"I've never cried out of joy before. But this is such a big moment, something I've worked really hard for. It's so incredible"
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With her dream suddenly a reality, Erika Hoffmann cried. And she cried some more.
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It’s not exactly like she’s the crying type. But the enormity of the moment — being told she was one of four women (along with two reserves) to be chosen to drive two McLaren 570S cars and compete in the GT Cup — well, it just got the best of her emotions. It’s something that’s been on her mind going back to when she watched her first Formula 1 race as a youngster. And what seemed like just a dream is now very much a reality.
Hoffmann, who grew up in Barrhaven, was the only Canadian selected — Gatineau’s Isabelle Tremblay was also there — from a group of 75 competitors at the Formula Woman motorsports trials in England and Sweden. That had been narrowed down from an original field of as many as 1,000 entrants hoping for one of the four rides. Formula Woman is a motorsports entry opportunity for women of all ages with a passion for driving. In the final day of testing in Sweden, Hoffmann recorded the fastest lap time of the 11 women remaining to seal her spot on the Formula Woman GT Cup Team, which will be run by DTO Motorsport. The GT Cup is a 26-race championship at United Kingdom circuits. Jodie Sloss (Scotland), Anushriya Gulati (India) and Sara Misir (Jamaica) were also chosen.
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When the field was narrowed to 11, the competitors were put in a holding room and called in one at a time.
“They were giving me feedback,” said Hoffmann, who is home in Ottawa for the weekend, but will leave for England on Tuesday. “They gave me my lap time, but I didn’t know what anybody else’s lap time was and what a good time would be around the track. Then they told me I was the fastest. I didn’t know if that meant I’d made the team because there were a bunch of things they were evaluating. So then they told me I’d made the team. I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, really?’ I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I recoiled in shock, then the tears started flowing. At that point, I knew things were about to change in my life.
“I’m actually really not an emotional person. I’m even-keeled and rarely ever cry. I try to be in touch with my emotions. I’m a really steady person, most things don’t shake me. I’ve never cried out of joy before. But this is such a big moment, something I’ve worked really hard for. It’s so incredible … it pulled that reaction out of me.”
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Right after she received the terrific news on March 11, Hoffmann FaceTimed her family — her parents David and Helen at home, sister Polly in Norway and brother Alex in Papua New Guinea — and shared the moment with them. It was 3:30 a.m. Ottawa time.
“It was one ring, everybody picked up right away,” she said. “I told them I’d made the team and they were all freaking out. My mom was crying, They were like, ‘We told you.’ I think they had more faith in me than I had in myself.”
Hoffmann slowly began to gain confidence during the first two days at the PF International Kart Circuit
“The first couple of days, it was a simulator, mental tests, reaction tests, technical knowledge written tests, a media test, karting … and it was pouring rain. We were driving in the rain on slicks (tires),” she said. “I knew I needed to stand out and I felt like I wasn’t good enough. So I was a little down. I called my mom and she gave me a really good talk. The next day, I was trying to live in the moment, not put too much pressure on myself. I just focused on driving and didn’t worry about results or about the other people. I had a great day.”
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It’s full steam ahead from here. The race circuit has sprint races and endurance races most Saturdays and Sundays. First up is a race on April 8 and the schedule goes into October.
Now she has to work on getting sponsorships and raising some money; while many of the major car costs are covered, she has to pay for flights, food and accommodation
“It’s expensive to live in the UK,” she said. “I don’t have a job right now. I’m on leave from the City of Ottawa.”
But, soon enough, it’ll all seem worthwhile.
“My first official race will be at Donington National in a McLaren GT4 car,” she said. “It’s fully living the dream — I still don’t really believe it, it’s so wild. This is a completely non-traditional route to get there. The fact I was able to win the competition and prove myself, now I’m surrounded by such a good team to get me into race shape … This is all pretty remarkable. It all hasn’t really sunk in. There’s a ton of work to do. My mentality to this point has served me well: Just appreciate the privilege of the opportunity.”
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“This is a dream, so I don’t want to get so stressed out about it, just enjoy getting to do something very few people get the opportunity to do. I’m really excited to do the work for it; it’s something I’m passionate and super excited about. I don’t have a big ego, I know I have so much work to do. I want to work hard, be humble and make the most of the opportunity.”
‘HOOKED ON RACING’
Erika Hoffmann caught the auto racing bug when she was seven or eight.
While flipping through TV channels, her brother, Alex, stopped on a Formula 1 race. Hoffmann was mesmerized.
Fast forward to 2019. She took a Subaru BRZ she bought when she was 20 to the track at Calabogie Motorsports Park. She got some coaching, then she raced in the GT Challenge, finishing second in the championship. She says she was “hooked at that point.” She was offered a job as a high-performance driving coach at Apex V2R, a virtual reality driving and racing simulation centre in Nepean. She was told she should enter the Formula Woman competition. Last year, she did an assessment at Lombardy Karting, near Smiths Falls. There were also physical, written and screen tests.
She advanced to the group of 75 who would compete in the Formula Woman motorsports trials. She made it through a couple of cutdowns, then found herself in the final four — ensured of a ride with the Formula Woman team, which competes in the GT Cup, a 26-race championship at United Kingdom circuits.
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE: Barrhaven's Erika Hoffmann qualifies for Formula Woman GT Cup Team - Ottawa Sun
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