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Fast and Furious Crowd Not Just for Boys
Nov 19 2007 by Kristin Varela
11/19/2007
Q&A With Verena Mei, Female Drift Driver
A few weeks ago, in the kind of random hotel room that has occupied much of my existence lately, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" was playing on HBO. In preparation for my upcoming interview with Verena Mei, the only U.S. female drift driver, at a Formula D event, I decided to watch it. I only lasted about 30 minutes, though, as I couldn't take the cheesy acting a moment longer.
The next night, while dining on cow tongue at a Japanese barbecue (seriously), I sat next to Verena, who — ironically — happens to be a vegetarian. I thought my experience with "Tokyo Drift" would be a funny story to tell, but abruptly stuck my foot in my mouth (it was better than the cow tongue, by the way) when a fellow diner told me that Verena was in the movie. Luckily, her role wasn't one I was referring to. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)
Verena is an auto sports model (you know the type — scantily clad voluptuousness posing with tires) turned drift driver in an obviously male-dominated industry, so I had some preconceived notions about what she'd be like. I figured she'd be tough as nails and incredibly sassy, so imagine my complete shock when I found her to be sweet and incredibly polite. Not only that, she has the voice of a very young girl. She was not at all what I was expecting, to say the least.
Who is this dichotomy of a 25-year-old woman named Verena, and what the heck is this thing called drifting? I sat down with her to find out.
Q: You seem sweet, lovely and very, very girly.
A: Sometimes my character makes it hard for sponsors to take me seriously. Because I'm soft-spoken and kind, they think I may not have it in me to drive.
Q: It seems like most racecar drivers are quite small. Does size play a part in drifting? I'm wondering if your petite stature plays to your favor.
A: A small driver is always advantageous. If the car is lighter, it goes faster. However, it's not as much of a factor in drifting as in other forms of racing, since we're not timed with a stopwatch. [Drifters are judged by a panel and receive points for the aggressiveness of the angle when they slide around corners, the amount of smoke the tires produce and the crowd's reaction to the performance — kind of like ice skating on tires.]
Q: What about safety? Do you ever fear for your safety?
A: In drifting, you're not going nearly as fast as other forms of racing. But on the flip side, the point is to get as close to the wall as possible. In 2005, I hit the wall for the first time. The fear of crashing held me back initially, but once I got over that fear I was able to move forward. Also, I always use the best safety gear; a three-layer fire suit and a five-point harness. I just started using a neck collar for the first time at this event.
Q: What do your parents think about your drifting?
A: Mom will always be Mom and she's going to worry for my safety; I'm the baby of the family. [My parents are] as supportive as possible, but they do worry about me. My mom attended one of my events in Hawaii and she couldn't watch. She actually turned around and couldn't watch.
Q: Why do you think there are so few women in this sport, and why is it so heavily skewed to the Asian community?
A: Drifting started in Japan, and even now most cars that race are imports. We have our own subculture; I'd describe it as a young, hip-hop car scene meshed with fashion and music. Drifting is still in its infancy in the U.S. and hasn't had the chance to grow here yet and get recognition among women.
Q: When I first saw your bio, website and photos, I had the impression you were capitalizing on the stereotypical image of women in motor sports (eye candy that happens to drive well). However, in person I get the impression that you're well-spoken and intelligent. Does that stereotype bother you?
A: Yes it does. I'm shocked that I can be standing by my car in my suit with my helmet and people cannot believe that I'm the driver. There are so many hurdles that women go through. Especially for me, transitioning from a model to a driver, nobody took me seriously. I earned respect as a driver by building my own racecar and changing my own tires. I've gone through the hard work to get to where I am now, both as a model and as a driver.
Q: Is there anything I haven't asked you that you want to say to our readers?
A: One of my personal goals is to be a positive role model for women and teens — the next generation of women coming up. There are many male-dominated careers that women may feel like they can't enter, but if they have the passion and put the hard work into it they can break through the stereotype and shouldn't limit themselves.
