Our Canadian Racer Lindsay Rice and her Audi RS3 LMS
audi obsession | on the spot
We had a chance to talk with Lindsay Rice, a Canadian racer driving the #18 RICERACING Audi RS3 LMS, which is the only female-run Audi team in the country.
Lindsay is extremely driven, she is pushing the limits of auto racing, and she has exceptional perseverance and dedication to her sport.
Who is Lindsay Rice?
“I am a 26 year old female race car driver originally from Mississauga, Ontario in Canada – just outside of Toronto. I’ve been racing GT cars for 3 seasons now competitively, and I will be heading into my 4th ever season racing in Canada in 2019. I come from an Automotive background (Dad and Grandfather loved cars, I went to school for Automotive Business) and have loved cars ever since I was able to drive them. I am still, however, a first generation racer in my family. My most memorable moments when I was younger was taking my car for a drive (…every day and every night… and in between), and listening to my car or my music, rolling the window down, and enjoying being behind the wheel and having full control of it. This has always been my happy place, a place for me to really feel myself and enjoy the power of driving.”
“This has always been my happy place, a place for me to really feel myself and enjoy the power of driving”
Why racing cars?
“It has always been about cars for me. But - why racing? It was never enough to go the speed limit – I always want to push the threshold, pass cars, edge into corners – so I wanted to test my skills on track. Overall, it is that feeling of being alive that I get when driving a race car, one that I get nowhere else. There is no other rush for me like competing in a car.”
If you weren’t racing, what would you be up to right now?
If I wasn’t racing I would probably be out on the ocean. I absolutely love the wildlife – so perhaps I’d be a marine biologist or a scuba diver. Or a captain of my own ship. That would be nice. Once you bring me to the ocean and show me whales or sharks, it is very hard to pry me away. Kind of like the race track.
Who is your inspiration?
I have many. One of my favourites is Daniel Ricciardo. He is a fantastic driver, but I mostly enjoy his attitude towards the sport. He has fun with it and gets serious when he needs to. Very similar to Aryton Senna. He was also an inspiration for his spirit in the sport. Truly a beautiful human being !! Another inspiration of mine is Kathrin Legge – I think she is super rad and gets the job done when she’s on track.
What is your dream car?
Race car – I don’t know if I should be saying this to Audi Obsession – but I would love to compete in the Porsche RSR. 😊 This is a beast of a car and I can just imagine what it’s like to even sit in it. But truly, the Audi R8 GT3 is an absolutely stunning race car that has always grabbed my attention. I would also keep my Audi RS3 LMS TCR forever…… My AUDI dream car for the street would have to be Audi R8 V10+ - aaaand I believe it would have to be a 2015 model, because I need a manual gearbox – gated shifter - metal on metal please 😊😊
What are your pre-race rituals?
Race day I always eat an avocado. Pre-race I talk to my team and go over my set up and any changes we’ve made to the car. I am also constantly on data, going over my last laps on track and seeing where to improve. When I get onto grid, this is my time to visualize – I will sit in my car with 5 mins to go and see myself at the race start, passing all of the cars 😊
When did you realize you wanted to race at the pro level? What was your approach – how you did it?
To be quite honest I am really a dreamer… So to answer this questions, I’d have to say that I saw myself going pro right from the beginning. I always envisioned it 😊 I am not one to sit back and let myself stay stagnant and get comfortable - I always need to be improving and learning and pushing and challenging myself. This goes hand in hand with graduating into different categories of racing. My approach was to enter into racing and see how I do first – which I was lucky because I did have natural talent up my sleeve (thank goodness). I had the feel and the reaction time and the calm and collected mindset on track – this helps a lot. My next step was to continue to push my racing program to the world – to gain exposure for my team. We have always raced well, and we continue to improve, but we also know how important it is to be out there in the front of the sport spotlight to gain recognition and to gain interest in my program for future plans. So, while I am taking it all in - learning and challenging myself, and enjoying every second I am in the car - I do need to focus on what makes sense for my future and what needs to come next so I can succeed in my career.
How do you mentally handle yourself when you’re behind the wheel?
This one is really quite simple. When I get in the car, there is nothing else. It’s like my mind goes blank and nothing in the world matters but pushing my car and myself, getting in front of ALL the cars ahead of me (lol), as well as keeping my car on track. So – I handle myself mentally pretty well I’d say. I put myself out there and focus on improving every lap, in qualifying, in a race and even on testing.
Any other passions?
I LOVE my dog, my music, my home and decorating it, spending time with friends and family, enjoying delicious food and (sometimes) wine (ya right). I really enjoy endurance training – jogging, stair climber, etc. I mean, I don’t looove it when I am doing it, but I love the feeling after my workout 😊
Any advice for young people?
I get this a lot. I stand true to what I always say – please just follow what your heart is telling you. If there is something in the world that you feel you need to do – do it. Don’t let time pass you by and don’t let that dream go. Do whatever it takes, be strong, be humble, and remember that you are absolutely worthy of reaching your passions and living your own dreams. In terms of racing – it is a tough one to get into, but I recommend volunteering and being around the track and getting into a car for a track day before you make any big plans. Make sure you love it and you feel it. If it works, it works. Then put your head down and get things moving.
