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Changes for Taylor Ferns at Plymouth Speedway

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Taylor Ferns
Photo Courtesy of Al Steinberg

Although it won’t be the  first time for Taylor Ferns at Plymouth Speedway, there won’t be much familiarity for 20 year-old sprint car racer entering this weekend’s Engine Pro Sprints on Dirt event.    Since her last visit to the Indiana track, it has undergone a conversion from a half-mile paved configuration to three-eighths-of-a-mile dirt format.   Her last appearance at the track was at the wheel of a midget three years ago, and returns this weekend aboard the Eco-Mend/Jimmy’s Towing Maxim, a winged sprint car.

Taylor Ferns ready for Plymouth Speedway

Saturday, May 16th begins the action for the Engine Pro Sprints event, presented by ARP.  A full racing program is on tap for the winged 360-sprint car series based in Michigan.  Taylor’s last 360-sprint car experience came last fall at Waynesfield Raceway Park in Ohio, where she won a heat race and started eighth in the main event. Contact with another car led to a flip on the second lap, which ended her night.

Going from a 410 (sprint car) to a 360 (sprint car), I think easier than going from a 360 to a 410,” explained Ferns. “Everything happens a lot slower in a 360, and it is easier to adapt. A big difference is that they usually draw for starting spots in a 360, so you have to try to pass a lot of cars in order to get a good starting spot in the main event.”

Previous track experience of little value

Taylor FernsFerns’ most recent start at Plymouth in 2012 with the Honda USAC National Midget Series yielded a third-fastest qualifying effort for that event, her best-career qualifying effort with the series. She ran fourth in a heat race, finishing 10th in the main event. During the same season, she also raced with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour.

Prior to that, Ferns competed in a co-sanctioned race with the USAC D1 Midget Series and STARS National Midget Series, finishing 10th in a 40-lap feature, after winning a heat race in 2011. She made her debut at Plymouth in 2009, with the Kenyon Midget Series.

Having been to Plymouth before will help, but that’s probably about the only thing we can take away from our last trip there to this time,” said Ferns. “It’s going to be a completely different experience. We’ve had a tough start to the season, so we are looking to get things turned around at Plymouth.”

Last weekend, Ferns raced at Eldora Speedway in Ohio, which featured both the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series in the “Mother of All Sprint Car Weekends.” Though she would finish ninth in the third heat race and wound up 14th in the B-main during the Friday opener, she encoutnered engine trouble in time trials Saturday that forced her to scratch for the remainder of the race program.

Two weekends ago, Ferns competed at Atomic Speedway in Ohio with the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association. She finished fourth in the first heat race to transfer to the main event. In the A-Feature, she finished 17th.

We have been trying some different things, so hopefully we can have a good weekend and everything will go smoothly,” said Ferns. “We have had so much going on this year and haven’t been able to catch a break, so a smooth weekend is what we are after.”

Pippa Mann uninjured in Indy practice crash

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PIppa Mann crash in IndyPippa Mann, one of two women racing to qualify for the 99th Annual Indianapolis 500, suffered minor injuries in a practice crash late afternoon Wednesday.   Her #63 Dale Coyne Racing prepped Honda got sideways exiting turn 4, sending her down the bank and into the edge of the pit wall before spinning wildly back to the high side of the bank.

Bruised and Sore

Mann suffered a few bruises and general soreness, but was cleared by the track medical staff.    She told press that losing control was a mistake on her part, an unfortunate result of her infrequency in the seat leading up to this event.

I have a few new bruises, and I’m making friends with some ice packs tonight, but I am fine. I am, however, completely gutted for all of the hard working crew who now have to put a race car back together again,” said Mann following the incident.

Prior to the crash, she had posted the 14th fastest lap time of the 33 cars in practice Wednesday.  Her team will try and repair the damage for Pippa’s qualifying runs this weekend.  With Pippa Mann uninjured, she remains focused on the primary objective of her Indy 500 race quest, to represent and raise money for the Susan G. Komen organization in the fight against Breast Cancer.

If you really want to cheer me up tonight… There’s a certain campaign that stays rolling even while the race car is down!!

Mann’s Get Involved campaign has raised over $29,000 for Susan G. Komen, with 13 days to go before it reaches its conclusion just after the close of the Indy 500.    Fans can contribute by visiting pippamann.com/getinvolved or following #GetInvolved in social media.

Watch the Pippa Man crash from Indianapolis (video: Indycar)

Brittany Force lands Monster Sponsorship

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Monster Energy Brittany ForceThe long-awaiting announcement of the primary sponsorship on the Top Fuel dragster of Brittany Force was just announced.    Monster Energy Drinks has come on-board at John Force Racing to fully-fund the program, starting at this weekend’s 35th Annual  Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta, GA.     The contract with Brittany and the Top Fuel operation will extend for the next 3 years as a primary sponsor, with associate billing on the rest of the John Force Racing camp.

Monster Sponsorship

VP of Sports Marketing for Monster Energy, Mitch Covington, is excited for the company’s return to drag racing, having previously backed veteran driver, Kenny Bernstein in 2006.

““You can’t even mention drag racing without including John Force and John Force Racing,” said Monster Vice President of Sports Marketing Mitch Covington. “Their winning dominance and high performance heritage are simply unmatchable. John is a personality that actually transcends the sport and his daughter Brittany is every bit the fierce competitor as her dad – and she’s a lot prettier than John. The next generation of JFR, Monster Energy is thrilled to have Brittany at the controls of the Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster this season. Monster is all about unleashing the beast, and there is no other beast like a 10,000 horsepower, asphalt wrinkling, Nitro guzzling dragster.”

Brittany Force Monster EnergyHaving tried to make in-roads himself with Monster previously no to avail, news of a meeting from persistent efforts by Brittany and Courtney left him skeptical.    But the girls were able to put the presentation and pitch together, landing a deal that pleasantly surprised Force.

John Force first approached us about this deal over a year ago, but it wasn’t his presence that sold this opportunity,” said Covington.   “The credit for this goes directly to Brittany and Courtney Force, who were the ones that really delivered the presentation, and put this deal into motion.”

“When the meeting finally occurred with Monster, you could already feel an electricity in the room.   It was as if they were already Brittany’s best friends.  I am so proud of this next generation, because they are showing they have what it takes not only on the racetrack, but that they are doing what it takes on the business end as well.”  John Force, CEO of John Force Racing, Inc.

Monster’s activation of their brand and their athletes is also a great added bonus to the partnership between the companies.   Known for the cross-promotion of their athletes across a wide variety of different extreme sports, Brittany’s likeness would join that of Ken Block, Rob Dyrdek, Vaughn Gittin Jr and many more in the Monster camp.   The expected involvement with NHRA Drag Racing will be similar to their presence with NASCAR in terms of marketing activation, with some limitations in respect to the series title sponsor, also a beverage company.

Brittany Force could not be more pleased with the pairing, saying that her entire team are huge fans of Monster, stocking the drinks in their pits long before the announcement was made.

I am so excited to be teamed up with Monster Energy as the primary sponsor on my Top Fuel Dragster. You see the Monster logo on everything from NASCAR to Action Sports and to have them back in the NHRA seems like a perfect fit. The great thing about partnering up with Monster is how easy it will be for me to promote their brand because my team and I love to drink Monster. I can’t wait to get them into the winner’s circle. My whole team is fired up and we will definitely unleash the beast starting this weekend,” said Brittany.

The team is expected to debut their full Monster Energy livery at this weekend’s NHRA event in Commerce, GA .

Shannon McIntosh launches new website

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Newly redesigned ShannonMcIntosh.com

Shannon McIntosh20 year racing veteran Shannon McIntosh has just announced the launch of her newly redesigned website, www.shannonmcintosh.com.   Starting when she was just a child, Shannon has driven over 30+ cars in a wide range of motorsport categories, anything from Quarter Midgets, Micro Sprints, Dirt Late Models, Indycar and most recently ARCA stock car racing.  She has amassed over 100 wins, and race on over 50 tracks across the county.

Moving and planning for the future

The Ohio-born McIntosh recently relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina from the St. Petersburg, FL area, and is currently exploring some Late Model (pavement) and Dirt Track racing opportunities.  She is focused on securing new sponsors and marketing partners for a full-time racing return.

Be sure to check out her new site, and stay tuned for more updates on her racing career.

FiA Women in Motorsports Newsletter

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FIA Women in Motorsports FiA Women NewsletterThe FiA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) has a wonderful newsletter dedicated to Women in Motorsports and a page devoted to archiving news for the ladies called Auto+ FIA Women in Motorsports Newsletter.

The newsletter features coverage of women in all different forms of racing, from female drag racing drivers to ladies racing in open wheel and all-girl rally teams.

Check out the FIA Women In Motorsports Newsletter and page:  http://www.fia.com/campaigns/women-motorsport/news

Pippa Mann’s run at Indy 500 for Susan G. Komen

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Pippa Mann 2015 Indy 500

Pippa Man enters 4th career Indianapolis 500

This year is the 99th running of the legendary Indianapolis 500, and British Indy driver, Pippa Mann, is ready to represent women racing with a special pink tribute car.  Paired with a large campaign on Indiegogo, the international crowdfunding website, her racecar livery is dedicated to the race against breast cancer at the Indy 500 for Susan G. Komen program.

This marks the 4th run at the Indy 500 for Pippa, who is one of only 11 female racers to compete in the historic race.  Her best finish so far has been in the 20th position, a mark she hopes to improve with her Komen team in 2015.

Susan G. Komen

The Susan G. Komen organization is the largest and most widely-recognized breast cancer assistance and resource non-profit organization.   Mann joined forces with the organization in her 2014 Indy 500 campaign to increase awareness and raise funds.  Her partnership with Indegogo has strengthened the funding efforts for her 2015 return, with a goal of $50,000 and a more fan interactive initiative.

As we started to prepare for the second year of this program, I wanted a much more interactive way to host the fundraising component that would show a goal, our progress towards it, and give us the ability to reward people who contribute to the campaign,” said Mann. “I am incredibly grateful for the way the racing community has stepped up to be a part of this campaign to raise money, and I love the list of perks we will be offering through the site.

Want to help Pippa fight Breast Cancer with Komen?

You can join into the fight by visiting pippamann.com/getinvolved, through midnight after the Indy 500 race concludes. Race fans, benefactors, media and other supporters can follow along the progression of the campaign leading up to race day. Donors get cool perks, including Komen wristbands and koozies, tribute T-shirts, Honda and Firestone hats, garage tours, a Race with Pippa night at Fastimes Karting, new exclusive Doug Garrison Artwork, and Bell mini helmets painted by Pippa’s Indy 500 helmet painter.

I’m excited about our campaign finally going live, and to see people clicking through, talking about it, telling friends about it, and getting involved with what we’re trying to do,” said Mann. “This isn’t a campaign for just my fans; this is a campaign for anyone who has been directly affected by breast cancer, and also for those we hope will never be affected. We believe our $50,000 goal is achievable, and we believe we can get there with the help of our fans and supporters. If just 5,000 people donate $10 each, we will be able to meet our goal.

The online buzz can be followed via the #GetInvolved hashtag on social media, as well as the URL pippamann.com/getinvolved.

Good Luck Pippa, we’ll be cheering for you!

CarChix 2015 Event Schedule

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CarChix Ladies Only Drag Race
CarChix Ladies Only Drag Race competitors

Mark your calendars!

CarChix.com just announced their Carchix 2015 Event Schedule, and it looks like they have a fun-filled year planned. They have added a second Ladies Only Drag Race to the line up, as well as a return of their annual Women of Motorsports contest, Drag Racing for Life Breast Cancer benefit race, and other fun meet & greet events.

Want to learn more about Car Chix?  Check out this featured site article and read all about it!

CAR CHIX 2015 EVENT SCHEDULE

  • May 2nd – Chicago Blacklight 5k Run
    Chicagoland Speedway | Joliet, Illinois
    Join the CarChix Team for neon glow fun 5K  outing held at Chicagoland Speedway.
  • June 6th – Ladies Only Drag Race
    Byron Dragway | Byron, Illinois
    Return of the Ladies Only Drag Race series.  More information to be announced soon.  (Check the CarChix.com website for more info)
  • August 28th – 29th – Drag Racing for Life Breast Cancer Fundraiser / 62nd World Series of Drag Racing
    Cordova Dragway Park  |  Cordova, Illinois
    The 5th Annual Drag Racing for Life Breast Cancer benefit race is one of the largest events for CarChix.com.   (Check the CarChix.com website for more info)
  • September 12th – 19th – The 2015 Women of Motorsports Contest
    (Online Event)
    This annual contest takes place online, where ladies submit their favorite photos and solicit votes for a top spot.   The Top 12 Winners are then featured in the 2016 Car Chix Calendar.
  • October 4th – World Power Wheelstand Championship
    Byron Dragway  |  Byron, Illinois
  • October 10th – Ladies Only Drag Race
    Dyno Dom’s Sikeston Raceway | Sikeston, Missouri
    The second Ladies Only Drag Race event scheduled for 2015, this one is held at the Sikeston track.  (Check the CarChix.com website for more info)
  • November 21st – 22nd – Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals
    Donald E. Stephens Convention Center | Rosemont, Illinois
  • December 10th – 12th – Performance Racing Industry Show (PRI)
    Indianapolis Convention Center  | Indianapolis, Indiana
    A meet-up at one of the largest Racing Industry trade shows in the country.

Erica Enders doubles up on Racer of the Year

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Good news this week as Racer Magazine announces their annual Racer of the Year awards.     One of my favorite ladies in racing, Erica Enders captured not just one, but TWO Racer of the Year awards, gaining the ultimate overall category win as well as the Drag Racing award.

Congrats, Erica Enders!

It is really great to see her received the much deserved accolades that go with such a monumental win.   Not only is it big and inspiring news to see a woman win the World Championship, but to have done so in such down-to-the-wire dramatic fashion, is nothing short of amazing.   Thinking back to all the naysayers and the struggles she endured in her Pro Stock career, I’ll say that the awards are much deserved celebration to her feats.

Erica Enders-StevensRacer of the Year

The award is voted on by readers, which to me, is a strong indication of the loyalty of NHRA fans.   John Force won the top award in 2010, 2013, 2014.   Enders now takes the overall spot for 2015.  And someone tell me again why drag racing isn’t a good sponsor investment?  That’s some fiercely loyal fanbase there.  In fact, while she won Racer of the Year honors with 48.9% of the vote, the next closest competitor was Mr. Force himself with 9.7%.   That’s a landslide victory for Enders, and a lionshare vote for drag racing.

But what saddens me, was the pre-season announcement that her Elite team may not compete in all of the NHRA events again this season.   What is wrong with the world that the defending Pro Stock champion- a marketable, personable, history-paving woman- can’t get the funding she needs to compete in a full season?   That question may lie more in the NHRA’s programming than in her abilities as World champion.

Erica Enders-Stevens hoists Wally

Either way, here’s a big shoutout to Erica Enders-Stevens, Racer of the Year!

 

 

 

Girls Torque Collector Cards

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GirlsTorque.comI came across a great opportunity for Women in Motorsports or supporters of ladies who race that I wanted to share.

GirlsTorque.com is a long-running website based in Australia that is dedicated to helping girls succeed in motor sports.   Originally launched in 2001 as the Australian Women in Motorsports organization, it quickly took off outside of just Australia, and is now focused on educating and sharing the cause worldwide.

Girls Torque Collector Cards

GirlPower Collector CardsOne of the unique ideas the site manages is their Girls Torque Racing Collector Cards.    These cards are similar to other sport trading cards, and features a different female racer on each card; with photos, quotes and stats on her career.   The cards were created to highlight and promote women racing, celebrating their successes and careers first in Australia, but now expanding to include women racing on the global level.   Cards are arranged into Circuit, Speedway and Drag Racing boxed set collections.  Fans, friends and family can purchase by collector series or individually,  online or at retailers in Western Australia.

Free Feature for Women Racing

Girl Torque Racing Collector CardsHere’s one of the greatest parts about the program:  it’s FREE for Women in Racing to be included.    It is great free exposure to a collective audience already supporting your common cause- women competing in motorsports.    Getting your name out there and celebrating your career and successes is valuable for any driver.  It helps reinforce sponsor value, opens the door to other opportunities, and unites you with the movement that continues to build for women in racing.

A lot of racers have hero cards they hand out at the track for fans.   Those who do, understand that it isn’t cheap to have those designed and printed.   Professional designers can charge several hundred dollars for a hero card and color printing on hero-card heavy stock paper can add-up expense quickly.  Girls Torque has made it extremely easy to be included, offering an online form that takes just a few minutes to complete.

The form asks:

  • Motorsports Category
  • Name
  • Quote
  • Class/Competition Division
  • Race Number
  • Home Track
  • Race car Description
  • Racing History/Achievements

It also allows you to upload your own head shot and action shot (photos that you have the rights to use legally) for use on the card.    Once submitted, you will be included in the next collection for your series.   No cost or obligation for you to buy for inclusion.   For those that would would like, you can even order extra cards for yourself to distribute to your own fans!

Sign up for Girls Torque cards

Don’t miss out, make sure you fill out the form to be included in the next set of collector cards!

Featured Site: CarChix.com

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CarChix
www.CarChix.com

In my search for all things Women and Racing, I tend to wear out Google trying to stay updated on all the ladies out there.  Believe me, the search isn’t as easy as it seems.  After weeding through the hottest driver articles that tend to populate the first few pages of search results, its slim-pickings past that to find the good stuff.   So I’ve made it my new mission to seek out and share the relevant sites that cover Women and Motorsports as I find them.

CarChix.com

This week’s feature is one of the most vibrant sites I’ve found in my recent searches.    CarChix.com  is a motorsports organization for women created by Jeanette DesJardins.    Founded in 2010, the site was born out of an idea DesJardins had as a teenage gearhead, working at her first job as an automotive lube technician outside of Chicago.  She envisioned someday owning her own shop, where she felt she could improve many of the things plaguing the industry at the time with a female touch.     Sitting outside that shop talking to a friend, she named her future garage Car Chix.

Founder/President, Jeanette DesJardins

Jeanette Working on CarJeanette’s first introduction to motorsports came while she was still in diapers, when her parents and uncle would take her along to Road America in Wisconsin.    Young Jeanette did more crying from the loud racecars at that age however, and it wasn’t until her teen years that she rediscovered the automotive world.  Shortly after purchasing her first car, she was met by resistance from her father, who held the nagging question over her head — How would she afford to repair it if it broke down?   Jeanette’s solution:  she’d learn to fix it herself, and began taking automotive mechanic courses at the local community college.   That training led to her working as a technician at several small garages and dealerships as she moved on to pursue her Associates Degree in Marketing.

“I could go on for days about things that I have learned over the years”, adds DesJardins.  “Some of the keys things, that have really stuck with me over the years are:  don’t over think things too much – It’s okay not to know the answer to something; no one knows everything – Have thick skin – Watch where you stick your fingers – Don’t wear plastic gloves, it hurts peeling it off your skin when you get burnt.”

Jeanette DesJardins at Great Lakes Dragaway
Jeanette working on the starting line at Great Lakes Dragaway

From there, she landed one of her favorite jobs of all– starting line coordinator and starter at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, WI.   She continued on there, gaining valuable experience in the automotive industry while she simultaneously earned her Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Wisconsin.  It was during her time there that she launched the website for CarChix.com, initially intended to share photos and chat with other female drag racers at the track.  But after just two weeks, the site crashed from the high amount of traffic visiting, causing a change to a forum based system and a relaunch.   From there, the site grew, with ladies and men sharing stories from all over the world.   She now works as Marketing Coordinator for a manufacturing company in Chicago,  as well as, the owner of Crank It Media, an Internet Marketing Company and Car Chix.com.

Often a one-woman show, she’s put in years of exhaustive effort and has big plans moving forward she hopes will be announced a little later this year, that would impact women in motorsports and female racers in general.    She remains dedicated to empowering women all over the world, offering this advice:

“Stay focused.  Stay driven.  It sounds cheesy, but you can seriously do anything you want as long as you work for it.  Hard work really does pay off in the end.  You will come across moments when you just feel like giving up, but don’t.  Each hard day is a hard lesson earned.  Apply what you’ve learned through your experiences; tomorrow is always another day.”

CarChix.com News & Features

Jeanette DesJardins at Route 66
Jeanette racing herself at Route 66 Raceway

One of the strengths of the CarChix website are the regular news updates posted on female racers careers, including news reports submitted by racers as well as a Featured CarChix of the Month section.   Both of these sections make it one of the most feature-rich sites for quality women in racing stories, helping to promote the careers and successes of ladies racing all across the globe.   There is even a CarChix store for cool merchandise sporting the CarChix logo and a listing for CarChix sponsored events.

CarChix Events

Jeanette DesJardins Carchix.com
CarChix founder and president Jeanette DesJardins at the 2011 Racing for a Cure event.

DesJardins moved onto hosting her first event less than a year after the CarChix.com launch.  The  event was a breast cancer research fundraiser she named Racing For A Cure a Quarter Mile at a Time, and was held at her home track Great Lakes, to a record-setting attendance.    Jeanette arranged an action-packed event, with exhibition cars, wheel standers, drag radial caompetitors, bracket racing, dragsters, raffles, giveaways, face painting, and musical entertainment from a popular band.   They raised several thousand dollars for the Wisconsin Well Women Program, an organization that helps women with little or no insurance to receive preventative mammograms and pre/post breast cancer treatments and  care.

CarChix Ladies Only Drag Race
CarChix Ladies Only Drag Race competitors

That event, now named Drag Racing for Life, became the first of several annual events organized by Jeanette and the Car Chix program at several locations across the country.   She also organized the CarChix Ladies Only Drag Race, an all-female drag racing competition that saw ladies in a variety of race cars compete for prizes and awards, and presented the Hottest Ride Award at the Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals, capping off the year with a Light Up the Holidays parade appearance.

DesJardins is currently finishing up the 2015 CarChix Event Schedule, with announcements forthcoming in March on the 2015 dates and locations.

CarChix Calendar

CarChix booth
CarChix setup at events

Another unique offering to help promote women in racing and female motorsports participants, is the Annual Women of Motorsports Calendar contest.   During the contest, women are invited to submit photos of themselves with their rides and seek likes on Facebook.  The top 12 are voted into the calendar finalists.   These calendars celebrate and inspire women in the automotive industry, featuring cars, bikes and any level of enthusiast.    Featured CarChix are often on hand at events to autograph calendars for collectors.

Be sure to check out CarChix.com and add it to your bookmarks!  Tell them Horsepower & Heels sent you!

Have a good site suggestion related to Women in Racing?  Send it our way!