2010 was a watershed season.

 Natalie would like to thank Rick Fiske for such a great race car.  Jesse Prather for the putting the pieces back together and the go-fast set-up. QTM for their continued support as well as SPARCO USA.  The Women in the Winners Circle for their continued support and for Natalie’s inclusion in the Women in Motorsports exhibit.  To Vince, Keith and Simona at HVM Racing for letting us hang out, eat your food (and shoot film) and Mike, Dan, and Misty at Panther Racing for the same. Thanks to Suzi and Michelle at USF2000 for your help in Iowa and Melissa at ISC for keeping us from having to sneak under the fence at the Daytona 24. The Wilson family for your support. Steve Rees for inviting Natalie to Texas. Thanks to Tim Webb who came out to Hallett and coached Natalie early on. Natalie would like to thank the Stephens family and her fellow racers at Hallett that were nothing but supportive of her, especially Jeff Endsley who was a great competitor for Natalie and reached out to her after her race 7 shunt encouraging her to return ASAP; a true Gentleman. The ATR gang for their continued support and encouragement. Paul at Toshiba for your hospitality on a blustery Daytona weekend and John at Mazda for letting us hang in your garage. Thanks to Damon for pitching Natalie’s story and the Fame guys Brian and Ben for taking a chance. Welcome Michael and Sheri to our adventure. Thanks to my friend Bill who came and crewed for Natalie and Bob for encouraging her entrepreneurial spirit. Thanks to John for setting up her website and Gina, Lisa and Natalie’s XC coaches for doing the TV interviews. Thanks to Michele for the school access. Last, but not least, thanks to all of you reading this that have followed Natalie on these adventures and sent many supportive messages.  

Sept 25-26 Round 7 SPEC MIATA was run backwards (clockwise) which because of her transmission failing in race 2 meant she had only limited track time in this direction. After her success on the used tires in race 6, Natalie had a brand new set of Hoosiers for race 7. Saturday was spent breaking in the tires and learning the fast line around the track. She started where she left off from race 2 at 1:37 but this was not the same driver from race 2 and even though she was supposed to take it easy and just heat cycle the tires, she still dropped to 1:35.707. On Sunday she was cut loose and as her confidence grew and she figured out troublesome sections, her times dropped getting to a 1:34.821 in the second practice. After some timely instruction she went out and put down a 1:33.798 in qualifying which was good enough to qualify 7^th in Spec Miata. In the prefinal she had a clean start and ran the first two laps in 8^th place. On lap three she settled down and caught the 7^th place car. As she came out of the 1^st corner she got a great run and passed 7 and 6 in a short chute before reaching a turn named “the bitch”. She made it through that fast left hander and led a train of 5 cars for the next lap. As she came into the bitch on lap 4 Natalie came down in a defensive line but upon exit went wide off the track. The car spun back on to the track getting hit hard in the front left wheel. Both drivers were okay, but both cars were heavily damaged. With her racing budget exhausted for the year she missed the final race, the Miata became a winter project.Though it was a not a great way to end the season, it was a great season never-the-less. Next year will bring a return of the Miata and the beginning of her racing open wheel cars. 

 Aug 21-22 Round 6 SPEC MIATA (counter clockwise) was a break-through weekend for Natalie on multiple levels. First, Natalie and her family/ race team were followed from their home in South Kansas City by a Hollywood TV production crew who are interested in doing a TV series about her life and racing. The company had spent the previous 3 days filming her home and school life. They came down to Hallett adding a third crew to film the young racer. She did not disappoint. The first four practice sessions she ran her old street Toyo tires with times around 1:35.2xx. For the 5^th practice she ran on Jesse’s real race tires (albeit used) for the first time, and the change was dramatic with her turning a 1:34.186, more than a second faster than her previous practice and ¾ of a second better than her personal best.  In the first practice Sunday morning Natalie dropped another half second running 1:33.614! Natalie qualified 8^th in a mixed 24 car field with a personal best of 1:33.519. The biggest thing to understand at this point is that she has become a ferocious competitor. She does not miss an opportunity to pass. The key to the Spec Mazda Miata is momentum and being smooth. To that end an extension was installed to the side of her brake pedal Saturday which allowed Natalie to start to heal-and-toe as she entered corners. This along with her growing experience and cast-off race tires helped move Natalie to the next level. In the prefinal she spun on the third lap as she attempted to bring the car down from 110 mph at the bottom of a hill with a second gear left hander. She lost some places and finished 21 in a 24 car field. Her consolation was setting new personnel best 1:33.448.  The twelve lap feature was a challenge because there were numerous cars that she was now faster than in front of her. Experience has taught her (the hard way) not to try and win the race in the first corner. After the first half lap Natalie started her charge through the field. Keeping out at the edge but never losing it, she picked off cars lap after lap. She got into several battles where she would make a pass and then get passed back but eventually she would pass them back and then move on to the next racer. At the end she finished a season best 4^th in Spec Miata and a personal (and season) best of 1:33.097. The TV producers were happy and Natalie and crew were ecstatic.  Look for news about the potential TV show in the coming months.  

June 26- 27 Round 4 SPEC MIATA (counter clockwise) Natalie was starting to look like a racer, but her clutch also started acting up. Her times were off in Sunday morning practice with Fenaroli only able to muster a 1:35.829. After some direction on how to deal with the failing clutch she went out and qualified with a personal best 1:34.732 which was 16^th in a 23 car field. Natalie had her best race in the prefinal finishing 12^th now with as many cars behind her as in front. In the main she had a great start and stayed in the thick of it. On the third lap she went wide on turn one and ran off the track down the hill and over a tire barrier. She was okay but the front right suspension was damaged. Thanks to the support of a private family, Natalie has raced the whole season with a state of the art HANS neck restraint device which helped on this impact and unfortunately (or fortunately) again in round 7. Back to Jesse Prather’s shop in Topeka for a front-end rebuild and a new clutch master cylinder. Unfortunately as the car was getting prepped in the days before Round 5, Natalie found the clutch did not properly release and so round 5 was skipped. It turned out the clutch disc itself had broken besides the marginal master cylinder that had been replaced. Jesse Prather offered to let Natalie use a set of Hoosier tires he had used at a recent SCCA National. These tires ended up being pivotal in the next race.  

 May 23-24 Round 3 SPEC MIATA (counter clockwise) Natalie qualified 16^th out of 21 with a 1:35.171. She ran a 1:35.421 in the prefinal and kept it together to finish 15th in the main. Her times improved over the previous weekend as did her feel for the car.  

April 24-25 Round 2 SPEC MIATA  The track was run backwards (clockwise) so it was like a whole new track. Saturday’s practice saw times range around 1:42 as Natalie learned the new line. On Sunday in the first practice she had brought her time down to 1:37.122 but started having problems shifting. The second practice saw near identical times 1:37.138 but the transmission sounded like it was filled with rocks and after 5 laps the weekend ended early as the transmission failed.The car was taken to Jesse Prather Motor Sports in Topeka where Jesse fitted a new transmission and reset the corner weights for Natalie’s slight size.   

Fenaroli Races Car for the First Time

 Hallett, OK 3-28-10

Kart racer Natalie Fenaroli can now add Race Car Driver to her moniker after successfully competing in her first car race in Hallett, OK last weekend. With tremendous focus every session she got better and smoother as she learned to race the car. Practice Friday helped tremendously as she took to the car well. Her first session was around 1.56 minutes. The second session she got down to 1.49. In the third and 4th sessions she started consistently running 1.45. The 4th session had no good times but lots of spins! 5th was all over the place but she made it to 1.39. 
 
On Saturday with lots of other cars to follow and race she ran many 1.39’s and 1.38’s. She was already faster than 2 other cars in practice on Sat, but the fast Miatas were running 1.32-1.33 around the 1.8 mile, ten-turn circuit. She ran with lots of cars on track and a couple classes that were much faster so she was constantly being overtaken. She handled it well with no issues; the key being predictable and smart driving on her part. She got better all day, shifting smoother and finding the right gear and line on some of the corners. She had numerous spins but the car was fine in all events. The car was really running well with not much for her pit crew (mom, dad, sister) to do except manage tires and tire pressures. Natalie’s mom kept busy keeping track of her times and managing the in-car camera down-loads after every session.
 
On Sunday she qualified with a 1.38 and had no issues. It was a great clean session and she stayed in the thick of things. In her first race, the 6 lap prefinal, she again drove smart, maximizing her seat time on the track. She was also learning to not be such an aggressive late braker because she was losing momentum and the Spec Miata class she was racing in is very much about momentum. She continued to work on finding the right gear for the corners and being smooth. Speed and good lap times will come as she learns, but it is not her primary concern right now. Tim Webb, who had been her driving instructor at her first school, came out and worked with her Saturday and Sunday. Working with Natalie between sessions reviewing video shot from her in-car camera, Tim was able to see Natalie drive and work with her on the proper gearing, line and technique. She was a sponge for information and instruction and it showed because from session to session she worked with Tim and got more consistent. In the main she was in the thick of it, keeping good pace with the pack till she could not find a gear and trailed off the back. A lap later she tried to pass another car back and spun. She drove the rest of the race in great form working on all the things she had learned. Her best time was one of the last laps of the day 1.35.3. She has 6 more races to find three seconds and there is little doubt she can; she has already started to understand smooth is fast and adjust.
 
We would like to thank several people that made this great milestone possible: Rick Fiske for use of his http://www.premiercobras.comSpec Miata. Tim Webb for spending his weekend helping Natalie learn how to drive a race car and Holly at SPARCO USA who overnighted all new FIA Nomex fire gear to Natalie including a new suit. We have enjoyed a great relationship with SPARCO’s kart racing gear distributor QTM for several years now and we are pleased to stay affiliated with SPARCO as Natalie moves to auto racing. Also thanks to Mr & Mrs BW for your support. Racing is fun and rewarding for Natalie but increasingly expensive. Without the above mentioned folks and people like Natalie’s neighbor, Gary Schumacher, who welded up seat mounts for Natalie, it would not be possible.   

 
 
Fenaroli part of Henry Ford History of Women in Motorsports

Daytona Beach, FL 1-28-10 

Natalie is honored to be included in a 5 year traveling exhibit on the History of Women in Motorsports. The exhibit was put together by The Henry Ford and the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation and opened at the end of January at the Daytona Experience in Daytona Beach, FL. Natalie attended an event celebrating the opening of the exhibit and a VIP meet and greet with many racing leaders and executives from ISC and NASCAR. See the attached PDF for more information about this fantastic display. Thanks go out to all those that put together this ground-breaking exhibit, it is indeed an incredible honor for this young lady to be alongside so many greats! One of the pictures is Natalie with Indy diver Lyn St. James who was the major force getting the exhibit put together. Behind them you can see Natalie’s picture and bio on the panel that represents “the future”.
    

2-21-2010   Natalie mentioned on WindTunnel

 

ROLEX 24 HOURS OF DAYTONA 

Jan 30Th 2010, Daytona Beach FL. 

Natalie went to the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona this past weekend. This is the third time she has gone to see this greatest American endurance race. We were thrilled when our friends at Mazda were able to win the GT class for the second time in three years. The #70 Speed Source Mazda RX8 owned and driven by Sylvain Tremblay is now a racing legend. Against the onslaught of Porsche 911s, the Mazda was darn near perfect. Anyone that has had the opportunity to hear the sound of that flat-black RX8 understands how different and amazing the song of this car is. Congratulations to Sylvain, John, and crew for another great memory we bid you good luck this season.    

The weather was less than ideal with heavy rain at race time Saturday and cool and windy conditions Sunday. Thanks to the hospitality of the Toshiba Motor Sports crew we were able to get out of the weather and get warmed up when ever we needed too. Making the most of our time with Toshiba, Natalie learned about the company and their approach to business and racing. We are looking forward to a long prosperous relationship with them.    

 We ran into Chuck Beck in the parking lot and chatted with him checking out his beautiful new 904. I was surprised to see a stainless steel chassis under that sumptuous body. Chuck said that by the time you were done powder coating a metal chassis it cost about the same. In person this car is to die for.    

Natalie was also able to see the new “History of Women in Motor Sports” exhibit that just opened at the Daytona Experience. The exhibit was put together by the Henry Ford Museum, and the Women in the Winners Circle Foundation. Natalie is honored to be part of the exhibit. She will return to Daytona next week for the NASCAR WWCF dinner and celebration of the exhibit launch. More next week on the exhibit.    

Thank you Melissa for tickets!    

 Young Drivers Symposium    

  Orlando FL. December 11, 2009- Natalie Fenaroli attended a “Safe is Fast” symposium today put on by Bobby Rahal, the FIA and The Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC). The training was incorporated into the annual Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show in Orlando FL. The topics covered included Mental Preparation, A Fit Safe Driver, Safety, Driver Coaching, and Making It Happen. All the speakers had great information and there were a number of Ah-Ha moments for Natalie. Several important contacts were made that may lead to great opportunities to road race abroad in the future.     

  There was a fun moment during the fitness talk when Fenaroli was asked up on stage to do push-ups. She was intended to be an example of limited upper body strength. She was asked if she could do 20 push-ups with the expectation she could not. As she approached 20 the instructor asked her to do 30, which she was able to do. Though it shot a hole in his intended example, he was a good sport, conceding many men he tests can’t do 30 push-ups!     

  Natalie would like to thank the FIA, RRDC,  the speakers, Bobby Rahal, Jeremy Shaw and Tamy Valkosky for her inclusion in this first ever event of its kind.    

Natalie is quoted in the RRDC Press Release: http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=353703&FS    

PRI    

Natalie was interviewed on the MOPAR Stage by TracChic.com  

Watch interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w77WpOStMF0 

   

Natalie Fenaroli Granted Car Competition License 

Tulsa Oklahoma Oct. 30, 2009 

   Natalie did well at her first race car school. The school she attended was at Hallett race track near Tulsa Oklahoma USA. She drove a Spec Racer Ford for the school. She struggled in the first session as it was a steep learning curve driving a car and using a clutch. The 14 year old kart veteran really worked hard at the craft and was within 2 seconds of the two adults (both with lots of track time) by the 3rd session. They did a race for the 4th session and Natalie made her first pass! Her instructor Tim Webb said she set the guy up perfectly drafting down the straight, then pulling out and out braking the other car and getting cleanly through the corner. He was only sorry he was not closer to catch it on his in-car camera. She spun a couple turns later; that he did catch on tape!    

   Scott Stevens the track owner has granted Natalie a COMMA competition license so she can race at Hallett next season in the www.Premiercobras.com Spec Miata and anything else she can get her gloves on. He was also complementary of her skill, approach and how she carried herself.    

   The bottom line is she did well driving her first race car so she will now direct her attention to cars. She will continue do karts too and will add the TAG 125cc back into the mix of race karts because it offers more parallels to the race cars than the shifter kart.    

   It was a very good day driving a race car. She definitely showed that spark.

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