my 2010 trip to the national event, the Thunderbirds did a fly-by presentation at the track, which is as close to heaven on earth as you could possibly get me. Eddie also happens to be AF himself, so he quickly zipped me across the street into one of the places I always dreamed of visiting. Considering you have to be DoD ID’d to get in, I’d say this is a pretty VIP experience!

It happened to be a National holiday during my visit (MLK Day), and the base was pretty quiet, but I was still given the impressive tour of the facility. The highlight— right there in front of me…. the entire Thunderbird squad on the ground. About the only thing that could’ve made it better (aside from getting the chance to go up in one) would’ve been if I could’ve seen them taking off/landing…. perhaps another visit. Either way, its a surreal moment getting to visit such a cool place.

Las Vegas Harley Davidson

The brand new Las Vegas Harley Davidson dealership just opened in October of last year, and its spectacular. Strategically placed just a few steps from the famous Las Vegas sign, its definitely a destination dealership. They have a huge facility, with rentals, an expansive showroom, spotless service area, the largest Motorclothes display I’ve ever seen, and a lounge area for motorists. They even have a Harley Davidson Wedding Chapel for those die-hards wanting to tie the knot in HD style. They had a cool photobooth app too that sends out via social media or email a selfie postcard from your visit. We spent quite a few minutes walking around checking everything out. I imagine they have some great rides come through the area, and am considering renting a bike for some sightseeing next trip out if I can swing an extra couple of days in the desert.

Located: 5191 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Las Vegas Nevada, 89119
Phone: 888-218-0744
Hours: 8:00AM – 9:00PM, Daily

Carroll Shelby Heritage Center

The final stop on the gear head tour took me to the Carroll Shelby Heritage Center. The center is a relatively new facility that houses a large collection of all the historic cars in the Shelby stable, including the first Cobra, prototype cars, the GT500KR and other items in the Shelby legacy. The center also houses a huge shop area, where work is being done on many different Shelby models. A Blue Oval girl like myself is right at home, but even Shelby’s brief Chrysler/Dodge models can be seen on display. They had the new 2015 Mustang Shelby model on display, and believe me, I drooled all over it. The gift area was surprisingly reasonably priced as compared to much of the other tourist trap gouging you see. I didn’t even know that this museum existed in Las Vegas, so it was a happy surprise to have had the opportunity to visit.

Located: 6405 Ensworth St. Las Vegas, NV 89119
Toll Free: (844) 9 SHELBY (844-974-3529)or call (702) 942-7325
Hours: Mon-Sat, 9:00AM – 6:00PM; Closed Sundays

You can see more photos from the trip in my Las Vegas Gear Head Tour album.