“Hi! I’m Sue Anne Rische. I’m an artist, professor, and fanatical car lover. I have always been fascinated with cars, and I was an only child and the son my father never had. I grew up watching him rebuild and lovingly refinish his classics. As a child who wanted to be an artist, I found art in what he was doing. With my first car, a Volkswagen bug, I was motivated to follow my dad’s lead and learned so many things. Not only were those valuable lessons, but it was memorable quality time spent with a father that I adore. My dad is now a proud supporter of his 54-year-old autocrosser.”
If that’s all you ever knew about 2026 SCCA Women on Track Wendi Allen Scholarship recipient Sue Anne Rische, you’d think she was awesome. Turns out, the rest of her story makes her even more incredible. And being that this is Women’s History Month, now’s an ideal time to discover the path that led to her applying for the scholarship in the first place.
Getting Involved
A lifelong (and self-described) “spirited” driver, Rische stumbled upon autocross in 2020 while looking for a way to tamp down her COVID-induced frustration.
“My first [Solo® event] was November of 2020,” the Texas Region member explains, adding, “I was hooked. And it wasn't long before I realized that I was trashing my daily driver and began looking for a dedicated track car. It was then that I bought the 1989 Honda Civic built and driven by Gerry Terranova and David Whitener. That was my third autocross event! Little did I know that the people who built this car were legends, nor what it would mean for me as a brand new autocrosser, but I found gold.”
Being an older car, Rische figured the older Civic would come with a hefty dose of maintenance – and she wasn’t wrong. Still, none of that was a deterrent.
“I’ve had blown tires, a detached steering link, cracked brake rotors, and trouble starting during hot weather, to name a few,” she admits. “Due to a potentially grave error made by my crappy mechanic (that’s me! I’m the crappy mechanic!), I had a motor mount fail, causing my engine to drop onto my passenger side axle and break it.
“But I never worry when something goes wrong at an event. Autocrossers are a tight family, and most of my mechanical failures have been addressed in a parking lot with a group of people who just want to see the car run.”
Giving Back
Rische has discovered there’s even more enjoyment through giving back. Therein, she volunteers at Tire Rack Street Survival schools, educating teen drivers about how to stay safe behind the wheel through hands-on training. This is right up her alley.
“I help them gain the confidence to apply inputs into their car controls in a manner that they never thought possible,” she explains. “In our controlled area, they get to learn to do these things safely, and I’m motivated by seeing them smile as they improve. As a professor and former motorcycle safety instructor, this is a natural fit for me.”
She’s also not shy about getting involved in other areas, too, like encouraging people new to the sport to show up to the next event to improve their skills.
“I had people help me when I started, and I try to pass that along,” she says. “In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the community is large and can be intimidating for a beginner. I make a point to talk to people and offer coaching. My background in instruction helps me translate technical car movements into advice that a novice can use. This helps the Region retain members because people are more likely to come back when they feel they are getting better.”
Instructing at Street Survival schools and at Regional SCCA events sounds like a lot – but Rische does more. She sits on the Autocross Committee for the BMW club, for Equipe Rapide, she is the set-up boss, and she’s also worked as a marshal at F1 events twice – a role that came her way likely due to her training as an SCCA Safety Steward.
Assistance Where It's Needed
Now, as a 2026 Wendi Allen Scholarship recipient, she will receive financial assistance in attending National Solo events, like the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour and Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Series, in addition to the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships this September in Lincoln, NE.
“Competing on a single income makes the financial side of this sport very visible,” she says of how the SCCA Foundation-supported $1,500 Wendi Allen Scholarship will aid in her season. “Tires, maintenance, and travel add up quickly. This year is particularly expensive because I’m shifting to my 2019 Civic in G Street. I have to outfit it with the necessary modifications to be competitive, including a new exhaust.
“Travel to Lincoln for Solo Nationals is the biggest hurdle. In the past, I slept in the back of my Sequoia to save on hotel costs. This scholarship could allow me to stay in a hotel and focus on driving instead of worrying about the logistics of the trip.”
National events, she says, are humbling, and the pressure of that stage can rattle her nerves. To that end, the Wendi Allen Scholarship provides a reprieve from some of the external stresses that surround a trip to Lincoln, allowing her to focus on the competition.
“As a 54-year-old woman, I recognize that I’m an underdog, but I’m fiercely determined and tenaciously hanging onto my goals,” she concludes. “People often find it shocking when they hear I race cars, but they quickly realize it fits my personality perfectly. This scholarship [is] a validation of that tenacity and honors the commitment I have made to this sport.”
How You Can Help
Funding for Sue Anne Rische's portion of the Wendi Allen Scholarship came courtesy of SCCA Foundation. If you would like to help support the Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund, donations can be earmarked specifically for this program through SCCA Foundation’s website.
The SCCA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that is a supporting organization of the Sports Car Club of America™. The Foundation supports charitable and educational programs in furtherance of the SCCA’s purposes and for the benefit of the community as a whole served by the Club.
Photo courtesy Sue Anne Rische
