I am Keanna Erickson-Chang, the only full-time female rally car driver in the USA... AMA! 😊

Good morning,

I was curious as to what your daily driver is and what is your dream car?

Also, any plans on racing F1 or indycars?

All the best

I'm sad this isnt answered. Someone holler at me of she does answer it, please.

Sorry, all! Trying to get to all the questions!!!

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u/cisiowian is correct, I'm not on that open-wheel path. I think it would be so cool to have the opportunity to drive an open-wheel car someday, but just for fun!

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Thanks, u/nonstopflux, for linking!

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On the topic of OW racers going to rally... Simon Pagenaud has stated Rallye Monte Carlo is on his bucket list!

Ever do any dirt track racing? That'd probably be slightly more transferable.

That's been a stepping stone for Indy 500 one-offs in the past (Ed Carpenter for example, but he runs more than just Indy), although it's fading away now.

I have not

does your co-driver call you Samir and tell you that you're breaking the car?

I would laugh, so hard.

What is your daily driver?

Audi TTRS (last manual year, before the first discontinuation)

It's blue!

How does the average person get into something like this?

Just go for it!

Spectate or volunteer (they sometimes get the best viewing spots!)

Rally schools, rallycross, and rallysprints are all good ways to get started driving-wise

Taking a co-driving course such as OzRallyPro is a great way to start co-driving!

Is it possible to be a co-driver if you get carsick?

I know co-drivers with motion sickness, but they use something that prevents or relieves it. Scopolamine patch, anti-nausea pills, etc!

I don't know quite how severe...

I also know some that have stepped away with issues that they haven't been able to get over.

Usually, technicality (twisty) roads, darkness, and heat are three big factors in making co-drivers ill.

You can volunteer, a base non-turbo rally car is about $10k to make, and then about $2k per race for entry fees, maintenance, wear and tear, but then hotels/travel/transport/food need to be taken into account. It is a rich person’s hobby until you get sponsors!

It's not cheap, but I know plenty who have come from rallycrossing and built their car up (so not as much at one time). They started with one event a year, then two, then three! Depending on how far the rallies are, you might do it less expensively. Renting a house, bringing friends for crew duties. No, still not cheap, but it's difficult to get any support until you start!

Do you have a female co-driver? Also, I've always wondered if co-drivers also compete. Is this a role you've undertaken yourself?

I work with both female and male co-drivers. This year with Rhianon Gelsomino and Alex Gelsomino, respectively.

Some of the other female co-drivers I've worked with: Claudia Barbera-Pullen, Krista Skucas, and Alison LaRoza!

Rhiannon and Alex are siblings? If so, how cool is that!?

As far as I'm concerned. You're a hero to me. I absolutely wanted to be a rally driver. You have my support all the way. Go for it!

Rhianon and Alex are married actually.

Correct!

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u/saltyplumyumyum

Rhianon also co-drives for her brother Brendan Reeves (Australia).

She was Rhianon Smyth when she began rallying in the USA.

Holy shit! Fellow co-driving with your husband and co-driving with your brother, if that aint living the dream i dont know what is!

When you're so deep in the sport, it helps to have a SO who wholly "gets it!"

Does Alex have a lot of crazy stories from his time with Block? Do you rub elbows with those guys much like the SRT guys and all of them?

He doesn't tell me too many random stories, more just tidbits about rallies and such when they are relevant!

Though on our last couple rallies he's made a few "that's exactly what Ken would have responded/said" comments 😆

And yeah, know SRT fairly well... I also live 15 minutes away from VSC

Some co-drivers drive as well! I think I would be a good co-driver, if I didn't have horrible motion sickness!

Oh the irony

I have horrible motion sickness, always have. I drive a tuned, turbo hatch and never get car sick if I'm driving. Something about being in control of the vehicle negates it.

It’s because the reason you get motion sickness is that your senses are ‘out of alignment’. When someone else is driving your brain might be predicting x amount of acceleration, but they hit the gas more/less then you predicted, leaving a slight dissonance between expectation and reality. The more times this happens, like when they’re gonna brake but they do it later/earlier than you would have by a few microseconds, the bigger the disconnect and you start getting nauseated.

For me this means I get suuuuuuuuper sick when people drive like old people—that thing where they’re driving an automatic (yuck) and they keep their foot just above the gas, pressing it a few seconds and then letting off. That slight motion of off, on, off, on the gas makes me nauseated just thinking about it. I’m better when someone has a manual transmission and are more aggressive/confident drivers.

I feel sorry for anyone who rides with me, and would really rather take no passengers. I try t be nice, but I have a 6-speed manual with AWD, so in my brain I’m the OP on a giant tarmac course every day, lol.

I think my inner ear fluid got messed up on the stick-to-the-wall fair ride when I was young. Serious.😂

Hey, Thanks for doing AMA! How much crashes have you experienced in your current career and how bad were their?

Hey! In my rally career, just one. It was a pretty simple crash, too much speed for the corner and went wide... hit a stump and just did a bit of a pirouette over the nose. We needed to borrow a forklift to get the car on the hauler and my co-driver was very briefly unconscious. The car was a rental and needed frame-work done, it was fixed but hasn't done a rally since!

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Before that, I had 2-1/2 barrel rolls over the wall in the downhill at Lime Rock Park in a MX-5 cup car, that one messed me up a bit.

What corner at lime rock did you manage to do a barrel roll from?

Downhill exit

What inspired you to take up rally-car racing?

After I went to my first rally (New England Forest Rally), I knew that was what I needed to be doing and left circuit racing! I already had some gravel experience from rally school, just for fun, and a rally sprint.

Do you worry about how close people stand to the course?

Moreso depending on where they stand...

But having nearly hit people running across the road, that's even more worrisome. Just because you think it's clear, doesn't mean it is. Cars do catch other cars, and the first car is sometimes louder than the next.

Watched a video lately about Walther Röhrl. They found fingers stuck into the car after a stage. Compared to that it's pretty safe today.

3 days ago a rally driver from my home town and his co driver died at a local rally (stage 1 of ADAC Rally Saxony, Germany) that's the other side of it.

Love that sport.

Oh, gosh.

Is there a dream circuit, not just in the US, that you'd want to race at?

I would love to do Azores and Whangarei

If there's any, what are the challenges of being the only female rally car driver in the country?

There are a few other women who are rally drivers as well, but I wish we saw them more often!

Being young and female, it can be difficult to be taken seriously. Those who know, know, but there are many people who walk right by and many others who are shocked that I drive (and not co-drive).

It makes me sad (not personally, but societally) when young girls are going to get driver autographs and skip me. Many of my peers are great at exclaiming "she's a driver too," but as someone who wants that exact scenario to change, it's such a downer when you see it happening in front of you!

Probably feeling lonely as being the only female rally car driver in the country

There are lots of women co-drivers (and honestly far more women around than I ever saw active at the track!) I love when there is another lady or two competing, but it doesn't always happen.

Hi, I am a fan of F1 and I was wondering what your opinions of it are. And do you think it would be likely for there to be a female F1 driver one day?

Hi! One, day, yes!

The goal, today, is to get more girls in at a younger age. That creates a talent pool which is large enough to find her!

How great it is that Jamie Chadwick just became a test driver for Williams?!

I'm not an F1 watcher most days, but I follow it. I think it's awesome.

I watch F1 and am sad that it took this long to do it, but proud they finally removed the “girls in sexy outfits for the winners to spray champagne on”. They now just have people who assist, some men, some women, some younger people, no sexy outfits.

How can I seriously compete in any competition where my only representation is wearing a bikini and bouncing around cheering? It’s about fucking time we cut this stupid shit out so we can get some REAL competition.

The new Future Stars program is wonderful... for kids in karting, aspiring to F1, how great is it that they get to experience it so up close!

That kind of thing wouldn't distract me from doing what I need to do. But some have done market research and the umbrella girls really didn't bring a good ROI.

How do you feel about the new FIA W series?

I answered this below, somewhere! If I can find it and this again I will link it!

Why is there no circuit on the twisted gravel fire lanes in the forests of northern Wisconsin?

The most likely answer: because no one is running one!

Rallies are independently run, so to get one going requires a group of people who want to do the legwork and run it (like a business). They are the ones that get the permits and road closures, organize the schedule, etc. They operate under the sanctioning body for the insurance and to be a part of a regional or national championship.

Oregon does it better. We have thousands of miles of logging roads covering about 1/3 of the state.

Mhm. And as a spectator, would you get to watch someone haul their car out of a swamp, bog, or lake because they screwed up on a turn? Sure you might have a few logging lanes, but how many dozers are sunk in swamps from making them?

Look, we've a rally in the lake region of Minnesota... And no matter the region, people still get pulled out of rivers and occasionally, lakes!

Hi Keanna, rally aficionado from Portugal. Are you planning on trying out any cool European rally soon?

Last year I was working with a small team who aimed and got a 3rd place on rally azores. The fan base is incredible and it's definitely very fun, but everyone is losing money. Do you feel the same happens in autos sports in the US?

Rallying is so grassroots here, there are far more teams that do 1-2 rallies a year than running a championship schedule. Everyone is definitely losing money. The only manufacturer involved is Subaru and those seats are filled by... non-Americans! The fan base here is not like it in Europe, but it is not bad.

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Azores is on my list of rallies that I would love to compete in!

Our next European rally is Rallye Vosges Grand-Est.

Why did you choose rally?

I started out with performance driving via winter driving schools and ice racing, and have always found more joy in driving in areas where higher levels of car control are required! Gravel rallies were a way to take how I started out further!

Where did you ice race? I do it with AMEC in NY and it is an amazing grassroots motorsport, really special.

You've got it!

In 2014 and 2015 in SL4

If you could physically manifest yourself as a sandwich, what type of sandwich would you be?

This is a fantastic question and I cannot decide on an answer. And suddenly... a recent maple-mustard, turkey, cheddar, tomato, heated on pumpernickel (normally not the biggest fan) comes to mind!

You are a wonderful surprise to find on AMA this morning!

For someone aspiring to be a racer, what might be the biggest overlooked factor or aspect of the sport I should be aware of?

There is so much work that goes into preparing for a rally when you are doing it the best you can, for both driver and co-driver. Many, many hours watching videos, mapping, preparation of recce plan, etc.

The co-driver also spends a lot of time cleaning up the notes after recce and there are many hours of video-watching for both after that!

Hi! I haven’t raced before, but will you say there’s any difference in trying to improve your racing skills vs something that’s slower, say singing?

Personal philosophy is "if you're not getting better, you're getting worse"

I think rally is interesting, in the USA particularly, because it is rare to test or practice on a real stage. There are places (facilities/schools), you could rent, but they are pricey and not representative. We go in between each rally not having the opportunity to do rally driving. You could do another form of motorsport, but again, not the same. (Certainly can still learn something). I guess where I'm going with this is many improvements come not from directly practicing the skill you're trying to improve, but working on things like pacenotes.

At a higher level or a much bigger budget, the options are more vast... but for most of us, we need to do things that way.

Are you independently wealthy? If not how did you raise money initially? They say the way to make a million dollars in racing is to start with two.

I talk elsewhere on this thread about my path through motorsport, but I started ice racing in a $600 Audi - and paid $50 each winter Sunday for a practice session and three 20 minute races. Crapcan racing, then proper endurance racing. I had sponsorship and crowdfunded for my Fiesta build, I was also partnered with a safety supplier (from enduro stuff), which cut equip costs. The remainder was then funded by an individual sponsor.

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To be frank, as a then-uni-student getting into the sport, I did have better support and than most. But... my racing budget is just that, a racing budget. Every day I am not in a car I am preparing for a rally and working on funding.

But yeah, that sentiment is pretty much the truth 😂

Welcome from /r/Battlecars! What reasonable used automobile do recommend for casual rallying?

I'm not the OP, but you can't go wrong with a N/A AWD impreza. Reliable cars with a huge parts market.

This is a very common choice!

I believe in the power of skill honing in rally via FWD, which is why I went the Fiesta route, but the parts market u/pelvicmomentum mentions is a major draw of the Subie.

Even in video games, you can tell that rally driving requires skill, strength and reflexes that need to be honed for years. What advice would someone like you, who operates on another level as far as driving goes, give someone who failed the driving exam three times?

I'm asking for a friend :(

Skills test? The best thing I could say is to practice in the areas where you are losing points.

I wish I had better advice for you. u/morefetus has some good points!

If you can tell me more what you're struggling with, I'll see if I have anything else I can contribute!

Hi! What are your thoughts on the W series?

Hey!!

Oh this is a good one.

So, on the most basic level, I think that the money could have been used far more effectively and it's a shame that this is what they allocated it to.

But... for the women who are competing in it, it's a great opportunity. It was the last shot at open-wheel for many competitors, and for others came at the perfect time in their careers. It's great that they earned their spots, and that the spots are funded.

I was a little upset that a couple of the girls are on such different paths in their careers and that it was more of a marketing opportunity or opportunity to race for free than to further what they are pursuing. I know of at least one of the girls who is done pursuing open-wheel racing after she missed the cut, and she might have lost her spot to a girl who doesn't really care about it. But, at the end of the day, the girls still all earned their spots, and any kind of driving or racing makes you better! It just would have been nice to see a bit more filtration on the career side.

(Bit about me: I love playing devil's advocate... all about liking/not liking bits and pieces rather than just choosing a side!)

I have a friend in it and it has opened so many doors and pushed her harder than ever!

I'm more impressed with it than I expected to be. There are still a few shortcomings (like with the broadcasting), though it seems like they are being proactive at improvements. At the end of the day, it's still a first-year series.

What type of pacenotes do you prefer? Called early, more detailed, numbers for the turns? What’s your style?

I take my pacenotes 2-3 calls in advance. I use a lot of precision/measurements in my corner lengths. And I just transitioned to a 1-8 system (hairpin-least severe) from 1-6 (how the "Jemba" comes in the USA). Also, I take Severity first and then direction. And I like using meters (over yards, though it makes little difference), because metric is such a clean way of doing things.

So a sample would be "7L/100>4 120 ! brk HPR 30 3+R1/2 ... "

u/anderhole

See here. They are critical!!!

We do use our vision, but you still must trust the notes 100%. Some rallies are better able to be "read" based on treeline, etc., but there are still deceptive bits. It is more important to be using vision and other senses to pick up any smaller changes in conditions. So making the notes is kind of like writing your vision down so that you can "free up" your processing power. Great pace notes allow you to commit more than your vision alone.

While transitioning my notes we are definitely using vision more, but we also know to leave a little more on the table.

Have you ever been a situation where you've either crashed or very nearly had a disaster during a race?

"Moments" at every rally!

Sometimes we have a soft "off" and get a bit stuck.

And yes, we've crashed too. Bit more on that above!

How many ARA events have you won the race??

Just once in my class with ARA. I think we had four other wins with Rally America when it was still around.

North of 15 podiums since I began, though.

Does traffic especially irk you when you’re driving around town?

Whoever is not annoyed by traffic is a lunatic 😆

Ooh I’m excited about this AMA!

How’d it feel when you found out you were going to be a full time rally driver?

Who’re you sponsored by?

How many rallies are you going to do for this set (I’m not sure what the group of races are called 😅)

Thanks for being here! It was pretty exciting to figure that we'd be able to do a full season. We didn't plan full championship runs the past two years and split between two series last year, but still have placed on the podium in a national championship each year 😊

I'm sponsored by Molecule Sports and the Eastern USA distributor of Tomcar.

We're doing 8 American rallies and 3 French rallies this season. We also did "recce" (pacenote writing) on Tour de Corse (World Rally Championship in Corsica). And a couple things TBA!

What exactly makes one a "full-time" rally driver? Also, I'm jealous of your job.

Competing for a championship!

Is the name Keanna the female version of Keanu?

Maybe? But probably not.

Mine is adapted from Keana (adapted off Kiana) and Hawaiian.

Keanu is Hawaiian as well, but also they have different meanings!

1. Ever been carsick?
2. What got you into the sport?
3. When driving around town and approaching a turn, do you yell at your passenger?

All the time!

I started out attending winter driving schools, then got into ice racing and hpde/track days, then circuit racing. Did a few rally schools and such as crosstraining, but after seeing my first rally, it brought me back to why I loved driving. Racing was never the goal, but a byproduct of constantly wanting to improve!

I do not haha

What’s the scariest/craziest rally moment you’ve had?

The scariest situations are surprisingly a couple of very sketchy car recoveries after soft "offs," where we were simply stuck in the first place and wound up sliding down a bank later on.

Have you thought about putting on a fake mustache and a Subaru hat to see if you can get on an episode of Launch Control?

HAHAHAH thank you. I am sending this to one of the SRT ("SMSUSA") photographers.

Is there a way to get into racing without having rich parents?

For sure! I started driving a $600 Audi 90 and paying $50 on a Sunday for a practice sesh and three 20 min races.

Grassroots rallycross and ice racing are great ways to hone your skill, make results, and gain sponsorships.

I've been fortunate with the budget I've been given / had access to since, which has helped me rise through the ranks more quickly, but have many friends who grow their budget and have new support every year... and it's the best way!

What else do you do for fun?

When eating cereal, milk first or second?

Do you have any pets? (Pics!)

If you had to rob a bank, how would you do it?

Favorite food?

Cereal as a dry snack only!

I'm gone from home too much to properly have a pet 😢

I've never thought about it!

Breakfast. All of it.

Cereal as a dry snack only!

hello 911, id like to report a psychopath

😂

I'm not completely dairy-free, but am lactose intolerant. I'd rather snack on it on the occasion than use almond milk or something. Also if I get cereal it's usually in a hotel or something and Hampton Inn isn't really a stock-er of alternative milks!

Are there part-time rally car drivers?

There are many competitors who participate in only one or a few events a year, most of the rally base in the USA actually.

Have you ever built your own car (of any spec) in your garage?

I have not. I don’t have the mechanical knowledge. I do like to learn, take direction well, and have learned to do some things in friends’ shops over the years, but haven’t done anything too big or on my own.

When it comes to the lack of women drivers, would you say it's due to obstacles facing women specifically or there aren't many women joining in general?

I'm a lady co-driver, trying to get all my friends into the sport. The men have too much driving confidence and the women have too little. We're in our 30s and I truly hope the "joke" that "women can't drive" died with our generation because it is absolute bullshit, and a lot more damaging than we realize.

So sorry to hear this!

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u/simsim151 I think two big aspects are:

-not enough getting into it young enough (because they never saw it as an option, or didn't know about it)

-funding

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Rally is relatively obscure in the USA

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Also, to reach the top level, there needs to be a bigger talent pool, which goes back to more girls getting into it at a younger age!

What's the weirdest or most memorable call you co pilot has had to say?

In a more serious note, do you think simulators (like DIRT Rally 2.0, Richard Burns Rally, etc) could help in the process of helping new drivers in learning the basics, as a complement to actual seat time?

Even practicing reading to a playing video of driving on a dirt road at the speed limit (sped up 2-3x) will help new co-drivers learn good pacing! :-)

Disclaimer: I didn’t scroll very far to see if this was asked yet.

As a woman that has grown to be successful in a previously male dominated field, what did you parents do to encourage you to try things other than stereotypical girl hobbies and what advice would you offer a father of a young daughter who is getting to the age of being able to try everything and pursue what she likes?

Note: I am all about whatever my daughter wants to do, I just don’t want her to look back when she’s older and think that she missed out on something because of her gender

Hi! I grew up with my mom, a sister (8 years younger), and with close family mainly female! I really wasn't exposed to cars or racing growing up, either. I took a winter driving school for safety and later fell in love with the driving aspect. At the time I was a total ballerina, honestly! (Albeit also a snowboarder, which was somewhat tomboyish, but I'm a def girlie girl at heart)

I think it's great you want to expose your daughter to a variety of activities! I think just that... going to different kinds of events, owning a mix of toys, trying new things, are all good ways to nurture this! Also, just having good female role models and doing outdoors activities. I love to hike and go swimming and find recreation is a great way to be strong (and simultaneously engage in non-gendered activity!).

Do you ever get scared/nervous when spectators are grouped really tightly around the road?

I grew up watching rally in the Scandinavian forests and people would sometimes stand in the actual road and only get out of the way as the car came flying towards them, I've always thought this must be so distracting for the driver

It does make me nervous when they are too close in a bad spot and have nearly hit people running across the road when they didn't realize we were catching the car ahead of us.

What are your feelings towards Jutta Klineschmidt?

I don't know Jutta, but I think she's badass and know that she is a tough cookie!

Thanks for doing this! I was wondering if you've ever used Virtual Reality to practice, and if so how effective it was in comparison to the real thing?

You're welcome! I have horrible motion sickness and get sick in VR and simulators, unfortunately!