She wanted to be an Olympic swimmer for Canada. And after six years, of hard competitive swimming, she was well on her way..To say Nicole Havrda has her eyes on the prize is an understatement..And then her family went to Europe. Her Dad, Martin Havrda, suggested they take in a Formula One Grand Prix. The Austrian Grand Prix, no less. Nicole was not really interested, but went along anyway.."I was like, ‘Oh no, I don't even want to watch it,’ ” said Havrda, speaking by phone from Buttonwillow Raceway in California, F3 race cars heard zooming by in the background..“I'll just stay in the hotel," she told her dad..“But then we went, and I was like, ‘Holy cow.’ And I just fell in love with it right as the saw it. I was like, ‘This is exactly what I want to do.’ And it went on from there.”. Nicole HavrdaNicole Havrda .Bitten by the F1 bug, she started emailing “a bunch of people, like driving schools, karting things, and rental karting because I honestly had no idea where to go.”.“I was new to all of it, and you know, you want to get to Formula 1, but there are so many steps …”.“And then we got back home, and I did some driving schools, lessons and all that. And then we went to watch karting, and then we just bought karts, and then I went with the teams. So that's kind of how it all grew.”.And grow she did..At age 14 — an age when most kids are still playing video games — she had a racing licence..Her first podium finish came in karting in 2019, after which she was crowned Rookie of the Year at the West Coast Kart Club..She went on to take first place at the Calgary Shootout in Strathmore, AB in 2020, among a half-dozen podium finishes in other events..The same year, Havrda traveled to Mont Tremblant, Que. for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, where she took sixth place, and competed in her first international event, Challenge of the Americas in Tucson, Ariz., also placing sixth..The year 2021 saw her winning several races at the West Coast Kart Club, second at the Rotax West Final, and eighth place at the Canadian Nationals..Growing up in the Comox Valley of north Vancouver Island, the rising star said it was a combination of luck and motorsport connections that propelled her to the next level of auto racing..“I was karting, and I was at one of my (races), it was the nationals and stuff, and I actually got called … they just called my Dad and said, "Oh, hey, we want your daughter to be in a documentary with Mercedes-Benz.".After meeting the execs, she found herself testing an AMG GT4 race car. That’s right, a full blown race car — at age 14. I know guys with super licenses, in their 20s and 30s, who say that’s a daunting challenge..And she was impressive..In this game you are either fast, or you’re not. And she was fast. Lightning fast..“And that was straight from karting,” she says. “So that was my first time in a car. And honestly, I'm surprised they trust(ed) me in that car.”.“I did some Formula 4 testing after that, because I wanted to do open wheels … and then I got to Formula 3.”.It was not an easy transition from karting, as she described in her blog..“[As] I left the pits, I literally lost my breath. The car was vibrating so much that I had to really think about my breathing and breathe slower, but once I got into second gear, I was good to go.”.Her first year saw a lot of testing, with some races, but mostly testing. And the jump to Formula 3 seemed the best way to go, she says..In her first full year of racing, she is exceeding expectations, and drawing attention worldwide..“This year I'm doing a couple series. I'm doing Formula Pro USA, the full series, just to win the championship ... and we're already leading the championship. So that's really good.”.“We finished our first race weekend for the series and we're leading, so we won both races. We actually ... there was a series champion, so, I beat him actually …”.A big victory, because she was a clear four seconds behind him last year..“But now coming to beating him is just a huge development. You can see that, and it's amazing. And we're still striving for more, for sure. We just want to win this championship.”.She gives full credit to her dad, who's not only running his own company, but running NHR, Nicole Havrda Racing..“He's basically my manager, and he's helping so much. He has his own company.”.How does a 17-year-old prepare for an open-wheel race?.Racing legends, such as Gilles Villeneuve and Bob Bondurant, would often walk the entire track, in moments of quiet..Havrda has her own method, and it seems to be working. Aside from racing simulators and visualizing the turns in her mind, as she relaxes in the family’s motorhome, she heads to the nearest gym..“I really prioritized that, because I remember when I started racing in Formula 3, it was the first test day. I remember exactly how it felt that I was just tired within half the day.”.“I was dead, because your arms get sore, the G-forces, so your neck gets sore as well. And it's just like, a lot of people say it's not that physical and all that, but it is crazy physical.”.I ask who is her inspiration in racing, and without hesitation, she says seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton..“I don't know, it's just how he talks, how he drives, and it's like, I aspire to become him one day.”.And while racing is priority number one, so is reaching out for sponsors..“We're sending hundreds of emails, every single day, just to the connections, and reaching out,” she says..“And you know, you can't really run racing without money. And I'm sure you know. You've talked to so many racers, and it's so important to have the money.”.This weekend, she’s hoping to add to that championship lead with a win at Buttonwillow Raceway, a facility “in the middle of nowhere,” she says, about 300 miles north of Los Angeles..According to the Globe & Mail, only two women have ever qualified and started in an F1 race: Maria Teresa de Filippis in 1958-59 and Lella Lombardi, with 17 starts between ‘74 and ‘76..In a sport in which few could name a female driver beyond Danica Patrick, the percentage of female drivers is minute..Havrda — who has gone from swimming pools, to rubbing shoulders at 240 km/h race tracks — aims to change all that..Put it this way, I wouldn’t bet against her..To keep track of Havrda’s on-track progress and help contribute to her racing scholarship, visit her website and Charitable Impact.
