I guess this is where I should start off by introducing myself...
I'm Johanna, a recipient of the 2018 Sports Car Club of America's (SCCA) Wendi Allen Scholarship. Myself and two other women were selected to receive the award based on nominations from other SCCA members. The purpose of this scholarship is to help encourage and support more women to participate in motorsports, in honor of the late SCCA member and motorsports enthusiast, Wendi Allen.
This nomination has left me completely humbled, and asking myself what I can do live up to the title. Of course I have some doubts that I'm deserving of it... according to me, I'm just a regular person, doing what makes me happy.
To others though, I guess I could see how living 600 miles from your partner of 5 years, and meeting halfway (or elsewhere) to autocross every weekend, car in tow and dog in car, might seem a bit eccentric... perhaps even bordering on insane. But sometimes, I believe that's just how life is- what makes you happiest isn't always the easiest. And that's definitely how my life is. So while I might feel like I'm just a normal lady, with slightly less normal activities and interests, I'm going to do whatever I can to live up to this scholarship. I've had several vendors, friends, and family members suggest that I keep up a blog of my racing experiences throughout the year, so I'm going to make a point of sharing my lessons and adventures, in hopes of a inspiring other women, (or men,) and trying to pass on the lessons that I'm learning. At the very least, if not for entertaining you, I hope to journal my progress through the year, and hold myself personally accountable for my goals for improvement at each event.
A brief history on how this all came to be...
My brothers both got involved with autocrossing while I was in college and were always trying to convince me to come out and race with them. It wasn't until the end of 2011, when a friend offered me a codrive in their Mazda3 (and a year after I purchased my first MazdaSpeed3) that I finally gave it a try. At that first event, I ended up taking first in my novice (open) class of 7, on my first run, nonetheless! Obviously, I was immediately hooked. From 2012-2013 I participated in as many local events as I could afford (with Champaign County Sports Car Club in IL), and drove as many different cars as I could find codrives for.
Eventually, I meant my partner and team member, Clint- the namesake of my "racecar romance"- at an autocross event in 2012 (though I had known of him from Mazdaspeed forums for some time prior). I'm still not sure why, but he invited me to drive his Mazdaspeed6 at an event in early 2013. You might think it was too woo me, but I can almost certainly I assure you it was not, because I was the creeper that pursued him. This was long before the car became the fully prepped car that it is today- it still had another 3 years of double duty (daily driver/racecar) at that point. Anyway, I guess for simplicity sake, this is where I'll just say the rest is history! Up until last year, when we added another 500 miles between us, I've been a very grateful participant in the engineering and design process that has developed the car into what it is now. It's been a very educational and rewarding experience, both to watch and drive!
While this blog will primarily be about me and and (mis) adventures in solo (autocross) this year, I need to point out, right off the bat, that without the support of Clint and the amazing car that he's designed, I simply wouldn't be where I am today.
I may also include some non autocross adventures sometimes. Specifically, since I'm a Certified Cicerone® and craft beer enthusiast, I am making a point to mention my favorite local beer or brewery from each of the trips!
Also, feel free to check out the awesome interview with me by John Hunter of SCCA SoloMatters. He did a great job!
