HORSEPOWER & HEELS

A few months back, I had the wonderful honor of being interviewed by book author Laura Contreras-Rowe for a book project she was working on called AIM HIGH: Extraordinary Stories of Hispanic and Latina Women. The interviewed lasted hours, where I talked about the journey I've taken over the course of my racing career and the things and challenges in life that drove me to chase my dreams.

Well, the first edition is back from the printer, and I've received my first copy. I'm really excited to be included as one of the 33 hispanic women chosen to share their stories. Venezuelan IRL driver Milka Duno is also featured in the book, so its quite an honor to be included along with her.

The book features stories from a wide variety of different professional backgrounds. All the women featured tell their personal stories, with the overall theme being the powerful message that despite financial challenges, family obligations and horrific environment or events: a young Hispanic or Latina woman can succeed to astounding heights with courage and tenacity.

This is the first book I've ever been featured in, and its a tremendous honor to be included in something so memorable and inspirational. The idea that this will be something that will exist to show my family and future generations is very emotional for me.

The book is available by reserved copy right now, but look for a small quantity of books with a personalized note from me inside available on the Horsepower & Heels E-Store for reserve as well.

(A small side note to my family and friends: though the story is written in 1st person perspective, it was written by Laura and there may be some details that were slightly askewed from what you may recall)

Labels: press, Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Today, I had the pleasure of being a guest on Parent Driven School's Pit Crew Conversation Blog Talk Radio Show.

Parent Driven Schools is an organization that believes parents are the solution to the education crisis in our country. The group gives parents the information, tools and resources they need to make sure their children receive an education that prepares them to succeed.

I'm a huge supporter of education and helping children acheive their dreams as Lifelong Learners, so I can really support what PDR is going for families and children out there. I was able to chat with the listeners about how I chose drag racing and what I do to continually learn and grow on an ongoing basis.

Listen to the show here: [Direct Link to Podcast]

In addition, a quote from one of my blog posts on what fueled my passion will be displayed in the California Auto Museum at Parent Driven School's documentary premiere of "Creating Lifelong Learners" on Thursday, August 20th.

For more information on Parent Driven Schools, please visit http://www.parentdrivenschools.org/

Labels: press, Special Causes, women in racing

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Is it really already that time of year?!?

Last year, you might remember our campaign to help Email Our Military's Holiday Love program. Its really a great way to honor our service men and women that are away from home during the holiday season. eMoM sends over care packages filled with all kinds of goodies with cards and notes of support and encouragement so that all of our Military have something special while they are serving our country this holiday.

This year, we've made some special Horsepower & Heels Holiday cards to send over with the Holiday Love program. We'll throw in some Horsepower & Heels goodies too, and hope that some of our men and women away from their families with enjoy. Its easy, free, and just the thought of brightening someone's day is worth the time.



To send your support, just drop your goodies to:



eMail Our Military
"Holiday Love"
8004 NW 154 Street, Suite 344
Miami Lakes, FL 33016

You can also donate here as a Postage Patriot:


Visit The Official eMail Our Military Blog - Supporting Our Military One eMail at a Time!

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Today is Blog Action Day, a day where people all across the world take to their blogs to post on one central subject. Last year, the subject was Environment, and my post was called Green Racing, tying in drag racing with its effects on the environment and what we could do to help.

This year's theme is POVERTY.

I've joked before that I think racers are among the poorest people on the planet. What else would explain the fact that we are normally flat broke, yet spend every penny we can find for about 6 seconds of entertainment. Drag Racing isn't exactly the most economical of sports, you know....

We all know how tough today's economy, and how hard it has taken a toll on our daily lifestyle. Remember when gas was affordable and all your spendable income didn't go into your tank just to get by? Most all of us have had to change the way we live our daily lives to adjust for the hardships that today's economy have placed on us. Less racing, fewer trips, cutbacks from every facet of our life. But what if you never had any disposable income to begin with? What if you couldn't even afford to LIVE?

REAL POVERTY is a big problem in this world. Over 3 BILLION people live on less than $2.50 a day... more than half the world population. 80% of the world population lives on less than $10 a day. What is that? A quart of racing oil? One Brisk spark plug?

How does Poverty affect the people in this world?

• Food: 30,000 children die a day of hunger. That's enough to fill up the stands at a NHRA National event. EVERY DAY, that amount of children die. Its inconceivable.


• Education: 1 billion people entered the 21st century unable to read. 72 million children will never attend primary school, with 57% of them being female.


• Illness: 40 million people live with HIV/AIDS, with 3 million deaths each year. 250-300 million cases per year of malaria are reported, with an average of 1 million deaths.


• Water: 2.6 billion people have problems locating clean drinking water.

We each are so incredibly lucky that we are afforded not only the basics to survive, but are well enough off to enjoy a form of entertainment/hobby such as drag racing. Why not just take some time out of our day, and unite as racers to make a change in the world, and GIVE BACK by:

• Choosing a poverty related aid organization to support (such as Global Fund or Kiva) and pledge to donate your race winnings for a race or season.
• Promote your charity on your racecar, website, etc. to increase awareness
• Donate a percentage of all t-shirt sales to your charity
• Attend a charity function as a motorsports ambassador (offer to display your car for your charity, etc.)
• Set up a gambler's race at your local track with all winnings donated to your cause

What other ways can you think of to make a difference as a goodwill racing ambassador?


READ MORE ABOUT POVERTY

• Causes of Poverty -- A site full of stats and information (all data above from this site)
• Girl Effect -- Given my feelings about women advocacy, this is a very interesting organization.

RACING RELATED CHARITY CAMPAIGNS

• NHRA Antes up for Charity
• Infineon Raceway -- Speedway Charities
• Pro Stock Motorcycle Rider Karen Stoffer and GEICO -- Bikes for Tykes
• Pro Stock Driver Mike Edwards and Young Life
• Schumacher Racing -- Riley Hospital for Children Campaign
• John Force Holiday Car Show -- Chips for Kids

Labels: Blog Action Day, Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 12:00 AM | 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

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

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Posted by Erica Ortiz at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Godspeed all the fallen drag racers and thanks for the memories!

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Labels: At the Races, On the Road, Special Causes, women in racing

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Piensa Mas Alla....Think Beyond

Recently, I was asked by the Palomita & Chucho Clothing Co. to design a special edition t-shirt to be auctioned off at an event in June benefitting education. Palomita and Chucho are fresh, fun brands that capture the nostalgia of Latin America, the bubbly soda us latinos drank with our school lunches, that salty candy that made our fingers all sticky, or that loveable mouse we watched on television before we were tucked into bed.

The t-shirt design was sent to me blank, with just the word "WOOPY" on the front of the shirt. Woopy is a fruit juice drink with a fun and playful attitude. This drink was launched in the 70’s and was the drink for the new generation. I wasn't really sure what to draw for WOOPY, so I had a Palomita champagne bottle popping with WOOPY. Not exactly a fruit juice, but maybe you could say it was our adult version now that we're all grown up. My drawing skills as you can see are lacking a bit, but hopefully it will do well at the event for this great cause.

The event, the 1st Annual Latino Fashion Show Auction benefitting the Palomita Education Fund, will be held on June 12th in San Francisco, CA. I'm not sure I'll be able to attend, but I think it will be a great event! If you are in that area, reserve your seat and help the cause!

June 12, 2008
Terra SF
511 Harrison Street,
San Francisco, CA

6:30pm
Pink Carpet Arrival
Cocktails & Silent Auction
7:30pm
Live Auction of Special Edition Tees designed by Latino Personalities followed by the Palomita & Chucho Fashion Show

For more information contact events@licenzing.com

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

The NHRA has started its own campaign against street racing that I think should be applauded.




I think they should be bringing this message to the schools to educate young teens on the dangers and tell them about the safe, responsible place to race.

So many good things happening in our sport, I hope that these counter all the negative press that these illegal street races have cast on legitimate drag racing.

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Nothing can be worse than a parent losing a child. Nothing is more unimaginable than losing two in the same instant.

Doug Herbert's two sons deaths in an automobile accident several weeks ago is a horrible tragedy, a tragedy that involved speed and the loss of two wonderful young boys. It is a theme that has sadly been present often lately in the news, and a very dangerous trend of taking racing to city streets with disastrous results.

One positive that can come out of this is the formation of the B.R.A.K.E.S. foundation (http://www.putonthebrakes.com/), the group that Doug Herbert has started in memory of his sons. B.R.A.K.E.S. stands for Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe. His hope is that teaching young kids the dangers of speeding on public streets and their responsibility of staying safe will make his son's deaths a meaningful lesson to prevent other parents' from experiencing similar losses.

Doug explains that even though he travels 330 mph down a dragstrip, he drives with caution and care on the highways and public roads. He has set his sights on winning the 2008 Powerade championship in Top Fuel "for his boys".

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

In December of last year, Horsepower & Heels Racing teamed up with Email Our Military and their Holiday Love program. We sent over holiday cards and some driver hero cards that went into packages for the service people overseas. It was something that seemed so simple, and yet we received emails from service persons thanking us for the cards and how much they were appreciated.



Well, the Valentine's Day program for Email Our Military is in full swing, and Horsepower & Heels Racing is excited to be helping coordinate a special tribute from the women in racing called "Kisses from Home". The program is calling out to all the women of motorsports asking them to "blow kisses" to our military as Valentine's cards.



I made some quick custom Valentine's cards that were cheap and easy, but really anything would do. Ideally, you could just take a snapshot of you blowing kisses and send them over like postcards with a quick note.





Its not too late! To get involved, just send them in one envelope to:



"Kisses from Home"

c/o eMail Our Military

8004 NW 154 Street, Suite 344

Miami Lakes, FL. 33016

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

You might remember last year I told you about the great Vinny/Stangbangerz/PINKS story? Well, the air date is almost here. Check it out Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at 9pm EST on the Speed Channel. Here's the preview:



We miss ya, guy!

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

The government in Canada is passing a law that will ban the use of leaded fuel in Canada for competition use. This ban, if passed, will mean the end of drag racing in Canada. The proposed law is slated to go into effect on January 9, 2009.

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

There is a proposal out to build a $21 million motorsports facility in Heflin, AL on the AL/GA border off of I-20. Such a facility could potentially bring an NHRA National event to Alabama, which currently has no NHRA National event.

To help show your support for the track, please send an email (under 300 words) to:
Cleburne County News
news@cleburnenews.com

and to the city official
Steve Swafford
swafford@cleburnecounty.us
141 Davenport Drive
Heflin, AL 36264

The newspaper will be publishing letters of support to help push the plans through. Please take a moment to promote a positive growth in drag racing.

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 3:44 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

I recently had the pleasure of learning about a very special program called eMail Our Military through their update tweets on the insta-news social network, Twitter.

eMail Our Military (eMOM) was created as a response to the DoD's cancellation of the "Any Service Member" and "Operation Dear Abby" mail programs in 2001, with the mission to provide encouragement, motivation and morale support to the men and women serving in our military by sending eMail, correspondence and care packages. Website visitors can join, participation is free, and take part in a number of support projects ranging from sending eMail on a one-on-one basis with a service member to year round support projects.

In memory of my Papi, who was retired from the Air Force, I decided to try and help out by sending some goodies to be included in the packages. Just simple Horsepower & Heels "stuff" I was told, would go a long way to someone on duty overseas. I then spoke to eMOM crusader @Dayngr on twitter, and we've decided to partner up and really get some love sent to our heros.

Right now, they are in full swing of their "Holiday Love" campaign, giving service members special Holiday packages and cards while they are serving abroad and away from their families. They are also collecting from "Postage Patriots" to cover the cost of mailing the packages to our military members. To donate, use the below form:

Share a little Holiday Love today!

Listen to:
eMOMpromo2007.mp3

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

I stumbled upon a great website and organization through twitter today. Its called eMail Our Military. The service matches military personnel overseas with people here at home to act as email pals of sort and show them the support they deserve.

After adding @Dayngr on twitter, she suggested I put together a package of Horsepower & Heels "stuff" for our troops and sent it to the eMail Our Military office for inclusion in their care packages headed overseas to our military. It seems like such a small thing to do, but if it might make someone over there know that we are thinking of them, I'm happy to do it.

It is such a great program, I hope more of you out there try and help out as well!

Labels: Special Causes

Posted by Erica Ortiz at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post