The start of Women on Track? An SCCA meeting, a long hallway and a goal for women in motorsports.
“In 2014 one of the things that we had been tasked with was how do we help regions grow the SCCA solo programs,” recalls Velma Boreen, one of the founders of the SCCA Women on Track program. “We talked about having things like women-only drivers’ school or having women in charge of all the different specialties for that weekend.”
After that meeting, David Cook of Mazda liked what he heard.
“All of a sudden he corralled me up in the hallway,” Velma jokes. “He said, ‘What can I do to help?’” In a stroke of fate, who just so happened to be walking down that same hallway? None other than two-time SCCA Solo champion and future co-founder Linda Duncan.
“David wanted to see how we could incorporate this nationally,” Linda shares. “We created a committee of like-minded women that we knew had been autocrossing for a long time and created ways to incorporate their help to get this program up and running.”
Six years later, SCCA Women on Track became an official SCCA committee thanks to the support of the SCCA Foundation and leadership.
RallyCross, Road Racing, RoadRally, SCCA Pro Racing, Solo, Time Trials and even Track Night in America: These are all areas within the SCCA where the Women on Track program has its impact.
A big part of the program? The scholarships, including the Wendi Allen Solo Scholarship.
“This scholarship started out as a way for two women in Solo to attend as many national events as they wanted to,” Linda explains. “They would get financial help and hopefully feel encouraged to take that next step to run nationally.”
And just as it did that day in the hallway, Mazda wanted to support these women in their journey. With Mazda's help, the Women on Track program can now offer a third Wendi Allen scholarship to help one more talented and passionate woman achieve her goals.
The winners of the 2024 Wendi Allen Solo Scholarships were Ashley Weaver, Sarah Mills and Shelby Redding. What did these women do with their scholarships?
Ashley, an SCCA member since 2019, used hers to attend Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo and Solo National Tour events in Lincoln, Cleveland and Bristol. But that’s not all: She also participated in the Tire Rack SCCA Red Hills Solo National Tour and Tire Rack SCCA Charlotte Solo National Tour. Ashley earned a trophy in C Street Prepared Ladies, driving a 2002 Mazda Miata to the runner-up spot–only 0.463 seconds behind the winner, Molly Thore Maxey.
With her scholarship, Sarah, a member since 2021, took part in the Cleveland ProSolo party, both the Charlotte and Romulus Solo National Tour experiences, and at the Grissom and St. Louis Tire Rack SCCA Autocross Challenge stops. Sarah tore up the track in her 2016 Porsche GT4 and secured a victory in the Xtreme A Ladies class on only her third visit to Solo Nationals.
Finally, Shelby used her scholarship to dive deeper into racing. An SCCA member for around a decade, she originally joined to support her husband from the sidelines, but in 2022 she decided to give driving a try and fell in love.
Thanks to her scholarship, Shelby competed at the two Tire Rack Las Vegas ProSolos as well as the Tire Rack Solo National Tour and ProSolo in Packwood. She also took advantage of Evolution Performance Driving School instruction and won the Packwood ProSolo Bonus Challenge. During her racing tour, Shelby earned an STSL National Championship in only her second appearance at Solo Nationals.
In total, the SCCA Women on Track program presented scholarships to 14 recipients this year– valued at upward of $11,50. These scholarships were awarded across the board–to women in SCCA Road Racing, volunteering, RallyCross, Time Trials, RoadRally and Solo.
Not looking to drive? No problem.
“Not every woman is behind the wheel,” Linda shares. “We do have some scholarships for women who are volunteers, and it started by asking the question, ‘Are there women out there who would like to just be part of these events?’”
But what’s the plan for this year?
“Our goal for 2025 is to focus on expanding our regional offerings and support and guidance for members of SCCA Regions who would like to start a regional Women on Track group and host women’s-specific events in their area,” shares Kelsey Karanges, the program’s executive committee chairwoman.
To promote this goal, Women on Track will be presenting two sessions during the SCCA National Convention in mid-January.
“One of these sessions is on the state of the National initiative, while the other is a study of how SCCA Regions and local groups can establish local initiatives,” explains Andie Albin, the SCCA’s national staff liaison to the Women on Track initiative.
On top of these two sessions, Women on Track will be continuing its extremely successful Women on Track Brunch at Solo Nationals and hosting gatherings at RallyCross Nationals, Runoffs and Time Trials Nationals.
“We gained quite a few new leaders on the Women on Track Executive Committee in 2024. With their acclimation, we aim to also see significant advancement in our RallyCross and Road Racing programs,” Andie shares.
The biggest piece of advice for those interested in the program? “Don’t be afraid to dream big,” shares Kelsey. “There are many opportunities to go places with the scholarship offerings from Women on Track, and you can’t receive these if you don’t first apply.”
“For those interested in hosting a women-focused driving event or school in your region, don’t hesitate to reach out to our committee for ideas and assistance in planning and ideas for raising funds for your project,” boasts Andie. “We are here to help!
Comments
Vince_H
New Reader
1/14/25 1:25 p.m.
Sydney Davis Yagel - has made a huge impact on SCCA racing. She started out helping her dad.
Sydney attended her first racing school at 17 years old before getting her SCCA license six months later at 18. Within a few years, she expanded her participation by serving as Race Chairman for the Houston Region for both local club events and assisting with the operations of pro events. After more than 10 years behind the wheel, Sydney found herself in a unique position. She was too busy putting on events to continue to drive. As her career expanded to working more events, she hung up her driving gloves.
Sydney has served as Marshal Coordinator, Race Control Coordinator, National Steward, and Deputy Clerk of the Course for FIA events and National Championships. Most recently she served as Championship Manager for the F4 U.S. & FR Americas Championships and the Vice President of Event Operations for Parella Motorsports Holdings, the parent company of Sportscar Vintage Auto Racing (SVRA) and the Trans Am Series. In 2023, Sydney took a step back and focused on her roots as she took on the role as Volunteer Marshal Facilitator for the SCCA. The position allowed her to also take on additional stewarding opportunities with Nitrocross, Formula E, and the F1 Academy. In addition, Sydney has started consulting with various organizations on their operations and logistics.
AND she is married and has one beautiful child on top of all the above!
Sydney is a true role model and goes to show that there are great opportunities outside the car to make a great full time career in racing!
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