January 14, 2025 • 59 mins
Christina Nielsen is one of the few people on the planet who can completely relate to Katherine’s experience as a female driver… in fact, she’s been confused for Katherine more than once on the paddock. Katherine and Christina share some of their early stories from racing, how they met, and how their stubbornness has served them well while competing at the highest levels of the sport.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Throttle Therapy with Catherine leg is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts. Hey you guys, this is Catherine.
(00:24):
Welcome to Throttle Therapy, my brand new podcast where you
will hear about all of my racing endeavors. First up
on the twenty twenty five agenda is obviously the Chili Bowl.
After hearing from Brent Cox last week, it's given me
an immense amount to think about and prepare for in
the run up to my first ever Chili Bowl. And
(00:45):
at this stage of my career, having driven a massive
diversity of race cars, it's unusual for me to have
to step in and be a rookie and do something
completely new, and that is exactly what the Chili Bowl is.
I've never driven a midget before, I've never driven on
dirt before, and I've never competed in an arena on
(01:05):
an oval like this one, so it is brand new
and very exciting, but it is not lost on me
the enormity of the task that I am taking on.
So training wise, obviously I'm trying to be the best
version of myself that I can be going into twenty
twenty five because I have so many cool plans and
so many interesting things to talk to you guys about,
(01:29):
but I don't know what, where, and how for a
lot of it so far. So I just need to
make sure that I am at the top of my
game in every aspect, so fitness wise, mentally wise, organized,
and at home wise. Everything has to be in tip
top shape. So we have arrived here at the Chili Powl,
(01:50):
and I'm a little nervous. Okay, I'm a lot nervous.
I'm coming here massively unprepared, if we're completely honest. We
tried to go testing, but I was so cold in
Indiana that it didn't happen. So I am beyond excited
to be here, and I'm trying to learn as much
as I possibly can from my fellow drivers, from the team,
(02:12):
from everybody that I've been surrounded with that has been
absolutely fantastic. But there is a certain amount of nerves
associated with it, like I don't want to make a
fool of myself. I know that I'm probably going to
get my butt handed to me because it's the first
time I've ever done something like this, so I am
cautiously optimistic that I will do a decent job and
(02:32):
represent well. But I still have much to learn. So
I'm trying to go back to the early days of
my career where my brain is like a sponge and
I can take it all on board and just transition
from one card to the other without worrying about it
and do that fake confidence until you make it thing.
So hopefully that will serve me well. It's all the
(02:54):
little things, though, So I don't know where I'm supposed
to be. I don't know where I'm supposed to go,
and how I'm supposed to get credentials and who I
don't know what I don't know. And so in sportscar racing,
like an IMSA or an Indy car, you know where
you've got to go, you know where everything happens, you
know who's who and what's what, and it's just kind
(03:15):
of second nature. You just turn up and it's like
being on autopilot. Here there's a lot going on in
your head because you don't know where you're supposed to be,
what you're supposed to be doing, and you don't know what.
You don't know, and I can't emphasize that enough. So
I'm just trying to clean all the information and follow
my fellow drivers and hope that I learned quickly. I'm
(03:38):
doing the Chili Bowl in part because, well I blame
I squarely blame my friend Sarah Fisher. And you guys
probably know who Sarah Fisher is because she's a legend.
And we were at Indy this year and she said,
you know, she really tried driving a midget, and I thought, yeah,
that would be cool. And then I mentioned it to
somebody else and they said, oh, we can make that
(03:59):
happen for you. And so, in no small part, Sarah
is the catalyst to making me want to do the
Chili Bowl. And Brent Cox said to a friend of mine,
we have a team and we researched it and it's
one of the best teams, and we can make that
happen for you. And I thought, well, why not? Right like,
(04:20):
I am at the stage of my career now where
these opportunities are happening for me, why not make the
most of it. I love driving, I love racing, I
love going fast, I love the competition, and I love
a challenge. You know, I did an iron man because
I wanted to challenge. I never want to sit still,
and I want to make the most of all the
(04:42):
wonderful opportunities that racing has afforded me. So long story short,
I said yes, I would love to do the Chili Bowl,
immediately regretted it because I have no idea what I'm doing,
but I will figure it out and you guys can
figure it out alongside me. I'm going to be completely transparent,
open and honest about how I feel and what is
(05:03):
going on, and you can come on this ride, on
this journey with me. Coming up next is a segment
that I am going to do on a monthly basis
with one of my best friends in the entire world,
Christina Nielsen. And a lot of you will know Christina
because she used to be my teammate. She's also an
IMSAE champion, and she has a lot of very valuable
(05:25):
insight into what it's like being a woman in racing,
and so I think her experience is one of the
very few in the world that jives with my experience.
Like we bonded over the fact that there's only a
handful of us out there who have had the life
experience of being one of the only females in racing,
(05:45):
so I am beyond excited to introduce you to her.
And today we have the most special guest we have,
Christina Nielsen on the show. Not only is she one
of my best friends in the entire universe, and I
say universe because I am still bitterly disappointed that she
(06:06):
decided to move thousands of miles away from me back
to Denmark, but she's also crushing it a life and
one of the biggest badasses that I know. Not only that,
but literally the title throttle therapy is very appropriate because
Christina and I talk most days, I would say, and
for me, she's like best friend therapy and that's the
(06:27):
best kind of therapy there is. So, without further ado,
Hello miss Nielsen, how are we today?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Hello everyone? Hello Kat? That was very cute. Thank you
for the kind intro.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
No, I mean, it's absolutely true. So why don't you
tell our listeners a little bit about you and how
we met through racing, and like what you're up to
these days so they get caught up before we delve
into everything.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Absolutely So, when I first started racing in the States,
a lot of people came and asked me, are you Catherine,
Because let's face it, there was only one other woman
in the paddock and I had to tell them no, sorry,
I'm Christina. And I got quite familiar with Kat very
quickly during my career. Right now, it was I mean,
(07:15):
it was pretty awesome because it meant that there was
another woman in the paddock that was noticeable and one
that was acknowledged and recognized among peers and among fans.
And slowly, I mean, I, like Catherine, fell in love
with American racing. I loved racing and DMS Weather Tech
Championship and jumped around a little bit. Had two of
(07:37):
my best years in my career for sure with Ferrari
team Scuderia Corsa, and we won the championship.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Yeah exactly, Yeah, I get that far.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Yeah, so yeah, we closed the championship. I did that
together with my co driver Alessandro Balsan. But yeah, I
mean it was also during this time that I got
to know Kat, and throughout my time in the States,
I was also so lucky that I got to share
a seat with her, got to share a car. And
I will say on a professional level, you know, the
(08:11):
struggle of making a new season happen. Catherine, I definitely
started getting close to working together, but it was probably
during a little balcony evening talk that we got to
be genuine friends. You know, we were sitting talking after
a test day, I think it was, and see Ring, Yeah,
(08:32):
and you know, we just I think got to know
each other on a personal level and enjoyed, you know,
a friendship that was blossoming at that time.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
We bonded, We bonded. There are so many things because
I think it was then that I realized that we
are literally two of the only humans on the entire
planet that have had the same life experiences, Like being
a racing driver is really cool, but it's also really different,
and it's not real life, and there are not that
many women drivers out there at all, and so to
(09:04):
feel a little bit like an outsider and to have
had the same life experiences that we've had and to
live this weird and wacky and wonderful life. We just
kind of got talking about it and we went down
all kinds of rabbit holes. I don't even think there
was wine involved, I can't remember.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
But not a nice time.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
But I have a question for you. When you mentioned
winning the championship with with Balzan, I wanted to ask
you apart from me, obviously I'm on the spot.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Now you have to say me.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
So we're going to assume that it's me. Who was
your favorite teammate that you had And why.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Can I say Alessandra? You can say Alice, Okay, I
can tell you. I think endurance racing, which IMSA is
all about, you get to share the car with another person,
and it means whether you're doing well or you're doing
that if you have a good relationship, it's really unique
and special that you get to share that with another person.
I think for us as women, there was another layer
(10:11):
to it. Then. It was really beautiful that we got
to share that together and some of the uniqueness about
being a woman within the industry is something that truly
bonded us. I would say Alessandro is definitely one of
the mail drivers that have had the best relationship with.
I also think it's hard to ignore the fact that
the seasons were special because we had some great memories
(10:34):
in terms of the championships that we went together, and
of course that was extremely special and something that we
both look back at as unique years and during our
careers but I think it was also the fact that
we had so much fun sometimes and you know exactly
what I'm talking about, kat enduring tracing is it's not
(10:56):
a one off, it's a whole season, and some times
the pressure can be a lot because you're constantly thinking
towards the final race of wanting to win the championship,
and the fact that Alessandra and I had so much
fun definitely in that kind of situation took some of
the pressure off it. We kind of forgot it and
we enjoyed what we're doing and made the most of it,
(11:18):
and that was a really lovely time.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Isn't it weird? Don't you feel that you always drive
better when you're happy and you're having.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Fun one hundred percent? And I mean, let's face it,
their studies to prove this, but yeah, there is, Actually
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I just feel like when I'm happy and everything's going
well and you just drive better, you make less mistakes.
You just I don't know, do.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
You remember that?
Speaker 1 (11:45):
It's obviously prove it?
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yeah. Is there a special you know, race or stint
in the car where you can tie like your performance
together with your happiness. Is there something that comes to mind?
Speaker 1 (11:56):
When you say that, No, I think it's a frame
of mind with me rather than anything else. And I
have to get myself in that frame of mind, whether
I'm feeling it or not, even if I think, oh,
the car is going to be difficult or this isn't
going to be that, or you know, you've you've got
to kind of mentally prepare yourself and get in that
(12:19):
frame of mind and tell yourself you're still the luckiest
uman on the planet because you get to drive a
race car for a living and you're still in X
y Z place and doing whatever, and so you have
to get yourself in that frame of mind. But I
feel like, actually, when you're not thinking, like my mind
wanders sometimes because.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
So bad.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Do you think about, like, oh, what am I going
to have to dinner?
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Like I think rare the weirdest stuff. And so now
you sometimes have to, you know, get myself back in
the moment and be like, don't think about this stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Now, same same think about what you're doing. But actually
you do drive better when you're when you're subconscious is
doing it. It's like, you know, if you drive home
from somewhere, say you've been to the grocery store, or
the gym, or wherever it may be, and you think
to yourself, I really can't remember how I got home,
and it happens all the time. Yeah, that's literally how
I've done some racist I promily shouldn't admit that. But
(13:17):
you drive when your subconscious is doing it. Your subconscious
is much more fluid and able to deal with all
the things than your conscious mind. Is that your conscious
mind is a lot so so I think it's actually
a good thing.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Dude. I thought about this today. I was driving home
and there was a car in friend of me. I
had been behind that car for quite a while, and
at some point the car was just gone, And I
thought I would be a horrible investigator because I have
no idea where this car went. I'm like, I followed
this car for a good fifteen minutes and then you know,
(13:48):
suddenly five minutes later, it's gone. I have no idea
which direction it went or what happened, but it wasn't
in front of me anymore.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
I think about if you know, you see the movies
where people are followed and they know that being kailed,
I would have literally no idea me too.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Well, I kind of ask you, because I do remember
one of the stints where Catherine impressed me the most
was Seabring, and I felt so bad because I had
driven in the morning when we started the race. I
started the Sebring twelve hours that the race. Yes, okay,
so mutual admiration for nineteen. I did a double stint
(14:30):
to begin with when it.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Was wet in the rain and overtook everybody and literally
got up into and Mike shank how a team manager,
was on the pitstand, and we were just looking at
each other like who who's in the car and what
did they do with Christina. It's like it was Hamilton.
It was an outstanding double stint, I have to say,
(14:51):
and it will go down in history that and midd
ohigher for me. But anyway, sorry, I just hijacked the situation.
Carry on.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yeah, I just you know. Mike asked me, how was
it physically, and I said, oh, it was totally fine,
because we both know Seabring is normally extremely physical, like
it's a tough track, it's hot, but because I was
driving in the wet, it wasn't very physical. So I said, yeah,
triple state would totally been possible. So they kept cat
in in the e or and you know, going into
(15:20):
the into the night or into the evening, and I
was just thinking it is dry. The entire time we
thought the rain was going to hit. The raidar was
showing it. Captain stayed in the car, and I was thinking,
how is the woman not dying?
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Yeah, I finished that rise three and a half hours
in the car, because there's a four hours and I
wanted to die, and actually I wanted to kill Mike
for leaving me in the car that loone, but I
didn't have the energy, so I was just, yeah, pretty
pretty wiped out at the end of it. But my
dad asked me this the other day because I have
(15:53):
been working my butt off lately in the gym, and
I don't think I've ever been fits real stronger, right.
I think I'm like pecking now and well so that's
what Garman tells me. Anyway, So my dad said, do
you think that it will make a difference in the car,
And I said, I don't think so, because I've never
(16:13):
apart from this year in IndyCar Iowa, where else my
arms are going to fall off? But I managed it anyway.
I don't think I've ever thought I haven't been fit
enough or strong enough, or that it would make a difference.
What do you think.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
I think being stubborn goes a very long way. No
way am I going to say no, I can't do it,
because like a man would never say that, So no,
never gonna happen. But I also do think what you
have to without having tried it, But from what you
are describing what you have to do behind the wheel
(16:51):
of that IndyCar, it sounds like it's a different way
of working behind the wheel and it takes something else.
And yeah, I mean before when you were saying I'm
in the best shape, I forgot I was, you know,
only on sound because I'm nodding and I'm like, oh,
the listeners can't hear me not But yeah, I know
(17:12):
one d I mean you you felt it and you
know both. What what do you feel like it's the
biggest difference.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
That's a good question. I I don't know. I just
remember we did the testa at Iowa earlier in the summer,
and I remember coming in after I don't know, like
six laps or something, thinking, how am I going to
tell these guys that my arms are going to fall
off or we need to take caster out of it,
(17:42):
and I don't want to be the girl like I
never want to be looked at like, oh, she's not
strong enough or she's not fit enough. And even though
the guys were also struggling, and some of them and
some of the ones that I admire the most, like
Scott Dixon, one of my heroes, right, and apparently he
had to take some castrough out because it was heavy.
(18:02):
So I'm like, Okay, maybe it's not because I'm not
strong enough, but also I want to take that off
the table. I never want to pit and say to
the guys or say on the radio or say anything
like I'm not fit enough or I'm not strong enough.
Because in my career, on the way up to IndyCar
Champ Car back in the day, everybody thought women couldn't
(18:23):
do it because they weren't fit enough and strong enough.
And so I worked my butt off with Jim Leo
at Pitfit and I was in the gym too, three
times a day working out, And Okay, I looked a
little stocky at the time, but I was able to
get out of that race car after the three hours
or whatever it was the longest races and still have
managed it. Whereas other drivers were struggling, and so I thought,
(18:48):
I have to get back to that, and I have
to take that off the table because you know, that
hasn't been mentioned to me in so long that women
aren't strong enough to do it, because I think back
in the day Simona and proof that we were, and
so I didn't want that to become an issue again.
So I thought, okay, back with the weight training. Because
(19:09):
when you drive a GT car and you've got power steering,
or even a Prototype, the steering isn't that heavy, but
in an IndyCar it really is. And so it was
a very strange sensation because I would get to lap
six and think, there's no way I can do the race.
This is gonna that I'm gonna have to pit and
tell them I can't do it. But then you're like
(19:31):
one more lap, one more lap, one more lap, and
after about six more laps you realize that, oh, it's
just going to suck, and you just have to suck
it up and do it anyway. And I really don't
think that it impacted my driving at all, but I
didn't know, and so I just want to take that
off the table as a thing. I know, Jamie said
(19:53):
to me. Where were we Nashville or Milwaukee or somewhere.
She said that she's been working really hard in the
gym and her She credits her improvement from last year
to this year to getting stronger. So obviously with some
interesting right it makes it makes an impact. But I know,
driving an IndyCar compared to driving a GT car, everybody
(20:16):
thought that with the halo and the bubble, it was
really hot in there, And I'm like, are you kidding?
You haven't done the NSX like car, right, So I
feel like that conditioned to me for the heat, but
and then the gym's condition my arms. But that was
(20:37):
that was the hardest thing about the GT driving was
the heat to me, And there was.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
A big difference. Now, IndyCar, I don't know, but like
I've driven quite a few of different GT cars and
the NSX was definitely one of the harder ones. Also
one of the smaller ones. I needed to whenever we
had to do a driver change, I needed to put
my hand on my knee to pull my leg back
in order to make sure that my leg came out
with me to not get stuck contortions.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Yeah, I mean there was that. I remember trying to
squeeze like Graham ray Hole into it as well, and.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Brutal, brutal.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
You're lucky you don't have big feet.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Yeah, that also doesn't help, does it. I heard one
of the guys say that he had to like widen
his legs so that he could turn the steering well
between his legs. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Yeah, Oh I feel lucky being little in that respect.
Then it was so funny. This year was it? This year?
Was it? Last year?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I don't remember?
Speaker 1 (21:36):
And Daytona. I think I hit the wall too many
times and my memory doesn't work. But this we know
about me, and we're just going to ignore that fact
and pretend that I shouldn't see somebody. So this year, career,
post career, you're worried about my memory later, it's probably
a good thing, no past traumas, I don't have any baggage.
(21:57):
I'm going.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
She says that, But then she can remember every single
corner and every break point at a racetrack or you
track walk with her, but you can't remember what you
had for lunch like three hours ago.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Maybe it's just that it's you that that information is
using up all the space in my brain.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
One hundred percent. You are one hundred percent of race
Card Driver, and you know, lunch Maker is not that's
important currently.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
I had this conversation with somebody the other day and
I am going off on a tangent like I do,
but I said that at this point in my life,
I am not Katherine anything else other than Katherine race
Card Driver, because I don't This isn't a job, it's
my identity and I don't know what I would do
(22:43):
after or it's who I am right now, and that's
actually terrifying.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Yeah, but that's why I'm here for that ship.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
You and I had a conversation about this podcast the
other day and I asked you, or like begged you
to come on on a regular basis because I think
that the listeners need to need to hear more of you.
I think you're wonderful, right, and I think that everybody
else would think you're wonderful. So I said, Christina, how
(23:26):
about we make this you're my regular and you come
on once a month, and she's like, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
I think about it.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
And then she was going down this rabbit hole and
she came up with the best idea of what we're
going to call our special Care and Christina Sessions, and
I will let you tell our listeners what you decided
to call.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
It, what we are embracing are do you say womanhood? Yes?
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Absolutely yes, And it's.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
Going to be that time of the months that you're
going to have the pleasure of spending half hour, forty
five minutes with us.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Absolutely. So once a month, Christian's going to come on
and it's going to be bad time in the month.
And we thought, oh, was it a bit close to
the mark? You know, we shouldn't really be saying that. No,
screw it, because we're just we're going with it. It's
who we are and we're being authentic. And now I
can go back to the Daytona story. So I was
(24:19):
talking to Alex Rossi and Olie Jarvis, two of my
friends who were driving the Fath McLaren I think it was,
and it was absolutely hilarious because it was them discussing
their driver changes and how they get.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Into the door. Yes exactly.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
I was literally cracking up and still when I think
about that conversation. I mean, they're both funny humans anyway,
but I was dying, Like Alex came in and he's like,
I don't know how to open the door, don't how
to get out. He couldn't get out, he lost his
boots in the foot. Well I'm trying to get out.
(25:04):
And I was like, okay, so after all these practices,
how have your driver changes gone? Like what times are
you doing? You know, we used to do it in
what like fourteen to seventeen seconds if it was a
really fast one just needed fuel lonely, and he said,
we've got it down to about seventeen minutes. I have
(25:24):
to boot, I have to do this, I have to
do that. And then he said that he couldn't get
the door closed, and like he's driving around with one
off trying to hold the door closed, and it was just, honestly,
it was comical. So I feel like we are we did.
We haven't had these experiences for so long because we
just kind of we were so used to the NSX
(25:44):
as well.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
But I will also say we had a master blaster
as a driver change for Justin. He did a phenomenal job.
He hid every point every time like he was really
really great. So you felt like, you know, there was
some good teamwork going on. But speaking of driver changes,
I do also think that okay, it's the first world problem.
But have you ever, let's face it, the summer was
(26:08):
often our busy season. Have you ever had to wear
a dress and thought, no, I can't. I have bruises
on my legs everywhere because I keep banging my legs
against the door and stuff. Whenever it had to get
out of a car.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Oh, I just embraced the bruises. Yeah, but it's on
your elbows and everything anyway, isn't it. You just get
beaten up. I think people realize. People think driving a
race car is like driving their normal car. They don't
realize it's actually like putting a bunch of really hot,
disgusting restrictive gear on where you can't move. Don't see,
(26:44):
you can't do anything. You're doing that in one hundred
and thirty degrees is what the NSX used to get
out to. And then it's like being thrown around in
a washing machine and it's just socid.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Yeah. Oh I remember. Also sometimes with having to drink
from the drink bottle like any car, sometimes the water
would be hotter warm. Yeah, yeah, like you couldn't swallow it,
so you just like to try and cool your chest
a little bit. You would just like take a sip
and then just let it, yeah, exactly, just to get
a little bit cold. And some of the guys at
(27:16):
some point, you know, just put ice cubes, a little
keo ice cubes inside the suits to have a little
bit of coolness on the chest, because that's what's most
important to keep cool, I think, besides the head.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Do you ever wear a cool suit? Did you ever try?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
I did? I remember the first time I wore it,
I switched it on, I got so like, oh my god,
what is this? And I had to suit it off
so cold, delightful, I know, yeah, yeah, some of the
teams used it.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
I was it was, it was a thing for me.
I just I was terrified of it going wrong and
like boiling my brains or I don't know. I just
decided that I was gonna ginn not but don't do it.
I think honestly, it would be remiss of us. So
you started racing a lot later than I started racing.
(28:07):
Then we were basically on the same ms career path.
And now you are a badass business woman. And so
when was the last time you were in a race
car and how has it been transitioning into what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
It last race car was in twenty twenty two. I
did the Indianapolis eight hours in an Nssex, which is
really nice to finish in. I was with the Harrison
and Van Baker and we did finish on the podium,
so it was a really nice way to call it
quits essentially, so you've still done it, yeah, hopefully. I
(28:48):
mean it's strange quitting and I get the whole like
because I went through the scene with being a driver
being your identity, because it's what you spent so much time,
Like you skip weddings, birthdays, you know, whatever, special occasions
because Erase calendar is fixed, it always comes first. Is
hard to plan more than two weeks in advance. If
(29:10):
you do, you take a risk because you never know
what's going to come up. And that's the part of
the game, and it's the sacrifices that you understand that
you're making. But it also means that you know this
is what you're doing. And you're also spending so much
time with a crowd that's essentially living the same life
as you, and that's your identity, that's who you're with,
that's what you're doing, that's how you are perceived.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Do you feel like it's a sacrifice, then.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
It's a privilege. I do think there's some sacrifices. Would
I say there are one hundred percent worth making? Yeah,
one hundred percent. But I do think there are other
aspects of life that take a back seat. But if
you ask me, would you do it all over again
if you had the opportunity, like if you could go
back fifteen years, I would absolutely start everything all over
(29:55):
again and not change a single thing. So sacrifices don't
always have to be that right now.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
I just I've never people have asked me about the sacrifices,
and I've never seen it as a sacrifice because it
hasn't even occurred to me that I'm giving it up. Really,
if that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
That's fair. Yeah, I think it's I guess you could
also call it prioritizing what you are prioritizing in your life,
and I will say as much as yeah, I think
it was worth not being able to go to a
birthday party or you know, a wedding, whatever it might be.
But I guess I do consider it somewhat of a
(30:35):
sacrifice because you are putting your own needs and your
own desires and your own career above everything else. And
that means that even though you're at peace with the
choice that you're making, you also do know that the
compromise or you know that you're how you're affecting another
person because they're going to be a bit disappointed that
(30:57):
you can't make it to their special occasion. You know,
there's a bit of a personal relationship that it's going
to take a little bit of a beating from coming
second always. So again, I wouldn't change it. And I
would also say I'm extremely lucky that I have some
friends that I basically handpicked one throughout my life, like
(31:19):
one here, one there, And yeah, I mean even with
moving to the States and being there for you know,
some years, I still stayed in contact with them. And
then whenever I was back home in Denmark for a
week year or a week there, they would prioritize me
and make time for me. So they made me a
priority when I was able to see them, so that
(31:42):
we could maintain our friendship. And I do appreciate that
a lot, but that meant that they had to be
more flexible than me. I basically said I'm coming home,
can you meet That's funny.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
I just did the same when I went home and
I said it to my sister, and my sister was like, oh,
good for you, I'm busy. She made time for me.
But I was like, wow, okay, well it doesn't rerov
over Catherine. This kind of sucks.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
So there are some indirect sacrifices that I guess other
people sometimes have to make for us to maintain the relationship.
So on that side, I'll say yeah, but you know,
I I think I look back at it and said,
you know what, if I had another opportunity, one that
I thought was really good, would I take it one
hundred percent. I always get asked do you miss racing?
(32:30):
And I do miss racing in the sense that I
missed the racing part. That conversation we just had about
being happy behind the wheel when you're like confident and
you're killing it, like you know, when you're feeling good.
I remember on the radio, you know, Mike could sometime
be intimidating on the radio, and during Detroit, like I
just I felt even in sync with him with how
(32:51):
he was communicating with me, and it was like, you know,
just felt breaking great.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
We've spoken about this before and it's just it's still
hilarious to me. So we have two of the best
dads ever on the planet, Like I would not change
my dad away or dad for all the team in China.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
Like they are.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
They are legends in the paddock, and they are just
so supportive and so cool and just the best dads ever.
And anybody who knows me or Christina knows this as fact,
and it is probably jealous because they are awesome.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
They said a high standard. They really did.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
So neither of us have what I would class as
daddy issues, right, It's impossible that we do because we've
got lots and dads. However, both of us, I think
this is the only team owner that this has happened with,
but both of us, we're desperate to get Mike Shank's approval.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
And you could tell everything by the tone of his
voice on the radio and if it was disappointed in
your on the radio. We both did everything in our power,
I would say, to try and get happy positive mic
that was proud of us. And I don't know where
these these issues came from, but it was like an
(34:10):
authoritative say the word we.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Wanted his approval so bad. But I would also say
it's because he was very selective with his compliments, so
when you got one, you knew that it was real
and it was genuine. But I mean, man, one time
I got a text message, I almost wanted to print
it and frame it on the wall because I was like,
(34:33):
I don't know, I just never going to happen again. No,
I mean like there's certain times where, you know, even
with the Ferrari team, we had Joela Joy as our
strategist and engineer on the radio, an awesome person also
because contrary to what you experienced me with Mike Whol
you know where you know, a little bit intimidating. I
(34:54):
used to go off like a firecracker on the radio.
Sometimes I just needed to get you know, somebody hit me,
just needed to get it out of my system. And
you know, Joe was the most calm person ever, so
he always calmed me down. So that was also a
person who really, you know, kept me in balance. And
those types of partnerships, you know, collaborations and performances, those
(35:19):
are the ones that I miss that are performance driven.
I don't miss all the politics around it. I don't
miss you know, other people sometimes having so much influence
on what you're supposed to be like who you are.
I mean, even the stuff we're talking about now. I
don't think when we were twenty two we would have
had the balls to talk about it because we would
(35:39):
have been so much more aware of the perception, how
we perceived. And now I get to build on my
own projects. I do a little bit of different things.
I do work with Porscha Denmark regarding some of their
events and driving experiences. I also have a program called
the Destination where I create my own driving speriences, either
(36:01):
something where you can buy an individual spot or organized
it for companies.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
And it's so cool by the way, you just like
brush over that, but you've done some already, and to me,
it looks like your quest is to provide the most
iconic venues not only for racing, but for currencies. Yes,
really in the world. And it's like this experience that
you can't get anywhere else, and you can't get with
(36:25):
anybody else with your experience either.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
I mean, the race strikes are the beating heart of
the focus, right, it's about going on track, but even
the restaurant, the hotels, the entire experience. I am traveling
with the clients and I'm not booking anything that I
haven't eaten at, I haven't stayed at So everything is
from my experience, I would say, And lucky for me,
(36:48):
I've raised a little bit all over the world, even
though America is my number one place probably so I
you know, I enjoy providing this type of experience for
other people. I got to experience this, I loved it,
and it really also makes me happy to see other
people come out of the car. You know. The last
(37:09):
one we drove with Road Atlanta, work half on List
and yeah in Georgia, and it was just so cool
because that's my favorite racetrack in the entire world. Micheline
race it is.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
It's a lot of time, but it's not not to them.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
For me, it's number one. It's also the first track
I raced in America. And these guys came out of
the car and were like, I have never experienced anything
like this in my life. This is like bucket list.
This is you know, like some of the best experiences ever.
And that's not something that I'm creating, Like, that's the
racetrack that's giving them this experience. And that's what I've
(37:45):
felt every time we've gotten to the final race of
the season. And that's what we get to finish off
the season. So yeah, embracing unique and iconic locations, and
that's what I'm currently building and hopefully, you know, be
a big thing one day and I get to share
this with a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
I think it's incredible that you're giving people this experience.
What is next from the destination by Christina and.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Ielsen still finalizing locations in Europe for twenty twenty five,
but we do have the ice driving experience, which is.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
Want this one, by the way.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
It is so much fun and actually that one is
currently sold out, so that was being cute. But yeah,
I mean that's that's something that you don't even need
to be a track person to enjoy. For me, and
you know yourself as well, Like we race quite a bit,
We've experienced quite a bit within this industry. I still
(38:43):
swear the first time I tried it, I laughed the
entire time through it. I loved it. I thought it
was so much fun, and it is. It should be
a bucket list item for everyone.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
Yeah, it's definitely one for me. I can just imagine.
I had the same experience when I tried to do
electric rally car and it was the same thing for me, asked,
this is so fun, but okay, so it's obvious that
it translates your racing career. Gave you inspiration for the destination,
(39:18):
that's obvious. The crossover between the tracks and the destinations
and the destination are obvious. What were the cross servers
that you think from the speaking then or how does
that work?
Speaker 2 (39:30):
I started doing speaking engaging more for corporate companies, and
I took high pressure environment, high pressure performance, which is
what racing is. It's extreme all the time, and I
focused on teamwork, leadership and communication. What does that look
like within racing? What does that look like within a
(39:51):
top performing team? What are my personal experiences in terms
of what worked? And the force of Joker is diversity
because a lot of companies and I'm embracing and trying
to embrace them more diverse culture. Well, I had a
program also called Accelerating Change for a few years together
with another woman named Mariana, where we did track dayse
for women. So how did that work? What made the
(40:15):
women want to join our events? You know? How did
we connect them to the partners that we had with
us the other companies? And I think that really caught
my attention because I got to share something from my experience.
It was also unique in the sense it was my perspective,
my viewpoint, but because I was talking to companies and
(40:39):
employees of companies who were open to change, embracing improvements
and wanting to take chances in terms of bettering themselves
or whatever situation in a company might be, and what
can they learn from other industries, it meant that I
was connecting with people who, you know, were really intelligent
and want to work together. And yeah, I've just gotten
(41:03):
to meet so many interesting people while sharing my own
perspectives from the industry that I come from. And it
means I'm also learning about the industries that I'm connecting
with and who I'm speaking for and with when I
do these engagements.
Speaker 1 (41:17):
So you learn from them. So it's like a chapter thing,
whereas you have like a racing chapter and an accelerating
change chapter, and you learn different aspects from all of
the chapters that you've had, and that's how you've managed
to put it all together into the destiny.
Speaker 2 (41:31):
Basically, Yeah, that's cool. Yeah, so there are you know,
and all of these summed up, am I still tied
to racing and driving, and you know, with the car
industry in general. Yeah, one hundred percent. But I think
I also looked at it when I start racing. Okay,
I'm thirty, you know, I still I don't want to
(41:54):
be pretty too now. I don't want to be you know,
I don't want to be sixty five and going oh
when I was twenty six. If I want a championship
like that shouldn't be my last achievement. So I think
I look at it as I have still so many
years to go where I can build on my identity
(42:16):
and my skill set and my knowledge so that I
can continue to do things that I'm passionate about and
explore other passions. But reality is, racing would probably always
be number one passion because that high that you get
from racing, and I think that you do from extreme
sports and athletes, et cetera. I feel very lucky. That's
(42:40):
how I choose to look at it. But I have
got to experience that, because I think a lot of
people go through life and we'll never get to experience that.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
How do you get those kicks?
Speaker 2 (42:48):
Now? Oh? Man? You know, I think about what we did. No,
I don't think there's quite the same because it's I mean,
you know what it feels like you whenever you're closing
that start finish line, whether it's you or your teammate
like you're it's such an outburst of emotions, and I
(43:14):
don't think there's anything else that will give me that
extreme feeling.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
Do you think it's the competition or the driving, or
do you think you can recreate it? Like, for example,
if you went and did a running race, so you
got really good at doing five k's and you decided
that that was how you were going to compete, do
you think that would give you the same bunk?
Speaker 2 (43:35):
I don't know. I think it's a combination of a
lot of things. I think you are emotionally drained sometimes
because let's face it, racing has a lot more bad
moments than good moments. But the good moments are just
so good that we were all idiots who continue and
continue because it is so damn good when it's good. Yeah, exactly.
(43:55):
It's an addiction a little bit. And I think it's
a mix of how how extreme it was what we
were doing. You know, there's a lot of adrenaline going,
there's an exhaustion both basically and mentally, there's a team,
you know, member component, there's years of work from all
(44:16):
the years you have been racing and then having you know,
reaching a big achievement. So I don't know if it
can be recreated. But it's also made me think, Okay,
do I maybe want to study some more psychology focused
classes to maybe do some performance work because I thought, Okay,
(44:37):
maybe I won't be doing anything that's going to give
me the exact same high like as much, but what
if I can help somebody else achieve it? So I
think there's just so many possibilities of what is possible
to do. Tell me what you're thinking, Captain, Like.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
I'm thinking that one of your greatest achievements in my
eyes is actually your emotional maturity. That I remember you
when I first got to know you, and I compare that.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
To now and no, boy.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
So much work and you teach me so much because
you're so self aware and you studied it so much
that it's actually amazing to me how you analyze people,
yourself and situations and you manage to step out and
(45:28):
look at it and look at the situation and come
up with this like rational read on it and figure
out how to do things next and how to do that.
And I'm guessing that there's a lot of racing that
taught you that. But also I have been racing forever
literally and I still have to call you to get
that take. So I don't know how you did that,
(45:51):
but it is I think one of your biggest achievements.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
But it's a ping pong, that's what you're just describing.
I mean, just as I mentioned, with the companies that
hire me, I connect with them because they're open to change,
open to wanting to learn, and we're you know, bouncing
back and forth ideas and situations and issues, and you know,
it's the same that we're doing just on a friend level,
(46:15):
when we're bouncing ideas back and forth and turning a
situation every way it can be turned. And that's a
nice human interaction.
Speaker 1 (46:25):
Is I don't have it with anybody else apart from you, really,
I don't know. Is it the people that you surround
yourself with then you think you have hundred percent?
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Yeah, I just have more people that I ping pong with. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
I don't want to let anybody else in.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
They're hard to find, Like I said, I have picked
one from elementary school, one from high school, one from university,
one from the go kart track, one from the racetrack.
So you know, yesterday I had to cook and my
oven didn't work suddenly, and as to Google with the
code was on the oven and I'm like, why am
I dealing with this stuff? I'm not a crip to
deal with this stuff.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
See, that's that's completely down my alley.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Like I feel a minute for me.
Speaker 1 (47:08):
I think that's one of my strengths is that I
can pretty much deal with anything, and if I can't,
I can call my dad, and he's a builder, so
he can tell me how to deal with anything. But
I think I learned how to be the man in
my own life.
Speaker 2 (47:21):
But your dad is also, I mean way more than
my dad. My dad is also you know, spectacular in
a lot of areas of life, but not when it
comes to we can't hang a picture, No, he cannot.
I tried to learn him and it did not go well,
and I told him never again. But I do think
your dad is, you know, very capable in that department.
(47:42):
And I think that's amazing that you know, you know
how to do those things.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
Yeah, I guess I grew up so my dad, I
don't know whether this is child labor or not, but
my dad used to pay me on site when he
was building these houses. That's how I would get my
pocket money. I would be scraping stickers off of windows
and sweeping floors and like learning how to do bricklaying
from the bricklayers or whatever it may be. So I
feel kind I feel privileged that I can do all
(48:07):
that stuff myself, and I can't do all of it myself,
but I don't want to anyway, but I kind of
know how. It's funny because my mum had to tell
me yesterday not to get on the roof by myself
and blow the leaves off the roof.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
I was just about to say, it's probably all the
stuff that you're doing where I'm like, God, should you
be doing that alone?
Speaker 1 (48:27):
Probably not, but it has to be done exactly.
Speaker 2 (48:31):
No patience, that's another thing.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
I have, Like no patience at all. And they say
when you get older, you get more tolerant, and you
get more patient.
Speaker 2 (48:40):
We're screwed. Yeah, I don't know what's going to happen
with us. We have no patience for anything in life,
I know, and.
Speaker 1 (48:46):
I need to figure out a way to work on that,
but I also don't have the patience it. You came
to Indian not this year but last year as my banker,
(49:11):
as my right hand man girl, and that was your
first IndyCar race.
Speaker 2 (49:16):
Yeah, it was quite an experience.
Speaker 1 (49:19):
How was it different to how you imagined it to be?
Speaker 2 (49:23):
I don't think I understood how big it could be.
I remember one of my friends telling me, oh, if
you show up past seven am, you're not going to
get in before the race start, And I'm like, what
are you talking about. I didn't believe this stuff. Luckily,
you know, I was Vip. It wasn't met with Vip,
but I was the sidekick that got to ride along
(49:44):
for the police escort in the morning with her, and
I think in the carring my experience also being European,
it was like, this is how Americans do it right.
It was just so cool with the show, you know,
with everything, like right before the race, like the last
(50:06):
few hours before leading up, even you know, standing in
pitt Lane and watching the grand stands being full of
people and just seeing how big it was. It was
go big and go home, And it was a proper
fall on American experience done right. So it was such
(50:26):
a cool experience.
Speaker 1 (50:28):
I feel like you get goose months when you hear
back coming in Indiana and the flyover, and the just
the energy when you drive in this like this weird,
really cool vibe energy. And I don't think you can
describe it to people if they haven't been. They have
to experience themselves. And I think it's just from all
the people because it's the world's biggest sporting event, which
(50:49):
means that there are more people there than there are
in any other sporting event, which is kind of crazy
to think about. They're all watching.
Speaker 2 (50:56):
It is you when did you, like, I mean you
know that you know that point where like you're nervous,
You're nervous until the nerves are gone, right, you're in
the zone. You're no longer like it's shaken off whatever
you might feel in the you know, in the beginning
or right when you get in the car, When did
it change for you? Like, how did you feel like
(51:16):
getting into the car right before you had to go
information lab?
Speaker 1 (51:20):
Well, I think the first time that I did it
was I did not let any of the outside noise
in and I had my blinkers on because I was
so nervous because it's like the first time you experienced that.
It's a lot, it's a lot of pressure. Yeah, but
you've had that for two weeks leading up to it
as well, and I think that you shut it out.
(51:44):
But I regretted shutting it out because then you don't
get to experience it. So I wanted to think, oh,
this is really cool, and I wanted to look up
at the crowd and look around, and you do the
whole rammarole where you start rewide and you do the
formation that's and everything, and I think, I think after
the start is then when you start to settling and
(52:04):
you think, okay, it's a race, right, like it's like
another race. But up until that point, it's so historied
and it's so special that you can't help even though
you start it out, you can't help but think, oh
my goodnes, it's like it's just such, it's just a lot,
But you got to think it's not and you're going
to try and get away from that. Although I made
a conscious effort to look up and look around and
(52:27):
realize how cool it is and how you know, there's
been nine women in the history of India that I've
done it, and one of you like, how cool is that?
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (52:37):
It's freaking cool. I mean what you're describing. I remember
Alessandro Bolsan saying to me after Lamon a year later.
Because I was lucky enough, I got to do the
twenty fourths of Lamong and sixteen, and then because we
won the Endurance Championship in sixteen in America, we got
a ticket to Lamong in seventeen. And at some point
(52:58):
I said to Alessandro, you need to enjoy and embrace
it your at Lament, like this is a bucket list
item than most drivers dream about doing. And it wasn't
until maybe six months after he came to me and said, oh,
I regret I didn't enjoy it. I was so stressed,
I was so in my head about everything, and I
(53:18):
regret I didn't enjoy it. But I get it. It's
a normal human reaction when your system is overloaded because
it's a lot of pressure.
Speaker 1 (53:27):
Yeah, you think you're doing the right thing by shutting
it out because then you have more mental capacity. Yeah, well,
with all to deal with everything else that's that's going on.
You feel like you should be completely focused on what
you're doing and letting anything else in it's just taking
away from that. But yeah, you also you're a human.
Speaker 2 (53:45):
Right, And it's also the part here is where it
comes into play with being a woman, right, because we
do get noticed as women. You know, like you said,
you're one out of nine. That's not a lot when
you know how many men have driven Indianapolis five hundred,
And it's a lot of pressure because you know that
(54:08):
if you make a mistake, it's going to play into
the stigma of you know, like, oh, yeah, of course
that happened, that was the woman. Like I used to
also have that theory in sportscar racing. When we were
coming close to closing the championship, people were talking about it,
Oh that's you know, people in the paduct knew who
I was because we were close to making history. And
(54:31):
I remember thinking, yeah, but I'm also going to remember
it for the one stuffing it in the tire wall.
If I do that, Yeah, that's going to be talked about.
See exactly.
Speaker 1 (54:40):
I think though, And you've helped me with this, but
I've been doing it for so long now that I
don't really care about what people think anymore. I care
about what certain people think. So even now, when I
did indeed ten years ago and there was definitely not
that many women, not that many families compared to there
(55:02):
are now. Now there's like so many more women and
more families, and there's so much more of this girl
power and I have the support and I love it
and it's great and it's really made a difference. And
I remember thinking ten years ago, I remember looking online
at the comments and stuff and thinking, Okay.
Speaker 2 (55:19):
So it's horrible, it's bad, but they're going to.
Speaker 1 (55:22):
Do that anyway. And somebody said to me it might
have been you, to be honest, that why are you
listening to people who whose opinion you wouldn't take on board?
Like if you don't if you wouldn't take their advice,
why are you listening to their opinion? And so now
it's like water if it DUTs back to me, it's like, yes,
(55:42):
I love the positive and I love the support ones
because I think that's how you and I would be
with other people. I don't think we would ever try
and bring another human being down just for the sake
of it, And so I feel sorry for them, and
so I don't really I don't really think about it
that I think it's more for me, like I want
to do the best job that I can do because
(56:05):
I've got this one opportunity to do it, and I
want to make myself and my dad and the team
and the people whose opinion I really do matter proud
because I want to be like, I left nothing on
the table that was as fast as that car could go.
Nobody could have done a better job in that car
on that day. And so I think for me it's
(56:27):
totally flip flopped from being affected by what everybody thinks
to being more selective. Does that make sense?
Speaker 2 (56:35):
Yeah, I also think it's you know, some of the
stuff that's doung sometimes for me, the comments used to
fall in two categories. One was the stereotypical comments about
being a woman, like, oh, she's probably checking her eye shadow,
you know, like in the mirrors and stuff like that,
which I didn't care about, Like that was whatever, you
(56:56):
don't have that many brain cells to move, whether that's
the best you can come up with. But the tougher
ones that it took a bit also, I mean I
was younger, It was harder when we were younger, and
they were very personal and it was stuff like she's
more man than she's a woman. She must have taken
so much to start her own that her baby watch
(57:18):
isn't working, Like you know, she's full of steroids and
you know there's not any woman left in earth. Like
it was very personal, and majority of them about my
looks or you know, really coming down hard on me
being a woman.
Speaker 1 (57:34):
What drives another human being? Like why take to whatever
platform it is to say stuff like that? It's just
as bizarre. It's like if they feel better by bringing
somebody else down, but I wouldn't. I wouldn't listen to it,
and they're by far more positive than their own negatives,
I would say. But yeah, when you're young, it always
(57:54):
affects you. I remember when I first went into champ
Car India, my dad would say, don't read the comments,
and I knew I shouldn't read the comments, but I
read them anyway, them anywhere, and then it got to
me now and just I think it's at it.
Speaker 2 (58:12):
So British.
Speaker 1 (58:14):
There are so many aspects to racing that we share
and we have in comment and I look forward very
much to exploring them all with you on Throttle Therapy
with Catherine then.
Speaker 2 (58:25):
And love it.
Speaker 1 (58:35):
Thanks for listening to Throttle Therapy. We'll be back next
week with more updates and overtakes. Leave us a review
in Apple Podcasts and tell us what you want to
talk about. It might just be the topic for our
next show. Throttle Therapy is hosted by me Catherine Legg.
Our executive producer is Jesse Katz, Our supervising producer Is
(58:57):
Grace Views. Listen to Throttle Therapy on America's number one
podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search
for throttle Therapy with Catherine Legg and start listening.
Throttle Therapy with Catherine leg is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts. Hey you guys, this is Catherine.
(00:24):
Welcome to Throttle Therapy, my brand new podcast where you
will hear about all of my racing endeavors. First up
on the twenty twenty five agenda is obviously the Chili Bowl.
After hearing from Brent Cox last week, it's given me
an immense amount to think about and prepare for in
the run up to my first ever Chili Bowl. And
(00:45):
at this stage of my career, having driven a massive
diversity of race cars, it's unusual for me to have
to step in and be a rookie and do something
completely new, and that is exactly what the Chili Bowl is.
I've never driven a midget before, I've never driven on
dirt before, and I've never competed in an arena on
(01:05):
an oval like this one, so it is brand new
and very exciting, but it is not lost on me
the enormity of the task that I am taking on.
So training wise, obviously I'm trying to be the best
version of myself that I can be going into twenty
twenty five because I have so many cool plans and
so many interesting things to talk to you guys about,
(01:29):
but I don't know what, where, and how for a
lot of it so far. So I just need to
make sure that I am at the top of my
game in every aspect, so fitness wise, mentally wise, organized,
and at home wise. Everything has to be in tip
top shape. So we have arrived here at the Chili Powl,
(01:50):
and I'm a little nervous. Okay, I'm a lot nervous.
I'm coming here massively unprepared, if we're completely honest. We
tried to go testing, but I was so cold in
Indiana that it didn't happen. So I am beyond excited
to be here, and I'm trying to learn as much
as I possibly can from my fellow drivers, from the team,
(02:12):
from everybody that I've been surrounded with that has been
absolutely fantastic. But there is a certain amount of nerves
associated with it, like I don't want to make a
fool of myself. I know that I'm probably going to
get my butt handed to me because it's the first
time I've ever done something like this, so I am
cautiously optimistic that I will do a decent job and
(02:32):
represent well. But I still have much to learn. So
I'm trying to go back to the early days of
my career where my brain is like a sponge and
I can take it all on board and just transition
from one card to the other without worrying about it
and do that fake confidence until you make it thing.
So hopefully that will serve me well. It's all the
(02:54):
little things, though, So I don't know where I'm supposed
to be. I don't know where I'm supposed to go,
and how I'm supposed to get credentials and who I
don't know what I don't know. And so in sportscar racing,
like an IMSA or an Indy car, you know where
you've got to go, you know where everything happens, you
know who's who and what's what, and it's just kind
(03:15):
of second nature. You just turn up and it's like
being on autopilot. Here there's a lot going on in
your head because you don't know where you're supposed to be,
what you're supposed to be doing, and you don't know what.
You don't know, and I can't emphasize that enough. So
I'm just trying to clean all the information and follow
my fellow drivers and hope that I learned quickly. I'm
(03:38):
doing the Chili Bowl in part because, well I blame
I squarely blame my friend Sarah Fisher. And you guys
probably know who Sarah Fisher is because she's a legend.
And we were at Indy this year and she said,
you know, she really tried driving a midget, and I thought, yeah,
that would be cool. And then I mentioned it to
somebody else and they said, oh, we can make that
(03:59):
happen for you. And so, in no small part, Sarah
is the catalyst to making me want to do the
Chili Bowl. And Brent Cox said to a friend of mine,
we have a team and we researched it and it's
one of the best teams, and we can make that
happen for you. And I thought, well, why not? Right like,
(04:20):
I am at the stage of my career now where
these opportunities are happening for me, why not make the
most of it. I love driving, I love racing, I
love going fast, I love the competition, and I love
a challenge. You know, I did an iron man because
I wanted to challenge. I never want to sit still,
and I want to make the most of all the
(04:42):
wonderful opportunities that racing has afforded me. So long story short,
I said yes, I would love to do the Chili Bowl,
immediately regretted it because I have no idea what I'm doing,
but I will figure it out and you guys can
figure it out alongside me. I'm going to be completely transparent,
open and honest about how I feel and what is
(05:03):
going on, and you can come on this ride, on
this journey with me. Coming up next is a segment
that I am going to do on a monthly basis
with one of my best friends in the entire world,
Christina Nielsen. And a lot of you will know Christina
because she used to be my teammate. She's also an
IMSAE champion, and she has a lot of very valuable
(05:25):
insight into what it's like being a woman in racing,
and so I think her experience is one of the
very few in the world that jives with my experience.
Like we bonded over the fact that there's only a
handful of us out there who have had the life
experience of being one of the only females in racing,
(05:45):
so I am beyond excited to introduce you to her.
And today we have the most special guest we have,
Christina Nielsen on the show. Not only is she one
of my best friends in the entire universe, and I
say universe because I am still bitterly disappointed that she
(06:06):
decided to move thousands of miles away from me back
to Denmark, but she's also crushing it a life and
one of the biggest badasses that I know. Not only that,
but literally the title throttle therapy is very appropriate because
Christina and I talk most days, I would say, and
for me, she's like best friend therapy and that's the
(06:27):
best kind of therapy there is. So, without further ado,
Hello miss Nielsen, how are we today?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Hello everyone? Hello Kat? That was very cute. Thank you
for the kind intro.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
No, I mean, it's absolutely true. So why don't you
tell our listeners a little bit about you and how
we met through racing, and like what you're up to
these days so they get caught up before we delve
into everything.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Absolutely So, when I first started racing in the States,
a lot of people came and asked me, are you Catherine,
Because let's face it, there was only one other woman
in the paddock and I had to tell them no, sorry,
I'm Christina. And I got quite familiar with Kat very
quickly during my career. Right now, it was I mean,
(07:15):
it was pretty awesome because it meant that there was
another woman in the paddock that was noticeable and one
that was acknowledged and recognized among peers and among fans.
And slowly, I mean, I, like Catherine, fell in love
with American racing. I loved racing and DMS Weather Tech
Championship and jumped around a little bit. Had two of
(07:37):
my best years in my career for sure with Ferrari
team Scuderia Corsa, and we won the championship.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Yeah exactly, Yeah, I get that far.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Yeah, so yeah, we closed the championship. I did that
together with my co driver Alessandro Balsan. But yeah, I
mean it was also during this time that I got
to know Kat, and throughout my time in the States,
I was also so lucky that I got to share
a seat with her, got to share a car. And
I will say on a professional level, you know, the
(08:11):
struggle of making a new season happen. Catherine, I definitely
started getting close to working together, but it was probably
during a little balcony evening talk that we got to
be genuine friends. You know, we were sitting talking after
a test day, I think it was, and see Ring, Yeah,
(08:32):
and you know, we just I think got to know
each other on a personal level and enjoyed, you know,
a friendship that was blossoming at that time.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
We bonded, We bonded. There are so many things because
I think it was then that I realized that we
are literally two of the only humans on the entire
planet that have had the same life experiences, Like being
a racing driver is really cool, but it's also really different,
and it's not real life, and there are not that
many women drivers out there at all, and so to
(09:04):
feel a little bit like an outsider and to have
had the same life experiences that we've had and to
live this weird and wacky and wonderful life. We just
kind of got talking about it and we went down
all kinds of rabbit holes. I don't even think there
was wine involved, I can't remember.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
But not a nice time.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
But I have a question for you. When you mentioned
winning the championship with with Balzan, I wanted to ask
you apart from me, obviously I'm on the spot.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Now you have to say me.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
So we're going to assume that it's me. Who was
your favorite teammate that you had And why.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Can I say Alessandra? You can say Alice, Okay, I
can tell you. I think endurance racing, which IMSA is
all about, you get to share the car with another person,
and it means whether you're doing well or you're doing
that if you have a good relationship, it's really unique
and special that you get to share that with another person.
I think for us as women, there was another layer
(10:11):
to it. Then. It was really beautiful that we got
to share that together and some of the uniqueness about
being a woman within the industry is something that truly
bonded us. I would say Alessandro is definitely one of
the mail drivers that have had the best relationship with.
I also think it's hard to ignore the fact that
the seasons were special because we had some great memories
(10:34):
in terms of the championships that we went together, and
of course that was extremely special and something that we
both look back at as unique years and during our
careers but I think it was also the fact that
we had so much fun sometimes and you know exactly
what I'm talking about, kat enduring tracing is it's not
(10:56):
a one off, it's a whole season, and some times
the pressure can be a lot because you're constantly thinking
towards the final race of wanting to win the championship,
and the fact that Alessandra and I had so much
fun definitely in that kind of situation took some of
the pressure off it. We kind of forgot it and
we enjoyed what we're doing and made the most of it,
(11:18):
and that was a really lovely time.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Isn't it weird? Don't you feel that you always drive
better when you're happy and you're having.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Fun one hundred percent? And I mean, let's face it,
their studies to prove this, but yeah, there is, Actually
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I just feel like when I'm happy and everything's going
well and you just drive better, you make less mistakes.
You just I don't know, do.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
You remember that?
Speaker 1 (11:45):
It's obviously prove it?
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yeah. Is there a special you know, race or stint
in the car where you can tie like your performance
together with your happiness. Is there something that comes to mind?
Speaker 1 (11:56):
When you say that, No, I think it's a frame
of mind with me rather than anything else. And I
have to get myself in that frame of mind, whether
I'm feeling it or not, even if I think, oh,
the car is going to be difficult or this isn't
going to be that, or you know, you've you've got
to kind of mentally prepare yourself and get in that
(12:19):
frame of mind and tell yourself you're still the luckiest
uman on the planet because you get to drive a
race car for a living and you're still in X
y Z place and doing whatever, and so you have
to get yourself in that frame of mind. But I
feel like, actually, when you're not thinking, like my mind
wanders sometimes because.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
So bad.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Do you think about, like, oh, what am I going
to have to dinner?
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Like I think rare the weirdest stuff. And so now
you sometimes have to, you know, get myself back in
the moment and be like, don't think about this stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Now, same same think about what you're doing. But actually
you do drive better when you're when you're subconscious is
doing it. It's like, you know, if you drive home
from somewhere, say you've been to the grocery store, or
the gym, or wherever it may be, and you think
to yourself, I really can't remember how I got home,
and it happens all the time. Yeah, that's literally how
I've done some racist I promily shouldn't admit that. But
(13:17):
you drive when your subconscious is doing it. Your subconscious
is much more fluid and able to deal with all
the things than your conscious mind. Is that your conscious
mind is a lot so so I think it's actually
a good thing.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Dude. I thought about this today. I was driving home
and there was a car in friend of me. I
had been behind that car for quite a while, and
at some point the car was just gone, And I
thought I would be a horrible investigator because I have
no idea where this car went. I'm like, I followed
this car for a good fifteen minutes and then you know,
(13:48):
suddenly five minutes later, it's gone. I have no idea
which direction it went or what happened, but it wasn't
in front of me anymore.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
I think about if you know, you see the movies
where people are followed and they know that being kailed,
I would have literally no idea me too.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Well, I kind of ask you, because I do remember
one of the stints where Catherine impressed me the most
was Seabring, and I felt so bad because I had
driven in the morning when we started the race. I
started the Sebring twelve hours that the race. Yes, okay,
so mutual admiration for nineteen. I did a double stint
(14:30):
to begin with when it.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Was wet in the rain and overtook everybody and literally
got up into and Mike shank how a team manager,
was on the pitstand, and we were just looking at
each other like who who's in the car and what
did they do with Christina. It's like it was Hamilton.
It was an outstanding double stint, I have to say,
(14:51):
and it will go down in history that and midd
ohigher for me. But anyway, sorry, I just hijacked the situation.
Carry on.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Yeah, I just you know. Mike asked me, how was
it physically, and I said, oh, it was totally fine,
because we both know Seabring is normally extremely physical, like
it's a tough track, it's hot, but because I was
driving in the wet, it wasn't very physical. So I said, yeah,
triple state would totally been possible. So they kept cat
in in the e or and you know, going into
(15:20):
the into the night or into the evening, and I
was just thinking it is dry. The entire time we
thought the rain was going to hit. The raidar was
showing it. Captain stayed in the car, and I was thinking,
how is the woman not dying?
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Yeah, I finished that rise three and a half hours
in the car, because there's a four hours and I
wanted to die, and actually I wanted to kill Mike
for leaving me in the car that loone, but I
didn't have the energy, so I was just, yeah, pretty
pretty wiped out at the end of it. But my
dad asked me this the other day because I have
(15:53):
been working my butt off lately in the gym, and
I don't think I've ever been fits real stronger, right.
I think I'm like pecking now and well so that's
what Garman tells me. Anyway, So my dad said, do
you think that it will make a difference in the car,
And I said, I don't think so, because I've never
(16:13):
apart from this year in IndyCar Iowa, where else my
arms are going to fall off? But I managed it anyway.
I don't think I've ever thought I haven't been fit
enough or strong enough, or that it would make a difference.
What do you think.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
I think being stubborn goes a very long way. No
way am I going to say no, I can't do it,
because like a man would never say that, So no,
never gonna happen. But I also do think what you
have to without having tried it, But from what you
are describing what you have to do behind the wheel
(16:51):
of that IndyCar, it sounds like it's a different way
of working behind the wheel and it takes something else.
And yeah, I mean before when you were saying I'm
in the best shape, I forgot I was, you know,
only on sound because I'm nodding and I'm like, oh,
the listeners can't hear me not But yeah, I know
(17:12):
one d I mean you you felt it and you
know both. What what do you feel like it's the
biggest difference.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
That's a good question. I I don't know. I just
remember we did the testa at Iowa earlier in the summer,
and I remember coming in after I don't know, like
six laps or something, thinking, how am I going to
tell these guys that my arms are going to fall
off or we need to take caster out of it,
(17:42):
and I don't want to be the girl like I
never want to be looked at like, oh, she's not
strong enough or she's not fit enough. And even though
the guys were also struggling, and some of them and
some of the ones that I admire the most, like
Scott Dixon, one of my heroes, right, and apparently he
had to take some castrough out because it was heavy.
(18:02):
So I'm like, Okay, maybe it's not because I'm not
strong enough, but also I want to take that off
the table. I never want to pit and say to
the guys or say on the radio or say anything
like I'm not fit enough or I'm not strong enough.
Because in my career, on the way up to IndyCar
Champ Car back in the day, everybody thought women couldn't
(18:23):
do it because they weren't fit enough and strong enough.
And so I worked my butt off with Jim Leo
at Pitfit and I was in the gym too, three
times a day working out, And Okay, I looked a
little stocky at the time, but I was able to
get out of that race car after the three hours
or whatever it was the longest races and still have
managed it. Whereas other drivers were struggling, and so I thought,
(18:48):
I have to get back to that, and I have
to take that off the table because you know, that
hasn't been mentioned to me in so long that women
aren't strong enough to do it, because I think back
in the day Simona and proof that we were, and
so I didn't want that to become an issue again.
So I thought, okay, back with the weight training. Because
(19:09):
when you drive a GT car and you've got power steering,
or even a Prototype, the steering isn't that heavy, but
in an IndyCar it really is. And so it was
a very strange sensation because I would get to lap
six and think, there's no way I can do the race.
This is gonna that I'm gonna have to pit and
tell them I can't do it. But then you're like
(19:31):
one more lap, one more lap, one more lap, and
after about six more laps you realize that, oh, it's
just going to suck, and you just have to suck
it up and do it anyway. And I really don't
think that it impacted my driving at all, but I
didn't know, and so I just want to take that
off the table as a thing. I know, Jamie said
(19:53):
to me. Where were we Nashville or Milwaukee or somewhere.
She said that she's been working really hard in the
gym and her She credits her improvement from last year
to this year to getting stronger. So obviously with some
interesting right it makes it makes an impact. But I know,
driving an IndyCar compared to driving a GT car, everybody
(20:16):
thought that with the halo and the bubble, it was
really hot in there, And I'm like, are you kidding?
You haven't done the NSX like car, right, So I
feel like that conditioned to me for the heat, but
and then the gym's condition my arms. But that was
(20:37):
that was the hardest thing about the GT driving was
the heat to me, And there was.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
A big difference. Now, IndyCar, I don't know, but like
I've driven quite a few of different GT cars and
the NSX was definitely one of the harder ones. Also
one of the smaller ones. I needed to whenever we
had to do a driver change, I needed to put
my hand on my knee to pull my leg back
in order to make sure that my leg came out
with me to not get stuck contortions.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Yeah, I mean there was that. I remember trying to
squeeze like Graham ray Hole into it as well, and.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Brutal, brutal.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
You're lucky you don't have big feet.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Yeah, that also doesn't help, does it. I heard one
of the guys say that he had to like widen
his legs so that he could turn the steering well
between his legs. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Yeah, Oh I feel lucky being little in that respect.
Then it was so funny. This year was it? This year?
Was it? Last year?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I don't remember?
Speaker 1 (21:36):
And Daytona. I think I hit the wall too many
times and my memory doesn't work. But this we know
about me, and we're just going to ignore that fact
and pretend that I shouldn't see somebody. So this year, career,
post career, you're worried about my memory later, it's probably
a good thing, no past traumas, I don't have any baggage.
(21:57):
I'm going.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
She says that, But then she can remember every single
corner and every break point at a racetrack or you
track walk with her, but you can't remember what you
had for lunch like three hours ago.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Maybe it's just that it's you that that information is
using up all the space in my brain.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
One hundred percent. You are one hundred percent of race
Card Driver, and you know, lunch Maker is not that's
important currently.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
I had this conversation with somebody the other day and
I am going off on a tangent like I do,
but I said that at this point in my life,
I am not Katherine anything else other than Katherine race
Card Driver, because I don't This isn't a job, it's
my identity and I don't know what I would do
(22:43):
after or it's who I am right now, and that's
actually terrifying.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Yeah, but that's why I'm here for that ship.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
You and I had a conversation about this podcast the
other day and I asked you, or like begged you
to come on on a regular basis because I think
that the listeners need to need to hear more of you.
I think you're wonderful, right, and I think that everybody
else would think you're wonderful. So I said, Christina, how
(23:26):
about we make this you're my regular and you come
on once a month, and she's like, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
I think about it.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
And then she was going down this rabbit hole and
she came up with the best idea of what we're
going to call our special Care and Christina Sessions, and
I will let you tell our listeners what you decided
to call.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
It, what we are embracing are do you say womanhood? Yes?
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Absolutely yes, And it's.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
Going to be that time of the months that you're
going to have the pleasure of spending half hour, forty
five minutes with us.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Absolutely. So once a month, Christian's going to come on
and it's going to be bad time in the month.
And we thought, oh, was it a bit close to
the mark? You know, we shouldn't really be saying that. No,
screw it, because we're just we're going with it. It's
who we are and we're being authentic. And now I
can go back to the Daytona story. So I was
(24:19):
talking to Alex Rossi and Olie Jarvis, two of my
friends who were driving the Fath McLaren I think it was,
and it was absolutely hilarious because it was them discussing
their driver changes and how they get.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Into the door. Yes exactly.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
I was literally cracking up and still when I think
about that conversation. I mean, they're both funny humans anyway,
but I was dying, Like Alex came in and he's like,
I don't know how to open the door, don't how
to get out. He couldn't get out, he lost his
boots in the foot. Well I'm trying to get out.
(25:04):
And I was like, okay, so after all these practices,
how have your driver changes gone? Like what times are
you doing? You know, we used to do it in
what like fourteen to seventeen seconds if it was a
really fast one just needed fuel lonely, and he said,
we've got it down to about seventeen minutes. I have
(25:24):
to boot, I have to do this, I have to
do that. And then he said that he couldn't get
the door closed, and like he's driving around with one
off trying to hold the door closed, and it was just, honestly,
it was comical. So I feel like we are we did.
We haven't had these experiences for so long because we
just kind of we were so used to the NSX
(25:44):
as well.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
But I will also say we had a master blaster
as a driver change for Justin. He did a phenomenal job.
He hid every point every time like he was really
really great. So you felt like, you know, there was
some good teamwork going on. But speaking of driver changes,
I do also think that okay, it's the first world problem.
But have you ever, let's face it, the summer was
(26:08):
often our busy season. Have you ever had to wear
a dress and thought, no, I can't. I have bruises
on my legs everywhere because I keep banging my legs
against the door and stuff. Whenever it had to get
out of a car.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Oh, I just embraced the bruises. Yeah, but it's on
your elbows and everything anyway, isn't it. You just get
beaten up. I think people realize. People think driving a
race car is like driving their normal car. They don't
realize it's actually like putting a bunch of really hot,
disgusting restrictive gear on where you can't move. Don't see,
(26:44):
you can't do anything. You're doing that in one hundred
and thirty degrees is what the NSX used to get
out to. And then it's like being thrown around in
a washing machine and it's just socid.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Yeah. Oh I remember. Also sometimes with having to drink
from the drink bottle like any car, sometimes the water
would be hotter warm. Yeah, yeah, like you couldn't swallow it,
so you just like to try and cool your chest
a little bit. You would just like take a sip
and then just let it, yeah, exactly, just to get
a little bit cold. And some of the guys at
(27:16):
some point, you know, just put ice cubes, a little
keo ice cubes inside the suits to have a little
bit of coolness on the chest, because that's what's most
important to keep cool, I think, besides the head.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Do you ever wear a cool suit? Did you ever try?
Speaker 2 (27:29):
I did? I remember the first time I wore it,
I switched it on, I got so like, oh my god,
what is this? And I had to suit it off
so cold, delightful, I know, yeah, yeah, some of the
teams used it.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
I was it was, it was a thing for me.
I just I was terrified of it going wrong and
like boiling my brains or I don't know. I just
decided that I was gonna ginn not but don't do it.
I think honestly, it would be remiss of us. So
you started racing a lot later than I started racing.
(28:07):
Then we were basically on the same ms career path.
And now you are a badass business woman. And so
when was the last time you were in a race
car and how has it been transitioning into what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
It last race car was in twenty twenty two. I
did the Indianapolis eight hours in an Nssex, which is
really nice to finish in. I was with the Harrison
and Van Baker and we did finish on the podium,
so it was a really nice way to call it
quits essentially, so you've still done it, yeah, hopefully. I
(28:48):
mean it's strange quitting and I get the whole like
because I went through the scene with being a driver
being your identity, because it's what you spent so much time,
Like you skip weddings, birthdays, you know, whatever, special occasions
because Erase calendar is fixed, it always comes first. Is
hard to plan more than two weeks in advance. If
(29:10):
you do, you take a risk because you never know
what's going to come up. And that's the part of
the game, and it's the sacrifices that you understand that
you're making. But it also means that you know this
is what you're doing. And you're also spending so much
time with a crowd that's essentially living the same life
as you, and that's your identity, that's who you're with,
that's what you're doing, that's how you are perceived.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Do you feel like it's a sacrifice, then.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
It's a privilege. I do think there's some sacrifices. Would
I say there are one hundred percent worth making? Yeah,
one hundred percent. But I do think there are other
aspects of life that take a back seat. But if
you ask me, would you do it all over again
if you had the opportunity, like if you could go
back fifteen years, I would absolutely start everything all over
(29:55):
again and not change a single thing. So sacrifices don't
always have to be that right now.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
I just I've never people have asked me about the sacrifices,
and I've never seen it as a sacrifice because it
hasn't even occurred to me that I'm giving it up. Really,
if that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
That's fair. Yeah, I think it's I guess you could
also call it prioritizing what you are prioritizing in your life,
and I will say as much as yeah, I think
it was worth not being able to go to a
birthday party or you know, a wedding, whatever it might be.
But I guess I do consider it somewhat of a
(30:35):
sacrifice because you are putting your own needs and your
own desires and your own career above everything else. And
that means that even though you're at peace with the
choice that you're making, you also do know that the
compromise or you know that you're how you're affecting another
person because they're going to be a bit disappointed that
(30:57):
you can't make it to their special occasion. You know,
there's a bit of a personal relationship that it's going
to take a little bit of a beating from coming
second always. So again, I wouldn't change it. And I
would also say I'm extremely lucky that I have some
friends that I basically handpicked one throughout my life, like
(31:19):
one here, one there, And yeah, I mean even with
moving to the States and being there for you know,
some years, I still stayed in contact with them. And
then whenever I was back home in Denmark for a
week year or a week there, they would prioritize me
and make time for me. So they made me a
priority when I was able to see them, so that
(31:42):
we could maintain our friendship. And I do appreciate that
a lot, but that meant that they had to be
more flexible than me. I basically said I'm coming home,
can you meet That's funny.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
I just did the same when I went home and
I said it to my sister, and my sister was like, oh,
good for you, I'm busy. She made time for me.
But I was like, wow, okay, well it doesn't rerov
over Catherine. This kind of sucks.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
So there are some indirect sacrifices that I guess other
people sometimes have to make for us to maintain the relationship.
So on that side, I'll say yeah, but you know,
I I think I look back at it and said,
you know what, if I had another opportunity, one that
I thought was really good, would I take it one
hundred percent. I always get asked do you miss racing?
(32:30):
And I do miss racing in the sense that I
missed the racing part. That conversation we just had about
being happy behind the wheel when you're like confident and
you're killing it, like you know, when you're feeling good.
I remember on the radio, you know, Mike could sometime
be intimidating on the radio, and during Detroit, like I
just I felt even in sync with him with how
(32:51):
he was communicating with me, and it was like, you know,
just felt breaking great.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
We've spoken about this before and it's just it's still
hilarious to me. So we have two of the best
dads ever on the planet, Like I would not change
my dad away or dad for all the team in China.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
Like they are.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
They are legends in the paddock, and they are just
so supportive and so cool and just the best dads ever.
And anybody who knows me or Christina knows this as fact,
and it is probably jealous because they are awesome.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
They said a high standard. They really did.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
So neither of us have what I would class as
daddy issues, right, It's impossible that we do because we've
got lots and dads. However, both of us, I think
this is the only team owner that this has happened with,
but both of us, we're desperate to get Mike Shank's approval.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (33:49):
And you could tell everything by the tone of his
voice on the radio and if it was disappointed in
your on the radio. We both did everything in our power,
I would say, to try and get happy positive mic
that was proud of us. And I don't know where
these these issues came from, but it was like an
(34:10):
authoritative say the word we.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Wanted his approval so bad. But I would also say
it's because he was very selective with his compliments, so
when you got one, you knew that it was real
and it was genuine. But I mean, man, one time
I got a text message, I almost wanted to print
it and frame it on the wall because I was like,
(34:33):
I don't know, I just never going to happen again. No,
I mean like there's certain times where, you know, even
with the Ferrari team, we had Joela Joy as our
strategist and engineer on the radio, an awesome person also
because contrary to what you experienced me with Mike Whol
you know where you know, a little bit intimidating. I
(34:54):
used to go off like a firecracker on the radio.
Sometimes I just needed to get you know, somebody hit me,
just needed to get it out of my system. And
you know, Joe was the most calm person ever, so
he always calmed me down. So that was also a
person who really, you know, kept me in balance. And
those types of partnerships, you know, collaborations and performances, those
(35:19):
are the ones that I miss that are performance driven.
I don't miss all the politics around it. I don't
miss you know, other people sometimes having so much influence
on what you're supposed to be like who you are.
I mean, even the stuff we're talking about now. I
don't think when we were twenty two we would have
had the balls to talk about it because we would
(35:39):
have been so much more aware of the perception, how
we perceived. And now I get to build on my
own projects. I do a little bit of different things.
I do work with Porscha Denmark regarding some of their
events and driving experiences. I also have a program called
the Destination where I create my own driving speriences, either
(36:01):
something where you can buy an individual spot or organized
it for companies.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
And it's so cool by the way, you just like
brush over that, but you've done some already, and to me,
it looks like your quest is to provide the most
iconic venues not only for racing, but for currencies. Yes,
really in the world. And it's like this experience that
you can't get anywhere else, and you can't get with
(36:25):
anybody else with your experience either.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
I mean, the race strikes are the beating heart of
the focus, right, it's about going on track, but even
the restaurant, the hotels, the entire experience. I am traveling
with the clients and I'm not booking anything that I
haven't eaten at, I haven't stayed at So everything is
from my experience, I would say, And lucky for me,
(36:48):
I've raised a little bit all over the world, even
though America is my number one place probably so I
you know, I enjoy providing this type of experience for
other people. I got to experience this, I loved it,
and it really also makes me happy to see other
people come out of the car. You know. The last
(37:09):
one we drove with Road Atlanta, work half on List
and yeah in Georgia, and it was just so cool
because that's my favorite racetrack in the entire world. Micheline
race it is.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
It's a lot of time, but it's not not to them.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
For me, it's number one. It's also the first track
I raced in America. And these guys came out of
the car and were like, I have never experienced anything
like this in my life. This is like bucket list.
This is you know, like some of the best experiences ever.
And that's not something that I'm creating, Like, that's the
racetrack that's giving them this experience. And that's what I've
(37:45):
felt every time we've gotten to the final race of
the season. And that's what we get to finish off
the season. So yeah, embracing unique and iconic locations, and
that's what I'm currently building and hopefully, you know, be
a big thing one day and I get to share
this with a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
I think it's incredible that you're giving people this experience.
What is next from the destination by Christina and.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Ielsen still finalizing locations in Europe for twenty twenty five,
but we do have the ice driving experience, which is.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
Want this one, by the way.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
It is so much fun and actually that one is
currently sold out, so that was being cute. But yeah,
I mean that's that's something that you don't even need
to be a track person to enjoy. For me, and
you know yourself as well, Like we race quite a bit,
We've experienced quite a bit within this industry. I still
(38:43):
swear the first time I tried it, I laughed the
entire time through it. I loved it. I thought it
was so much fun, and it is. It should be
a bucket list item for everyone.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
Yeah, it's definitely one for me. I can just imagine.
I had the same experience when I tried to do
electric rally car and it was the same thing for me, asked,
this is so fun, but okay, so it's obvious that
it translates your racing career. Gave you inspiration for the destination,
(39:18):
that's obvious. The crossover between the tracks and the destinations
and the destination are obvious. What were the cross servers
that you think from the speaking then or how does
that work?
Speaker 2 (39:30):
I started doing speaking engaging more for corporate companies, and
I took high pressure environment, high pressure performance, which is
what racing is. It's extreme all the time, and I
focused on teamwork, leadership and communication. What does that look
like within racing? What does that look like within a
(39:51):
top performing team? What are my personal experiences in terms
of what worked? And the force of Joker is diversity
because a lot of companies and I'm embracing and trying
to embrace them more diverse culture. Well, I had a
program also called Accelerating Change for a few years together
with another woman named Mariana, where we did track dayse
for women. So how did that work? What made the
(40:15):
women want to join our events? You know? How did
we connect them to the partners that we had with
us the other companies? And I think that really caught
my attention because I got to share something from my experience.
It was also unique in the sense it was my perspective,
my viewpoint, but because I was talking to companies and
(40:39):
employees of companies who were open to change, embracing improvements
and wanting to take chances in terms of bettering themselves
or whatever situation in a company might be, and what
can they learn from other industries, it meant that I
was connecting with people who, you know, were really intelligent
and want to work together. And yeah, I've just gotten
(41:03):
to meet so many interesting people while sharing my own
perspectives from the industry that I come from. And it
means I'm also learning about the industries that I'm connecting
with and who I'm speaking for and with when I
do these engagements.
Speaker 1 (41:17):
So you learn from them. So it's like a chapter thing,
whereas you have like a racing chapter and an accelerating
change chapter, and you learn different aspects from all of
the chapters that you've had, and that's how you've managed
to put it all together into the destiny.
Speaker 2 (41:31):
Basically, Yeah, that's cool. Yeah, so there are you know,
and all of these summed up, am I still tied
to racing and driving, and you know, with the car
industry in general. Yeah, one hundred percent. But I think
I also looked at it when I start racing. Okay,
I'm thirty, you know, I still I don't want to
(41:54):
be pretty too now. I don't want to be you know,
I don't want to be sixty five and going oh
when I was twenty six. If I want a championship
like that shouldn't be my last achievement. So I think
I look at it as I have still so many
years to go where I can build on my identity
(42:16):
and my skill set and my knowledge so that I
can continue to do things that I'm passionate about and
explore other passions. But reality is, racing would probably always
be number one passion because that high that you get
from racing, and I think that you do from extreme
sports and athletes, et cetera. I feel very lucky. That's
(42:40):
how I choose to look at it. But I have
got to experience that, because I think a lot of
people go through life and we'll never get to experience that.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
How do you get those kicks?
Speaker 2 (42:48):
Now? Oh? Man? You know, I think about what we did. No,
I don't think there's quite the same because it's I mean,
you know what it feels like you whenever you're closing
that start finish line, whether it's you or your teammate
like you're it's such an outburst of emotions, and I
(43:14):
don't think there's anything else that will give me that
extreme feeling.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
Do you think it's the competition or the driving, or
do you think you can recreate it? Like, for example,
if you went and did a running race, so you
got really good at doing five k's and you decided
that that was how you were going to compete, do
you think that would give you the same bunk?
Speaker 2 (43:35):
I don't know. I think it's a combination of a
lot of things. I think you are emotionally drained sometimes
because let's face it, racing has a lot more bad
moments than good moments. But the good moments are just
so good that we were all idiots who continue and
continue because it is so damn good when it's good. Yeah, exactly.
(43:55):
It's an addiction a little bit. And I think it's
a mix of how how extreme it was what we
were doing. You know, there's a lot of adrenaline going,
there's an exhaustion both basically and mentally, there's a team,
you know, member component, there's years of work from all
(44:16):
the years you have been racing and then having you know,
reaching a big achievement. So I don't know if it
can be recreated. But it's also made me think, Okay,
do I maybe want to study some more psychology focused
classes to maybe do some performance work because I thought, Okay,
(44:37):
maybe I won't be doing anything that's going to give
me the exact same high like as much, but what
if I can help somebody else achieve it? So I
think there's just so many possibilities of what is possible
to do. Tell me what you're thinking, Captain, Like.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
I'm thinking that one of your greatest achievements in my
eyes is actually your emotional maturity. That I remember you
when I first got to know you, and I compare that.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
To now and no, boy.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
So much work and you teach me so much because
you're so self aware and you studied it so much
that it's actually amazing to me how you analyze people,
yourself and situations and you manage to step out and
(45:28):
look at it and look at the situation and come
up with this like rational read on it and figure
out how to do things next and how to do that.
And I'm guessing that there's a lot of racing that
taught you that. But also I have been racing forever
literally and I still have to call you to get
that take. So I don't know how you did that,
(45:51):
but it is I think one of your biggest achievements.
Speaker 2 (45:55):
But it's a ping pong, that's what you're just describing.
I mean, just as I mentioned, with the companies that
hire me, I connect with them because they're open to change,
open to wanting to learn, and we're you know, bouncing
back and forth ideas and situations and issues, and you know,
it's the same that we're doing just on a friend level,
(46:15):
when we're bouncing ideas back and forth and turning a
situation every way it can be turned. And that's a
nice human interaction.
Speaker 1 (46:25):
Is I don't have it with anybody else apart from you, really,
I don't know. Is it the people that you surround
yourself with then you think you have hundred percent?
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Yeah, I just have more people that I ping pong with. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (46:37):
I don't want to let anybody else in.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
They're hard to find, Like I said, I have picked
one from elementary school, one from high school, one from university,
one from the go kart track, one from the racetrack.
So you know, yesterday I had to cook and my
oven didn't work suddenly, and as to Google with the
code was on the oven and I'm like, why am
I dealing with this stuff? I'm not a crip to
deal with this stuff.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
See, that's that's completely down my alley.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Like I feel a minute for me.
Speaker 1 (47:08):
I think that's one of my strengths is that I
can pretty much deal with anything, and if I can't,
I can call my dad, and he's a builder, so
he can tell me how to deal with anything. But
I think I learned how to be the man in
my own life.
Speaker 2 (47:21):
But your dad is also, I mean way more than
my dad. My dad is also you know, spectacular in
a lot of areas of life, but not when it
comes to we can't hang a picture, No, he cannot.
I tried to learn him and it did not go well,
and I told him never again. But I do think
your dad is, you know, very capable in that department.
(47:42):
And I think that's amazing that you know, you know
how to do those things.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
Yeah, I guess I grew up so my dad, I
don't know whether this is child labor or not, but
my dad used to pay me on site when he
was building these houses. That's how I would get my
pocket money. I would be scraping stickers off of windows
and sweeping floors and like learning how to do bricklaying
from the bricklayers or whatever it may be. So I
feel kind I feel privileged that I can do all
(48:07):
that stuff myself, and I can't do all of it myself,
but I don't want to anyway, but I kind of
know how. It's funny because my mum had to tell
me yesterday not to get on the roof by myself
and blow the leaves off the roof.
Speaker 2 (48:20):
I was just about to say, it's probably all the
stuff that you're doing where I'm like, God, should you
be doing that alone?
Speaker 1 (48:27):
Probably not, but it has to be done exactly.
Speaker 2 (48:31):
No patience, that's another thing.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
I have, Like no patience at all. And they say
when you get older, you get more tolerant, and you
get more patient.
Speaker 2 (48:40):
We're screwed. Yeah, I don't know what's going to happen
with us. We have no patience for anything in life,
I know, and.
Speaker 1 (48:46):
I need to figure out a way to work on that,
but I also don't have the patience it. You came
to Indian not this year but last year as my banker,
(49:11):
as my right hand man girl, and that was your
first IndyCar race.
Speaker 2 (49:16):
Yeah, it was quite an experience.
Speaker 1 (49:19):
How was it different to how you imagined it to be?
Speaker 2 (49:23):
I don't think I understood how big it could be.
I remember one of my friends telling me, oh, if
you show up past seven am, you're not going to
get in before the race start, And I'm like, what
are you talking about. I didn't believe this stuff. Luckily,
you know, I was Vip. It wasn't met with Vip,
but I was the sidekick that got to ride along
(49:44):
for the police escort in the morning with her, and
I think in the carring my experience also being European,
it was like, this is how Americans do it right.
It was just so cool with the show, you know,
with everything, like right before the race, like the last
(50:06):
few hours before leading up, even you know, standing in
pitt Lane and watching the grand stands being full of
people and just seeing how big it was. It was
go big and go home, And it was a proper
fall on American experience done right. So it was such
(50:26):
a cool experience.
Speaker 1 (50:28):
I feel like you get goose months when you hear
back coming in Indiana and the flyover, and the just
the energy when you drive in this like this weird,
really cool vibe energy. And I don't think you can
describe it to people if they haven't been. They have
to experience themselves. And I think it's just from all
the people because it's the world's biggest sporting event, which
(50:49):
means that there are more people there than there are
in any other sporting event, which is kind of crazy
to think about. They're all watching.
Speaker 2 (50:56):
It is you when did you, like, I mean you
know that you know that point where like you're nervous,
You're nervous until the nerves are gone, right, you're in
the zone. You're no longer like it's shaken off whatever
you might feel in the you know, in the beginning
or right when you get in the car, When did
it change for you? Like, how did you feel like
(51:16):
getting into the car right before you had to go
information lab?
Speaker 1 (51:20):
Well, I think the first time that I did it
was I did not let any of the outside noise
in and I had my blinkers on because I was
so nervous because it's like the first time you experienced that.
It's a lot, it's a lot of pressure. Yeah, but
you've had that for two weeks leading up to it
as well, and I think that you shut it out.
(51:44):
But I regretted shutting it out because then you don't
get to experience it. So I wanted to think, oh,
this is really cool, and I wanted to look up
at the crowd and look around, and you do the
whole rammarole where you start rewide and you do the
formation that's and everything, and I think, I think after
the start is then when you start to settling and
(52:04):
you think, okay, it's a race, right, like it's like
another race. But up until that point, it's so historied
and it's so special that you can't help even though
you start it out, you can't help but think, oh
my goodnes, it's like it's just such, it's just a lot,
But you got to think it's not and you're going
to try and get away from that. Although I made
a conscious effort to look up and look around and
(52:27):
realize how cool it is and how you know, there's
been nine women in the history of India that I've
done it, and one of you like, how cool is that?
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (52:37):
It's freaking cool. I mean what you're describing. I remember
Alessandro Bolsan saying to me after Lamon a year later.
Because I was lucky enough, I got to do the
twenty fourths of Lamong and sixteen, and then because we
won the Endurance Championship in sixteen in America, we got
a ticket to Lamong in seventeen. And at some point
(52:58):
I said to Alessandro, you need to enjoy and embrace
it your at Lament, like this is a bucket list
item than most drivers dream about doing. And it wasn't
until maybe six months after he came to me and said, oh,
I regret I didn't enjoy it. I was so stressed,
I was so in my head about everything, and I
(53:18):
regret I didn't enjoy it. But I get it. It's
a normal human reaction when your system is overloaded because
it's a lot of pressure.
Speaker 1 (53:27):
Yeah, you think you're doing the right thing by shutting
it out because then you have more mental capacity. Yeah, well,
with all to deal with everything else that's that's going on.
You feel like you should be completely focused on what
you're doing and letting anything else in it's just taking
away from that. But yeah, you also you're a human.
Speaker 2 (53:45):
Right, And it's also the part here is where it
comes into play with being a woman, right, because we
do get noticed as women. You know, like you said,
you're one out of nine. That's not a lot when
you know how many men have driven Indianapolis five hundred,
And it's a lot of pressure because you know that
(54:08):
if you make a mistake, it's going to play into
the stigma of you know, like, oh, yeah, of course
that happened, that was the woman. Like I used to
also have that theory in sportscar racing. When we were
coming close to closing the championship, people were talking about it,
Oh that's you know, people in the paduct knew who
I was because we were close to making history. And
(54:31):
I remember thinking, yeah, but I'm also going to remember
it for the one stuffing it in the tire wall.
If I do that, Yeah, that's going to be talked about.
See exactly.
Speaker 1 (54:40):
I think though, And you've helped me with this, but
I've been doing it for so long now that I
don't really care about what people think anymore. I care
about what certain people think. So even now, when I
did indeed ten years ago and there was definitely not
that many women, not that many families compared to there
(55:02):
are now. Now there's like so many more women and
more families, and there's so much more of this girl
power and I have the support and I love it
and it's great and it's really made a difference. And
I remember thinking ten years ago, I remember looking online
at the comments and stuff and thinking, Okay.
Speaker 2 (55:19):
So it's horrible, it's bad, but they're going to.
Speaker 1 (55:22):
Do that anyway. And somebody said to me it might
have been you, to be honest, that why are you
listening to people who whose opinion you wouldn't take on board?
Like if you don't if you wouldn't take their advice,
why are you listening to their opinion? And so now
it's like water if it DUTs back to me, it's like, yes,
(55:42):
I love the positive and I love the support ones
because I think that's how you and I would be
with other people. I don't think we would ever try
and bring another human being down just for the sake
of it, And so I feel sorry for them, and
so I don't really I don't really think about it
that I think it's more for me, like I want
to do the best job that I can do because
(56:05):
I've got this one opportunity to do it, and I
want to make myself and my dad and the team
and the people whose opinion I really do matter proud
because I want to be like, I left nothing on
the table that was as fast as that car could go.
Nobody could have done a better job in that car
on that day. And so I think for me it's
(56:27):
totally flip flopped from being affected by what everybody thinks
to being more selective. Does that make sense?
Speaker 2 (56:35):
Yeah, I also think it's you know, some of the
stuff that's doung sometimes for me, the comments used to
fall in two categories. One was the stereotypical comments about
being a woman, like, oh, she's probably checking her eye shadow,
you know, like in the mirrors and stuff like that,
which I didn't care about, Like that was whatever, you
(56:56):
don't have that many brain cells to move, whether that's
the best you can come up with. But the tougher
ones that it took a bit also, I mean I
was younger, It was harder when we were younger, and
they were very personal and it was stuff like she's
more man than she's a woman. She must have taken
so much to start her own that her baby watch
(57:18):
isn't working, Like you know, she's full of steroids and
you know there's not any woman left in earth. Like
it was very personal, and majority of them about my
looks or you know, really coming down hard on me
being a woman.
Speaker 1 (57:34):
What drives another human being? Like why take to whatever
platform it is to say stuff like that? It's just
as bizarre. It's like if they feel better by bringing
somebody else down, but I wouldn't. I wouldn't listen to it,
and they're by far more positive than their own negatives,
I would say. But yeah, when you're young, it always
(57:54):
affects you. I remember when I first went into champ
Car India, my dad would say, don't read the comments,
and I knew I shouldn't read the comments, but I
read them anyway, them anywhere, and then it got to
me now and just I think it's at it.
Speaker 2 (58:12):
So British.
Speaker 1 (58:14):
There are so many aspects to racing that we share
and we have in comment and I look forward very
much to exploring them all with you on Throttle Therapy
with Catherine then.
Speaker 2 (58:25):
And love it.
Speaker 1 (58:35):
Thanks for listening to Throttle Therapy. We'll be back next
week with more updates and overtakes. Leave us a review
in Apple Podcasts and tell us what you want to
talk about. It might just be the topic for our
next show. Throttle Therapy is hosted by me Catherine Legg.
Our executive producer is Jesse Katz, Our supervising producer Is
(58:57):
Grace Views. Listen to Throttle Therapy on America's number one
podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search
for throttle Therapy with Catherine Legg and start listening.
Host
Katherine Legge
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