Patel to the Metal: sophomore takes the wheel
The earliest California students can get a driver’s license is 16. But unlike most students her age, sophomore Shayla Patel has already been driving for two years. She started driving a Nissan GTR and a
Porsche Panamera when she was 14-years old. Inspired by her father, Patel gained an interest in racing at the age of five.
“I love the adrenaline rush I get when I’m on the track,” Patel said. “High-speed racing helps me relieve stress from school and life in general.”
Her father was the first member of the Patel family to get involved with the sport of race car driving. After a friend of his took him to an actual car race, her father got a racing license and passed down his
passion for racing to his daughters.
“I feel more connected to my father because we share the same hobby,” Patel said.
Patel races on average one weekend per month at the Button Willow Race Park in Kern County and Chuck Walla Valley Raceway in the central desert. This summer was the first time she raced her
car in a group with other competitors. She is not able to race in official competitions, as strict regulations require her to have both a regular and racing driver’s license. She is able to race non-competitively by
registering as a minor under her father’s racing license. However, at 15-years-old, she is the youngest driver in her racing group, which mostly consists of men older than 20.
“I enjoy going to races for fun because I don’t feel pressure to win, but I would love to race officially one day,” Patel said.
When she was first introduced to the world of racing, she closely watched professional racers at the track to learn the meanings of signals as well as how to remain confident on the track. In addition to observing, she had to take a day-long class to learn the basic rules of racing. She has shown her parents that she is responsible enough to drive a race car by showing confidence and maturity at car shows and competitions.
“At first, I was scared of the risk of going off track,” Patel said. “I also have to maintain complete concentration and watch my surroundings.”
Patel is one of the few females involved in car racing. Only two other women race with her, including her 22-year-old sister. Only 25 percent of members of the Sports Car Club of America, the largest club for car racers, is female. According to data from NASCAR, only 15 women have started in races.
Despite these facts, Patel has an inextinguishable passion for racing. She hopes to continue racing with her family for the rest of her life, as it is a shared passion of her parents, sister and cousins.
“Though I am the youngest to start racing, I have plenty of relatives who love to race,” Patel said. “It’s a huge family event where we all camp out with RV’s and enjoy the sport together.”
Patel has ambitious goals for her racing career, and hopes to improve her own skills and encourage other girls to race.
“My goal is to move up within the different skill level groups and become ranked,” Patel said. I hope to continue this unique sport and see more girls involved with it.”
