Latest / BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show / Racing in Her Blood: Taylor Hyatt’s Journey from Trackside to Club Racing Glory

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Racing in Her Blood: Taylor Hyatt’s Journey from Trackside to Club Racing Glory · BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show

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BreakFix podcast is all about capturing the living history of people from
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all over the autosphere, from wrench turners and racers to artists, authors,
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designers, and everything in between.
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Our goal is to inspire a new generation of petrolheads that wonder.
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How did they get that job or become that person?
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The road to success is paved by all of us because everyone has a story.
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Our guest tonight is a female road racer, instructor, and event coordinator
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with the Washington DC region of the sports car club of America.
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She has had several years of competitive experience, two years of road racing
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experience, and finished second place in the 2021 WDCR H production championship.
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With two wins under her belt.
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Taylor Hyatt was the 2021 rookie of the year, and she's here to share
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her motor sports journey with you.
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So let's welcome Taylor to break fix.
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Hi, thanks for having me.
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And joining us tonight is Tanya, our executive producer
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of the drive through series.
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So we're looking forward to this little chat.
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Like all good break, fix stories.
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Everyone has a superhero origin.
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So tell us the who, what, where, and when of Taylor Hyatt.
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How did you get into cars more specifically club racing?
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Did you come from a racing family?
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What made you a petrol head?
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Like many other SCCA members, my journey started by going to races with my dad.
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We spent a lot of time at the track when I was a kid.
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So I got involved from a really, really early age and actually
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maybe even before I was.
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Born.
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So there's a couple of interesting pieces to my story that
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maybe some others don't have.
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I'm a third generation road racer.
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My dad started at summit point in the eighties while he was supposed
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to be going to college at shepherd.
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I say supposed to be, uh, once he was hooked, he got my grandfather involved.
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He started racing and it really just became a family affair.
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My dad and my grandfather were racing and then my grandmother was crewing and doing
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all that behind the scenes stuff as well.
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Then fast forward to the late 80s, early 90s, my dad had kind of backed
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off from road racing a bit and become an EMT at some point where
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he met my mom, who was also an EMT.
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So they met at some point, you know, both EMTs working there.
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Parked right there in front of Shea Summit.
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As cozy and romantic as that is, right?
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Absolutely.
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So when people ask me if I have racing my blood, I'm like, you know, I probably do.
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Like, we don't want to go down that road, but I probably do.
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They saw each other across a crowded paddock.
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Right.
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Exactly.
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Yeah.
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And it's a great story.
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I love it.
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And my boyfriend, Mike and I, we actually met at Summit too.
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So it's kind of a cool story to have to tell others.
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My parents were involved for a long time and then I started attending SCCA
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road races, probably around 10 years old, regularly going there with my dad.
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And as soon as I started going, I was volunteering.
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So I was the little kid in registration.
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That's like trying to help with everything.
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The kid in timing and scoring, like, you know, just running
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around trying to do anything.
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I could do to help and just be there.
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One of our favorite Pit Stop questions to ask as part of the
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origin story, especially if you grew up around cars, is what kind of
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posters did you have on your wall?
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It's so funny that you say that.
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I didn't.
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I really didn't.
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And I think it was because I was so involved that I wasn't that kid
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that was like, Oh, look at that car.
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Oh, I need this poster.
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Because I saw them all the time, you know what I mean?
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So it just wasn't like all the kids in my class, if we'd be out
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in recess, like, look at that car that just drove down the street.
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I'm like, that's cool.
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I guess, you know, I see better than that every weekend.
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So I really wasn't that kid with a bunch of posters on their wall.
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Being involved in racing from a very early age, were there cars that you
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were drawn to or that you gravitated to when you were at the racetrack?
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You're like, man, that's really cool.
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Porsches have always been my favorite.
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If I had to pick really, I want to get my hands on anything.
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I want to drive them all.
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I want to touch them all.
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I want to be in the mall.
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I just love cars.
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in general and racing.
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So as you were stepping into your foray in club racing, what did you use as
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your quote unquote gateway motorsport or did you have one meaning autocross or
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karting or did you start in HPDE first?
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HPDE or autocross would have totally made more sense than where I actually started.
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Again, with my dad, SCCA and I went to a few rally crosses with him and really.
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Fell in love with the group of people that were out there doing that every weekend.
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The cars, they just pick stuff off the street and bring it and go rally crossing.
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So I did that a few times with my dad.
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We actually co drove a couple of times over a span of a couple of years.
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It was great.
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It really taught me car control at that point, which I didn't really know that
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I needed, but it helped a lot with that.
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After that, I did that around 2016, 2017.
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And then in the fall of 2017, I did my first HPDE with the Washington, D.
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C.
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region of SCCA.
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From then, it was just a matter of time before I was racing.
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I really caught the bug at that point.
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I wasn't too sure that I wanted to go down that route.
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I had volunteered for so long and I love that side of it.
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I just didn't know if racing was going to be for me.
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But it didn't take long after that first HPD event to want to do more.
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So there's plenty of people that go through that same experience that you
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just described and some cross that threshold and we never see them again.
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They end up in club racing and you know, we look fondly on the times that they
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spent with us at HPD and then there's other folks that are much more sort of.
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Timid about making that transition since you went through that whole
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journey, HPDE to competition school, and now full time into club racing,
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kind of walk us through that journey.
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What's that like?
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One thing about HPDE, you can always get that constant feedback.
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So I really enjoy that part of the high performance driving, having coaches either
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in car, in class combination of the two.
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I really enjoyed that part.
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And then.
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That made a very easy transition into competition school.
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Moving up through the ranks within HPDE, you're starting as a novice,
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you're moving on into intermediate, you're soloed, you're advanced.
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It's a very gradual process that really sets you up for competition
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school, if that's where you want to go.
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So competition school really teaches you that racecraft, that
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you're not going to get in HPDE because that's not the point of it.
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Competition school, having That race craft, then again, an easy transition
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right into road racing, where you just continue to perfect those skills.
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People make a lot of assumptions about what club racing is like.
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I've also heard that, you know, everything you learn in HPDE, other
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than which way the track goes, sort of gets checked at the door, right?
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It's very much apples and chainsaws as a comparison I like to make,
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because to your point, there's race craft involved in club racing.
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So what are some of the things that you kept with you or that you brought from
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other disciplines into club racing?
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HPDE will teach you the basics, and from those basics, you have a great
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head start into building that racecraft.
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One of the things they teach you in HPDE is, you get to your corner, you do
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your braking, then you do your turning.
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It is one step, then the next, then the final step.
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When you move into that racecraft, you've got to be doing all of
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those things at one time, but controlling the car at the same time.
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So I think you use all of those things.
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You just have to get a little better at them, start moving those things closer
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together that they're teaching you, and not just Step by step by step, it all
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kind of comes together and you're doing it all at the same time and all of us on
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this call are HPD instructors as well.
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So you kind of realize that HPD is very tactical, right?
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To your point, step a step B, step C, but club racing becomes very strategic.
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Not only are you doing all those things, you're dancing with the car, but you're.
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Being defensive, you're being aggressive, you're blocking apexes, you know, you're
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defending corners, you know, you're looking for other people's mess ups.
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Those are things that you learn pretty much on the battlefield
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of club racing compared to HBDE.
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They don't teach that, I guess, aggressiveness until
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you get to competition school.
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Absolutely.
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And another big piece of that is even if you're in advanced or in an open
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passing situation, it's very limited.
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People don't want to hurt their cars that they have out there.
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So even if you're in that open passing, It's so limited that you don't get the
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experience, and I will say that was one of the more difficult things to kind
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of get over moving into club racing.
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Someone might be next to you and you're not really aware of it until
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maybe sometimes it's too late.
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I mean, you really have to be aware all the time of your surroundings.
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You're not just waiting until you get to a straight.
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And that's where everybody's going to pass you, or you come out of the
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corner and you know, to say to one side or the other, it is putting all
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of those things together, but then also car can pass you in the apex.
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You're defending, as you said, I mean, you're never going to get
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that in HPDE, but all of those skills apply in club racing.
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Another big difference with HPDE versus the club racing is even in those open
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passing groups, when you've become, you know, super advanced, the cars are not.
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The same, like if you're in a club race and it's club racing, E36 is okay.
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Everybody's got an E36, the balance, the power, they're all the same.
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Whereas in an HPDE, you could have a Lamborghini coming down in on you and
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you're in Honda Civic, that passing experience is also going to be very
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different than anything you're going to experience in the club race setting.
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It is to a point.
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So I race in a multi class group.
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We do have some of that speed differential, especially on the longer
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straights, and one thing I will say.
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I drive a 1987 Volkswagen Golf with all of like six horsepower, right?
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So when I was doing HPDE, I was hesitant to move into intermediate, into advanced
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because of the speed differential.
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I'm telling you, I have a really super strong left arm from all
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the point buys that I had to give.
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I drove my line.
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I was great.
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I have the skills, but my car is never going to keep up.
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One of the downfalls of HPDE that I would say there is that big speed
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differential, but you're going to have that in club racing at some
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aspect as well, just because a lot of SCCA is multi class racing.
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But one of my favorite stories about HPDE, I had moved into intermediate and I'm
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really thinking I'm just great, right?
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I'm doing good.
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I'm hitting all my marks.
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And this Mustang in front of me is just.
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Not moving in the corners will not let me around on the straights, nothing.
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And I'm like, man, I don't, I don't know what to do.
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I'm going to have to pit because I can't learn anymore.
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Just following this Mustang seriously, 80 horsepower, keeping up with this Mustang.
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So we come out at turn 10 at summit and I see this hand just ever so
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slowly move up the left side of the car and give me a point by, I
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still had an instructor in the car.
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And I looked, I'm like, can I do this?
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And he's like, absolutely, go for it.
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So I passed this Mustang in my Volkswagen Golf.
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I had no idea what to do with myself.
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And he's like, just keep going.
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So, you know, of course the Mustang had to back off going down the straights.
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But after that, I never saw that car ever again.
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My point is, don't ever think that just because you have a slower
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car that you can't go do HPDE.
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Everybody has a spot.
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100 percent.
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Now, in your journey, you became a coach at some point.
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Did you do that before or after you went to club racing?
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So I am a instructor for the comp school.
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Within DC.
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Yeah.
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So I went through comp school, got my race license, did a year road racing.
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Then I moved into a trial run, being an instructor for the comp school.
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And then this will be my first solo year as an instructor for the comp school.
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Do you see yourself going back to HBDE as an instructor there too?
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I get car sick, so I don't know that that's a possibility.
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The comp school where Outside of the car because most of the cars don't have a
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passenger seats, but maybe at some point, I just don't know if I could do that.
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That's a lot of trust in somebody that you don't know.
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And I praise you guys for doing that.
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I had a lot of really, really great instructors in the car
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with me and they were fantastic.
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But for me, I just don't know if that's an option.
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But the instructing for comp school outside of the car, absolutely.
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I'll continue to do that.
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How does that work exactly?
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We meet Saturday morning, kind of just go over the basics with the students.
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We do some orientation laps, and then they're basically sent out in their
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cars for an open session in their group.
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So the instructors go out to the corner stations and watch for certain things.
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That early on in the day, it's Do they know the line?
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It's as simple as that.
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I mean, you have to know the line, car control, are they in
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control of their car at all times later on throughout the weekend?
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It's are they defensive?
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Are they too aggressive?
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You know, are they safe?
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Can they keep up all of those types of things that you want in club racing?
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The race craft, you really can't get to at that point.
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It's a very short weekend, but.
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You can see potential and see where there's maybe some things that need fixed.
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So it's really just outside of the car coaching, meet up with the students
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and give them feedback on what you think that they could do better or
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how well they're doing on the track.
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So in this progression path, there is a sidestep and many people don't.
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Think to take it along the way to club racing, which is time trials, which is
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kind of my sweet spot because coming up through autocross and also through
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carding kind of similar in the sense that qualifying is super important in carding
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autocross is all about beating the clock.
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So you put the two of those together.
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You get time trials and qualifying is very important to the race itself,
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not necessarily the race craft that comes after, but where you're
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positioned on grid is really important.
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Now, granted, we can't all win the race at turn one, but it makes a big
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difference when you're at position three and position 17, right?
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How do you feel about time trials?
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Is it a step that more people should take before going into club
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racing, or do you just sort of.
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Send it and figure it out along the way.
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You know, I think it's whatever they feel most comfortable with.
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And, and I will probably say this a lot throughout the evening.
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Everybody has a place, whether that is rally cross, autocross,
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carting, club racing, HPDE, or time trials, everybody has a place.
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And you just have to be comfortable with what your skills are, what car you
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have, what safety equipment you have.
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You know, there are some people that don't want to take that.
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big step into club racing, because there's a lot of stuff that comes with that.
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A lot of safety equipment, a lot of car prep, a lot of rules.
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It's not as easy as, oh, I'm advanced in HPDE, time to go to club racing.
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You really have to have the drive to do that.
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And I think that's why we see a lot of people not make that transition.
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They're in advanced for a long time and just don't.
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Make that move because I don't think it's for everybody.
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I think some people just really want to drive their cars fast and not
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have that risk of as much damage.
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You know what I mean?
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And club racing, it is wheel to wheel should be no contact,
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but we all know things happen.
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There's just not that big of a risk with HPDE, which is great.
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I love that there's that option.
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Time trials, again, that risk is increased a little bit, but not as
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heavily, I would say, and I don't have a lot of experience with time trials.
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But again, I think everybody has a place.
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And if that's that next little bit of adrenaline you want,
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that's the place for you.
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So you've already.
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Talked about the car you drive.
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You got a Mark II Volkswagen Golf.
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So welcome to the Volkswagen family.
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You're in good company here.
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And they do multiply, don't they?
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They just keep coming.
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Why did you choose that car?
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Like, how did you get into that?
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So a couple of reasons.
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One, it was It's really, really cheap and really easy to fix.
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My boyfriend, Mike, he had picked one up in 2016 from a friend of ours
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and had completely redone the car and did his competition school in 2017.
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So we already kind of knew what we were looking at.
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We had all the tools, all the spare parts.
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So it was just a very easy choice to say, yeah, this car is like a thousand dollars.
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Let's go pick it up.
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We already have all the spares.
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It's like We can just build another one.
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Another cool part of that is that's what my dad raced when he was racing in the
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eighties before he moved on to minis.
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So are you heavily involved in the cars already built, but
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continuing the maintenance, doing any other modifications?
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I know enough to be dangerous.
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Is what I like to tell people.
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We're all YouTube certified mechanics here.
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When it comes to more of the fabrication side, like I can help figure things out.
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I can help put windows in.
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I can help rewire.
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The mechanical side, that's not going to be a good scenario for anybody.
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So I let at least the people who think they're experts handle
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that and my car is still running.
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So I'm okay with it.
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Somehow I feel like I was left behind.
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My dad was involved in racing for so long and cars and raced and somehow
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I never learned anything about cars.
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I feel like I got left behind.
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I'm a little bitter about it, but at this point in my life, I should just
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leave that up to the professionals.
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We've talked about club racing.
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We've talked about the car.
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The next big part of this is classing.
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We mentioned in the introduction, the H production class that
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you're running in, knowing the GTIs, the Mark IIs specifically,
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they've been in SCCA forever, but they run in different classes.
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So you're an HP, but there's also GTIs and ITA and ITB and other classes.
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How do they compare?
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What does that exactly mean?
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Specifically, I can speak to the difference between ITB and H production
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because my car was originally an ITB car that is very much.
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I won't say stock, but pretty close to stock.
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I mean, you can't do a lot.
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You can make some minor improvements, but you're never going to get
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that speed, that extra horsepower, less weight, things like that.
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You're just not going to get that staying in an ITB class.
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Moving up into HPROD, there are a lot more things you can do and you'll
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see a difference between the front runners and the back of the pack
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and what you can do to your car, which some people don't enjoy, you
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know, the, the spec racing has it.
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Perks of everybody's doing the same thing.
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Everybody's driving the same car and it really comes down to the driver.
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In each production or any production class, you're going to get that bigger
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difference of front of the pack, back of the pack when it comes to speed.
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Again, there's always somebody to race in mixed class racing and prod racing.
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You're always going to have someone.
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I don't mind that so much, but as far as car prep, it just really
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comes down to the more you can do with every single piece of the car.
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We're always learning regardless of where we are in the stage of our racing careers.
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So talk about some of your biggest, what we call code Brown
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or oops moments, but for the lay people, you're learning moments.
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There have been several as much as I've been around road racing my entire life.
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Getting behind the wheel of that race car.
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It's a completely different experience that just doesn't compare
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to anything else that I had done.
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So the first one, one time I went out on track with 10 pounds of air and
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the rear tires, they should be around 28, 29, depending on the weather.
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So I came in, I'm like, what is wrong with this car?
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It's a completely different car.
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I don't know what's happening.
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Fix it.
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Somebody just was like, Hey, why do these tires look flat?
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Oh, someone changed my tires and didn't fill the air in them
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before I went out on track.
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First oops is always check your car before you go out on track.
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That is a huge one, not only mechanically, but safety.
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Always check everything before you go out.
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I believe the term is trust, but verify.
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I the same thing.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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It will save you in so many cases just.
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Doing that final check, we usually, you know, go through qualify or practice
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and then come in, set everything up.
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So we don't have to worry about it until we go back out.
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Even then we just do a quick double check before we go back out on track.
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So that is my first piece of advice from my oops moment.
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Another one, a bigger one that really just, again, comes with the race craft is,
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prepare yourself for those moments when you don't know what to do, and I hadn't.
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done that.
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I was racing my first national majors race at summit point.
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I found myself in a situation that I had never prepared for.
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I was coming into the fastest corner of the track, turn four,
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and the throttle cable stuck.
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Luckily, it's got a safety that the throttle wasn't actually accelerating,
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but I had no idea what to do.
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I mean, the car Was just shutting off.
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I had no power, but I couldn't really comprehend exactly what was going on in
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the moment because everything's happening.
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You're in your first big race.
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You're in a car that you kind of know what's happening,
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but you're not a mechanic.
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You don't know everything that's going wrong.
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You have all these other drivers that you're not used to.
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To racing around and you're new.
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I mean, it was only my second year.
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So I wanted to get off track as quickly as possible because I didn't know if
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I had blown an engine or, you know, I didn't know if I was leaving stuff
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on the track for my other friends.
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They're all friends, which is the terrible part about it.
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Like I don't want to ruin anybody else's race.
21:30
So I tried to pull off the track and I was carrying much more speed than I
21:34
thought I was and right into the wall.
21:36
I went again, prepare for.
21:39
what you can't prepare for and just take a minute to breathe and kind of assess
21:44
the situation before making any decisions.
21:47
It's a good thing that those GTIs are tanks.
21:49
Given those experiences, how do you prepare yourself now?
21:55
How are you putting yourself in a mindset to be ready for something you don't know?
22:00
Exactly is going to happen.
22:02
What I do is just take that extra second.
22:06
It goes by so fast, but take that extra second to just breathe before making
22:11
a decision that you can't take back.
22:14
You know, that was something I couldn't take back at that point.
22:16
I tried, I tried really hard, but I couldn't take it back at that point.
22:19
So it's really just, there is time.
22:22
It may not seem like it, but there is time to just take that breath, think
22:26
about all of your options, and then.
22:28
Make your best guess and the other thing I will say is after you make
22:31
that best educated guess, it is what it is and you have to just know that
22:36
you did what you could in the moment or else you'll never get back in the car.
22:41
If you keep not thinking that you can make those types of decisions
22:44
on the fly, you'll never do it.
22:46
So make the decisions as best as you can and Keep going.
22:50
So what is your racing schedule look like right now?
22:52
This year we are planning quite the season.
22:55
It's very jam packed at the front.
22:58
So our main goal for this year is to race the SCCA runoffs at VIR.
23:03
So that is in the fall.
23:05
And to do that, you have to qualify basically to go to that race.
23:09
There are several options of how to get there, but the option we are taking.
23:13
is doing two national level events and two regional level events.
23:20
So I will be racing at Summit Point two times in April, VIR once in April,
23:26
Summit Point again in September.
23:28
And then the national championship runoffs at VIR at the end of September.
23:33
There's a lot of months between April and September.
23:35
Yeah.
23:35
So we are getting a new engine.
23:38
It's currently in the process of being built.
23:41
We were hoping to get it in.
23:43
So we'd have it the whole season, but it's just the industry right now.
23:46
It's rough and we don't want to rush it.
23:48
That's one thing we don't want to do.
23:49
We don't want to have to put the motor in in a week's time.
23:52
You know, we want to take our time and really do things how
23:54
they're supposed to be done.
23:56
We're waiting for that.
23:57
At this point, it just doesn't look like that's going to happen before April.
24:00
So we've done some other things over the off season to take weight
24:04
out of the car, to give me a little more horsepower in some areas.
24:08
So we've done some little things, but the new motor is
24:11
going to be the big difference.
24:12
So we'll race all of our April races as the car is now, and then spend the summer.
24:17
Redoing the engine and getting that in ready for September.
24:21
So then you have raced one car in April and you'll be racing a completely
24:25
different car, so to speak, in September.
24:28
Yes.
24:28
What are you going to do to familiarize yourself with the new engine and the
24:32
way it's going to handle and the way it's going to feel and all those things?
24:35
Are you just going to go for it?
24:36
That's kind of why we're doing the home race in September.
24:40
Technically, we don't have to do that race because we Did a race late in October last
24:45
season that qualifies us for this year.
24:47
So we don't technically need that second regional race towards the
24:51
end of this year, but it's our test.
24:53
And as a lot of people find out that test weekend before the
24:57
runoffs, a lot of things go wrong.
24:59
So not only is it me getting used to hopefully potentially a faster car.
25:04
But also testing that it's going to work the way we want it to.
25:08
And be reliable.
25:09
Yep.
25:09
Yes.
25:10
As Tanya alluded to, you have a lot of time between April and September.
25:14
So do you see yourself maybe filling that with some HPDEs, checking some
25:18
bucket list tracks off your list?
25:20
Where are some places you'd like to go run your car?
25:22
Let's say if your car was running during that time or borrow someone else's.
25:26
I would go anywhere and race any track.
25:28
I want to, I want to race them all.
25:30
I want to see them all.
25:32
We all know that's not possible and never going to happen, but I am one of
25:35
those people that when I go to a new track, it is like Christmas morning.
25:40
You're learning every single piece of that track.
25:43
There are no expectations.
25:45
You are just out there for the very first time learning everything.
25:49
And that to me is the best lap.
25:52
You will ever have is that first time on a brand new track.
25:55
I would love to go to all of the tracks.
25:57
We are very fortunate where we live on the East Coast that we
26:00
have so many good tracks around us.
26:03
And history, the Glen, Daytona, VIR, they're fantastic
26:08
and have so much history.
26:10
This year, VIR will be new for me in April.
26:13
So I'm excited about that.
26:14
Obviously, I've been there.
26:15
quite a few times, but never behind the wheel.
26:17
So I'm super excited for that.
26:19
In the future, maybe Indy.
26:21
I think that would be really cool if SCCA goes back there for the runoffs.
26:24
Again, just the history.
26:26
I love to combine the two, racing and history, and just get all
26:29
of that nostalgia from years of being a motorsports fan.
26:33
So have you done all the Summit Point tracks?
26:36
I have never driven on the Shenandoah.
26:38
I don't know that Big Bird, I call my car Big Bird, I don't know that Big
26:42
Bird would survive the Shenandoah.
26:44
It is so bumpy.
26:46
I think she'd just fall apart.
26:47
I haven't made it over to the Shenandoah.
26:49
The Jefferson, I love, and I think it's because it's so much like a rallycross
26:53
course that I just, I have a blast.
26:56
That is actually the track.
26:57
That I did my first HPDE on in a Dodge Neon.
27:02
So that was interesting and really fun.
27:05
Shenandoah is a great place to shake down a car because as one of my long time
27:10
friends used to say, it will show you everything that's wrong with your setup.
27:14
And if you can get the car perfect there, it's perfect everywhere.
27:17
Yes, I would believe that.
27:19
I do a lot of flagging as well.
27:20
So I flag a lot of events on the Shenandoah and it is a wild track.
27:25
That's for sure.
27:26
So I'll get over there at some point.
27:27
I just have to find the right car.
27:29
Got your racing season.
27:30
You got the schedule all laid out.
27:32
You've got the car ready for round one.
27:36
It'll change at round two.
27:37
What are you doing personally to prepare for these events?
27:41
So one is getting back into shape from my winter, you know, however many, I
27:47
won't say, but I think that's something we all have to do is like, okay, we
27:51
have to realize as racers, we have to fit back into our driver's suit that
27:54
we paid a lot of money for every year.
27:57
So we can't let the winter get to us too bad.
27:59
I keep up with some strength training and cardio and stretching anyway,
28:04
just, I feel that it helps really.
28:06
Make those Mondays a lot less painful after being in the car all weekend.
28:11
If you already are kind of in tuned to having those
28:14
muscles work like that anyway.
28:15
So I do keep up with that.
28:17
We do have a SIM rig here in the basement that we use.
28:21
You know, I have a love hate relationship with that SIM rig.
28:25
I am one of those people that I need to feel every little
28:29
bump and tweak of the car and.
28:32
The SimRig just doesn't give that to me.
28:34
So I find it very difficult, but as far as learning a new
28:37
track, it's the best way to go.
28:39
So I used two years ago now when I went to NJMP for the first time, I used
28:45
the SimRig a lot to prepare for that.
28:47
And it absolutely helps, at least with learning the track layout.
28:51
So those are my two things, kind of getting myself back into a decent shape.
28:55
And then.
28:56
You know, getting some time on the sim rig.
28:58
So any mental rituals did you go through to kind of prepare to get
29:03
in that zone, to get zenned out?
29:05
Or as soon as you put your suit on and your helmet on, you just, the
29:09
comm washes over you and you're good.
29:11
Are you implying that racers are superstitious as well?
29:16
Everyone is who they are.
29:17
I will answer both of your questions actually.
29:20
Mentally, I try to think about racing as little as physically possible for
29:24
the entire week leading up to the event.
29:26
If I think about it, I am so stressed out and so overwhelmed that come
29:32
race day, I perform terribly.
29:34
So I really and truly try to not think about, like, I won't even
29:38
pack my bag for the weekend or I'll pack it like three weeks in advance
29:41
because I can't think about it.
29:42
I just need to live my normal, everyday, boring life and then.
29:47
Friday night, then I go to the track and start the whole process before that.
29:52
I just get so worked up mentally.
29:54
I just really try to not think about it.
29:57
And then the morning of I do, I kind of have to get myself in the right head
30:02
space of, okay, this is what's happening.
30:04
And it kind of goes back to what we were.
30:06
talking about earlier with getting yourself in that mindset of I'm going
30:10
to have to make decisions really quick.
30:12
I'm going to have to concentrate like this is not your everyday life.
30:15
It is so much different than how you're trained to think.
30:19
It takes a lot.
30:20
It is not easy to get yourself in that mindset.
30:23
And then as far as superstitions, I actually have a pin that goes on
30:28
my race suit that my grandfather had for a very long time.
30:32
It has been through my grandfather's comp school.
30:35
I gave it and put it on Mike's suit.
30:36
When he went through comp school, I had it on my suit.
30:39
And then my dad just went back through comp school last year.
30:42
After 37 years of not racing, he wore it on his suit.
30:46
So it's pretty cool.
30:47
We do have a little superstition that everybody wears it on their suit.
30:50
Outside of all this, one of your other jobs is the charity coordinator at the
30:56
WDCR, the Washington DC region of SCCA.
31:00
So what does that role entail and how can other people get involved
31:03
in helping you with your job?
31:04
I took that on, last year was my first year as the charity coordinator.
31:09
I really just plan charity events during our regularly scheduled events.
31:14
To bring a little bit of giving back to the community, I like to say that
31:19
most of us live, work, and play in.
31:21
I think getting that many people together as many times out of the year
31:25
that we get together, we should really be giving back to our communities.
31:29
Last year, I planned three events, one at a road race, one at an autocross, and we
31:35
actually did a virtual event, and those funds went to the Boys and Girls Club.
31:40
The local chapter near summit point, and then to the SCCA foundation,
31:44
we raised over 8, 000 last year between those three events.
31:48
So that was really, really cool to see that everybody kind of came together
31:52
in a world where racing is not cheap.
31:55
People are still willing to give to good causes and our local communities.
31:59
So as far as helping, I am.
32:02
Always, always, always looking for people to help me plan the events,
32:05
help me staff the events, but also just get the word out there.
32:09
It's really hard with how social media is and the algorithms to get this kind
32:15
of stuff in people's faces, so just spreading the word when you see it.
32:19
is more helpful than you can even realize.
32:21
Also, if you are a business or know someone who is willing to give products
32:27
or services for raffles and things like that, that's a huge help as well.
32:31
Really just about donations and help and spreading the word.
32:35
So if a young girl walked up to you today and asked, why do you race?
32:39
What would you say to her?
32:41
I think I race because that's where I fit in.
32:44
It's where I've always fit in.
32:46
And I think everybody needs to find that place.
32:48
And if you walk around the paddock at any motorsports event,
32:51
you will see we are all alike.
32:53
It doesn't matter what you look like, how old you are, what you do for work.
32:57
When we step into that paddock, We are all so like minded, it's crazy.
33:02
So, I really just think that the motorsports industry is where I fit in.
33:08
It's my people.
33:09
They're my people.
33:10
They're my family.
33:11
I have made so many lifelong friends through racing that some of them
33:16
I'm closer with than my own family.
33:18
So to me, racing is about a place where you fit in.
33:22
Not everybody plays other sports.
33:24
Not everybody fits into those clubs or things in their schools.
33:28
So this can be an outlet for anybody, male or female, to find a place to fit in.
33:33
I think sometimes people have a preconceived notion, automatically,
33:37
that motorsports equals Science, tech, math, engineering.
33:41
And so you have to have that kind of mind background to be involved in it.
33:45
And that's really not the case.
33:46
I think there's people of all walks of educational background
33:50
that get involved in motor sports.
33:52
I mean, obviously, there's a financial aspect to it that can be quite burdensome.
33:56
So if we set that aside.
33:59
Is it obtainable no matter what?
34:01
Or is it really geeky and techie?
34:03
Like some people might think.
34:04
No, I think, like I said earlier, there's a place for everybody.
34:08
And if that is you are a super tech smart, geeky person that can be the person
34:14
behind all the electronics or the data, all of that stuff that I want nothing
34:19
to do with, there's a place for you.
34:21
If you are that mechanic that wants to get your hands dirty and knows everything
34:24
there is to know about an engine.
34:26
There's a place for you.
34:27
If you're the crazy ones like us who want to be behind the wheel, there's
34:30
a place for you, whether you have a car, rent a car, find a friend,
34:35
go buy a 500 car on Craigslist.
34:37
Is that even a thing still?
34:38
I don't know.
34:39
But there's a place for you.
34:41
And if it's not actually racing or being hands on with a car.
34:46
There are so many other ways to get involved with
34:49
volunteering or event planning.
34:51
So many things, especially when you move into club racing, that is all volunteer.
34:56
Most people don't know this, that these events are staffed by volunteers.
35:00
There's a place for you, no matter how techie you are, how non techie you
35:04
are budget, low budget, high budget.
35:07
There's a place for you.
35:08
And it dovetails off of what we talked about earlier, you know, the
35:10
transition from HPDE into club racing as a coach, you know, you see all
35:16
walks of life come through the HPDE.
35:19
For some people, it's a bucket list.
35:20
They just got their new Corvette and they just want to drive it like it was intended
35:23
to be driven and things like that.
35:25
And you got the guys that are aspiring club racers and everybody in between.
35:29
And what's funny is what you mentioned about different people
35:32
from different backgrounds, it comes through in their driving style a lot.
35:36
I've had students that are art teachers and they're very passionate
35:40
about how they drive and whatever.
35:41
And you got these super techie guys from the it industry and
35:43
they're overanalyzing their laps.
35:45
And I even had one student I'll never forget.
35:48
I turned to him at one point and I said, you fly airplanes, don't you?
35:51
And he goes, how do you know?
35:52
I said, by the way, you hold the steering wheel and he was like, Oh, you know,
35:56
and it's just, it's sort of funny, these little things that you pick up on.
35:59
But at the end of the day, we're all behind the steering wheel.
36:01
We're all out on track together, communicating almost
36:04
like bees in a way, right?
36:05
Where it's nonverbal, but it's happening.
36:07
And it's, it's such a beautiful thing to get everybody together
36:10
like that in that type of arena.
36:12
It really is.
36:12
And that again, just goes back to what I was saying earlier with
36:15
once we step into that paddock, we're all the It doesn't matter.
36:19
And I find this so entertaining that I can really tell people,
36:23
like, I know a rocket scientist.
36:25
I've met one because he raced with us.
36:28
Like, you would never think that these people come out and race these cars, and
36:33
some of them are racing, like, Miatas.
36:35
Some of them are racing Ferraris, Corvettes, Porsches, it doesn't matter.
36:40
They just want to be in the car no matter what it is.
36:43
I love it.
36:43
That is probably the part I love the most.
36:46
Just everybody really having the same mindset and wanting to go
36:50
out and achieve the same thing.
36:51
We all either want to go fast, learn how to go fast, control our car, race.
36:56
We're all moving towards the same thing.
36:58
And, you know, to expound upon that a little bit more and food for thought for
37:02
listeners who are thinking about getting involved are still unsure, unclear how
37:06
they can be involved, even if you don't want to be a driver, like you were
37:08
saying, there's so many other things, pit crewing, flagging, EMT ing, right?
37:13
But even beyond that, if you have local racing organizations like
37:18
the SCCA, you can be involved.
37:20
in the club itself on the committees.
37:23
There's plenty of newsletters that go out and artwork.
37:26
If you're a graphics artist, things of that nature that you can be
37:29
doing the event coordination, like you said, journalism, even writing
37:32
articles, recapping the events.
37:34
I mean, maybe you can even get into broadcasting.
37:37
There's commentators during the races.
37:38
I mean, probably about every profession in the world can
37:41
somehow be tied into motor sports.
37:43
And they're like you said, there's a home for everybody, depending
37:46
on what you're interested in.
37:48
Those are the people we're looking for.
37:50
All the time we have racers, could we have more?
37:53
Yes, absolutely.
37:54
We could have more, but it's the people to run the events.
37:57
We need them.
37:58
And I think the problem is people come as a volunteer and they get hooked and
38:03
now they want to race and we lose them as a volunteer because now they're racing.
38:06
That's what happened to me.
38:08
I'm not nearly as involved as I used to be because now I'm racing,
38:11
you know, do we want racers?
38:12
Do we want volunteers?
38:14
I don't know.
38:14
We need everybody.
38:15
So I think it's so great that there really and truly is a place for everybody.
38:20
And like you were saying, all of these professions that they're doing
38:23
outside of Friday through Sunday, they can come to work with us as well.
38:28
So this next question is kind of specific to you being a lady in racing.
38:32
Just to preface it for everyone, the listeners included, it gets asked
38:37
a lot when we have lady guests and it's not necessarily to poke at the
38:42
male gender, anything like that.
38:44
The question's really twofold.
38:45
On the one hand, a lot of women can have a negative experience and often
38:49
it's men aren't accepting of us.
38:52
In this motor sports world.
38:54
And I think there needs to be an awareness of is that still happening?
38:58
We need to continue addressing it.
38:59
And the menfolk listening needs to be aware that that's still happening.
39:02
But the other side of the coin is there's been a lot of ladies that have said, well,
39:06
I haven't experienced anything like that.
39:07
All the men that I've come across or whoever it is have been.
39:10
Really wonderful and accepting great friends and family.
39:14
And so ladies also need to be aware of that because if that's a barrier to their
39:19
entry, it's good information either way.
39:21
So what has your experience been?
39:23
Have you had any of the negative?
39:24
Has it all been positive?
39:26
I feel like I have been so lucky to have probably 98 percent positive.
39:33
I feel very fortunate.
39:34
And part of that is I think growing up around it, I know the
39:37
language, I know the vibe, I get it.
39:40
I know the people to be around, the people not to be around, like growing
39:43
up in it or being in it for a long time, you just kind of get a feeling of that.
39:47
So it's a little easier.
39:49
That's not to say that I haven't had those experiences.
39:52
I have had someone come at me in tech after a race and basically
39:57
tell me, I don't know how to drive.
39:59
I won't go into everything that was said, but really putting me
40:02
down without saying that's why.
40:05
That was why, and you could tell, so I've definitely had those experiences.
40:09
It happens, but I don't think it's happening as frequently as it did
40:14
decades ago when we weren't in motorsports nearly as much as we are now.
40:18
I mean, if you are a motorsports fan and you look at Instagram,
40:22
there are so many female racers that are popping up all the time.
40:25
They're everywhere.
40:26
And social media is just.
40:28
Buzzing with this women in motor sports movement right now.
40:31
And that's thanks to a lot of really great women racers that came before us.
40:36
Some of which you've had on your show here.
40:38
I think we're very fortunate.
40:40
My generation and those coming after me, these ladies have really
40:44
walked the path and made that easier for us to get involved.
40:48
I do think you still need to have a thick skin.
40:51
Unfortunately, it's a male dominated sport and to go in thinking everyone's
40:57
going to accept you, it's unfortunate, but that's not going to happen.
41:00
And the way things are, they're catered towards men.
41:03
And one of the biggest complaints I had about doing my competition school,
41:08
everything's really close together.
41:10
You're out on track, you're in the classroom, you're talking
41:14
with your instructor, and then you're right back out on track.
41:16
You have got no time to even go to the bathroom.
41:20
Being a lady in a race suit, it takes a while.
41:23
And that turnaround time, they're like, you can't be late to grid.
41:26
You can't be late to grid.
41:27
I'm like, well, then I need to leave the classroom early.
41:29
You know, it's those kind of things that don't affect.
41:32
Men that do affect women that just aren't being addressed.
41:36
So one of the things I did last year when I was in session, I made sure
41:39
those sessions got out on time every single time we were in the classroom
41:42
because they needed that time.
41:45
And we have at least two females going through the school this
41:49
year, and I will be doing the same thing, making sure that I can help
41:53
accommodate them in whatever way.
41:56
Is necessary, you hit on something really important about what's going on, not
42:01
only in this sport, but other sports.
42:03
But 1 of the things I like to remind people is motor sport is 1 of the
42:07
few, if not the only, like, truly, I want to say non discriminatory
42:12
sport in the sense that it's coed.
42:14
It doesn't matter your background, your ethnicity, your beliefs,
42:18
your faith, whatever it is, it's accepting of everybody.
42:21
Because again, going back to the earlier part of the conversation
42:23
when you're behind the wheel.
42:25
You're an object on that track with other objects buzzing around you.
42:28
So it's really interesting when you look at that from that perspective,
42:32
which brings up a conversation about how to invite more people to the paddock.
42:37
You know, a lot of people say, well, if I see you, I see me one of those,
42:40
you know, see, you see me type of situations and that's important.
42:44
So how would you change racing?
42:47
If you were a queen for a day to make it more inviting to people, especially women.
42:52
That's a really, really tough question and I think that's why no
42:55
one else has figured this out yet.
42:57
Like I, you know, I don't have any groundbreaking ideas, but I think
43:00
we just have to be more inviting overall period to everybody.
43:05
I think some groups.
43:07
Are set in their ways and have the longer term, longer generation members
43:13
who just aren't really accepting of new members at all, male or female.
43:17
Some of those things come into play.
43:20
I also think some of the barriers are safety equipment, racing suits.
43:24
Say that is something very new to the market that racing suits
43:29
are being made for females.
43:30
Nomex underwear being made for females.
43:33
If you're not comfortable in that race car, you are not
43:36
driving to your best ability.
43:38
I will tell you that right now.
43:39
I bought a race suit that was like six sizes too big for me because
43:43
that's what my friend was selling and that's what I had the money for.
43:46
And I have been so uncomfortable for the last two years.
43:50
And I finally, OG Racing just helped me get into a brand new ladies suit.
43:54
And I can't wait to be in the car with that.
43:56
So I really feel like a lot of these issues that are specific to women
44:01
need to be addressed before they're going to want to come race with us.
44:05
But I will say that suit was on the higher end of the suits, even though
44:10
it's maybe the same quality as some of the lower end suits on the male side.
44:14
And it's funny you bring that up because it's actually a systemic
44:17
problem across motor sports in general.
44:19
And we actually interviewed page and Kelly McReynolds from McRae
44:23
motocross, and they saw the same thing in off road motorcycle racing, and
44:27
they started to develop their own.
44:30
Suits and gear and things specifically for women.
44:32
So that's also kind of cool that that sort of transition is happening in the industry
44:37
as well, as more and more women are coming to the paddock, you know, every weekend.
44:41
So it's an excellent point that you bring up.
44:43
Absolutely.
44:44
And I think several decades ago when the Lynn St.
44:47
James of the world was.
44:49
Making this path for us, they didn't want to stir up anything
44:54
more than needed to be stirred up.
44:55
Right?
44:56
So they weren't going to go and say, Hey, I need this suit specially designed
44:59
to fit me because the male figures in the industry would have laughed at her.
45:03
Some of those things are just coming to light because we're
45:07
living in a different world.
45:08
We're living in, I like to think a more accepting world, trying to get there.
45:13
And so people don't look at you funny when you say, I need
45:15
something that fits me better.
45:16
That wasn't the case 20 years ago.
45:19
So circling back around to your career now as a racer, obviously racing,
45:25
it's kind of a business, right?
45:26
In a way it's your business.
45:29
You're trying to be successful in whatever that means, depending
45:32
on the type of racing you're in.
45:33
If there's hard money on the table and things of that nature,
45:36
and that's really difficult.
45:37
It takes a lot of money sometimes to be the number one.
45:41
You could be the most talented driver to ever race the asphalt
45:45
and yet somebody inferior with.
45:48
Buckets ton of more money, they're winning, then that's a huge challenge.
45:52
So, you know, getting that funding is really critical,
45:55
you know, to keep things going.
45:57
So can you talk a little bit about that?
45:59
Like, how do you budget yourself or, you know, how are you dealing
46:02
with trying to get sponsorship?
46:04
I think you're spot on.
46:06
There are definitely some drivers who, they have the money to
46:10
be at the top of the class.
46:11
So they're at the top of the class.
46:13
But if they didn't have that money, they wouldn't be at the top of the class.
46:16
Absolutely.
46:17
Money is a huge factor.
46:20
Maybe I should go back to my prior question.
46:21
I think that turns a lot of people away.
46:23
So maybe if I was queen for a day, I would just say racing is free.
46:26
And that would cure everyone's problems, right?
46:29
But money is a huge factor.
46:30
It's unfortunate, but it's a huge factor in racing.
46:33
So me personally, I have to pick and choose maybe some years, even
46:39
in HPDE, do more events than others.
46:42
It just all depends on also what's going on in your personal life.
46:47
Most of us, especially in the regional level.
46:49
We all have other jobs.
46:50
We're working full time jobs to pay for our racing habits.
46:55
There are worse things to be addicted to, right?
46:57
That's what we keep telling ourselves.
46:59
Everybody says that there's worse things to be addicted to.
47:01
I know.
47:02
I know.
47:02
I questioned that sometimes, like, I don't know.
47:05
I think this is pretty bad sometimes, but it shows how.
47:09
Fun it is because we keep doing it and paying all of this money to do it.
47:12
There's a reason.
47:13
And it's that feeling you get when you grab that steering
47:16
wheel and put your belts on.
47:17
I don't know how to explain it.
47:19
You can explain it if you've never been there, but it's
47:21
definitely, it's a good feeling.
47:23
Having to pick and choose your events makes that really hard
47:26
and watching the bottom dollar, it makes it really difficult.
47:29
So sponsors do certainly help that.
47:31
I think getting sponsors is becoming more and more.
47:35
Difficult because the market is so saturated with really great drivers.
47:40
It is crazy.
47:41
The amount of so, so talented people that are out there all
47:45
fighting for the same dollars.
47:47
Mostly when looking for sponsorships, we find a brand or a company or
47:52
business that we enjoy working with.
47:54
We enjoy or use their parts.
47:56
We have worked with them for some time and we reach out to them and just say, Hey.
48:01
We've been buying parts from you for three years.
48:04
Do you want to help us out?
48:05
Do you want to sponsor our team?
48:08
Do you want to give us a discount?
48:10
Like most of the time, what you're getting is discounts on either
48:13
products or services, which is great.
48:16
It is fantastic.
48:17
If you can get those parts at a discounted cost or safety gear
48:21
at a discounted cost, that helps.
48:22
Every little penny helps.
48:24
And then you can put that towards your entry fees and your gas and your tires.
48:27
I just really reach out to those businesses that I believe in.
48:31
I'm not going to work with someone who I don't believe in.
48:34
I don't like their parts.
48:35
I don't like how they work.
48:36
I'm not going to do that.
48:37
So find somebody you really like and just see if they're willing to work with you.
48:41
And then once you build that relationship a little bit, they might be more
48:45
willing to give you more the next year, or maybe they'll sponsor your entry
48:49
fee for the weekend, you know, you can just build upon that relationship
48:52
and, and hopefully get a little bit more go in a little bit more detail
48:56
if you can, like, so you're actively looking for sponsorship right now?
49:00
Yes.
49:00
Is that involving like cold calling places or, you know, how does that work?
49:04
Side work and then also like, how do they get involved with you?
49:08
Like, is there a means if anyone's listening out there, right?
49:11
Like, how could somebody reach out to you if they wanted to sponsor you?
49:15
Yeah.
49:15
Help us help you.
49:16
Right.
49:17
Yes, absolutely.
49:18
And you already have actually.
49:20
So, like I said, most of what we're doing, we're not.
49:23
Cold calling for the most part.
49:25
We're working with businesses that we buy parts from again, OG Racing.
49:30
They have helped the DC region for years and they always help
49:34
the drivers out if they can.
49:36
So we've been buying stuff from them for years.
49:38
They help us.
49:39
So it was really just reaching out to those businesses that were already.
49:43
Buying parts from or getting services done from we did reach
49:47
out to a couple local places.
49:48
I think that tends to be the best option as well.
49:51
I mean, if you're calling up like Napa, you're not really probably
49:55
going to get a sponsorship from them or even a discount because they do
49:58
the higher level ships, but your local parts store down the street.
50:04
They might want to get their name out there.
50:06
So go to them.
50:07
And especially if you have someone in your local community that, you
50:12
know, that has a business, go to them.
50:15
You can never get anything, but a no, that's the worst
50:18
that's ever going to happen.
50:19
And I really had to learn that.
50:22
And, and.
50:22
Be okay with asking people for money.
50:24
It's hard, especially knowing the economy we're living in right now.
50:29
But you also have something to give them.
50:31
You have an endless amount of people that you can advertise to.
50:37
Every single race or HPDE or rallycross.
50:40
I mean, how many people are there that are going to see a sticker on your
50:43
car or follow you on social media?
50:45
You have an endless amount of people that you can advertise
50:48
their business to for them.
50:49
So, and do events, you know, take your car out there, do events
50:52
with them, that sort of thing.
50:54
Companies really, really enjoy that.
50:56
I don't do as much cold calling.
50:58
I just don't know that that works.
51:00
It might work for some people.
51:01
I do know some people that do that.
51:04
You have to have a lot of time on your hands to do that.
51:07
That's not for me.
51:08
But as far as if people are listening and really like my story.
51:12
I thank you for that and you can certainly reach out to us.
51:15
We would be more than happy to speak with you about what we have to offer to you
51:21
and what kind of partnership we can build.
51:23
So with all that comes goals.
51:25
So what are your goals?
51:26
Do you want to go pro?
51:27
Do you want to go to World Challenge?
51:29
You see yourself in IMSA, maybe at Le Mans one day.
51:31
Where do you dream to be in motorsports in the next five years?
51:35
Uh, so listen, I'm 30, right?
51:37
Like no, one's knocking down my door for an IMSA ride, or I'm, I'm not
51:42
going to be running the next Indy 500.
51:43
Okay.
51:44
So my goal is yes, to do some fun racing things, but really my goal is to
51:51
help ease that path for other racers.
51:54
That's what I feel that I can do.
51:56
I feel like I can build my experience, build my racing skills by racing myself.
52:03
Like I said, my goal this year is to go to the runoffs and hopefully do well there.
52:08
But really, I just want to help other people and not specifically females.
52:12
That obviously is a big goal of mine.
52:14
Mine as well to help the younger females that are coming into the club
52:19
have a place to go, but even just the younger generation, they need people
52:24
that can speak their language, can really get them, listen to them and
52:28
give them what they need to, because their needs are totally different
52:32
than the racers we currently have.
52:34
My overall goal is to help build the club, help build the industry and
52:38
really just pave that way and make it easier for the younger generation.
52:42
Well said, Taylor.
52:43
And with that, any shout outs, promotions, or anything else you'd like to share
52:47
that we haven't covered thus far?
52:49
Yeah, I would really like to give a huge shout out to my crew
52:52
chief, car owner slash boyfriend, Mike at Mad Mike Motorsports.
52:56
My skills are wonderful, I will say that, but Without his skill work
53:01
on the car, it would mean nothing.
53:03
So I can only do what I do because of him and his hard work and
53:07
the help of all of our friends.
53:09
So as far as sponsors, we have some really great businesses on board this year.
53:14
So OG racing for all of your safety gear needs, of course,
53:17
uh, new German performance.
53:20
Autobahn Autoworks, Half Fast Motorsports, and then Koenig Wheels
53:23
are all on board to help us already this year, so we appreciate them.
53:27
And then, we just hope that everybody can tune in to the 60th running of the SCCA
53:33
National Championship Runoffs at VIR.
53:35
That will be televised via YouTube, so you can certainly watch that.
53:40
Look out for us, uh, during the H production class.
53:43
You have any charity events coming up?
53:45
We will have our big road racing charity event during the Labor
53:49
Day Spectacular at Summit Point.
53:51
We've been doing that charity event, oh my gosh, probably 15 20 years.
53:56
So that is our big event, that's where most of our funds come in.
53:59
But then we will certainly work to get some other charity events thrown in there
54:03
with Autocross, Rallycross, and at least a virtual event as well throughout the year.
54:09
Well, we definitely need to continue to encourage young drivers of all walks
54:12
of life and especially the ladies.
54:14
This helps keep the various disciplines of motorsports we love intact and growing.
54:19
Currently, Taylor's goal is to build relationships with businesses and products
54:22
she believes in, in turn helping them to increase exposure and drive sales.
54:27
All of this while also keeping her race car in tip top shape to
54:31
compete at the highest levels.
54:32
If you're interested in sponsoring her or want to follow her
54:35
progress, find her on Instagram.
54:38
taylor.a.hyatt, and on Facebook, be sure to check out other interviews she's been
54:43
featured on, such as on the podcast inside the SCCA and Taylor, I cannot thank you
54:48
enough for coming on Break Fix and sharing your story, whether you believe it or not.
54:53
You know, you talked a lot about the women that came before you and how you
54:56
look up to them and you know, some of the ones that have been on this show.
54:59
But remember that there's young ladies out there that are looking
55:02
up to you right now in the same way.
55:04
And I think you're setting a very good precedent and a great
55:07
example for those young women.
55:09
And hopefully we'll see them in the paddock alongside of you racing out there.
55:13
And we wish you the best of luck in this season and the ones to come.
55:16
Thank you so much.
55:22
If you like what you've heard and want to learn more about GTM,
55:24
be sure to check us out on www.
55:28
gtmotorsports.
55:28
org.
55:29
You can also find us on Motorsports.
55:32
Also, if you want to get involved or have suggestions for future shows, You can call
55:37
or text us at 202 630 1770, or send us an email at crewchief at gtmotorsports.
55:44
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55:44
We'd love to hear from you.
55:46
Hey everybody, Crew Chief Eric here.
55:49
We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Break Fix, and we wanted
55:52
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