The December 2021 PCA Panorama magazine featured no less than six articles telling the stories of women with a passion for driving and the Porsche experience. Interesting, fun, and inspiring, their pursuits spanned the gambit of motorsport from racing and rallying to tracking down long lost beloved Porsche family members. The source of and support for these pursuits are different for each individual, sometimes stemming from childhood and sometimes coming later in life. This article highlights two young ladies who have been introduced to motorsports by their fathers, whose Porsche experience has led them to share their passion for driving with their daughters. Amriel Lucier [nick-named “Amy”] started accompanying her dad, Ollie, to autocross and track events before she could walk. As time went on, she was able to participate as a volunteer helping with Autocross and DE operations and as Pit Crew for her dad at his racing events. An avid photo enthusiast, she has often photographed events; one of her pictures made the cover of the Northlander. At 12, Amriel started driving karts and was more recently able to race at SCCA Autocross events in the karting group. She is looking forward to her 16th birthday this spring when she will be able to get her Driver’s License and race with her dad’s Boxster. Amriel is a Sophomore at Conant HS in New Hampshire. A natural competitor, she plays Varsity Basketball and enjoys showing horses. Someday, Amriel would like to be a veterinarian.

Mia Leroux would have gone to Drivers Ed, as most kids do, but Covid had closed everything down. Instead, her Dad, Michael, took her to the track where he is a member and taught her to drive in his “Jamaican Bacon” Miata race car. Mia fell in love with driving on the track and decided to pursue her SCCA racing license. Being a minor, this involved going to SCCA Driving School and being heavily scrutinized before getting signed off on her Novice Credentials and January-February 2022 Northlander 25 finally earning her SCCA Competition License. Mia just finished her first National SCCA Race down in Sebring, FL called the Sebring Hoosier Super Tour. She had qualified to participate by making the podium at Regional races and drove her Spec Miata in a group of 80 cars with drivers of all ages and levels of experience. It was totally exhilarating and she is sure to be back for more. As a matter of fact, Mia has decided to relocate from Rhode Island to Ocala, FL where her family has a home and she can drive all year long. She is a Junior in High School and because she is also taking college courses When she graduates she will have earned an Associate’s Degree. It is great to see the opportunities that are available for girls today and it is heartwarming to see the interest that these dads (and moms) are taking in their daughters. Starting so young opens up all kinds of new possibilities for them. Whatever role driving will play in Amy’s and Mia’s future is still to be determined. But, to be sure, they are developing confidence that will influence their future and making memories that will last a lifetime. You go girls! PS: AND TO FATHERS EVERYWHERE WHO LOVE AND SUPPORT THEIR DAUGHTERS, WE GIRLS

Laura Tambaschio went to Lime Rock Park with her husband, Larry. She had been to the track before, tagging along while he drove his Mini Cooper, and later his Porsche, maybe staying for an hour or so. As a relatively uninterested outside observer, for the most part, once you’ve seen one car zoom around the track you’ve seen them all. Right? This time was different. She stayed for 2 days and drove their 2014 Porsche Cayman S.

Laura signed up as a Green 1st timer, which has sentimental significance for those of us who have done DEs for years. This is one of those experiences that you will never forget. The first day on the track is always such a challenge: so much to learn, nervous anticipation of the unknown, sensory overload…. IT’S SO EXCITING!!!! Laura managed well with her trusty instructor, Kristin Larson, by her side every step (turn) of the way. On Monday the weather was not ideal and Laura was very cautious. She admits she was not the fastest car in her run group, but that is to be expected when you start out, and learning to give point-bys is an important skill. The weather was cooperative on Day 2.

There was a rule in the Croteau household that if you wanted help getting your first car, you had to learn how to drive with a manual transmission. As a result, the first car Brianna owned was a standard shift and she has been driving one ever since. Learning right from the beginning gave her a certain sense of confidence and pride in her capabilities. She said “I first thought this was a silly rule to have, but I learned to be grateful for it. I grew to love driving a manual so much that my everyday car now [is], and I anticipate for the rest of my life, will be a manual.” According to her dad, Jeff, he had two reasons for this rule: 1) less chance of them being on the phone if they had to shift the transmission and 2) it was less likely that other people would ask to borrow the car.

Brianna began attending SCCA autocross events with her dad, in 2015 when she was 18. At first she drove her daily driver, a 2012 Hyundai Veloster and later the 911 (991) that her dad bought. She developed a love of driving as she developed a greater understanding of how a car operates and at the same time, learned how to push the car to its limits and still maintain control. The 2nd PCA autocross she attended, she won the Novice category. A few years later the two of them were introduced to track events. Her dad went to one first and encouraged her to give it a try. She remembers her first day at Thompson in 2021 and how nervous she was, but once she started driving she realized how much fun it was. The track environment can be intimidating in the beginning, but Brianna’s fears soon dissipated because “…being at the track is an awesome experience and everyone there wants to see you do well and see you have a good time.” “I never once felt like I didn’t belong at the track; everyone welcomed me with open arms and was excited to teach me both on and off the track.” At first, Brianna’s mom wasn’t a big fan but as Brianna became more comfortable with her skills on the track, her mom grew to appreciate the father/daughter experience, and grew more comfortable too. By the end of the 2021 season, Jeff decided to purchase a dedicated track car. So they bought a 1999 911 (996). Brianna drove it at Thompson, and plans to drive at Watkins Glen, Palmer, and Club Motorsports in 2022. She drove a few sessions in the solo (Blue) run group at Thompson, and is hoping to get to be promoted soon.

Growing up in Milford, MA Brianna was on 3 Varsity teams, playing volleyball, basketball and lacrosse. She went on to attend the University of Rhode Island, where she earned a BS in Kinesiology and a Minor in Psychology. After a year interning as a Physical Therapy aide, she has just begun graduate studies at the University of Vermont in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. At 23, she will be a busy student, that’s for sure, but she will still find a way to fit driving with her dad into her busy schedule. See you soon, Brianna!

Captain Kim Lefebvre has retired after 29 years in the Naval Medical Service Corps. Her military service has taken her far and wide. She has been stationed in California (San Diego, Monterrey, and Port Huyneme), Jacksonville FL, Groton CT, Philadelphia PA, Puerto Rico and Sicily. She was the Commanding Officer at the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory in New London, CT and at the Naval Hospital in Sigonella, Italy on Sicily. Having grown up in Rhode Island, summering with family in New Hampshire, Kim and her husband Peter have decided to return to New England. They have chosen Moultonborough NH as their permanent residence.

As we are moving forward into a new season of driving, I thought it might be nice to look back and compare things then and now. Phyllis Stibler came to visit our July Tamworth DE last summer and we had the opportunity to chat a bit about the way things used to be when she was driving DE. She commented that although she was impressed by the beauty of CMI, a track she had never seen, and the speed of some of the cars, the event itself had a familiar feel to it.

Phyllis initially joined PCA in 1982 and then rejoined in 1987. There were just a few NCR members that participated in DE at that time. By 1989-1990 that number grew to about a dozen regulars who had established a seasonal rhythm: Lime Rock Park with CVR, Watkins Glen with Zone 1 and New Hampshire Motor Speedway with NER. Few cars were trailered back then and many of them were daily drivers, so they would organize caravans to the events. Similar to our DE group today, they enjoyed dinners, happy hours and other activities together. The events themselves were organized and run in a similar fashion with run groups and volunteer work assignments. In those days, however, participants not only manned Control and Staging, but also did the flagging at flagging stations.

If you have been to almost any NCR event, you have probably seen this smiling face.  Perhaps it was at a car show, or autocross, or DE, or at a banquet or rally.  Meet Lisa Roche and her favorite car.

Lisa began her Porsche odyssey doing car shows with her ex-husband and his 914.  When he refused to autocross his car, she bought her own ‘89 944.  Starting out, she claims they were the slowest on the course, but she couldn’t get the smile off her face. Now, 20 years later, still loving it, Lisa and her partner Joe have fun battling for the fastest run times.  She has won many Autocross Class Champion awards, including multiple National Porsche Parade events, Zone 1 Autocross events and a LFT (ladies fastest time overall) award at the 2009 Zone 1.

Lisa’s autocross experience shaped her excellent driving skills on the track.   She drives in the Black (Advanced) Driving Group for DE events and especially loves to drive in the rain.  With the rain being a great equalizer, Lisa has been known to pass much faster cars with her smooth car control skills. You go, girl!