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Women-Only Driving Program Looks to Gain Traction
Nov 02 2009 by Kristin Varela
What do you get when you throw together a professional female off-road racing phenomenon (Emily Miller), her off-road racing guru (Rod Hall), a bunch of professional female athletes, a few automotive and lifestyle/adventure journalists, a documentary filmmaker and a fleet of Hummers? You get the Traction Tour — Women’s Driving Experience.
This women-only driving program got rolling after Emily, who has worked on 40 driving programs, noticed a lack of women enrolling in them. That’s shocking considering that women are the majority of automotive consumers, which is something we know about here at MotherProof.com. Emily wanted to put together an off-roading program for women only in an effort to cut down on the testosterone-laden intimidation factor that might be keeping some of us away. It was a compliment to be included with such a dynamic group of women, who were hand-picked by Emily to be a part of this pilot program.
Our first day was mostly spent in the classroom. This session reviewed the basics of all-wheel drive, tires and other information I usually dismiss as too technical (angle of approach, angle of departure, etc.).
Day Two had us on Bureau of Land Management territory outside of Reno, Nev. We familiarized ourselves with the provided Hummer H3s and Ford Explorers. They were riding on several different types of Michelin and BFGoodrich tires including highway-only tires; big, scary-looking off-road tires; and everything in between. Emily and her crew coached us novices through a series of pavement drills, hill climbs, steep descents, braking, handling, mud-pit negotiations and mud climbs, which are all designed to teach accuracy, throttle control and line choice.
The day’s highlight was a hot lap with Emily in the driver’s seat. Just when I thought I was getting the hang of this off-roading thing, Emily showed me how it’s really done. Now I understand why she was the first woman to nab the Ironman title in the TSCO Vegas to Reno race. I’ve taken hot laps with many professional drivers, but I’ve never been so on the edge of my seat as I was with Emily. This unassuming 5-foot-tall woman scared me to death as she zipped through gravel pits and around corners, catching air in a primitive-looking military-esque Hummer without a windshield. Good times!
We were up at sunrise for Day Three’s trail ride using all of the skills we’d acquired the day before. What a thrill to be climbing a mountain at a 45-degree angle, feeling exhilarated rather than fearful.
I hope Emily’s pet project catches on so other women can experience the empowerment that comes with meeting amazing women and stepping outside of their comfort zones to learn something new.
For more information about Emily Miller and Team Miller Fisher, visit TeamMillerFisher.com or RodHallRacing.com. Here, you also can learn about Miller’s preparations to compete in the 20th anniversary of the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles (a nine-day rally for female competitors only) this spring in the deserts of Morocco.
LOVE this!!! Perfect combination of fear and excitement - funny I wouldn’t touch a rollercoaster, but this looks amazing! Way to go K!