INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Glass Hammer Racing, LLC, (http://www.beatbyagirl.org) and Collete Davis announced today a sponsorship that will give Davis the opportunity to compete in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder series in both the Sebring season-opener and the St. Petersburg Grand Prix races.

“Words can’t describe how grateful I am to have this opportunity from Glass Hammer Racing to compete on a national platform against some of the best up-and-coming drivers in the world with the One Formula Racing team. INDYCAR is my goal and I’m excited to take the first steps towards that goal this month at Sebring.”

“GHR is delighted to announce that Collete is the first driver we are supporting in the 2012 season,” said Gregory Gaich, founder and owner of Glass Hammer Racing. “She’s equal parts dedicated racer, stellar student and tireless advocate for young women. While she hasn’t had as many opportunities to race as many she’ll be competing against, she’s made the most of every experience and we look forward to seeing her demonstrate her talent in open-wheel racing for the first time.

“Collete instructed the novice class at our GHR Experience karting course in October. She was a natural with the kids and will be a great addition to our instructor corps. She’s also brimming with ideas about how to use racing to enhance the lives of young women, particularly those who have had a tough start in life.”

In addition to her driving and instructing duties, Davis will also be responsible for developing a Junior Racer Mentor Program that will match up young girls interested in starting racing with established female racers and role models in their area. It is one of the many great projects that GHR has had on its to-do list and they are delighted to have Davis move it forward.

“I contacted Glass Hammer Racing last January because I thought what they were doing was really awesome and to offer to help in anyway,” said Davis. “After staying in contact with Greg for the past year, I was given the opportunity to become an official GHR instructor last August and I am looking forward to representing GHR even further both on and off the race track in 2012 with our new partnership. I had a blast teaching the girls in the GHR Experience Class to drive a kart and race for the first time. Introducing more girls to racing will definitely be a key part of working with GHR. Racing has done so much for me growing up and I hope I can pass that on to other young girls.”

Fueled by her competitive nature, desire to win and passion for the motorsports industry, Davis plans on making 2012 her biggest year yet. After a successful 2011 season racing a Pro Challenge Mustang sponsored by her University, she placed second in the overall championship, even without being able to compete in all of the races throughout the year due to funding. Her four wins and two poles gave her enough points to secure the spot of Championship Runner-Up.

"Collete has been working extremely hard the past year and a half to put this together and we're happy to see her run with One Formula Racing," said Anders Krohn, (Grand-Am/Indy Lights Driver, ABK Sports Management). "She's gathered experience through SCCA racing the past year, and will now be making a big step up to the Mazda Road to Indy in the USF2000 National Class. Collete's hard work and dedication will put her in a good position to improve every single time out, and we look forward to watching her grow throughout the season." 

In addition to racing and being a full-time Mechanical Engineering student, Davis takes an active role in promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) careers to middle school kids. She speaks with many middle schools - specifically  the girls - about futures in STEM careers and how fun and diverse these careers can be!

Davis will be the youngest female driver racing in any rung of INDYCAR’s development ladder series.

“My goal is to race and win on the Mazda Road to Indy and to ultimately race in the IZOD IndyCar Series. I’m focused on developing myself as a driver and making the most out of every opportunity to do so. I know the changes from racing the Mustang to an open-wheel racecar are going to be huge and I’ll have a lot to learn my first weekend in the car. I can’t wait to work with One Formula Racing and look forward to seeing how much we can learn and adapt over the course of the first race weekend to make the most out of this amazing opportunity with Glass Hammer Racing and the One Formula Racing team.”

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TEXT: “CDRacing” to 90210

Founded in May 2010, just a mile-and-a-half from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during Indianapolis 500 practice, Glass Hammer Racing conducts introductory racing experiences geared to just young women, exposes young women to role models in all areas of motorsports and supports the advancement of young women in their motorsports careers through scholarships and sponsorships. GHR is delighted that the first three female racers who have been drivers or instructors for GHR have all advanced to full-time professional racing careers for the 2012 season. For more information, please visit Glass Hammer Racing on the World Wide Web, http://www.beatbyagirl.org, or follow us in Twitter http://twitter.com/glasshamrracing or Facebook http://facebook.com/glasshammerracing

At 18 years old, Collete Davis is currently a Sophomore Mechanical Engineering student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL while also pursuing a professional career in motorsports. Ever since she was young, she’s had gasoline pumping through her veins, working on engines and motors as early as age 11. She’s been going full throttle ever since she sat in her first racing go-kart and doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. At Embry-Riddle, she is actively involved with organizations on campus by being a Sister in the Sorority, Theta Phi Alpha, as well as an Engineer and Business/Outreach correspondent on her school's national EcoCAR 2 team. In pursuing a professional racing career and going to school for Mechanical Engineering, Davis has dedicated her life to defying stereotypes about the traditional roles of women and breaking down the barriers in the typical cliques when it comes to women in the automotive, engineering, entrepreneurial and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields as a whole. Davis is a motivational speaker/ambassador  for females in industries such as engineering and motorsports, and often speaks at middle schools to inspire the future generations of women in these fields. Going into the 2012 season, Davis is reaching out to secure the best partners to grow with her career into INDYCAR. With her sights set on racing and winning in the IZOD IndyCar Series, she strives to be the first female-Mechanical Engineer to win the famous Indy 500-Mile race.