Editor's Notebook Archive

How We Began, June 1996

During the America's Cup yacht races last Spring, I found myself passionately involved with the fortunes of the all-women sailing team. I had, for a number of years, followed women's collegiate basketball with great interest. There is something compelling about the extra courage, skill, and determination it takes for women to compete in a sport usually reserved for men.

As the racing season began, I set out to see if I could combine my interest in women-in-sports with my over-riding passion for automobile racing. Since I had a great deal of experience in finding and supporting sponsorships in other areas, I thought it a natural to try my hand at creating sponsorships for women race car drivers, with the ultimate goal of managing racing teams of women drivers.

In this way, Thunder Valley Racing was born. My consulting business was already called Thunder Valley Associates (after my favorite section of the Road America track), so it wasn't a problem extending the name to include racing.

In the next few months, I hope you will find Thunder Valley of interest on the Web. We will feature women drivers and the strengths that they bring to racing. I'll be telling you what I'm continuing to learn about women in racing.

More important, I hope you will find drivers supported through Thunder Valley Racing at a track or television set near you. We've just begun. Wish us luck!

--T.W. Theodore

To send a letter to the editor, email to tw@thunval.com

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