This article first appeared in the November, 2015 edition of SportsCar Magazine. SCCA members can read the current and past editions of SportCar digitally here after logging into their account; To become an SCCA member and get SportsCar mailed to your home address monthly in addition to the digital editions, click here.
Stephanie Andersen
Milwaukee Region
SCCA member since 2010
“My first exposure to wheel-to-wheel racing was attending the June Sprints at Road America 10 years ago. I was there supporting my friend and didn’t know anything about SCCA Club Racing. That exhilarating moment of watching more than 60 Spec Miatas race into Turn 5 on the first lap really sparked something. The fact that every driver had to fight for position – even those at the back of the pack – was inspiring! Standing trackside, I never imagined I could be one of those drivers.
A few years later I had the crazy idea of borrowing a racecar and doing a track day. At that point I understood racing lines, what the flags meant, and felt comfortable on track. I didn’t, however, know how to drive a manual transmission, but I still completed the day in my fiancé’s Spec Miata. I was one of the slowest on track since I stayed in third gear the entire time. He held his breath in the passenger seat, as my instructor, probably more nervous than me! After that day, the idea of being a racer was starting to become real. I immediately started searching for my own Spec Miata. Within a few months, I owned my own racecar, learned how to drive a manual, and had a few more track days and autocrosses under my belt.
I received my competition license five years ago and competed at Regional races in Wisconsin, Illinois, South Carolina, and Alabama. After some podium finishes, racing door-to-door with the person who got me involved in racing, and earning the respect of many of my competitors, I decided to move up to competing in the U.S. Majors Tour.
It’s sentimental to me that my first Majors race was at the track that inspired my passion for racing, and this is why I decided to compete in the 2015 June Sprints. I was surrounded by so many racing friends and familiar faces, and I realized how great it is to be a part of this huge racing community.”
(Editor’s Note: Andersen has since progressed to the next phase of her racing career, behind the wheel of the isellmiataparts.com/Black Armor Helmets Mazda3 in Pirelli World Challenge’s TCB class. She is pictured in her debut weekend in the series at Road America.)
Photos by Kevin Bowman
