Hiskey Set To Return
To Site Of Historic Win Rolex Series' First Female Victor Hopes to
Repeat at United Auto 200
PHOENIX
(April 2, 2002) -- Kim Hiskey, of Bellevue, Wash., inked her name in the
record books last year during the Rolex Sports Car Series race at
Phoenix International Raceway when she became the series' first female
driver to capture a win. Despite the pouring rain, which brought out the
red flag for knee-deep puddles in the infield, Hiskey and her teammate,
acclaimed Porsche factory driver Randy Pobst, persevered to win the GT
class. One year later, Hiskey and Pobst have added two more wins to
their resumes and are set to race for another in Phoenix at the United
Auto 200 presented by azcentral.com and cars.com, April 20.
Even before she took to Phoenix
International Raceway's road course last year, Hiskey had already made
history with her entry into the race. Although she previously raced in
the Rolex Series, she always did so in someone else's race car. The
Phoenix race was the debut of her own Crazy Redhead Racing #15 Porsche
GT3 R, making her the first female car owner in the Rolex Series.
Hiskey's Crazy Redhead Porsche led for
nearly the entire 200-mile race, and the 37-year-old mother of two was
behind the wheel when it captured the checkered flag. "It was pretty
amazing," Hiskey remarked. "Winning my first Grand-Am race is something
I will never forget. That's when I knew my racing career had really
started to take off."
The win at Phoenix was only the start of
the success for Hiskey and her Crazy Redhead Porsche. The team went on
to capture three more pole positions, in addition to its GT victories at
the Road America 500 and Grand-Am Finale at Daytona. "The 2001 season
turned out better than I could have ever dreamed. Randy, (crew chief)
Greg (Fordahl) and the entire crew did an outstanding job. I couldnąt
have asked for anything more from them."
Hiskey started off the 2002 racing season
with high hopes, but was struck with disappointment at the
season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. The Crazy Redhead duo teamed up with
ZIP Racing for the 24-hour race. With the foursome of drivers accounting
for nearly half the 2001 GT wins, the quartet was expected to be a
potent combination, but engine failure in the first hour forced their
Porsche into retirement before either Hiskey or Pobst could record a
lap. The two drivers raced in another ZIP Racing Porsche at the Nextel
250 in Miami. After leading most of the race, a fueling problem during a
pit stop dropped the pair back to a third-place GT finish.
For this month's United Auto 200, Hiskey
and Pobst will return to the familiar green-and-white #15 Porsche of
Crazy Redhead Racing. "I think it's going to be great to have the car,
Randy and the whole crew back together. We were so successful last year
that I'm really looking forward to this year with them."
While at the track, Hiskey continues to
break racing's gender barrier, but when she returns to her Seattle-area
home, she fills the shoes of a mother to an eight-year-old daughter and
15-year-old son. Hiskey can be found shuttling her children to the ski
slopes and go-kart races, in addition to making visits to their schools
with her race car to share her experience with future sports car
enthusiasts.
"It's great to know that my kids are
proud of what I do," Hiskey remarked. "They have been so supportive of
me and my hectic racing schedule, which takes me away from home quite a
bit." |
