Samantha Jansen
When Samantha was young she had a paper route she came up with an idea of getting a go-kart to use for delivering papers. Her father agreed to get her a kart as long as she agreed to race it. She agreed to the deal and her father got her the kart. It turned out she had a talent in racing so her father moved her up. She won her first race on her late sister's birthdy. It was only her 5th race ever. She decided to put "In memor of my sister Nicole" on all of her cars.
Samantha has been racing a total of 14 years now. 3 of them were in go karts and 11 in cars. Currently she is racing Open Wheel Modifieds in the Top Speed Modified Division. She also periodically races Vintage Modifieds in the VROA series and then the occasional superstock race over the last couple of years. What she likes most about racing is first and foremost the speed. According to Smantha she is "a bit of an adreneline junkie." She also likes the fact that the car does not know if the racer is a girl or boy. "I can drive it no different than anyone else which is why everyone is on the same playing field."
She has earned many achievements but some of her biggest acheivements are are that she is the winngingest female in VROA (Vintage Racing Organization of America) and the first female to win a feature and a championship. She has won two VROA championships. She is also currently sitting 2nd in points in the Top Speed Modifieds and leading Rookie of the Year points.
When we watched Samantha race out at Berlin Raceway in Marne, MI. The girls were routing for her every step of the way. In fact we noticed she was a fan favorite. The little girls loved the fact that she had Tinker Bell on her car. I asked her what made her decide to put Tinker Bell on her car and she said, "I decided on tinkerbell because for one I liked her as a kid, and it was time to get rid of the tweety bird since that had been on my car for a few years." Her car is also pink which definately sets her apart from her male competition. I asked her what ways her car reflected her personality. She told me, "I think my cars still show a bit of my girly side. Just because I participate in a male dominated sport doesn't mean that I am not still interested in the girly things.
Samantha's advice for girl racers, "You are just as good as all of the guys out there racing, make sure that you don't give up. As a female it takes a bit longer to earn the respect of the other drivers but once that is established it is well worth it."
Thank you Samantha! We apprciate you taking the time to share your inspirational career. We wish you all the best for the rest of your season and your future career.
Samantha has been racing a total of 14 years now. 3 of them were in go karts and 11 in cars. Currently she is racing Open Wheel Modifieds in the Top Speed Modified Division. She also periodically races Vintage Modifieds in the VROA series and then the occasional superstock race over the last couple of years. What she likes most about racing is first and foremost the speed. According to Smantha she is "a bit of an adreneline junkie." She also likes the fact that the car does not know if the racer is a girl or boy. "I can drive it no different than anyone else which is why everyone is on the same playing field."
She has earned many achievements but some of her biggest acheivements are are that she is the winngingest female in VROA (Vintage Racing Organization of America) and the first female to win a feature and a championship. She has won two VROA championships. She is also currently sitting 2nd in points in the Top Speed Modifieds and leading Rookie of the Year points.
When we watched Samantha race out at Berlin Raceway in Marne, MI. The girls were routing for her every step of the way. In fact we noticed she was a fan favorite. The little girls loved the fact that she had Tinker Bell on her car. I asked her what made her decide to put Tinker Bell on her car and she said, "I decided on tinkerbell because for one I liked her as a kid, and it was time to get rid of the tweety bird since that had been on my car for a few years." Her car is also pink which definately sets her apart from her male competition. I asked her what ways her car reflected her personality. She told me, "I think my cars still show a bit of my girly side. Just because I participate in a male dominated sport doesn't mean that I am not still interested in the girly things.
Samantha's advice for girl racers, "You are just as good as all of the guys out there racing, make sure that you don't give up. As a female it takes a bit longer to earn the respect of the other drivers but once that is established it is well worth it."
Thank you Samantha! We apprciate you taking the time to share your inspirational career. We wish you all the best for the rest of your season and your future career.
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