SCCA Soloist Christine Berry's Star Power is White Hot

For Immediate Release

 

SCCA Soloist Christine Berry's Star Power is White Hot

 

(June 17, 2005) - It is a proven fact that the hottest stars in the
universe burn brightest.  It's also understood that while bright, it
sometimes takes a while for their light to be discovered. 

 

Much the same way, 20 year old California SCCA Soloist Christine Berry's
name has surfaced as one of the top up-and-comers in The Tire Rack(r)
SCCA ProSolo National Series and The Tire Rack(r) SCCA National Tour
this season, but considering her Solo experience is already pushing a
decade, it appears that while this star has also been burning brightly
for a long time, it just took some time for others to find her.  

 

If anyone ever fit the description "lifer," it is Berry.  For as long as
she can remember, SCCA Solo competitions have been part of the Berry
household.  Growing up, Berry was privy to seeing portions of the United
States that, had it not been for her parent's zeal for SCCA Solo
competition, she may not have encountered otherwise.  

 

Berry said she could remember numerous occasions in her childhood when
even the family vacation, which included two parents and three young
girls, was centered on an SCCA event in another part of the country.

 

"We would go up to Washington or Oregon so my parents could compete,"
Berry, of Alta Loma, Calif., said.  "At the event, we would have toys
all over the place so my sisters and I would be entertained while my
parents were driving.  Then, we'd drive through the forests on the way
back home.  It was really neat to get to see that part of the country."


 

Being a part of the Solo community from an early age also gave Berry a
first-hand look at the legendary camaraderie that exists within the
group.  It's something, she said, that she came to appreciate then, and
even more so now, since joining the competitive ranks as a karting
youngster at age 12.

 

"Everyone in Solo is absolutely great," Berry said.  "Whenever somebody
breaks something on their car, or needs a ride or something, someone
else will do what they can to help get them back out on the course.
People are always helping others out like that."

 

Berry is no longer the kid in the group, having passed that distinction
on to her two younger sisters since moving on to California State
Polytechnic University in Pomona, Calif., where she is a junior majoring
in mechanical engineering.  When not attending class, she's a
full-fledged member of the Solo competitive group, competing in the
Ladies classes of The Tire Rack(r) SCCA ProSolo National Series and The
Tire Rack(r) SCCA Solo National Tour; a step up from the Junior classes
she competed in the past few years.

 

Also during that stretch, Berry has taken part in arguably the world's
largest amateur motorsports championship - The Tire Rack(r) SCCA Solo
National Championships, which are held each September in Topeka, Kan.,
and feature more than 1100 competitors.  

 

Even in the face of the best competition, Berry more than held her own
there as well, tallying a second-place finish in her class each of the
past two seasons.

 

As gracefully as Berry has adapted to life on the Solo course, the truly
modest driver has applied the same grace in everyday life to handling
the bit of fame that comes with being tabbed as a future star.  At this
stage in her life, fame currently manifests itself in the form of
well-wishing, sometimes star-struck students who greet her on the
Cal-Poly campus.  

 

"This guy came up to me at school," Berry said. "He said he recognized
me from SportsCar (SCCA's official magazine) and wanted to talk for a
while.  I also hang out with students who are on the FSAE [Society of
Automotive Engineers] team.  They knew who I was from articles that had
been written about me, and they've let me work with them and design
courses and other things."

 

Some people faced with the pending stardom that currently stares at
Berry might feel pressure to perform.  Berry doesn't see it that way at
all, which is impressive considering the potential added pressure of
competing as a Berry.  Her father, Tom, is a three-time National
Champion, and her mother, Theresa, has competed for more than two
decades.  Not surprisingly, her younger sisters also are following the
family's Solo footsteps.   

 

Whether it's pedigree or early success, Berry exhales an air of quiet
self-confidence when she talks about competing, an air that only comes
from those special few in life who know that they possess a unique
quality to not only understand what it takes to win, but to execute it.

 

Possessing that quality seemingly allows Berry to deflect the pressures
of competing and, instead, view time at the event in a different light
than others sometimes might.

 

"It's all about fun," Berry said.  "At the bottom of this sport,
everyone should be out to have a good time."     

 

It's that kind of attitude that will keep this star's light burning
brightly for a long time.

 

-30-

 

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Christine Berry

For a larger image, please contact ckitchen@scca.com. 

 

Curt K.

_______________

Curtis Kitchen

Public Relations Manager

Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Inc.

ckitchen@scca.com

800-770-2055