Verena Mei

I love that tokidoki created the character, "Star Girl" (in the background), after me.  I LOVE having them as a racing partner!

Here's the backside of my hero card! Love the pics of my team!

My feature in the fall fashion issue of Paper Magazine 2006.  I've never worn so much high-end designer clothes all at once!  I have to admit, it was absolutely wonderful!

My feature spread in Maxim Magazine Czech Republic - 2007

Once upon a time, the dreams of racing for 6 women came true.  That was the day the TrueCar Racing Team was created. 6 female drivers in different racing series. The first all-female  racing team . . . ever. 

I was one of them. Dreams do come true! Thanks for the opportunity of a lifetime TrueCar!

When Leanne & I finished top 10 at Oregon Trail Rally in 2012. tokidoki created this awesome artwork! I LOVE IT!

One of the coolest thing about having tokidoki as my sponsor, is being able to work with Simone Legno and their design team to create a group of racing characters! Dreams do come true!

A tokidoki / Star Girl Racing contest for 100 Acre Wood Rally 2013

When I look back at this time, it's amazing to have been part of this team . . . and am honored and blessed.  I admired Dan Wheldon and Carroll Shelby for who they were and everything they accomplished. They will be truly missed.

I never feel more like myself than I do in Hawaii.  Somehow everything just feels right.

Photo by Pinky Photography

Sometimes, I like to stop and look back to reflect.  Life happens so fast,  I need to take a moment to appreciate it all.

Photo by Pinky Photography

I LOVE this shot of Leanne & I flying through the cattle guard at 100 Acre Wood Rally in 2013.  Catching air gets addicting!

Captured by Elliot Sherwood

My Twilight moment. Don't mess with me!

Yes, I'm really that tall ;)!

An amazing moment for me . . . my first water crossing at 100 Acre Wood 2012.  Driving through water is pretty awesome, especially when it makes a big splash!

Captured by Neil McDaid, Rally World News

This moment captured by Chris Hubble Photography . No editing was done to this photo. 

Photo by Chris Hubble Photography

I always wanted to be a cartoon character . . . and then I was! Dreams come true!

I worked with tokidoki, to come up this group of characters for tokidoki x Verena Mei.

Leanne and I on the podium for winning the 2012 Rally America National B-Spec Championship! There's nothing better than a champagne shower at the end of your 1st rookie season! 

Leanne and I racing Ojibwe Rally in Minnesota.  Photo by Emotive Image

2012 "Flat over crest"! LOVE the feeling of catching air! 

Photo by Neil McDaid, Rally World News

My TrueCar Racing Team - "Women Empowered Initiative".  The first ever all-female racing team, competing in 5 different series.  Love this ladies!

R->L: Shea Holbrook, Ashley Freiberg, Shannon McIntosh, Katherine Legge, Me, Emilee Tominovich

For STPR 2013, the most decorated Co-Driver in North American history, Nathalie Richard, was my guest co-driver.  I learned a lot, and we had a blast! It was such an honor to have her drive with me!

There's something very special about rally fans . . . they're hard core, like us.  They'll wait in the middle of the woods in the darkness of the night, to see us fly by in our rally cars that light up the woods for a second.  As drivers we learn to drive by the weeds on the side of the road, when the dust kicks up to a cloud. Survival, strategy, driver & co-driver's trust in each other, and the ever-changing conditions that we're constantly adapting to, are all the things I love about rally. 

Photo by Alex Wong, Emotive Image

I love the way "Trixie" looks with rally lights on. This photo was taken on day 1 of the rally, where we race a Super Special at Portland International Raceway. 

Photo by: Neil McDaid "Rally World News"

Love this shot of us racing through the woods at NEFR, my home rally! 

Captured by Alex Wong, Emotive Image

At 100 Acre Wood, we always race through water crossings. It's always great seeing "Trixie" splashing through the water! 

Captured by Ryan Fairless

Love this stage at Oregon Trail Rally. A really tight and twisty spectator section that Trixie was made for! She's such a quick and nimble little car.

2011 New England Forest Rally was my very first rally as a driver.  This is Trixie, at the time it was the Team O'Neil Fiesta.  It was just 3-months old from the dealership and being introduced to her life racing on dirt. I was nervous and wasn't quite ready, but I just needed to do it!

2011 New England Forest Rally service area.  My Crew Chief Eric Grochowski making sure everything is clean, while Keenan rotates the wheels and checks for any damage. 

Leanne and I stopped at a time control.  See Porcino, our mascot the tokidoki pig.  He's good luck for the team and an extra set of eyes on the road.

Putting on my first rally # plate on this Team O'Neil Fiesta at New England Forest Rally. I helped build this car, and guys at Team O'Neil just finished building the car that morning.  I was ready to race my 1st rally!

2012 100 Acre Wood.  I never thought I'd get a chance to chase Ken Block.  This was on the shakedown transit.

Go Trixie Go!

Leanne and I at 100 Acre Wood Parc Expose which is always swarming with rally fans. We love that they're so excited for us to race through their town. 

Photo by Doug Patterson

2013 - Racing at 100 Acre Woods at night is a little trickier. It's usually very cold and we race through water crossings, so I usually have problems with the whole windshield fogging up & not being able to see. That's when I really have to trust my notes and drive only by my ears and a spot through the windshield, looking for the edge of the road.

Leanne and I ready for some rally action!  That's our Team Manager, Martin Headland, checking to see if we've got everything we need. Martin is also a co-driver, who has driven with a ton of amazing drivers throughout his driving career. I know him as being Tim O'Neil's co-driver throughout Tim's rally career. 

2012 - showing the spectators what I've got at my home rally in Newry, ME & Errol, NH

In 2012 & 2013, Leanne & I were the only all-female national team competing in the Rally America series. #womenempowered

My 1st rally! Check out the mini wheel-lift in the Team O'Neil Fiesta!  I was so proud to get 2-wheels off the ground. They paint the big rocks orange so we can see them from afar and try to avoid them at speed.  Sometimes we can't, but this time I did :).

Photo by Neil McDaid, Rally World News

Trixie's Big Splash captured by Neil McDaid, Rally World News

I love all the fans in this photo! We never get a chance to stop and say hi to them.

Do I look excited to race my 1st Rally? 2011 New England Forest Rally w/ Team O'Neil?! This was just the start of my living my dream, and I have Team O'Neil to thank!

In 2012 Trixie was just a B-Spec rally car, which means stock engine and stock transmission, but she had a lot of heart. This 120hp Fiesta pulled a subie back up the hill, to the main time control, to finish New England Forest Rally. We're so glad we could help!  She was known as "The Little Fiesta That Could".

Back when I was competing in Formula Drift . . . 

2006 Formula Drift Pro Am - Laughlin, NV

In 2005 I drifted the whole Formula Drift Series.  I loved my Nissan 240SX S13 with my matching Star Girl Racing / BC Ethic Trailer! Those were the days!

In 2012, we raced our way to top 10 over all at Oregon Trail Rally, tokidoki create this awesome artwork for us!

After blowing my KA motor in my S13 Nissan 240SX drift car, I went for the SR20DET motor swap.  Thanks to McKinney Motorsports who helped me with the swap. I did whatever I could by myself, as they showed me step-by-step what to do. I learned so much throughout the years!

In 2004, I bought a stock 1991 240SX and started ripping it apart to become my first drift car. The guys at Twins Turbo  had an extra bay at their shop and let me use their tools and told me step-by-step what do do.  In this photo, I had already ripped out the interior and took apart the dash to clean-up some wiring.

Ready to rock Formula Drift at Wall, NJ - 2005

I remember this shot from 2006 at Willow Springs. This was my 2006 350Z built by Steve Mitchell and Nissan Motorsports for Formula Drift. This car's name was "Angelia" because she was red, hot & sexy . . .of course she was namedafter Angelina Jolie.

One of my favorite spots to drift was Horse Thief Mile at Willow Springs Raceway. Here I am getting my 350Z sideways!

I debuted my 2006 Nissan 350Z drift car at SEMA 2005, in the Nissan booth.  They made this 20' x 20' banner that was literally larger than life!

Posing for the press at the World Drift Championships exhibitions.

In 2005, I went back to home to Hawaii and did a autograph signing and visited sick children at the Shriner's Children's Hospital in Honolulu.  These kids had so much strength, something we could all learn from.

This was the first time racing Time Attack, just for fun to see what it was like. Luckily James Chen trusted me to drive his Super Unlimited 350Z on a rainy day at California Speedway.  Much to my surprise, I finished 5th overall!

Signing away for the drift fans!

I remember this was one of my first drift events with my new SR20DET after the swap. I was still trying to get it dialed in, and figure out what tires I like best. I was running the harder compound Yokohama's, and shortly after switched to softer compound tires, which worked better for me.

Signing away for the kids

My first drift podium! On my last run, I heard the rod knocking, but kept pushing it. I blew my KA motor, but ended up placing 3rd! That's when I knew I was ready for a turbo!

In case you didn't know, this is my Star Girl Racing Skull logo, and 35 was my # in Formula Drift.

Here's my Nissan 350Z converted to race on E85 fuel in the Redline Time Attack series.  I love the red, black and gold paint scheme!

I won the 2008 my Time Attack class Championship! 

After blowing my stock engine in my Nissan 240sx, I did the complete upgrade to an SR20DET, wide fiberglass fenders, side skirts, and front and rear bumpers.  Here I am cutting the wheel wells so I could roll them under so the wide fiberglass fenders would fit over them. Those were the days!

California Speedway crossing the finish line.  I still remember the feeling of going flat out into NASCAR turn 1 and hoped my tires would stick. At that point I kind of wish I had slicks, but it all worked out. I love banks!

2008 - Flat out going down the front straight at Buttonwillow Raceway.

Racing our way to top 10 at the 2012 Oregon Trail Rally!

2008 - I won my class in the Redline Time Attack Championship, becoming the first female to win a championship in the history of the series, as well as the first alternative-fuel car to win a championship in the series! 

Ojibwe Rally has some amazing roads and beautiful scenery.  The downside is that it's sweltering hot to the point of heat exhaustion. 

Photo by Alex Wong, Emotive Image