Introduction

My name is Erica Ortiz.  I am the founder of Horsepower & Heels Racing, an all-female Pro Modified Drag Racing team and women in motorsports trademark dedicated to supporting all women in racing.

Born in Orlando, Florida, I didn’t come from a motorsport family.  But somewhere in my teen years, my love of speed and racing emerged, and upon graduating from high school, I poured myself into learning everything I could about the high performance sport of drag racing from the grass-roots level and up.   I worked hard at learning every aspect of the business-- both behind the wheel and behind the torque wrench, matched with an unrelenting drive for success. 

It can all change in an instant.    In 2006, I was on the top of my game.   I had just made the transition to a Pro racing class, broke several records and barriers as the first woman to pioneer the class, the first to eclipse the 6 second barrier, and the first over 200mph- all with just a fraction of the racing budget of my competitors.   I was the runner-up for the championship that year, and was ready to step up my racing program to really take off on the quest to race full-time in the NHRA.   

Then everything changed.   Mid-way through a very challenging rebuild, economic hardships really took hold of our country.   Opportunity after opportunity fell through after putting forth much time and effort, and the emotional rollercoaster of racing took its toll.     My non-racing world changed much too.   I moved several times.  Jobs changed.   Relationships changed.   

But what was the most trying for me was a health scare that stopped me dead in my tracks.  I struggled, fought, endured a very private fight that took me away from the racing world.  My racing efforts grew quiet, as I had to focus my energies elsewhere.   

Racing friends asked all the time if I was EVER going to come back.  I always said yes, but secretly I wondered if it would ever really happen or if I was destined to be just a memory of drag racing past.

But I made it through the tough times.   I eventually found a new sport that helped me grow stronger, made new friends, fell in love, established a new career and started the family I almost lost the opportunity of ever having in January of 2013.  I now have a beautiful baby boy, and I couldn’t be happier for that.   I moved home to Florida and reunited with family I was missing for years.   

And now, I am ready a different kind of homecoming. The racing never leaves you.  You can leave the sport, you can fall out of the loop, you can even lose track of the friends you’ve made in the pits over the course of so many years.   But the RACING, it never truly leaves your blood.  Its always there, yearning to make its way back out again.

I am proud of the success I have achieved in my career thus far, everything from True Street, Drag Radial and up to Pro Modified. You can view my full history here.  I am in my 16th year of racing, and now that I’ve achieved success personally and professionally, I am more determined than ever to get back on track and REIGNITE Horsepower & Heels Racing.  

I’ve been working hard behind the scenes getting the ball rolling, making new connections, learning about the changes in classes, and reassessing where we stand on the build.    We are hoping to make considerable progress on getting the car finished for its long-awaited return to the track in 2015, but we need your help to make it happen! 

Why I Need Your Help

I have turned to my racing friends, fans and supporters because YOU understand as much as anyone, what it takes to make this passion a reality and why I need your help.

There is so much to be thankful for-- your faith, love and continuous support is what fueled my passion for so many years, and what allows me to keep driving forward.   

I cannot express how meaningful the words of encouragement and support that you, my friends & fans, have been to me as I’ve fought through the challenges over the past few years.  Even when I wasn’t sure if I would ever return, seeing how much you still believed in me made me realize more than ever that my racing career is really the last unfinished business, not only for myself...

But for you, too.

FOR ALL THAT have believed in me over the years, for all who supported me, coached and mentored me, sacrificed time and effort to make sure I was successful, I owe it to ALL of YOU to press on and finish what we ALL started TOGETHER.  That is why REIGNITE Horsepower & Heels is so important to me…. to dedicate to all that helped make this dream a reality over the years and see it through.

Bringing with me a much different perspective on life today, I hope that Horsepower & Heels can continue my core mission-- helping all women in motorsports to grow with the goal of leading and inspiring other women interested in pursuing their dreams in the male-dominated world of motorsports.

How Your Support Will Help!

We have all the basics-  the car is ready for paint, we have most of the major engine components, transmission, etc.   But we are still lacking the parts needed to enter final assembly.  Small things add up quickly!

The funding that I raise through this Clutchfunded campaign is going to kick start putting the car back together again to get us back on the track!

Being sidelined for so long makes finding sponsorship difficult, because we don’t have a finished program or recent results to show.   But without support, we can’t get where we need to be in order to go after this properly, a tough Catch-22 situation.

Not only will your support help me in the first step to getting Horsepower & Heels back on the track, but also helps us pressing on with sponsors going forward.   

The show of support by my friends, family and fans on this ClutchFunded Campaign demonstrates to potential future partners how many loyal supporters are behind Horsepower & Heels. This is great testimony to the positive impact we have TOGETHER!

Your contribution will make you part of this journey--  REIGNITE Horsepower & Heels Racing and help to support and empower women in racing for years to come!

What I Need & What You Get

My goal of $3,000 will go directly towards getting Horsepower & Heels back on the track.  

I have already worked hard and secured some key product sponsorship that will help out significantly, and will continue to reach out as we iron out the details of the final assembly.

Once we get the car running, we will be setting up some test sessions to allow me to renew my  NHRA Pro Mod Competition license and get some valuable seat time in the new setup.

We must reach our entire goal of $3,000  or the ClutchFund will not activate, and we start at $0.   

If we are able to surpass our goal, (which would be incredible!), we will plan our race schedule for the season and make plans to upgrade to more state-of-the-art equipment that will help give us the competitive edge.

WHAT YOU GET!

The best part of the ClutchFunded campaign is the chance to include all of you in my journey and getting creative with perks for my ReIgniters!  Even the smallest ember helps us get one step closer to ReIgniting the Fire and keeping it burning strong!

You'll see all of the perks on the right. Some of the perks for ReIgniters include signed hero cards, your name on the Official Horsepower & Heels ReIgnite page, personalized notes, Horsepower & Heels decals, exclusive Ignite Team membership (for first to know updates related to my career and things in the works, special invites to events, and other perks as part of the team), T-Shirts, and more!   Depending on the early response to the campaign, I might be able to offer the the opportunity to purchase a race-worn race suit, and many many more cool things!

Other Ways You Can Help

I understand that not everyone is able to contribute, but there are other ways you can help!    Spreading the word about this campaign helps us get the word out to more people who may hear my story and want to get involved!    

"From the smallest EMBER burns a roaring FLAME."

If you have other leads for product partnerships or in-kind trades, drop us a line!