HORSEPOWER & HEELS

• Lost my father to cancer: One of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with in my life. Papi was the rock in the family, and our entire family dynamic changed overnight.


• Lost a dear friend: Vinny Chagnet left us after a massive heart attack far too early. Only in his 30's, it really hit hard to lose someone who had been such an uplifting part of the racing community.
  
• Moving Away/On: Life changes are especially hard. I kept this struggle private for me, but it was very hard time in my life. There are always two sides, and I dealt privately with many hurtful things coming from people that weren't even involved.
  
• Losing my "children": My little chihuahuas were everything to me, and losing them was as painful as losing a child. I know eventually I will get another, but months later, I still have dreams that they come back.
  
• A Career/Job Change: I just wasn't happy in newspaper anymore, and was forced to work from home for about a month until I found my new job. I think they found out I had been looking elsewhere, but an unexpected layoff is hard financially and I'm struggling to catch back up.
  
• Letting my sponsors down: Perhaps the hardest thing for me to swallow was disappointing my sponsors, who have all patiently waited for me to get the new car done. I'm hoping that a great 2008 will make up for this, but its not something I'm proud of.

Highs

• Picked up my new Mustang VFN body: Braved the winter storm to pick up my new racecar body for the Thunderbird to Mustang make-over.
  
• My first mainstream magazine feature: Being featured in Latina was a huge deal for me. Its the Cosmo of hispanic-america.


• Interviewing with Don Schumacher: When Gary Scelzi announced he was retiring, Oakley was looking for a candidate to fill the seat for their Nitro Funny Car. Although I bombed the interview (hello, STAR SHOCK), I view having the opportunity to interview with Don Schumacher high on my accomplishment list for 2007.


• Moving on/Away: As they say, when one door closes, another opens. I've settled well into my new enviroment, and am quite happy with how my life has formed. I learned many things about myself and learned to do a lot FOR myself in the process.


• Welcoming PNN: I had the great pleasure of meeting Lauren Elliot and becoming involved in the PNN.com community. Look for great things coming up in 2008 with PNN.


• New Car: I've been wanting a fun street car again for a really, really long time. I finally got my wish. Call it retail therapy.
  
• Nitrous Pro Mod: Though right now it seems to have stalled out, I was approached about driving a Nitrous Pro Mod.
  
• My first TV Segment: Was featured on Hispanics Today, a nationally syndicated TV show.


• My DREAM!: All I've ever wanted was to race in NHRA. And now, I'm actually going to be given a shot. I'm a signed driver for a Top Fuel team, provided we can find the funding to get out there.


• Starting a new job: Finally, a job I'm really excited about!

I'm hoping to start 2008 fresh and work hard towards a great year of racing, personal growth and career development. 2007 is officially over, and no dwelling on the past will ensue.

Be safe as you celebrate the ringing in of 2008!

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

From a recent trip up to Lake of the Ozarks, MO...














Doesn't that make you want one? C'mon, help me out! Buy one from the Horsepower & Heels e-store!

Then, send me a pic of you sportin' a decal for Horsepower & Heels, and I'll post you on here too!

Email to press [at] horsepowerandheels [dot] com

Labels: Reppin' for HandH

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

One of the greatest things about the internet, blogging, and all the social networking sites out there is that it allows you to use your voice to forewarn others of bad practices. This is one of those posts, and I'm hoping that others will chime in and comment with their experiences as well.

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Closing out the 2007 Around the Country with Horsepower & Heels traveling Odometer, its crazy to think how much time I spent in a vehicle traveling around. At the beginning of the year, I decided to keep up with the amount of miles I travel on the weekends, because my friends had all commented that my weekends looked like those dotted line maps of little Billy from Family Circus. Well, its worse than I thought.

In a year that I sat out racing (and didn't travel to near the amount of races or the distances), I managed to travel 25,846 miles. At a 55 mph average, that's 470 hours spent on the road. And that doesn't include my 80 mile per day commute to work!

Getting back to racing in 2008, I'm nervous to see how many hours I end up spending driving around the country. So, we're resetting the Odometer for 2008. But first, here's the final odometer count for 2007.

2007 ROLLING TOTAL: 25,846 miles

Jan 1-8 Orlando, FL 860 miles
Jan 20-21 Orlando, FL 860 miles
Feb 10-11 Birmingham, AL 244 miles
Feb 17-18 Addison, IL 1,680 miles
Mar 3-4 Orlando, FL 860 miles
Mar 16-18 Gainesville, FL 600 miles
Mar 23-25 Greenville, SC 1,238 miles
Mar 31-Apr 1 Atlanta, GA; Huntsville, AL 725 miles
Apr 5-Apr 19 North Alabama 2,175 miles (several trips)
Apr 20-21 Huntsville, AL 552 miles
Apr 26-30 Andersonville, TN; Atlanta, GA 747 miles
May 4-6 Greenville, SC 506 miles
May 8 Mableton, GA 224 miles
May 12-13 Grant, AL 478 miles
May 18 Grant, AL 277 miles
May 25-28 Party Cove 1,296 miles
Jun 9 Mobile, AL 713 miles
Jun 23-24 Atlanta, GA 414 miles
Jun 26 Stockbridge, GA 448 miles
Jun 30 Salem, AL 464 miles
Jul 7-9 Bristol, TN 604 miles
Jul 13-15 Jacksonville; Riviera Bch; Orlando, FL 1,671 miles
Jul 22 Birmingham, AL 216 miles
Jul 28 Auburn, AL 416 miles
Aug 3-4 Nashville, TN; Bristol, TN 783 miles
Aug 25-27 Chattanooga TN Airport 184 miles
Sept 8-9 Highland, IL 906 miles
Sept 12 Atlanta Airport 414 miles
Sept 23 Phenix City, AL 662 miles
Sept 30 Steele, AL 106 miles
Oct 6-7 Nashville, TN; Bowling Green, KY 454 miles
Oct 24 Chattanooga, TN 168 miles
Oct 25-27 Orlando, FL 1,308 miles
Nov 9-24 Holt, FL; Orlando, FL 1,512 miles
Dec 20-25 Lk. Ozark, MO 1,296 miles

Labels: On the Road

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

For Christmas this year, I decided to go in search of my first "white" Christmas. Born and raised in Orlando, my life was more "sand" men instead of snowmen, and I've collectively seen snow maybe 5 times in my adult life.




One of my little dreams has always been to go experience a true "white" Christmas... falling snow, cold weather, the works. So this year, I went to Missouri to hang out with Chop's friends & family. Of course, I was not all so happy that we arrive to low 60's and plenty of sunshine on Friday.

But on Saturday night, the temperature plummeted quickly, and in a matter of minutes we had sideways falling snow and lots of ice. A group of us were piling into a car to head for an evening out, and the ice on the windshield was pretty thick. My stupid quote of the weekend had them laughing for about 15 minutes as they were scrambling to find an ice scraper: "This is gonna sound dumb, but what exactly does an ice scraper look like?" I get the concept, but growing up in Orlando, its not like we had them lining the shelves at the hardware store. We never ended up finding the scraper, so a gift card substituted enough to get us a little visibility out the windshield. In the about 2 hour time frame, I got to experience about a foot of the snowy white stuff, even if it wasn't going to accumulate any for snow angels or snowmen.

There was some ice accumulation, and the next night, I got an up close introduction to it, followed by another teary-eyed spell of laughter. Standing on the hillside driveway, Stacie and I were climbing in her truck to go to the convenience store. She just started to say "Careful, its slipper..." when I did one of those comic book, slow-mo banana peel face plants on a blade of ice. "whoa. Whooa. WHOOAAAA. Smack." I about died laughing at myself.

Comic moment #3 came coming back from the store. Stacie tried to pull back up the driveway, but when we hit that same patch of ice, we started sliding back down. After a few attempts, Stacie stops and looks at me. "What do we do?" Right. Ask the Florida native what to do on ice. We sat there and pondered if we put the truck in park and hit the e-brake would it still slide down the hill. Not knowing the truck was 4-wheel drive, we decided that it would be best to back in down the driveway and park out front. Only problem: the ice sliding we'd done had moved us a little off-course from the narrow drive, and our attempt at backing back down the driveway resulted in getting the truck completely STUCK in loose gravel and snow. Stacie's fiance, Ronnie came out to rescue us, and made me feel like a complete moron when he put it in 4-low and proceeded out of the gravel and up the icy drive.

The rest of the week was warm and sunny, and I still didn't get my white Christmas. My real snowman will have to wait until another year.

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 9:02 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I'm enjoying a few days off from work and taking advantage of the time by traveling to try and find me my first White Christmas. I can count the number of times I've ever seen snow on one hand, and at 27, I think its time I finally experienced that White Christmas I've been dreaming of since I was a little girl.

Chances are, I'll be out of the loop until after Christmas, so I wanted to take a moment to wish all of you readers out there:


.

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

One of the great things about online social community is that people truly have compassion for their online friends.

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Update on John Graziano:

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Dear Santa,

I've been a very good girl this year. I've been very patient while not racing, worked hard and continued being optimistic, and helped others any chance I could get. So this year, here's my list: (I know you're not as racecar oriented as Blitzen, so I included links)

• A new pump for my Pro Jacks


• A 30' enclosed trailer -- all aluminum, so the reindeer have no problem pulling it behind your sleigh.


• Cam-lock seatbelts


• A Sponsor for my Top Fuel team


• Driveshaft safety tunnel -- I kinda like my elbows and want them intact.


• Crew Uniforms -- Some pretty pink & black Horsepower & Heels crew shirts would look great all year long next year!


• Braided Hoses & AN Fittings -- I've got a complete fuel system and coolant system to plumb. I like the all black AN Fittings.


• 20lb. Fire system -- Gotta be safe, Santa!


• New Parachutes -- Slowing down is important too.

Thanks Santa! And since I won't be at home for Christmas, you can just leave them in the yard or deliver after Christmas. I'm not picky!

Love,

Erica

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I LOVE Fords. Really, I bleed blue. And I especially love Mustangs.

But KITT, as a Mustang, in the new Knight Rider? Umm, that's just not right.


And WHO is responsible for that awful wing?!? Hello Hollywood, the shopping cart rack is NOT cool.

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

My "Goodbye Evel" tribute compilation made Jalopnik's Top 10 and is in the running for the top spot. Feel free to visit there and vote on your favorite submission!

Labels: press

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Dear NHRA:

We know that drag racing is breakneck exciting and very accessible to your fans. We know that those who experience it love it. We know that you work hard to grow the fanbase and the brand that the late great Wally Parks created. Yet, still, drag racing pales in comparison to the NASCAR fan storm, and you ask why?

I think there are a plethora of things that the NHRA is missing out on marketing-wise to grow the sport and develop the kind of fan-following that NASCAR enjoys. And it begins with your DRIVERS.

The fans like following personalities. They like cheering on their favorite drivers. NHRA has that, but not in just their star John Force. They need to promote not only the series alone, but each of their drivers. Create friendly rivalries amidst fans for their favorite drivers where each match up, from qualifying through the final round is exciting. PROMOTE your DRIVERS, and help the teams promote themselves too! Here are a few of my ideas:

The Driver Blogs on NHRA.com are great, but they are sporatically updated and lack all the true "blogging" technology. Why do they not take advantage of RSS syndication, which is the biggest growing trend in online readership? Allow a fan to subscribe to their favorite drivers. And where are those drivers selected? Feature your stars, but also leave room for other drivers who have blogs to submit their blog also. Ron Capps has a blog, and its not even listed there. How many NHRA fans would love to know that and subscribe? And allow us to comment! Opening up discussion makes the experience personal.

Driver Profiles: The NHRA series takes advantage of this idea. Give casual fans a way to learn about the drivers they are watching and choose their own favorite. Sure, I like seeing the career and season stats, and the few headlines, but why not make them much more personal? Let me get to know the driver as a PERSON too?

Driver Twitters: I discovered Twitter not long ago, and admittedly, I didn't "get it" at first. But I'm seeing the advantages that this micro-blogging has to fans and newcomers. The premise: a quick (140 characters or less) glance at what they are doing right now. They can be sent via text message and updated to blogs, websites, etc. During the season, it will be an instant update tool for me to send out instantly at the track to fans and update the race situation as it happens.

Video Podcasts: Wouldn't it be great to have a free subscribe-able Race Recap you could get on your ipod or mobile phone on Monday after the races? A highlight reel of sorts... throw in some driver interviews (more DRIVER promotion, hint hint!) and some bloopers and you'd have another way to reach fans away from the weekend.

Chat Sessions: Why not host a chat room where you can announce a time and place that a driver will come in and chat online in 1 hour segments. I've taken part in these over at ProModSource with various Pro Mod drivers all the time. It only takes an hour of a driver's time, and with all the drivers, there could be one per week. Have it on a Wednesday to build excitment for the race weekend. Its fun and very popular.

The key in all this, is that NHRA needs to offer these FREE to their subscribers. Media now is geared more toward the reader than traditional media. NHRA doesn't need to charge for these services (Audio Cast, etc.) their money can be made in advertising from the viewership alone! These are just a few ways that the NHRA could really connect to their audience and build a new fanbase. And the best part, they don't cost a fraction of what the ESPN coverage does!

Just my marketing outside view! What else do YOU think can be done to help promote drag racing?

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

The Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show is the 2nd largest trade show in the racing industry to the Vegas SEMA show, and more geared towards the hardcore racing demographic than its bigger, flashier brother. Vendors, racers, and race promoters all gather at this annual December event to get ready for the next season and to make some headway on the latest products, the big announcements, and lining up their next year partnerships.

I've attended the PRI show since I became heavily involved in the racing industry back in 2000. Every year, I get to spend time walking the miles and miles of exhibits learning about the latest product developments, the new racing series, and looking for the best marketing partnerships for Horsepower & Heels. I've learned much over the year from this annual show, and its definitely a highlight in my year to attend.

This year was to be a great year for me. As thanks for their support, I was supposed to be displaying my car in Brisk's booth. But although I gave it absolutely everything I had to get there, it just wasn't feasible at the end. I was crushed.

After the 2 weeks I spent in Orlando trying to accomplish the impossible, I headed home to a new job, which meant that in addition to my car not being present, that I would not be attending either. This would be the first PRI I have missed in 7 years. Worse, the event, which only 2 years ago moved to my hometown of Orlando, will be moving back north after this event.

I've had a hard year all around, but I'm not letting it deter me. The car is finally almost done, and I'm hoping to enter 2008 with a positive outlook and am excited for all the activities we have planned with Horsepower & Heels.

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Lots going on for the ladies in the NHRA lately.

Labels: women in racing

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

With my racecar down in Orlando still getting painted, I have some idle time to try and prepare the "game plan" for the 2008 season. (Yes, it actually looks like we're on track to make it happen! FINALLY!)

• Pro Nitrous: Pro Nitrous also includes turbocharged entries. The cars are currently running low 4.00's, which is very tough to even qualify in the field for my combination. Hard work is what is needed, and I'm okay with being the underdog in the game to try and get that work in.


• Xtreme 10.5: Xtreme 10.5 rules are a good fit for my car, and might give me more of an even competitive playing field with my combination. It would require me dumping the safety of the bigger tires and strapping on some 10.5" wide tires, which would present an entire new tuning/chassis control learning curve. The cars are currently running in the low 4.30's, which is on par for my performance capabilities... provided I could get a handle on the much smaller tire.
  

Labels: In the Shop

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

My ultimate goal with my own program is to campaign a national event Pro Mod operation (NHRA or IHRA), a goal I have been actively pursuing.

Last season, the NHRA Pro Mod arena became the first to allow (again) turbocharged entries into the mix, something I have been rallying for since I entered the Pro Mod community. That addition opened the doors for myself and other turbo pro mods to start developing programs that can compete at that competitive level. The move to allow them was met with much turmoil from blown and nitrous racers, and turbo racers face risks that their work be all in vain if rulemakers continue their fickle stance on turbo combinations. IHRA also made the move to allow turbos in '08, and I was elated that turbo combinations were now being considered "legitimate" pro mods.

However, both sanctions issued a striking new blow for 2008: they disallowed any late model body styles! The majority of cars that compete in the turbo-friendly "Pro Street" style classes, cars that are prime candidates to upgrade their programs for Pro Mod and apply their turbo experience, are mainly late model body styles. These guys and gals all have years of turbo experience, running under dwarfing and strict engine/turbo size limitations in comparison to Pro Mod. But most of those compete where nostalgia bodies are not popular or sometimes even illegal. Most of these intermediate class racers build from readily available ex-prostock style chassis. (John Gullett, Dan Saitz, Mike Moran, Chuck Samuels, Brad Personett, myself and many more...)

Without a major investment (new car or rebody... which TRUST me, is NOT cheap) this latest rule change has effectively ruled out about 98% of exsisting turbo PRO combinations.

To say the least, I'm majorly bummed. I had hoped to try and make a few IHRA races, try and qualify and work on the combo until I could step up full-tilt and be competitive. No such luck now... and with rulemakers impatient on performance improvements, who knows if the rule will be revoked before any can convert to the change.

Back to the drawing board.

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel, Jr. (October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007)

Evel Knievel made his greatest jump yet... into the gates of heaven.

He was an icon before my time, but his legend lives on decades past his era. There is much that can be said about the All-American Original Daredevil, who inspired a following that bridged over several generations.

Any motorsport enthusiast will tell you that Evel Knievel was more than just a simple motorcycle stunt rider. He was a personality, a promoter, a pioneer that paved the way for so many others today. The classic story of a troubled youth who channels that energy into becoming a self-promoted phenom, Evel Knievel was a gifted businessman, admired by all. His career, which spanned from the 60's through his retirement in 1981, includes great attempts and many failures, making him the real-life "Superman" of our era.

Though I was born in his "Retirement", I truly admire the story of his rise to fame and his perseverance. His passion was clearly evident, and his personality and showmanship is something that isn't equaled in Motocross or other shows today.

Rest in peace, great daredevil. Your final jump is your greatest.


Videos:
Cesar Palace Jump
Snake River Canyon

www.evelknievel.com

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post