When I began looking for female drivers and other inspirational women to feature, I knew I had to write about one that had always caught my attention that so happened to be sponsored by Turbo by Garrett. Her name is Luccia Cafiero and she is a Colorado based driver. When we first spoke over Facebook, she gave this laid back but very genuinely kind vibe that is rare for models in my opinion nowadays. She is not only gorgeous, but really knows her car and motorsport shit, which obviously attracts the male crowd. Nothing wrong at all with that, more power to ya girl, but other models that are "drivers" as well, have such a bad attitude and think they are God's gift to the world; they are just plain rude above all.
The merging of the two passions began about the sweet 16 age for Luccia when her now ex step father made the premature assumption that she would never make it in the motorsport industry. Shortly after signing with her current agency Donna Baldwin Talent, she decided to take another swing at racing. At about 17, she got her first STi and began making mistakes as well as learning from them all the while critics would sit and laugh at her mistakes. It's funny how people who aren't doing anything take pride in bringing others down, although, that usually motivates some people which in this case, motivated Luccia to push harder. About a year ago, she traveled out here to California to do work with Whiteline at Subiefest and eventually work SEMA with them following. There, she was able to properly network with people in the industry who also understood and saw her vision of professionally racing.
Although she has very few track days under her belt, she was given an opportunity to try Willow Springs out with a Crawford Racing BRZ where she without a doubt "prove to him and others that I was more than 'just a pretty face'". I have personally seen a lot of wannabe driver model types that rely on their looks and "pretty faces" to try and get their way, it is so refreshing that there is a pretty face with brains and dedication to back her dreams up. She is already sponsored by some heavy hitters including Turbo by Garrett, Whiteline Flatout, Turbosmart, Penrite Oil Company, and Suba Preformance, which you have to have something more than looks backing you to get these guys to take you seriously. Eventually the ones who are really in it for attention get their cover blown and are soon forgotten, however, with this road racing rookie, she will be nearly impossible to forget.
"I think being a women in this world presents its positives and negatives. I want to prove to people that I'm not just some model that pretends to be a racer. I actually want to be good at this and present realistically good outcomes from my driving. I have a lot to learn and a lot to improve on, but it's something I am very focused on doing, just like what I was able to do with my modeling. I try to keep the two of them balanced in different ways. I was able to reach 10k followers on my Instagram through presenting my passions to a wide spread audience. I am still to this day surprised that 10k people find my life so interesting, probably more than I do! A lot of people like me because I'm "pretty," and I put pretty in that context because I am not one to at all call myself a pretty girl or talk about my looks, and because of my passion for cars, especially my build. I am also very strict on the type of photos I put out there. I am a firm believer in quality of photos because of my extensive background in fashion modeling. Modeling and cars are two separate things for me. Although, I do mix the two at times, I find it very relaxing to have two outlets to escape to when one may be more stressful than the other. It's a perfect balance".
I can't wait to see what more seat time and development brings this talented woman in the next seasons, personally I'd like to see her one up the guys at Pike's Peak one day! I'm sure with her driver and backing of sponsors, that is going to seem more and more like a plan than a dream.
Oh, and let's not forget her tech sheet!
2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
Engine:
GTX3071R with an ATPTurbo stock location kit
Turbosmart EWG 44mm
Turbosmart Duel Port BOV
Manley Rods
JE Pistons
OEM Crank, head studs, case halves
ACL bearings
KOYO radiator
Crawford Performance AOS
Cobb Intake
Walbro 255 fuel pump
Processwest TMIC
Suspension/misc.:
Tien Super Street coil overs (soon to purchase racing coils)
Whiteline 22mm front sway bar
Whiteline 24mm rear sway bar
Whiteline front and rear endlinks
Whiteline powersteering rack bushings
Whiteline front and rear diff bushings
Whiteline anti-roll lift kit
Whiteline roll centre kit
TIC linkage bushings
Kart Boy shifter bushings
Penrite racing coolant and oil
Enkei RP03 17x9
Nitto NT05's
Cobb V2 AP
Custom rear diffuser, front splitter, brake ducts
Slotted front and rear rotors
Currently deciding on a racing brake pad
Stainless steel brake lines
And soon to be E85 tuned by Travis at Snail Performance
Luccia says the list will obviously change as she gets dialed in more, along with moving out here to California to further pursue racing in the professional light. One thing that is cool about her, she never sounded entitled, she is sincere and thankful for all the help and challenges that will ultimately make her an amazing racer in the near future.
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