 Laura
Olson
Residence:
Costa Mesa, CA
First Car Owned: 1969 Mustang Mach I
First Race Car: 1986 Honda CRX GT-4
Current Race Car: 2007 Mazda MX-5 Cup
Current Daily Driver: 2006 Mazda MX-5
Favorite Car: Any car I am racing
Dream Car: 427 Cobra
Favorite Track: Mid Ohio and Road Atlanta
Racing Hero: Ayrton Senna
Favorite Book: ‘Drive to Win’ by Carroll Smith
Favorite Quotes: “Learn the rules so you know how to break
them properly!”
“Fear will always be in the car with you. You just can’t let
it drive!”
“To make a small fortune racing, start with a large
fortune!”
Hobbies: Racing, racing, and racing; what else is there? On
the few days that I’m not racing or working on my cars, I
enjoy skiing, biking, swimming, hiking, gardening, or
anything outdoors.
Racing start: I didn’t grow up in a racing family nor did I
have any interest in it until my long time friend, Steve
Hershberger, let me drive his GT-4 car (the same one I
started racing in!) in a parade down Highway 101 in Oregon
during the Port Orford Grand Prix in 1996. It was then in
1997, with the help of Doug Ruthroff that I completed
 the SCCA Super School at Firebird Raceway. Since that time, I
have raced several different cars including my 1st car, a
1986 Honda CRX (GT-4), a 1998 Acura Integra GS-R (SSB), a
1999 Mazda Miata (SSB), a 2006 Mazda MX-5 (SSB), a 2006
Mazda MX-5 MX-5 Cup), a 2007 Mazda MX-5 MS-R (SSB), and a
2007 Mazda MX-5 (MX-5 Cup). Over the years so many people
have helped and assisted me both on and off the track and I
am truly grateful for all the wonderful friends I have made
through racing. People often ask why I take friends out to
the track and let them drive my cars or why I let other
racers drive my cars. That’s a simple answer; this was how I
got into racing and I want to share my love of the sport
with others. I love taking someone who has never been to a
race out and showing them what it is that I love so much
that takes up all my time and money! Until you’ve had the
opportunity to race, I don’t think you can fully appreciate
a racer’s mind!
2008 Season
• Will be campaigning 2007 MX-5 Cup in the Playboy Mazda
MX-5 Cup Series.
2007 Season
• Southern Pacific Division Champion with 4 wins, two 2nd
places, one 3rd place,
and one 4th place.
• Competed in SCCA Pro Sirius Satellite Mazda MX-5 Cup
series for 1st half of the
season.
• Built and developed 2007 MX-5 MS-R package.
2006 Season
• Finished 2nd place in the Southern Pacific Divisional
Championship
• Three National wins, finished top 5 in all races competed
in
• Built and developed new 2006 MX-5 for SSB
2005 Season
• Qualified and finished 8th out of 39 cars at the SCCA
Kohler Runoffs, National
Championships in September 2005 at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course
• Finished 4th in the Southern Pacific Divisional
Championship
• Several 2nd and 3rd place finishes at tracks new to me in
the Northern Pacific
Division
2004 Season
• Finished 4th in Southern Pacific Divisional Championship
• Qualified 15th out of 42 cars in the National
Championships at Mid Ohio
2001 Season
• Finished 7th in the Southern Pacific Divisional
Championship
• Qualified 31st and finished 30th after a very bad crash
with significant damage at
the National Championships at Mid Ohio (First time attending the Runoffs)
• Won the Eagle One “Best Appearing Car” at the Valvoline
Runoffs (out of 670+
entries)
• First National win at Firebird International Raceway
1999 Season
• NASA PCTCC Champion (Acura Integra)
• Arizona Regional Champion SSB (Acura Integra)
• Arizona Regional Champion GT-4 (Honda CRX)
1998 Season
• Arizona Regional Champion GT-4 (Honda CRX), 1st year
racing
Tracks Driven
Phoenix International Raceway, Firebird International
Raceway, Buttonwillow Race Park, Willow Springs, Mazda
Laguna Seca Raceway, Infineon Raceway, Thunderhill Race
Park, Pacific Raceways, Portland International Raceway,
Texas World Speedway, Heartland Park, Road Atlanta.
I also instruct with SCCA and various high performance
driving clinics.
For more information, please visit my website at
www.lauraolsonracing.com
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