Driving, and the Obsession that Rides With It
Writing in this industry has allowed me to meet people who share a particular passion in the automotive world. They come in all walks of life from all over the world and usually hide in plain sight. People who appreciate the skill of driving, and the obsession that rides with it.
These are people who think of driving as more than just a way of commuting from A to B. Who imagine hitting the apex on ordinary roads but don’t because they have passengers in the car. People who get mentally or physically irritated if they don’t get behind the wheel of something motorized after a few days. They have a direct link from their brain down to their right foot. Most importantly their smart enough understand that there is a time and place, and can appreciate the fun of the hobby at any speed. Real drivers.
Those that don’t understand this passion can label us as speed freaks, and lump us with the unroadworthy. A word I use to describe people who either don’t care or don’t respect the craft of motoring. The kind that flood YouTube with their failed attempts of doing burnouts and leaving car meets.
As the upcoming generation becomes the first to see driving as a chore rather than the keys to freedom, thanks to smart phones and autonomous foreshadowing, it’s refreshing to see people my age who still get it. Who think in MPH rather than LOL’s.
Christine Giampaoliz Zonca is a real driver. More specifically, she is a self-taught rally driver with the ambition of a champion.
Christine GZ – Rally Driver, Motorsport Engineer, and Trailblazer
In a nutshell; Christine is an Italian rally driver with a degree in motorsport engineering who was born in India, can speak multiple languages, and lives in Spain where she raced in the 2016/2017 WRC, with the first all-female rally team.
Unlike a lot of race car drivers, Christine wasn’t born into a racing family or started go-karting at an early age. Although her grandmother was a rally driver and motoring journalist the gene for driving skipped a generation. When Christine left Spain to study economics in England it took her all of two weeks to switch her major to motorsport engineering. She didn’t start her racing career until after college once she opened up her garage to build her own rally car. The rest is history in the making.
Christine started her dream career from scratch, that’s what makes her so interesting. Because a lot of us often say we want to be race car drivers, but Christine actually went out and made it happen.
Elvis Presley once said, “Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine”, and when it comes to Christine I think it might be supercharged.
Dynamic Racing in the Baja 1000
In 2016, Christine and co-driver Luy Galan, joined the Dynamic Racing Team based in Los Angles, California. Dynamic Racing is led by team owner and race driver Paul Kraus. His dream of forming a team of talented off-road drivers brought them together.
This year Dynamic has set its sights on the Baja 1000. A grueling 1000 mile point-to-point off-road race that pushes man and machine to, and often over, the edge of endurance. They’ll be racing in CAN-AM X3 off-road vehicles that can handle the Mexican desert, with 220 horsepower to help it fly through the air. Christine, Luy, and Dynamic Racing are currently training and wrenching every day in preparation for this momentous event in their careers. The race starts November 14th and will run until the 18th.
For the Love of the Drive
You can follow Christine, Luy, and Dynamic Racing through their various social media accounts and on their websites: Christinegz.com and Dynamicracingteam.com to be a part of their epic rallying journey to fulfill a dream most of us can relate to.
What car enthusiast hasn’t day dreamed about being a race car driver? Here are a group of people who share your day dream and decided to pursue an unconventional life in order to achieve it. Support them. Root for them. Help them if possible. Because it’s what they would do if we were in their flame proof shoes.
If I know Christine as well as I think I do then we are witnessing a champion in the making.
A Do It Yourself Racer with handcrafted skill, and a love for the drive.
Social Media Links:
- Instagram – ChristineGZ and DynamicRacing
- Twitter – @Christine_gz and @dynamicracingtm
- Facebook – Christine Giampoli Zonca and Dynamic Off Road Racing UTV
- YouTube Channels – Christine Giampoli Zonca and Dynamic Racing
The video below shows us who, and what, Christine G. Zonca is all about.
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