Driver Spotlight: Isabella Minchella

Isabella Minchella

Isabella has an impressive racing resume at the young age of 11. She started racing dirt bikes at age 6 she won the first race she ever entered. Bella started racing go karts at age 7. To date Bella has won over 12 features (full fields) has won a Hoosier tire championship in 2010 and finished 2nd in 2012. Bella was the first female to win races at both tracks in New Hampshire. Her kart has been features in the 2012 Briggs & Stratton racing calender. One of her greatest accomplishments thus far was winning 4 races at 3 different tracks all in one weekend! Bella currently races at 4 different tracks, Stafford Motor Speedway and Pomfret Speedway both in Conneticut. She also races at Twin State and RT.106 in New Hampshire. Her current ride is a 2011 Wild Thing Tiger Sprint #99 they run Briggs alcohol motors and Hoosier tires. The average field of karts is 13 with some holding as many as 20 karts, most races are 15 laps and some races are as many as 30.

A lot of Bella's success comes from her ability to work on the kart, it has really helped her understand what the kart is doing, she can change the gears the oil and tire stagger with little to no help. Bella along with her older brother, Nathan, both help maintain the kart. Another helpful hint to parents that her father found is that like most kids Bella shuts him off after he over loads her up with driving tips, so he found a female teenage kart driver to help coach her. Together the "coach" and her father watch her laps and then pick a few places to make improvements. Bella really responded to a teenager willing to help.

When asked why she likes to race she says, "It's really fun and I like doing my best." Her favorite thing about racing is all the friends she has made the traveling to tracks and winning big trophies.  Along with racing, Isabella is also involved in cheerleading for Pop Warner football. She is a flyer, which makes her dad very nervous! Bella's future goals in racing is to keep having fun and to make it to the full size cars.

To read more about Bella "Like" her Facebook page under Minchella Racing and more info about Wild Thing Karts can be found at www.wildthingkarts.com.

Driver Spotlight: Michele Bumgarner

Michele Bumgarner

Michele has had a racing career that many people dream of. She has raced all over the world Italy, Asia, and the US. She participated in Asia-Pacific Karting Championships Japan, Shell Super Karting Series, Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC), and the Italian Masters Series. In Rock Island, Illinois she won back to back Rock Island Grand Prix street races in 2008 and 2009. Michele has also experienced other forms of racing such as competing in Asian Formula Three Championship, 2008 Star Mazda Championship, and testing a few times with Indy Lights.

Michele's racing career began in karts when she was 6 years old at her father's fun kart track in Subic Bay. Her father raced karts all over the Philippines and would bring the family along. When Michele's brother was 5 years old he got a mini kart and she was jealous. She asked her father for one and according to Michele "the rest was history." With all of her success she was able to travel and race in many different places. Michele's favorite experience, "without a doubt my two years racing karts in Italy. Don't get me wrong, I love racing cars and going up the ladder, but nothing compares to the competitiveness and the atmosphere that every race weekend always felt like a World Championship Race was simply amazing!" Traveling the world racing has other benefits as well. Her favorite aspects about traveling are, "definitely meeting different people from different cultures and trying their local food."

Michele is a successful woman in the sport of racing. I asked her if she experienced any challenges that come with that. "Being a woman in a man dominated sport, you have to expect it so I don't think about it too much. But there was one incident that I won't ever forget that made me realized that I was respected equally as a driver. It was in 2005, Asia Pacific ICA Championship in Suzuka, Japan and I had won a heat race against top drivers from all over the world, including factory driver for Intrepid at the time, Jaime Alguersuari, had clinched the fastest lap and was the first ever female to do so at such a prestigious event. After the race, Jaime, his mechanic and Intrepid Karts owner Mirko Squerzoni and others around the paddock all gave me hugs and congratulated me. To have those respected people in the racing industry do that was just very surreal for me and one that I will never forget."

Michele loves every aspect of racing. She looks forward to her next racing venture which is still in the works. She promises to keep us posted!!

To follow Michele Bumgarner visit her Facebook Page or follow her on Twitter.

Weekend Race Results 2/8-2/10/13

Weekend Race Results

2/8-2/10/2013

Courtney Atkinson, Roebling Road Raceway, two wins, one second.

History of Women in Racing: Kart Drivers

Inspirational Women in Motorsports: Karting Edition

Kathey Hartman

Kathey, known as the "Queen of Champions," began karting in 1963 at Crescent Kartway in Ohio. She won her first National Championship in 1966 when she took the Modified Light Crown at Quincy, Illinois. Hartman won her first enduro championship at the 1969 Nationals taking the Stock Heavy Title. In 1970 she took home the Stock Light Gold in Indy and two titles; Limited and America Reed Senior Light at the Indy Nationals. In total she 15 national and 3 Grand National Titles. No other driver won 2 Grand National Championships in a row, as Kathey did in 1971 and 1972. Kathey has said that her achievements in karting must be shared with her husband, chief of Hartman Engineering, which introduced the firsts lay-down enduro kart in 1963.

Faye 'Ladybug' Pierson

Faye participated in the first Grand Nationals in 1959 where she finished 2nd behind Jimmy Yamane in the “A” Class. Over the next three years Faye went on to race the world over for their Team Bug including the U.S., Mexico, the Bahamas, England and Italy.  Faye's accomplishments are winning two years in a row the infamous and quite grueling 100 Miler in Tecate, Mexico. Faye Pierson along with her late husband Tom Pierson, founded Bug Engineering in 1958 which later became K&P Manufacturing, a business is manufacturing karts today in the Azusa area of Los Angeles, California.


Sources:
http://www.lostenduros.com/?page_id=679
http://kartdrome.com/index.php/history-of-karting/champions-of-karting
http://www.adamsmotorsportspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Adams50thProgram.pdf
http://karting.archive.netcopy.co.uk/article/april-2010/36/karts-from-the-last-50-years-race-in-california

Weekend Race Results 2/1-2/3/13

Weekend Race Results

2/1-2/3/13

Kendahl Erb #23, Amateur Jr 1. Season starts in April 2013, www.albemarlespeedway.com

Kinzie Culbertson Marshalltown Iowa Thunder Dome, 1st in heat 1, 2nd in Heat 2 and 2nd in the Feature Jr1 Class.

Flyin' Faith Schuch, Grand Rapids Delta Plex, Midwest Indoor Racing Series, finished 4th in both heat races and 3rd in the feature! She was the only girl in the 9 kart field!! Purple plate kart class.

Flyin' Faith at her race on Saturday

Kayli Barker, Friday - 4th overall and 2nd in my division. Saturday - 2nd overall and 2nd in my division. Sunday - 11th overall due to a blown motor, Bandolero, Las Vegas Motor Speedway Road Course

Book Review: Dead Man's Switch

Dead Man's Switch: A Kate Reilly Racing Mystery

Ok so I finally did it...I finished reading this book! It is no reflection on the book by any means..well maybe it is. I really did like this book. If I didn't, I can promise you it would have never finished it. Reading is just not at the top of my hobby list. Tammy did a great job of taking you on the journey of this murder mystery while guiding the readers through the Le Mans racing experience. I feel like I understand more about this type of racing that I was completely unfamiliar with. You felt as though you were in the car with Kate in her racing experiences. Overall it was a quick and easy read. I would recommend it! Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the main character, Kate, that pertained to her outlook on females in the world of motorsports:

"In football or hockey the athlete's size is everything. You wear sized equipment and your mass helps you advance or defend. In racing Mike (her male co-driver) and I wear the same size car. Once you get into that car, we're all the same in bulk and power. Racing is about concentration. About always driving the correct line through a corner, driving the car at the edge of it's capabilities, more than it's about sheer muscle mass. Sure, the C6.R is heavy- heavier than most cars- and you can feel that, but it's really well-balanced- besides, I have to manipulate it, not carry it. It's more about concentration, hand-eye coordination, and general fitness than the ability to bench press your own body weight."

"Cars don't care if you're male or female. The strength you need most isn't physical- it's mental. Competing, thinking ahead down the racetrack, and concentrating on just one thing for a couple hours at a time."

You can purchase this book on Amazon. I bought the Kindle version but there is also a paperback version.

History of Women in Racing

Inspirational Women in Motorsports #1

There have been many amazing women in the history of motorsports. Throughout this journey I felt the need to do a little research. Many of you may already know about these inspiring ladies, but I'm just learning. I thought I'd share the information I learned with those of you who are learning and a reminder for those of you who are already versed in the history of women's motorsports. I plan to keep researching but for now here are 4 of the pioneers in women's racing.

Louise Smith (1916-2006), Louise was known as "The First Lady of Racing." She was a pioneer of stock-car racing and the first woman inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. She raced from 1949 to 1956. She won 38 races in her career in numerous formats: late models, modifieds (28 victories), midgets, and sportsman. She returned to the racing scene in 1971 as a car owner for numerous drivers.

Janet Guthrie (1938-   ), Janet started her racing career in 1963. In 1977 she became the first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. She had the highest finish by a woman in the Indianapolis 500 until 2005. Guthrie went on to compete in 33 races in NASCAR over four seasons, finishing as high as sixth place. She competed in 11 IndyCar races finishing as high as 5th. Janet has an autobiography written in 2005, Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle.

Shirley Muldowney (1940-  ), Shirley became infatuated with drag racing as a teenager in the 1950's. She obtained her NHRA pro license in 1965. In 1969 and 1970 she competed in U.S. Nationals in a twin-engine dragster in Top Gas. As Top Gas lost popularity, she began racing Funny Car. Shirley won her first major event IHRA Southern Nationals in 1971. She won 3 NHRA Top Fuel championships in 1977, 1980, and 1982. She was named to drag racing's All-American team five times, leading the voting in two occasions.


Lyn St. James (1947-  ), Lyn's debut in racing was in 1973 in the Amateur Sports Car Club of America. She began racing in the Indy Racing Series in 1992 and was the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. She raced in 7 Indianapolis 500's in 9 years, including 6 consecutive starts (1992-1997.) In 2000 at the age of 53 she was the oldest driver in the field in the Indianapolis 500. Lyn is currently a motivational speaker and is promoting young up and coming racers. She established Women in the Winners Circle Foundation in 1994 and the Annual Awards Celebration in 2003. In 2010 she published Lyn St. James- An Incredible Journey. She is working with The Henry Ford Museum on Women in The Winners Circle: The Traveling Exhibit. (Personally I would LOVE to see this exhibit with my kids!!!)

Sources:
Wikipedia
http://www.motorsportshalloffame.com/
http://www.lynstjames.com