Tamara Maracle says her passion for racecar driving all started with a random Google search a few years ago.
“I found a competition called Formula Woman on Google and I kind of read up about it and it’s for women who have little to no racing experience,” said Maracle, a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, east of Toronto.
“It’s just to help get women into motorsports because women are not quite as out there in motorsports as the men are. So, I found that and they were actually holding an assessment at Calabogie in 2022 and I thought why not?”
Since then Maracle, 36, has been an active member of Formula Woman competing in races that have taken her as far away as the United Kingdom.
In December, she will travel to the Middle East to take part in a women’s race there.
Earlier this month, she earned a racing licence which qualifies her to take part in regional competitions.
Maracle had to complete a racer observation course at the Shannonville Motorsport Park in southwestern Ontario.
This is where APTN News caught up with her as she put her own vehicle – a 2011 Chrysler 200 – through its paces.
“It’s not meant for the track but I make it work,” she said of the car. “I need to get out there and practice so I will do what I have to do, to do that.”
Nathan Blok of Brack Driving Concepts was Maracle’s personal instructor for the day and he said the type of car is not as important as learning the rules of racing.
“Understanding what the rules mean, what the flags mean, where you’re supposed to park the car in the event of a red flag,” Blok said. “Things like that. There’s a lot more than can be explained in a five or 10-minute interview but basically, it’s just making sure that when she goes out on track she’s safe and understanding what everything means and you have to know it because people’s lives are on the line.”
There is no doubt Maracle has learned a lot about racecar driving in a short period of time but she said perhaps the most challenging thing is having the confidence to execute this knowledge both on the track and in competition.
“I would have to say probably my confidence in myself. It’s a big thing because you’re the one in control of the vehicle. If you’re not confident then you’re not going to be able to do it. So, it’s just building that confidence for me.”
Blok agreed part of becoming a successful racer is pushing your comfort level to do things you may have not tried before.
“You have all this room that you’re not tapping into, let’s go there. And then when you tell them – to push their confidence a bit to get them to that point – they go back to the old habits that they had, make a mistake, go off track whatever and then they lose their confidence. And half the battle I do as a coach is trying to say, ‘Okay, here’s what you did wrong, let’s learn from that, not do it again and go back out there and try it again.’ Cause yeah racing is scary.”
Racecar driving is an expensive sport and Maracle estimates she has already spent several thousand dollars just to get to the level she is at.
Blok has been competitively racing for decades and he had this advice for those who want to get involved in the sport but may be lacking the financial means.
“Volunteer to be a corner marshal, hang out at the tracks, offer to wrench and be a mechanic on people’s cars. The only way you’re ever going to get known in this industry is to get known and that means showing up.”
For her part, Maracle said she has definitely caught the racing bug and wants to go as far as the sport will take her.
“It’s the feeling of being out on the track. I don’t know how to explain it. I guess it’s just free. I just feel free. It’s like my mind just calms down and I just focus and it’s amazing. I think everybody should go out and give it a try at least once to see if they like it or not.”
