Tag Archives: Auto racing

October 23

F1icane

After weeks of no rain, we’re gettin’ all hurricane-ish around here. On Formula 1 weekend, naturally. But it’s okay. I’m ready. Check my Twitter feed tomorrow for dispatches from a water-logged Circuit of the Americas!

October 22

USGP Weekend!

It’s here! The Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, TX kicks off this Friday, Oct. 23, and culminates in the big race on Sunday. Unlike the tragedy of last year, I am here and ready to go! The race weekend actually started today for me, with a pit walk at Circuit of the Americas […]

September 27

Travels in Southeast Asia: Singapore

Greetings, race fans! I’m sitting on the front porch of a beach house at Thong Krut, on the Thai island of Koh Samui. The wind is high, but the air is fresh. It’s Sunday night here, 12 hours ahead of my friends in Texas. What a trip. I intended to blog more frequently, but there […]

August 31

A True Champion

The 2015 IndyCar season ended yesterday, in a thrilling finish at Sonoma Raceway that left the season’s champion undetermined until the last turn of the last lap. It was pure, unadulterated racing. It also took place under a pall as grim as I have ever seen in any race paddock.  The reason – on Aug. […]

August 21

Surprises

On the way to work today, I ended up behind a Buick that was quite good-looking. A BUICK. More specifically, it was a red Buick Regal and, I have to say, it looks fairly sporty in motion. I was shocked, and I’m not even being snarky about it. Buick’s SUVs are looking pretty good these days, […]

August 05

Motorista Goes International

I may be dealing with a self-diagnosed bout of adrenal fatigue (I kept calling it adrenal failure until my sister pointed out that that kills you – important distinction!), but I’m not too tired to be doing backflips-excited about my upcoming trip across the Pacific. You guys, I haven’t taken an honest to goodness vacation […]

July 27

Grace, At Speed

Somewhere in the whirlwind of the last few months, a most delightful announcement took place that makes me excited for 2016, girl power, and the future of motorsports in general. Ordinarily I would have been shouting this from the heavens on the same day, but I’ve been a little behind… On May 29, 2016, the […]

June 01

Motorista – 2 Years and Counting!

It just occurred to me a few minutes ago that I forgot about Motorista’s second anniversary! As of May 25, 2015, we have been up and running for two whole years. Wow. I know my posts have been sporadic since October, and I wish I had the time to blog almost every day like I […]

May 13

Practice Shouldn’t Be Interesting

The IndyCar folks are at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month, getting ready for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24. Between now and May 24, the teams are practicing – working on setups, seeing how fast they can get their cars to go around the infamous oval, etc. Today was…well, interesting. And […]

May 08

Strong Women: Denise McCluggage

Late Wednesday, the car world lost a true legend. A writer, racer and adventurer, who could do all of those things while being a woman! I speak of the one, the only…Denise McCluggage. (You may remember I was thankful for Denise at Thanksgiving 2013.) I hope to be like Denise McCluggage when I grow up. […]

March 21

Pirelli World Challenge at Circuit of the Americas

The Pirelli World Challenge sports car racing series had its season opener at Circuit of the Americas at the beginning of March, and your faithful motorsports reporter was there for the Saturday race! (I had plans for Sunday.) I may have mentioned before that I love Pirelli World Challenge, but let me recap: I love […]

October 06

Forza Jules

A sober reminder at yesterday’s Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix that racing always exists on that knife edge between exhilaration and tragedy. Driver Jules Bianchi of the Marussia F1 team crashed, in pre-typhoon conditions, into a crane that was attempting to lift another wrecked car. The impact was strong enough to change the direction the crane was […]

September 27

15 Hours of Motorista: Lone Star Le Mans

Last Saturday, I claimed a personal record that probably no one else cares about: I spent 15 consecutive hours at Circuit of the Americas, that amazing racetrack less than 45 minutes from my house. If you count travel, that makes for a  16 1/2-hour day. It was delightful. The occasion was the Lone Star Le […]

July 18

Early Christmas?

If anyone would like to donate to a fabulous cause AND make one little Motorista very happy, consider this: The special pink Susan G. Komen helmet Pippa Mann wore in the Indy 500 is being auctioned on eBay, with 100% of the proceeds to benefit Susan G. Komen Central Indiana. This is the actual race-worn […]

July 12

I Love This Guy

Congratulations to my favorite IndyCar driver, Josef Newgarden, on his podium finish tonight at the Iowa Corn Indy 300! Josef is a young up-and-comer who has had mixed luck this season, but he is a mature and intelligent driver and, by all accounts, a wacky and fun-loving part of the IndyCar paddock. Take a look […]

July 05

Second Annual Father-Daughter GP of Houston: the Daughter Version

Lessons learned at the IndyCar Houston Grand Prix: rain won’t kill you, and the world’s best hamburger is made in a school bus. Dad shared his version of the weekend with you a few days ago. Now you get to hear what really happened. 😉 Saturday The weekend began at 5:30 a.m. for me, which […]

July 01

Second Annual Father-Daughter GP of Houston – the Father Version

Dad and I are in recovery mode after our awesome weekend at the IndyCar Grand Prix of Houston. I say recovery mode because we had so much fun we about overdosed. 🙂 I’m still sorting through photos, and have been busy at work, so am not yet ready with my own post about our Second […]

June 02

Detroit GP! Sunday

More Detroit, more racing, more delight! Sunday, the second day of the “Dual in Detroit,” brought a warmer sun and a track devoid of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship cars (although they were still in the paddock!), but the Pirelli World Challenge and IndyCar races were every bit as fun as they had been the […]

May 31

Detroit GP! Saturday

Greetings from beautiful Detroit! The skies are blue, the foliage is green, and the air is filled with the sound of race engines and the smell of exhaust fumes. Belle Isle, the beautiful (newly christened) state park located on the Detroit River between Detroit and Canada, played host today to the Pirelli World Challenge, TUDOR […]

May 25

Motorista Presents: the Indy 500 Pink Watch Party!

We came, we saw, we had a great time! For those of you who may be new to the scene, I decided to host a “pink” watch party for the Indy 500 to support driver Pippa Mann, who was sponsored by Susan G. Komen and drove a pink car in the race. Read more background […]

May 24

The Indianapolis 500: What You Need to Know

The Indianapolis 500 – the “greatest spectacle in racing.” Two hundred laps, 500 miles. Tomorrow marks the 98th running of the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (as well as my Pink Watch Party AND the first anniversary of this blog!). There will be 33 drivers on the grid, including one female, Pippa Mann. If […]

May 21

The Indy 500 Pink Watch Party!

All right, friends. The Indy 500 Pink Watch Party is moving full speed ahead! For those in the Austin, Texas area, here are the details: Date: May 25, 2014 Time: 11 a.m. Place: Blackfinn Ameripub (in the Domain) We are going to cheer on Pippa Mann and her pink Susan G. Komen car! Wear pink […]

May 17

Speed Sisters – A Story That Should Be Told

Have you heard about the only female motor racing team in the Middle East? You’re about to. Director Amber Fares’ documentary about five Palestinian women who compete against men on makeshift tracks in the West Bank is currently in production and seeking funding to reach the finish line. Regardless of your feelings on the Israeli-Palestinian […]

May 12

Think Pink!

You may have noticed that the title of my blog has turned pink. That’s because we’re thinking pink for the month of May! As I mentioned recently, I am so excited to see driver Pippa Mann partnering with Susan G. Komen for the Indy 500 on May 25. What a great way to raise funds […]

May 06

The Corkscrew

Ah, the Corkscrew. One of the most famous turns in racing, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California, a quasi-blind turn into a six-storey drop. Woo hoo! I’ve seen it through on-board cameras, but have never watched a race at Laguna Seca. On Sunday, I watched two! The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship held its Monterey […]