Breaking Barriers: Interviews with Female Racecar Drivers
Who says going fast is only for boys?
It’s easy to talk about championing a diverse workforce, especially in the automotive industry, but here’s the thing. At Xtreme Xperience, we believe in this goal and truly champion it by having some of the most badass female racing instructors right on our team. Out on the road at our nationwide track events, our female instructors connect with hundreds of our customers every year and help them take their supercar of choice to the absolute limit.
We wanted to showcase some of our best female instructors and give them the recognition they deserve to be seen for. Especially since their accomplishments are in an industry that’s not always willing to let them in.
Ready? Let’s do this.
Hollie Heiser
“Seeing more women out there gives other women the confidence to go in there and try because it can be super intimidating. When you’re entering motorsports, you’re stepping into a sea of masculinity and allowing yourself to be judged. That can be difficult and I think you have to want it pretty badly to be able to do that.”
Growing up in car-crazy South Haven, Michigan, right in the shadow of the world-famous Gingerman Raceway, Hollie was always a car girl. After all, when your dad is a drag racing enthusiast who is still doing tractor-pull competitions at 72 years old, it’s pretty hard not to have a deep love for everything automotive. He never held her back or told her she couldn’t do anything she wanted to do, and taught her to stand up for herself in the face of adversity. That tenacity and that grit would be exactly what Hollie would need to achieve her goals.
Even though Hollie didn’t set out to have a career in motorsports, a friend invited her to go for a ride-along at Gingerman Raceway’s driving school. While at the track, Hollie had a chance to drive and instantly became enamored with the feeling of pushing a proper car around a complex circuit. Within a few short years, she was an instructor at the track, and now she runs the same driving school where it all started. How’s that for career progression?!
There is no doubt that Hollie has dealt with haters throughout her entire journey, but as the strong woman that she is, she learned to let things go. Early on, sure, she wanted to prove herself and her abilities but as her skill level grew, she quickly realized that she could do all her talking on the track. The negativity still rolled on through, but over time, Hollie explained that you just sort of grow a shell to the negative, while still accepting the positive commendations from her family, friends, and competitors alike.
These days, Hollie helps run the driving school at Gingerman Raceway and occasionally comes out to events to help us share our love of fast cars with everyone. Sure, going fast every week is a real thrill, but it was one experience in particular that stuck out to her, and cemented why she loves what she does. An elderly woman came to drive a Ferrari at an event, and even though she never went over 45 miles per hour, she may as well have been going a million miles an hour . Her smile told the story, and in those moments, Hollie knows that she’s on the right track in her life.
Kailia Gramlich
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Kailia Gramlich got an early start in the world of motorsports.
Much like the best drivers in the world, Kailia's motorsports life started out behind the wheel of a go-kart when she was only 12 years old. After saving her allowance and taking her dad to the local go-kart track, the track owner immediately realized that she had a natural talent for driving, and invited them back to join their rental go-kart league. After coming in second place among 20 to 30 other boys, Kailia’s parents bought her and go-kart and raced independently. In her karting days, Kailia ran with StingRay Bob, who just recently got signed on for a full-term Indycar contract for Dale Coyne racing.
Within a year, Italian Motors, a local supercar dealer, wanted Kailia to join their team of factory drivers and she went on to compete in sanctioned events throughout the Northwest. Years later, after racing in the SCCA, Kailia was gifted a track day at Xtreme Xperience. After wowing the instructors with her skills, Xtreme took an interest in having Kailia come out to more events and teach others how to drive. Shortly after, she was on the crew and she’s been riding with us ever since.
Kailia has dealt with negativity her entire racing career, but standing up for herself became crucial early on, especially in her SCCA days.
“Back when I was racing in the SCCA, I really had to learn how to stand up for myself because there would be times when I’ve kicked people out of my pit area for very hateful comments. Some men don’t believe that women should be in racing, which is just awful.”
Today, Kailia comes out to events all over the country to help drivers find their groove on the racetrack. One of her most memorable experiences on track was a particular weekend when an older woman was accompanied by 10-15 family members at the track. Turns out, they had bought her a few laps around the circuit for her birthday because she has always wanted to drive a racecar.
As they pulled back into the pits, her family was jumping up and down, hyping her up, and Kailia knew at that moment that she was part of something bigger. It was an experience she would never forget, and as she continues to kick ass and take names out on the track, we can’t wait to see where she’ll end up next.
Jen Fuller
“I love challenging stereotypes! I love to be the one who gets to take guests on high speed ride alongs and give them a completely new perspective regarding women’s abilities behind the wheel. I also have the privilege of getting to be a role model (I hope) for all the little girls who come to the track with their families.”
Jen is all about breaking the stereotypes, and she’s been doing it for years. Even though some people seem to be mystified that a single woman would want to partake in racing as a hobby, Jen doesn’t really seem to care what other people think. Her passion for automotive culture and racing has translated down to her daughter, who is looking to take classes to learn to work on cars. Even though Jen warned her that she might be the only girl, much like her mom, her daughter didn’t really seem to care and wanted to push on with her passion.
She believes that persisting in the boys club of racing is all about not giving up, even if you start to feel uncomfortable with your instructor as you start to learn. One of the most influential people in Jen’s career was her first female instructor who encouraged her to push her limits and not take no for an answer. As a fan of motorsports, Jen is also encouraged by the W league, Formula 1’s all-female feeder league, and believes that more inclusion will encourage more women to follow their passions.
One of the most memorable experiences while instructing came with a husband and wife pairing a few years ago. Early on, the husband was shown the yellow, while the wife hung back and slowly learned lap by lap. By the end of the day, she had faster lap times than her husband because she came to learn. Her husband? He came to drive, and Jen was more than happy to show him that he didn’t know as much as he thought.
Jen is a force to be reckoned with and we’re so lucky to have her along to inspire the next generation of female drivers.
Calling All Women: Join our Team!
At Xtreme Xperience, we are always looking for talented and passionate females to join our team.
If you’re looking to join a growing, thriving organization where you get to work around supercars at some of the best tracks in the country, this could be the perfect fit for you. Every member of the Xtreme Xperience team loves what they do, day in and day out, so if you think you can match the passion of our incredible crew, then head over to Indeed or send us an email with your resume to info@xxspeed.com.
See you at the track!