Small Girl Races with Big Boys
16 September 1997
One of North America's hottest up and coming female racers--5'4" Marybeth Harrison--isn't racing powder puff stuff, she's messing it up with the men. And she's winning! In fact, she's won races in everything she has driven, including slalom racing, karting, indoor karting, Vancouver's first Mini-Molson Indy, SCCBC/WCMA novice race events, the Legends race series, and ProFormance's Toyota/BF Goodrich Race Series, where she took Rookie of the Year in 1996 and is currently 2nd in the championship. Racing Background Marybeth describes how she fell in love with racing: "The minute I started doing laps around the track I just KNEW that racing was what I was destined to do. It was kind of a spiritual experience--one that that stays with you for life, a sudden understanding that THIS was what you'd lived your whole life for!" That was in the Fall of 1992 while taking a race driving school with ex-Indy driver Ross Bentley at Race City Speedway in Calgary. The following Spring she bought a used kart and raced a 100cc Yamaha Light class both locally and in the US Gold Cup series. She also started volunteering with Ross' school and is now one of the regular instructors (although Ross is no longer involved). The next step was ProFormance's Toyota/BF Goodrich sedan series, where she took Rookie of the Year in 1996 and is racing again this year. By the time of this article (September 1997), she was running 2nd in the Championship. This series has been an excellent training ground, with on-going instruction. Winning in a series where one races equally prepared cars depends on driver skill not pocketbook. In addition to karts & sedans, she has also raced indoor karts, her 1970 big block Corvette (slalom), and has tried her hand racing the 5/8ths scale Legends cars on short-oval tracks. School programs she's completed include the ProFormance Race Drivers Schools and the Skip Barber Racing School's three-day competition courses, as well as Richard Petty's two-day Racing Experience in late model NASCARs at a speed of 159mph! Personal She keeps up a rigorous weight and cardio training program, doesn't eat meat & loves to play bridge! Her most significant life experience other than racing, was fire-walking across a 20 foot bed of coals. It taught her that the only barriers we have to our accomplishments are those we hold in our minds. One of her biggest assets she believes has been having a business and marketing background which helps on the sponsorship side. She approaches sponsors on a "what can she do for you" basis rather than "here's what she wants". So far it seems to have worked with big-name sponsors that include Molson Indy Vancouver, Midas Brake & Muffler, and Dominos Pizza. Plans for 1998 Marybeth plans to continue to build her driving skills and racing experience with the ultimate goal of competing in the PPG-CART World Series. In 1998, she will be competing in a Formula Ford series throughout the Pacific Northwest. Sponsorship Opportunities If you're interested in finding out more about how a race sponsorship program with Marybeth can benefit you, please check out her web site at www.mach1-racing.com or email marybeth@mach1-racing.com.