Looking back at these pictures, two things are clear:
(1) The Red Baron has changed a lot, and (2) so have I
I joined Smitty during the 2014 race season and a Red Baron Racing crew member and was immediately hooked on land speed racing! At this point, I was starting my master’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering and beginning to teach the first-year engineering course at UC Irvine. I spent my days teaching freshmen to build quadcopters and going to theoretical engineering courses, and working with Smitty and The Red Baron in my free time and on the weekends!
One year of graduate school done: I was now well-aware of the fact that I liked teaching and racing more than my coursework…
This was my first ride on The Red Baron during an aerodynamic testing day at El Mirage. I was nowhere near top speed, but who cares?!
Four years later: I have a master’s in mechanical and aerospace engineering from UC Irvine, and a second master’s in engineering education from Purdue.
We returned from Bonneville 2019 Speed Week with a new record and plan to get my official rookie racer season underway in 2020! We took The Red baron to El Mirage to make lots of rider fitment adjustments (read more here), and to get lots of practice with my launches and first few shifts.
I had just completed my degree at Purdue and interviewed for a position in New York City while we were at Bonneville. I now live on the “wrong coast” and miss working with Smitty and The Red Baron so much.
Thanks for the update, Amy, you have accomplished so much—-really proud of you (even if you are on the wrong coast. I suppose time will tell if you will be able to get out to El Mirage this summer. Love Grandma Kathy
This is awesome!