Abbate Earns Exciting P2 Finish in Trans Am Race at Sonoma

Shift Up Now Athlete and Foundation Grantee Michele Abbate brought home a second-place finish in first race of the Sonoma SpeedTour doubleheader at Sonoma Raceway on April 18-21, 2024.

Driving the No. 30 Ghost Energy car for Nitro Motorsports in the TA2 class of the Trans Am West Coast Championship among an 19-car field, Abbate took to the track on a Cope chassis and Pirelli tires.

No stranger to the 2.52-mile, 12-turn road course, the Las Vegas native has previously finished on the podium at Sonoma Raceway in several categories. The doubleheader weekend was her second event of the partial schedule she’s running this season.

In addition, Sonoma marked Abbate’s second weekend running a special livery honoring her brother Michael, a Nevada State Police Sergeant. Last November, he was killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver.

Following the Sonoma weekend, Abbate was able to donate more than $2,000 to Heroes and Handcuffs, a Nevada non-profit dedicated to legislative reform and victim support. Abbate’s online community helped her surpass the $1,500 fundraising goal she set last month for her birthday.

Practice took place on Friday and Abbate was fifth-fastest in the field. The following morning dawned cool for qualifying, making for fast track conditions and lap times. She qualified P3 for race one, taking place later that afternoon.

At the green flag of the 40-lap competition, chaos ensued in turn two. Abbate capitalized and stayed out of trouble, advancing one position. Then, as the mid-pack made their way through the first lap, additional incidents occurred in turn four and the carousel, bringing out a full- course caution for three laps.

Before the restart, two cars had passed Abbate in turns seven and eight, so she was running P4. However, she gained one spot back on the restart to hold P3 in class. Later, another three- lap caution flag flew, and Abbate said she was “battling to make up lost ground.”

She fought hard to stay in the top four for the remainder of the race, trading places several times with the cars running second and third.

A late-race caution and subsequent red flag flew at lap 26, which bunched up the field for six laps. On the restart, Abbate was P2 in class and P3 overall. She held off the TA2 field for six laps, ultimately holding her position for the finish. She also ran the third-fastest lap of the race to earn a P3 spot on the starting grid for Sunday’s race.

“This season, I’ve been focusing really hard on pushing myself, and getting outside my comfort zone,” said Abbate. “I know I’m with the best team, and I’m getting faster and more confident every time I get in this car.

“This weekend, I feel I made a lot of progress. And even though I made a mistake in the race that set me back, I was able to shake it off and fight my way back to the front of the field, bringing home my second podium finish from two events so far this season. While I wish I was able to race full time, I’m so grateful to all of my partners, and to Nitro Motorsports. And I’m determined to keep making the most of every opportunity this year that I have.”

On Sunday, Abbate’s car experienced a suspension failure in turn two of the first lap. No contact or damage resulted, but she was forced to retire the car for the day.

Abbate's season will continue when she returns to the Trans Am National Tour for their event at Lime Rock Park on Memorial Day Weekend.

Season-Best Finish for Balcaen at Talladega

Shift Up Now Athlete Amber Balcaen earned a P7 finish in the General Tire 200 at Talladega Super Speedway on April 20, 2024. This marked her second top-ten finish in just three ARCA Menards Series races so far, and placed her fourth in the drivers’ standings.

Driving the Icon Direct No. 22 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports, Balcaen was ready for the 76- lap competition on one of her favorite race tracks.

Despite a shortened practice session on Friday, where drivers were only allowed six laps to get up to speed, Balcaen got to work and ran the fifth-fastest lap. However at this event, instead of qualifying, the starting lineup for the race was set by owner’s points. This meant Balcaen would start P24.

Saturday’s race on the 2.66-mile oval began at 12:30 p.m. ET under perfect racing conditions, with an overcast sky and no rain. Early on, Balcaen steadily advanced forward through the field. As she moved into the P7 position, the front pack of cars created separation. The tail car of the lead draft struggled to stick with the front group, causing some of the stronger cars in the field to fall off.

Balcaen was one of the lead cars of the second pack. She noted that she needed a car behind to push and a car ahead to be “sandwiched in the draft,” otherwise it was tough to hold on and pass. Nonetheless, she held her P7 position until the checkered flag fell.

“I’m glad we got another top-ten finish,” said Balcaen. “I obviously wanted the win but advancing from twenty-fourth to seventh is still a solid finish. We tried to make a move earlier to take the lead but the second lane was not able to build momentum like the bottom one. I needed a lot more help to make any kind of moves.

“I was also surprised how different Talladega raced this year, versus Daytona. The safest bet was to stay on the bottom in the lead draft with someone behind you. No one was able to form lines up top like we were able to at Daytona. But it was still a great, clean race, and overall a good points day as well. We currently sit fourth in the points, and only six points out of the lead.

"It gives us good momentum going into Dover. I’m proud of my entire Venturini team for putting together a great car and I am extremely thankful to have the support from Icon Direct.”

Balcaen and the ARCA Menards Series head to Delaware this weekend for the General Tire 150 at Dover Motor Speedway on Friday, April 26, 2024.

Shift Up Now Foundation Provides Broader Opportunities for Grantees in 2024

The Shift Up Now Foundation is proud to announce that four female racers - Laura Hayes, Loni Unser, Michele Abbate and Sabré Cook - have been awarded grants for the 2024 season.

The foundation, which lives alongside the Shift Up Now for-profit business, strives for gender equality for female athletes in motorsport, and furthers the mission by accepting tax-deductible gifts, donations and grants. Funds raised are used to award opportunities to racers believed to have the talent and aptitude to succeed in motorsports, giving them access to more competitive equipment, seat time for testing and practice, and resources to help grow their careers.

Laura Hayes will race in the 102nd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with Thunder Bunny Racing. Driving the Mobil1 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO, Hayes’ grant funding will cover vehicle expenses and insuring her car for the event.

“I'm so honored to be a Shift Up Now Foundation grant recipient,” said Hayes. “Missing the hill climb last year was more painful than I'd anticipated, so I've been determined to make it back to Colorado. With the introduction of the new GT4 Division presented by Yokohama, I couldn't be more excited to pilot one of our Toyota Supra GT4's to 14,000 feet. I certainly wouldn't be able to pull this off without Shift Up Now's support. I'm very grateful!”

Loni Unser will pilot a full season in the Porsche Sprint Challenge driving a Cayman GT4 RS. Her grant funds will cover travel expenses for seven race weekends, plus her new-found exploration into stunt-driving.

“I am so grateful for Shift Up Now,” said Unser. “Without their help, I wouldn't have had nearly as many of the opportunities I have been afforded. By making the most of these opportunities I feel as though I am better able to use them to inspire others to do the same.”

Michele Abbate is currently committed to driving the No. 30 Ghost Energy car for eight (of 12) races in the TA2 category of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. Her grant funding will help her continue to compete with a top-tier team, Nitro Motorsports, in competitive equipment, which she believes is her best opportunity for success on track.

"I am incredibly grateful to be selected as a Shift Up Now Foundation grant recipient,” said Abbate. “Because without out the support - and help from my sponsors - I would have one less race on my 2024 schedule.”

Sabré Cook will pilot a 911 GT3 Cup (992) car in the Pro class for MDK Motorsports in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America series. Cook was a 2023 Shift Up Now Foundation grant recipient. After an accident at the end of last season kept her out of the car, funds were deferred to support her efforts in 2024.

"It means a lot to have the Shift Up Now Foundation grant me support for the 2024 season,” said Cook. “My 2023 was cut short after my massive crash at Indianapolis last year, so it's been really helpful that the Foundation has allowed me to transfer my grant to the 2024 season instead. Every penny makes a difference in my racing budget, so I'm thankful for the help the grant is providing, so I can keep racing and have better equipment when doing so.”

Fans can follow along with the Athletes’ schedules and results at ShiftUpNow.com. For more information about the Shift Up Now Foundation, or to donate, please visit www.ShiftUpNow.org.

Back-to-Back Points Finishes for Havrda at Nola SpeedTour

Shift Up Now Athlete Nicole Havrda kicked off the 2024 Formula Regional (FR) Americas Championship with P7 and P6 finishes at Nola Motorsports Park on April 12-14, 2024.

Testing and practice for the 15-car field took place on Thursday and Friday. Havrda maintained a top-ten pace throughout several sessions as she prepared for qualifying on Saturday.

Driving the No. 6 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports car, with Ligier chassis and Honda engine, this is Havrda’s first-full season in the FR Americas Championship.

On Saturday morning, Havrda got up to speed quickly in the qualifying session. During the first flying laps of the day, she was inside the top five. Temperatures rose throughout the session, so as competitors found speed over the last few laps, Havrda dropped to a P9 qualifying spot. Still satisfied with a top-ten result, she was ready for race one.

Rounds one, two and three of the FR Americas Championship were 30 minutes, each with a standing start per Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) regulations. In addition, FIA races award points solely to the top ten finishers.

Starting from P9, Havrda had a solid start to race one, advancing to P8 early on. The remainder of the competition was mired by safety car periods and a red flag, the Canadian driver stayed clean and drove smart. She continued to show improving pace and earned a P7 finish at the checkered flag.

Race two began with a clean start from P7 for Havrda, based on her race-one finish. The first safety car came out at the end of the first lap, followed by several more, just like the day before. Havrda moved up to P6, and despite having to defend a few times after the restarts, maintained her position.

With just under five minutes to go, the race was red-flagged for a spun car. Race control aimed to give the field a final restart opportunity but later decided against it. Havrda’s P6 marked her second points finish of the weekend.

Race three saw Havrda starting from P6. Once again, the safety car came out at the end of the first lap. But after a clean restart, the field settled in for the longest green-flag run of the weekend. Havrda maintained her P6 position, holding off pressure from the seventh-place driver and repeating her weekend’s best lap times. Unfortunately, her oil pressure alarm went off with five minutes left in the race. She was forced to switch off and retire the car.

Despite the tough ending, Havrda was pleased with the weekend, and her potential for the rest of the championship season.

“Overall, it was a good start to the season,” said Havrda. “I focused on making consistent improvements throughout the weekend and finishing the races with no mistakes.

“Huge thank you to the Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport crew, and my amazing parents and the fans that were watching the race. My goal for our next event at Road America is a top-five finish, and my team and I will be working extra hard to achieve that.”

Next up, the FR Americas Championship series heads to Wisconsin for the Road America SpeedTour on May 16-19, 2024.

Victory for Greenemeier and Grisham at Sonoma

Shift Up Now Athletes Hannah Greenemeier and Hannah Grisham won the first Pirelli SRO GT4 America event of the year, and backed it up with a third-place podium finish, at Sonoma Raceway on April 5-7, 2024.

Piloting the No. 26 Heart of Racing car, the season opener would mark Greenemeier’s debut with the Heart of Racing team and her first-ever SRO GT4 race start. In advance of the race weekend, she was given some seat time with AE Victory Racing at Barber to build experience.

The Sonoma weekend would mark Greenemeier’s and Grisham’s debut as teammates. Grisham competed with the Heart of Racing team in the fall of 2022, after winning its highly-coveted shootout.

The race weekend got off to a rough start due to the newly-paved track breaking up in several areas. As a result, all testing on Thursday was canceled. The Sonoma Raceway crews worked hard to solve the issues and prepare the track in time for competition.

On Saturday, practice and qualifying were combined into one session for the GT4 America field. The No. 26 Heart of Racing team was 14th-fastest overall, and second in the AM class to set the grid for race one.

Greenemeier started the first race from P2 and maintained position for the entirety of her stint. Grisham took the wheel of the Aston Martin Vantage GT4, and made a late-race pass for the lead in turn nine. The victory marked Grisham’s third consecutive race win, after sweeping the weekend to close the 2023 season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Race two took place on Sunday with Grisham behind the wheel. Starting P4 in class, she advanced one position to P3 before the driver switch. Greenemeier was battling for the P2 spot when a full-course caution slowed the field. The remaining seven minutes of the race ran under yellow, and the Heart of Racing team crossed the finish line in P3.

“Overall, a really good weekend to start off the season,” said Grisham. “We came home with a win and a third-place finish today. Ultimately, really strong points for us to go after the championship. I think the weekend went almost as good as it could have gone.

“Thank you to everyone on the Heart of Racing Team for the opportunity to be back again. I’ve really enjoyed being paired up with Hannah (Greenemeier). She’s done a really amazing job and has gotten acquainted with this car very quickly. We’ll try to carry that momentum into Sebring.”

Greenemeier echoed the same sentiments, saying, “Another great day at Sonoma, ending with a P3 in class. Hannah (Grisham) had an amazing first stint, and she handed me the car in contention halfway through the race. From there, I was hunting down second place in our class - with first place just a few more seconds ahead - when the late race caution came out, and the race finished under double yellows. ‘The Grish’ and I had great pace all weekend. A podium and a win is the right way to kick off our championship.”

Greenemeier and Grisham will be back in action together for rounds three and four of the SRO GT America championship at Sebring International Raceway on May 3-5, 2024.

Pair of P2 Podium Finishes for Mann at Nordschleife

Shift Up Now Athlete Pippa Mann and her WS Racing Girls Only teammates earned back-to-back second-place finishes for rounds one and two of the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) Championship at the Nurburgring Nordschleife on April 5-7, 2024.

Mann piloted the No. 146 Giti Tire BMW GT4, supported by ZF Motorsport and Motul Germany, alongside teammates Beitske Visser (driving Saturday and Sunday), Carrie Schreiner (Saturday), and Fabienne Wohlwend (Sunday). In addition to the driver lineup, the Girls Only team featured a crew of all-female mechanics and engineers.

Testing took place on Friday afternoon. The team’s goal was to get all four drivers on track during the 4.5-hour session on the 24.36-km NLS track layout. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mann was unable to turn laps, but her teammates worked to dial in the handling of the car, looking for both single-lap pace and full-stint performance.

Saturday morning’s qualifying session was damp and cold. After Visser turned one exploratory lap at the start of the session, the team determined the track conditions were still too wet for slicks, and they decided to wait for ten minutes for the grip to improve. Mann was next in the car, and hit the track for her first laps of the weekend. Despite several areas of the track still being wet, she ran lap times that put the team third in their SP8T class, and just below halfway in the GT4 field. After teammates Schreiner and Visser took the wheel, Visser qualified the Girls Only team third for the start of Saturday’s race on the drying race track.

Race one, began at noon on Saturday, featuring a 110-car field with 15 GT4 cars and five in the SP8T class. Visser was behind the wheel first for the four-hour endurance race. She drove a strong first stint, however a fueling issue caused the team to pit slightly earlier than planned.

Mann took the wheel next for her first dry laps of the weekend on the famous “Green Hell” track. Because the team was off-sequence from the early pit stop, Mann had to re-pass several slower GT4 cars that had not stopped yet, and continued to advance through the field.

Due to an abundance of incidents, causing “slow zones” around the race track, she wasn’t able to drive a single full-green lap, however her pace looked good in the green sectors. Halfway through her stint, while slowing for a “Code 120 slow zone,” she was hit from behind, causing damage to the rear of the car, but not affecting her pace.

After Mann, Schreiner was next in the car to drive a double stint to finish the race. However the damage to the exhaust from the impact sustained in Mann’s stint caused an over-heating gearbox, and the team had to make an additional pit stop to address the issue.

Once she re-joined the race, despite being several minutes back, Schreiner started the charge to chase down P3. When a lead car suffered a tire puncture, the Girls Only team set their sights on P2. An error from the second placed car - speeding in one of the slow zones while under pressure from the closing Schreiner - promoted Mann’s team to second-in-class, and P9 overall in the GT4 class. Overall, they were happy with the pace but looking to dial in the handling on their Giti tires for a faster pace the following day.

Qualifying for race two took place on Sunday morning. Once again, Visser was first on track for a two-lap run, and set a qualifying time that was second-in-class and seventh overall. Mann took the wheel next and in one flying, sub-nine-minute lap, ran two seconds off the best time in her first full green flag lap of the weekend. Wohlwend was the final driver behind the wheel, but a brake-line issue meant she was unable to set a qualifying time.

Race two began at noon on Sunday. Wohlwend drove a strong first stint for the four-hour competition, moving the team up to P2 in class, and P2 overall in the GT4 field. Several GT4 cars - including the P1 competitor - pitted off-sequence, putting them on a different strategy than the Girls Only team.

Mann took the wheel next and caught the leader halfway through her stint. She stayed in its mirrors and forced an error, turning it into an over-under pass at Hohe Acht. The move temporarily advanced Mann’s team to the lead of the SP8T class, which she held through the duration of her stint.

Visser drove the final stint. After fueling during the team’s last scheduled stop, they were forced to hold in pit lane for 15 seconds to meet the minimum pit stop time for the race. Nevertheless, Visser left pit lane in P1.

Unfortunately, a puncture from morning qualifying left the team without a set of new tires, so Visser was left to compete on battle-worn tires without much grip. With two laps to go, the second-place car passed her, putting the Girls Only car P2 in the SP8T class, and P4 overall in GT4 at the checkered flag.

“This was a strong weekend to build on as we prepare for this year’s twenty-four hour race,” said Mann. “Our girls were fantastic at the pit stops. Having to wait through the fifteen seconds of the last pit stop was agonizing, but having that margin left to meet our minimum pit stop time shows how flawless our mechanics were.

“Our Giti Tire BMW M4 GT4 was fast this weekend. We still have a little pace to find as we continue to dial in the car setup for the tires and the ZF Motorsport damping. But all four drivers ran within five seconds of each other on the nine-minute lap, so we should be a strong team in June when we race for twenty-four hours. Personally, I’m very happy to have had this opportunity to get the seat time ahead of that race.

“I want to thank the team, my teammates, and all our sponsors for having me drive both days this weekend. It will be a big help to come back in June with this many laps already under my belt this season. And as for today, while we might have been on different strategies, getting to make a pass for the lead in class, and then stay there with the fastest GT4 car on track this weekend breathing down my neck for the rest of the stint was definitely my kind of fun!”

Visser, Schreiner and Wohlwend will return to Nordschleife next weekend for the 24h Qualifying Race. Mann will rejoin the Girls Only team for the 2024 ADAC Total Energies 24 Hour Race at the Nurburgring on June 1-2, 2024.

Career-Best Trans Am TA2 Finish for Abbate in Special Tribute Livery at Road Atlanta

Shift Up Athlete Michele Abbate earned a podium TA2 Pro-Am finish - and top ten finish overall - in the Trans Am by Pirelli TA2 Mission Foods Road SpeedTour at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday, March 23, 2024.

Driving the No. 30 Ghost Energy car for Nitro Motorsports among a 30-car field, Abbate took to the 2.54-mile road course on a Cope chassis and Pirelli tires. The weekend schedule featured two test sessions on Thursday, followed by the official practice on Friday morning.

Abbate’s livery featured an extraordinary tribute to her brother, Michael, a Nevada State Police Sergeant. Last November, he was killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver, and this race marked Abbate’s first time back on track since his passing.

Her last outing was at Circuit of the Americas last fall, and the Las Vegas native has plans to run a partial season for 2024. So without being at the season opener in Sebring, and with limited seat time, she was happy with her car’s handling, performance and new brake package.

During the official practice Friday, Abbate set a P22 time, running within tenths of a second of her previous personal best. When the qualifying session was later rained out, the race grid was set by from the official practice times.

On Saturday, the 100-mile race - with no refueling or pit stops - began at 12:45p.m. ET. The track was dry but green after overnight rain had washed away the rubber.

When the green flag fell, Abbate took a conservative approach, protecting her Ghost Energy car to get through the first lap cleanly. Just a few laps into the race, a brief caution period took place. Once back to green, Abbate settled in and gained confidence, consistently decreasing her lap times and making passes with each opportunity.

The second full-course caution flew on lap 24 for an incident in turn 10. The field packed up behind the safety car during the four laps of yellow. Afterward, Abbate had a strong restart, passing several cars and advancing into the top 15 before another full-course caution. At this point, several of her competitors began to suffer tire failures due to their abuse of the Road Atlanta curbs early in the tires’ heat cycle at the start of the race.

Two laps remained when the green flag fell and Abbate was running P13. She made two more passes and had just half a lap to go when the final caution flag was thrown. She would then take the checkered flag in P11 overall, and P3 in the Pro-Am class. After the race, one of the cars ahead was penalized for avoidable contact, moving Abbate up one position.

The P10 marked her best finish so far on the Trans Am National Tour. It was also the first time she stood on the podium in Trans Am since 2020.

"I cannot express in words what today meant to me,” said Abbate. “I know my brother was sitting right next to me in my number 30 Ghost Energy Ford Mustang, and he guided me safely through the field and I am so proud of our finish.

“Post-race results putting us P10, with my first top-ten finish nationally and a second-place finish in Pro-Am is really a dream come true. It proves I belong here, and I'm excited to put in the work to keep progressing and honoring my brother throughout my racing career.”

Abbate’s next event will be the the Trans Am West Coast Sonoma SpeedTour at Sonoma Raceway on April 18-21, 2024.

Cook Earns Pair of Top-15 Finishes in Porsche Carrera Cup at Sebring

Shift Up Now Athlete Sabre Cook followed up a P14 finish on Thursday with a P13 one on Friday, driving for MDK Motorsports in the Porsche Carrera Cup at Sebring International Raceway on March 14-15, 2024.

The two Porsche Carrera Cup sprint races took place in the evening as the sun set, and were a prelude to the 2024 Mobil1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Cadillac, which began on Saturday.

Driving the No. 37 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) on Yokohama Tires with Mobil1, and proudly displaying support from continued partner privé products, Cook was in the top ten during official test sessions that had taken place the previous week.

Qualifying for the 40-car Porsche Carrera Cup took place on Thursday morning in warm, dry weather. Cook qualified P21 for race one with her fastest lap, and P17 for race two, with her second-fastest lap. She and the MDK Motorsports team worked hard on the setup as they looked to achieve more speed and extract the more from the Yokohama tires. After qualifying, the team made positive changes to her Cup Car to prepare for race one.

That evening, the first race started at 4:55 p.m. ET. Starting from P21, Cook made sure to prepare her tires on the warmup laps so when the green flag fell, she was ready. Although she was boxed in on the inside of the first turn, she didn’t let that affect her focus, and made several passes on the opening lap, taking any gap she could find.

A big incident on lap one in the exit of turn five required wall-damage repair and brought out a full-course yellow. It was opportune for Cook, allowing her tires to cool after pushing to make passes early in the race. On the restart, she overtook another car immediately as the field returned to full pace in turn one, then several more cars over the next few laps.

As the race continued, Cook entered into a lap-after-lap battle with the No. 8 car for the P13 spot. She described the battle as “great fun” as the two raced hard but respectfully, driving side-by-side into several corners. With the end of the race in sight, the No. 8 car took the position.

The entire field was feeling the impact of the Florida heat by the time the checkered flag fell. But Cook’s P14 finish meant she had advanced eight places in an extremely competitive field. In addition, she was the highest-finishing Porsche Female Development Driver, and earned a new set of Yokohama tires.

Race two began at 7:15 p.m. ET on Friday. In what Cook described as a “messy start,” she took a heavy, side-to-side hit before turn one as several cars broke the rule that prohibits passing in your column before the start/finish line. Chaos ensued, but Cook reacted quickly heading into turns 3-5, picking the right path for her car to narrowly miss the melee. By the time the field reached turn 11, the full-course caution was out to allow for clean-up of several crashes.

Since it was only Cook’s second time navigating the tricky sunset visibility, she felt lucky that the yellow fell during the worst part of the evening. She said driving during sunset requires racers to have solid reference points and to trust the speed the car can take, even when depth-perception feels different.

When the checkered flag fell, Cook bettered her finish from the day before, earning P13 and another set of Yokohama tires for being the top-finishing female. She was then awarded a third set for being the top-finishing female overall for the race weekend.

“It felt great being back for the first race of the season,” Cook said. “While there were challenging parts to the week, and qualifying didn’t go as expected, we made up for it in the races and showed a lot of potential going into the rest of the season. I had some really good battles and passes, so that always puts a smile on my face.

“I can’t thank MDK Motorsports enough, and their partner, Ease Logistics, for bringing me into the team and providing great support to start the season. My partners PenFed Credit Union, privé products, Hagerty, Shift Up Now, Bell Helmets, Sabelt America, Rude Image and MySim have all continued their support of me this season. I’m excited to also welcome Senergy Builders, McKenna & Associates, and Mobil1 to the team! I’m proud and thankful to have so much support behind me, and can’t wait to keep progressing throughout the season.”

Races three and four of the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup season will take place at the Miami International Autodrome, alongside the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix, on May 3-5, 2024.

Polaris Talent to Join Shift Up Now as a Corporate Member

Shift Up Now is proud to announce that Polaris Talent has come on board as a Corporate Member of The Inside Track by Shift Up Now. In addition, Polaris Talent has made a one-percent pledge to both Shift Up Now and the Shift Up Now Foundation for the 2024 season.

With a passion for motorsports, and as a majority women-owned company, the Polaris Talent founders felt aligned to the Shift Up Now mission. The Racine, WI-based company is passionate about ensuring that women are well-represented in their chosen field.

Further, Polaris Talent is a Wisconsin Benefit Corporation, operating as a for-profit organization with a non-profit mission. Its focus includes DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) best practices, helping women get into leadership positions, and teaching companies how to build great organizations and cultures via strategic talent acquisition.

In support of their mission, Polaris Talent took the One Percent Pledge in 2021. For the upcoming race season, the company has committed to supporting Shift Up Now efforts to positively impact women in motorsport. One percent of all top-line Polaris Talent revenue is pledged to the Shift Up Now Foundation.

“We felt there was alignment between our mission and values, and that of Shift Up Now,” said Marie Watkins, Chief Vision Officer at Polaris Talent. “So Marshall Folger (Chief of Staff at Polaris Talent) reached out to Pippa Mann last fall to ask, ‘How can we help?’

“We’re looking forward to supporting Shift Up Now Athletes when they are at Road America this season, and hoping to do something formal with Michelle Abbate during the Trans Am weekend. We are also excited that Shift Up Now athlete Loni Unser is with Kellymoss Racing since they are also a Wisconsin-based, women-owned company, and we are helping them with STEM-education events for the Girl Scouts.”

In addition to supporting the Shift Up Now mission this racing season, Polaris Talent is launching several other motorsports-related initiatives. On March 20th, the company is co- hosting a monthly coffee chat with Arrow McLaren. The chat is open to anyone in the industry with HR responsibilities for a team, series or race track.

On March 18th, Polaris Talent will launch DriveHer Consulting, a place for women athletes to learn about entrepreneurship. Topics in the webinars, course and 1:1 coaching will include how to ideate, start, run and grow a business, plus mindset and soft-skills training for making the transition from athlete to entrepreneur.

Shift Up Now CEO Pippa Mann also expressed her excitement about the partnership, saying, “Shift Up Now is an organization that is founded on a strong belief of women supporting women. I’m thrilled to welcome another majority woman-owned business as one of our partner’s for 2024, and for the Shift Up Now Foundation to be the beneficiary of their One Percent pledge this year.

“Marie and her team have some exciting plans in the motorsport space, and we’re excited to both have their support and to be able to offer their DriveHer Consulting and educational content to our Athletes."

For more information about Polaris Talent, please visit www.PolarisTalent.com.

About Polaris Talent

Polaris Talent drives transformation by designing and delivering strategic recruitment and people programs that improve diversity and optimize employee capabilities for high-tech companies, motorsports organizations, and automotive companies that want to create a culture where everyone wins, together. We specialize in finding and engaging diverse degreed professionals in engineering and computer science, finance, legal, and business development.

We are not a recruitment agency or a headhunter. Instead we offer a recruiting-as-a-service model for companies that need to hire one or many. Please see https://www.polaristalent.com/ business-transformation for more details and a list of past clients and testimonials. Polaris Talent is led by Marie Watkins (Chief Vision Officer), Roma Watkins (Chief Operations Officer), and Marshall Folger (Chief of Staff).

Podium Finish for Hayes, Top-Ten Finish for AE Victory Racing at Barber

Five Shift Up Now athletes competed this weekend on Yokohama tires in variable weather conditions and produced a solid two days of successful racing with World Racing League (WRL) at Barber Motorsports Park.

Ready to defend their title, 2023 WRL GTO champions Laura Hayes and Thunder Bunny Racing hit the ground running at Barber, using the momentum from last season to immediately get to work in their Toyota Supra Evo on Yokohama tires.

With rainy weather throughout the day hampering Friday’s qualifying and causing a number of single-car incidents, Hayes and her co-drivers were among those affected and chose to move to a backup car.

Over in the AE Victory Racing camp, Erin Vogel and Team Shift Up Now came into their season opener with confidence for improvement in the car’s pace, following a pre-season test two weeks prior at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California.

However, due to the rain and misfortune of neighboring teams, Friday’s plan to fine-tune the setup was stymied when the team decided not to risk the car by chasing track conditions that would bear no resemblance to Saturday’s forecast.

Fast Track Racing and Pippa Mann came to Barber Motorsports Park with two rookies competing in their first ever WRL races. With no prior WRL experience at the Alabama racetrack, the team tested two weeks prior in frigid temperatures and were confident of a good race car for the cold weather.

Despite the work done in testing, the start of Saturday’s race in the rain proved to be a struggle for the black and yellow BMW M4 GT4, affectionately named “Bumble-Bee”, but as the race track started to dry out the team began to turn competitive lap times.

As the race progressed, a refueling issue which was unable to be resolved during the weekend dropped them down the order. The No. 926 finished just outside the top 10 in GTO at the end of 8 hours on Saturday, with a clean race for all the drivers and no penalties - a successful debut for the two rookies running alongside Mann.

Meanwhile, the No. 225 Thunder Bunny Racing Toyota Supra started race 1 on Saturday from P19, with Hayes behind the wheel.

Charging through an extremely competitive GTO class, she and her co-drivers navigated the drying track and brought home a P3 finish, to secure their first podium of the 2024 season in their first race of the season.

Following Saturday's race, the Thunder Bunny Racing crew discovered that the backup car was running about 20hp down from the car they had originally been set to run, and they were fortunately able to remedy the issue in preparation for Sunday’s race.

For AE Victory Racing, keeping the car parked on Friday meant the No. 119 Audi R8 LMS GT4 would start from nearly the back of the field, and that both Vogel and newcomer Hannah Greenemeier would be seeing the track from the driver’s seat for the first time during their race stints on Saturday.

Sarah Montgomery started Saturday’s race on a very wet track, and in the first lap charged from P23 to P9. She held position until the track began to dry, handing the wheel first to Erin Vogel and then Hannah Greenemeier for double stints.

The two Barber neophytes quickly got up to speed on the track, settling in around P15 for much of the afternoon. Vogel jumped back in behind the wheel for the final hour, to take the checker in P12 in the GTO class.

On Sunday, on a dry racetrack, the changes the Fast Track Racing team made to the car overnight proved to be a step in the right direction, increasing the pace for all three drivers.

The Yokohama-shod black and yellow BMW fought inside the top ten until the refueling issue reared its ugly head. At the restart of the race after the quiet hour, the team was involved in their first contact of the weekend, and two pit-stops were needed to address the damage.

Despite a penalty for the contact, the team continued running top ten lap times, with a second finish just outside the points at Sunday’s checker.

Taking advantage of the better weather conditions on Sunday, Hayes brought more of her signature, consistently-quick pace in the blue and black Supra.

After leading the race both overall and in the GTO class for much of the day, the drivers of the No. 225 attained their second podium of 2024, this time standing proudly on the second step in P2.

“We had to fight really hard there at the end to stay on the podium,” Hayes told Shift Up Now. “The competition this year is tough! There were three of us battling in the final three hours. Our pit-stops were perfect, and I drove my tail off with the third place car hounding me for the last couple of hours! We were just able to out-pace them in the end. It was super intense and very fun! It felt like a win after the issues we had Friday and Saturday.”

With Sunday’s result doubling down a top-five result, Hayes and Thunder Bunny Racing scored valuable championship points in their first races of the 2024 WRL season.

AE Victory Racing’s set up changes overnight combined with the drivers’ fast learning curve showed promise for Sunday’s race. This time, Greenemeier took the green flag, running a clean double stint into the mandated quiet hour.

Vogel commanded the early afternoon portion of the race, handing the Audi to Montgomery for the finish. With a solid two hours of driving, Montgomery charged from outside of the top ten into P9 in GTO, crossing the line in the points for the first time in the team’s short history.

"I'm so proud of the whole team for their excellent work this weekend,” Vogel commented. “The crew did a great job giving us the best car we've had yet, making great strategy calls to jump quickly into action and use caution periods for our pit stops, and executing superb work in the fueling and tire changes.

“Sarah is a rockstar behind the wheel and used her many years of experience at this track to move the car up the order in each of her stints. Hannah made an incredible debut in her endurance racing career, executing clean stints and pit stops throughout the weekend, and gaining valuable experience in large fields of GT4 machinery to great up for her GT4 America debut next month.

“As a rookie team owner, I’m very happy with our progress this weekend. We plan to do more testing mid-March to continue dialing in the setup prior to the next race. We know that’s our current weakness, as our driver lineups clearly have front-running pace. Everyone should expect to see us up at the pointy end of the field once we get our heads around the Audi platform!"

Hayes, Vogel, and Montgomery will compete with World Racing League again April 5-7, 2024, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.