Courtesy of the New York Post: Aurora Straus never intended to become a professional race car driver.
But when she was 13, her dad signed her up for a safe-driving lesson at the Monticello Motor Club in the Catskills.
“My dad’s intention was for me to learn car control skills,” she told The Post of her father, Ari Straus, the CEO of the club. But during the one-on-one session (private tracks allow drivers as young as 13 to take the wheel), instructor Stevan McAleer let her drive a few fast laps for fun. It was like a switch was tripped.
“I will never forget the feeling of the machine under me. I was so small, and I had never experienced so much power. It was the first time I had ever gone into the triple digits,” said the now-19-year-old from Cold Spring, NY.