RPM Great Race X-Cup 2022 Team

RPM’s All-Female X-Cup Team

The Great Race X-Cup offers automotive students the rare opportunity to travel cross-country in a vintage vehicle while navigating by analog methods and building teamwork and comradery.

Considering the RPM Foundation’s goal of encouraging a vibrant workforce to care for the vehicles so important to that culture, the cultivation of more women as entrant to the industry is a vital part of that goal. Less than five percent of auto mechanics are women, in spite of more than half our population being female.

This year, the RPM Foundation is fielding an all-female X-Cup team as a part of our efforts to encourage more women and young women to consider a career in the vehicle restoration and preservation skilled trade. By spotlighting the members of the RPM team, we hope to provide success stories which will inspire greater female participation in the automotive industry.

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Student Navigators

Olivia Gadjo - Skaneateles, NY

School:
Alfred State College

What sparked your interest in vehicles?
I can’t remember any one thing that sparked my interest in vehicles, I just remember always being connected to cars and wanting to know more about them and hopefully one day drive fast.

Why do you want to participate in The Great Race?
My teacher last year talked about how our school usually has a team that competes each year and I thought it sounded really cool. I’ve always been interested in older cars and I love road trips so this is the perfect opportunity to combine the two and meet cool new people.

What are you most looking forward to about the experience?
Meeting new and interesting people along with driving across the country and seeing new places.

What do you see yourself doing in five years?
It’s hard to know what I will be doing in five years but the next few I do have an idea. After graduating from motorsports I am going to get my welding certification and then I plan to travel all across the lower 48 states. So in five years I could be anywhere in the lower 48 doing almost anything because I am trained in heavy equipment, motorsports, and I will be a very good welder by then.

Kinzie Wilson - Belmont, NC

School:
Belmont Abbey College

What sparked your interest in vehicles?
I have been going to car events for as long as I can remember. My dad always wanted a boy but ended up with two girls. He took that opportunity to train me as his “boy.” We would go to car shows, races, and just about any car-related event possible. While most girls wouldn’t be too crazy about cars, I loved them! My dad would teach me about the cars as we saw them and I knew how to tell a big from a small block by the age of 5. My love for cars only grew as my dad would get new cars and teach me how to work on them with him. I got the opportunity to buy my own car when I was 13 years old, and like any sensible kid, I bought a 1996 Corvette knowing I wouldn’t be able to drive it for at least another 2 years. Little did I know the NHRA added a new class for 13-16-year-olds to race, another great opportunity at the perfect time. Racing became a passion of mine and I fell even more in love with cars and trying to make mine as fast as possible. Cars have been a part of my life from day one and I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Why do you want to participate in The Great Race?
The possibilities within the motorsport world are endless. I began my journey with drag racing and wanted to try every car related event that I could. I have competed in many racing series, not only drag racing but also auto cross and rally cross. I have taken my car to more car shows, meets, and cruises than I can count. I love adventure and trying new things. The Great Race is a new adventure that I am looking forward to and can not wait to get involved!

What are you most looking forward to about the experience?
One of my goals in life is to get the younger generation more involved in cars. I got lucky with a “car dad” and that is who got me to fall in love with them. Not all kids get this experience though, and they may be unaware of how cool cars can be. I have an appreciation for vintage & older cars. My grandfather had a ’55 Chevy that as a little girl I loved riding around with him. He sold the car before he passed, however we did inherit his Challenger that became my daily driver for a little while. I find it very important showing the younger generation the importance and specialty of these cars. They are what is driving the future, and I want to be a part in helping that future be as bright as possible by representing the RPM Foundation.

What do you see yourself doing in five years?
I am currently a Motorsport Management major at Belmont Abbey College. Once I receive my bachelors, my plan is to go to Europe. I envision myself working for either a car manufacturer or in Formula 1. I would love to get my masters in a few years, also in Europe. I have already been school searching to try to find the best fit and the most beneficial school for me. My family is from Italy and for that reason I feel that it would be very special for me to go back to my family roots and set my own roots somewhere in Italy. I also love the Italian brands. I am very excited for the future as I await the opportunities that may come my way. I am a very adventurous person and would love to explore every option life throws at me. I have always been a big dreamer and I am determined to accomplish these goals!

Mentor Drivers

Sabre Cook

Organization
Sabre Cook Racing LLC

What sparked your interest in vehicles?
I was blessed to have a family who loved and participated in motorsports. I sat on my first motorcycle at just 3 months old on my Dad’s Honda at one of his local races. As I grew up I had a great love and curiosity for science, math, and understanding exactly how and why things worked. That mechanical interest (that ultimately pushed me to becoming an engineer) matched perfectly with my own racing career and both are still my passion today.

Why do you want to participate in The Great Race?
When I first heard about The Great Race I was immediately intrigued by the challenge, the teamwork required, and the cross country experience. It also seems to bring so many people in the automotive space together. Plus it’s a RACE! As a racing driver that’s all I needed to know!

What are you most looking forward to about the experience?
I think it will be a special chance to connect with so many others that are passionate about the automotive space and pay tribute to some iconic vehicles that have been a beautiful stepping stones to the cars we have today. I’m also extremely enthusiastic to have the chance to share the experience with young women that are pursuing STEM and Motorsport related degrees. I’m hoping together as a team we will be able to represent and inspire more women to get involved in the years to come.

What do you see yourself doing in five years?
Racing in INDYCAR or full time for an OEM in IMSA or WEC. I will also always do my best to mentor, inspire, and encourage people from every background to pursue a career in whatever it is they are passionate about.
And hopefully in 5 years I also have a dog… or two. 🙂

Mercedes Lilienthal - Portland, OR

 

Organization
Crankshaft Consulting (owner/founder)
Automotive Journalist and PR/Marketing Consultant

What sparked your interest in vehicles?
Even as a child I was interested in cars. My parents, who emigrated from Germany to the U.S., always worked on cars. In high school I bought my first vehicle: a 1987 Honda Civic CRX Si with a manual transmission. Since then, I’ve owned a wide variety of cars with manual gearboxes and have customized them. From Honda and Toyota hatchbacks to left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive 4x4s, I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by vehicles. It’s about driving them and seeing the world, as well as the engagement I feel of the open road. In 2000, I met my now husband, Andy Lilienthal, through mutual car friends. He was my ride to the Hot Import Nights car show from Minneapolis, MN to Chicago, IL. That solidified our car connection together and the rest is history. We both work in the automotive industry now, he as one of Warn Industries’ marketing managers and me as a freelance automotive journalist who also helps auto-related clients with various PR/marketing efforts.

Why do you want to participate in The Great Race?
One of the most important things in life to me is to give back. When I switched my career of nearly 20 years in commercial interior design and project management in 2018, I switched gears and went out on my own. Many have supported me and mentored me through that transition and continue to do so. Attending the Great Race as a driver of an all-female student team gives me a chance to give back to young women pursuing a career in the automotive trades. Not only do I focus my articles on the automotive industry and different vehicles I choose to highlight many women making positive differences within it and beating the odds in a male-dominated industry. I hope to offer insight and guidance to the all-female team I will be a part of and look forward to learning a lot from them, too.

What are you most looking forward to about the experience?
I’m looking forward to all of it. The car community, the cars, the experience, and the memories I’ll create along the way.

What do you see yourself doing in five years?
To me, the sky is the limit. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing in five years, but I plan to still make positive differences with words and cars.

Mallory Henderson - Denver, CO

What sparked your interest in vehicles?
My grandfather, Jim Henderson, has collected cars my entire life. I grew up attending AACA Nationals/Car Shows around the country.

Why do you want to participate in The Great Race?
My father and grandfather hosted a team in 1992 when the Great Race came through my hometown of Mobile, AL. Ever since, my dad wanted to participate in the Race, and in 2013 when Mobile was the end city, we had the opportunity to be participants representing Mobile. After that, we participated from 2013-2018 before he passed. It was always our favorite thing we did together and had the biggest impact on our relationship. After his passing, I always said that I would continue doing the Race to honor him.

What are you most looking forward to about the experience?
Getting to watch the students build the relationships with the other participants. This event is filled with amazing people who genuinely care about one another. I’m also looking forward to the progress they will make in the event! It’s frustrating at first but once you get the hang of it, it’s a feeling you cannot beat. I also look forward to driving in the Race for my first time (always been Team Navigator 🙂 ).

What do you see yourself doing in five years?
I believe in 5 years I will still be in the defense industry. I’ve always wanted to take on a management role, so hopefully that opportunity will present itself. I also hope to be traveling!

Many thanks to our RPM X-Cup Team sponsor, Prometheus, for their support of our student navigators!