HORSEPOWER & HEELS

Remember this thing? >>>

Yea. THAT THING. My racecar. Almost forgot I drove one, huh?

Me too.


Well, its been ENTIRELY too long, and I've had enough. I'm on an unstoppable mission now to get this thing DONE and out there again. And I'm not letting even the crappy economy hold me back this time. Nope, I've got a PLAN.



The car will be done for the PRI Show this year. DONE. Complete. Ready-to-go. It might in fact, be IN the PRI show for Brisk too. (Waiting to see if they have the booth space to make it happen.) Its been soooo close for entirely too long. I just needed a little extra to make it happen, and life kept popping up in my way.



Well, I've been really busy lately. For once, I have a good excuse why I haven't been posting as much. I've been working. Yes, 10 years later, I decide to make a 2nd comeback tour at my high school employer, Target, right back behind the Guest Services counter. I've been picking up every available shift after work and on the weekends. My social life? Gone. But the extra cash will be used to get BACK TO THE RACETRACK.



In the last few weeks, I've worked my normal 40hrs at my day job, and then another 35hours at Target. I'm tired, and I haven't done a single thing but work in weeks, but those extra paychecks are starting to add up.

Labels: In the Shop

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

A) A few weeks ago, I get a call from TV Land.

B) They want me to submit an audition tape for a reality TV show pitch involving the Stevens Family team and Top Fuel Racing as a Family Owned Business.

C) But, despite how excited they were about us, they couldn't proceed because of uncertainty in sponsorship.

So, as per usual, I ride the rollercoaster of emotion: High at thinking this might be my "Big Break", and then the low of finding out not this time again. I'm used to it. Happens a whole lot more than you could imagine, actually. Still, I keep trying for the next one....

Well, I got a phone call from Dave Stevens yesterday. Katie from TVLand called him back to tell him that we're back in consideration for the show!

Labels: press, women in racing

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Sherry Heyl, writer of one of the blogs I read daily (So...What's Next) wrote a post just for me that made me laugh. Its about her racing adventure one night, where she quickly found out that she had faced off against Miami's finest in Blue.


It reminded me of all the hilarious stories I've heard from fellow racers (and a few of my own...) about their speedy run-ins with the police.


Here's one of mine....


Back when gas was cheap in 2003, I made a weekend road trip from Orlando, FL to Cincinnati, OH in my turbocharged 93 coupe. That thing made about 600 horsepower to the rear wheels, and it was built with the purpose of outrunning Z06's on the highway (not that its safe OR legal.... I was young and dumb!), which meant it would do well over the normal governed mph of 120, and it would do it QUICKLY.


I was making REALLY good time through Georgia and into Tennessee (*AHEM* which means I hadn't been caught speeding yet) when I started to pull into the outskirts of Knoxville. The landscape was a little hilly, but the traffic was moving right along. I, of course, felt compelled to lead the pack, which had me doing about 90-95mph as I peaked over a hill, and right into the Radar of Mr. Nice Tennessee Highway Patrol man waiting at the bottom of the hill.


Before I could even get passed him, I see his lights flash, and a big cloud of dirt as he spins the car around in the median. I had the split-second Oh-Shit-WhatDoIDo hesistation, but being that I knew I was already in deep doo-doo, and traffic behind me was pretty heavy, I did a dumb thing.... I GOT BACK IN THE THROTTLE.


Now I am no Bo and Luke Duke, who always seem perfectly poised to outrun the local cops. I had no idea about the landscape, and I really didn't want to end up ripped out of my car and splat on the aphault on the next episode of Why I Ran or Cops (cue cheesey music). But I also knew that he only had a Crown Vic, and my car outpowered him by about 400 horsepower and a few psi of boost pressure.


The hills in that area were rolling, so after a few up-and-downs, I lost sight of him behind me as the next exit presented itself. I quickly got off, and pulled past the gas station (they ALWAYS look there) into the next lot, a hotel. I immediately pulled around back and threw the thing in park, frantically thinking of what I would say when he rolled up behind me, guns drawn and ready to shoot.


I paced my way up to the front of the hotel, just in time to see him circling the gas station and heading further down the road still looking for his ellusive runner.


Shaking like a craps game, I ran back to my car and promptly returned to the highway, going about 5mph UNDER the speedlimit for the rest of my trip.


Talk about dumb!!!!


What dumb things did you do in your youth that got the attention of the blue flashing lights?

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This one hits close to home.

NHRA Pro Mod driver Steve Engel, who had a scary encounter with the wall during the US Nationals in Indy, has succumbed from his injuries.

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Labels: press

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Remember I told you about the TVLand Reality Series that The Stevens Family Racing team and I were being considered for?

Labels: press

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Labels: press

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I do a massive amount of reading everyday.... literally, my Google Reader contains *hundreds* of blog subscriptions.

After my eclectic Blog Day 2008 post, some people were asking me where do I find them, how many do I read, and if I had any more to recommend.

Well, I can do better than that. Google Reader has a "Shared Items" feature that allows me to aggregate all of the posts that I read that I've chosen to share with others. I haven't used this option so much in the past, but I am making it a habit to start now.

So, if you're ever interested in what I'm currently reading and finding interesting, check out my Shared Items page on Google.


(NOTE: Don't know what Google Reader is? Check out this Google Reader Tour. Trust me, it makes life WAY easier to get the news coming to you.)

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Got an interesting call today.

It was from a producer at the TVLand Network, who because of my involvement with Stevens Family Racing, wanted to know if I'd be interested in being the subject of a new show they are looking to feature for next year.

The show would feature an unique family owned business, and the Stevens Family Racing operation is high on their list of considerations.

Here's an excerpt from their casting call:

Are you part of a family business? Pink Sneakers Productions and TV Land are currently casting for a new reality series that will document the life of one dynamic, over-the-top, outgoing family. If you clock in and out of a unique, exciting and drama-filled family business, we want to talk to you. If you’ve ever said, “This family should be on a reality show,” this is your chance to make it happen!


We are casting immediately, so please email us at familybusiness@pinksneakers.net. Please be sure to include your name, contact information, a quick autobiography and at least three photos by Sept. 1, 2008.

Right now, I'm putting together a video for the producers about the Stevens Family Team, and I am not sure if we'll be selected or not, but I am really excited about this opportunity! How great would it be to see a family team go up against all the big name teams in drag racing on your local TVLand Network? And the fact that it would make my Top Fuel dream come true at the same time is just icing on the cake!

What do you think? Would you watch it?

Labels: press, women in racing

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post