Brianna Sanchez is a hard-working third-year Biomedical Engineering student, but outside of the classroom, she’s applying her core engineering knowledge for some fun on the track. Brianna has been driving in Time Attack Racing events since February 2024 in her 1980 Mazda RX7.
Her introduction to motorsports and cars started when she was in middle school. She recalls, “My brother was a big car guy and used to drift. He used to bring home every 240 chassis, every Nissan chassis. He would build it and break it, either call off work or get a ride to work and rinse and repeat. Every single day.” Because of his influence, Brianna was initially involved in the drift scene and thought she wanted to pursue drifting. Eventually, she discovered autocross which led her to find time attack. But to race in any capacity, a trusted vehicle is needed. There was not a particular moment that it dawned on Brianna to get a RX7; however, she was drawn to rotary engines and the body style of the first-generation RX7. “My whole mentality of buying the car was this is going to be a track car. I wanted it to handle what I wanted to do. I started doing more research and when the cars first came out, they won multiple championships, I was like if this can handle professional drivers, it can handle a little 18, 19-year-old girl driving.”
For Brianna, the financial barrier to entry was relatively minimal because of her financial literacy. “I’m smart with my money. I had a lot of savings and when I bought my car and I knew what I wanted.” However, Brianna only knew one person who was involved in Time Attack and made an effort to reach out for guidance. The person mentored her on her first track day. “On [my] first lap, he was there in the car guiding me on where to take all the turns, speed up, slow down, the correct way to place my hands on the wheel so I don’t get hurt. On the second session he let me get in the car with him and I got the same feel for my own car and how I wanted to handle it. Then from there, he continued riding with me and gave corrections. I was thankful to have him by my side for it.” Since that initial event, Brianna has seen major improvement for herself on the track. She uses the app, HotLap, to keep records of her track times, including some of her first track events. “When I started, my first lap was 3 whole minutes. I got it down to a minute 50, a minute 40.” Her last track session was 1 minute and 40 seconds.
Time on the track also comes with challenges and goals to set. For Brianna, her biggest challenge is her mindset often thinking that she won’t be able to perform the way she wants to. “I always try to go out there with the thought that I already paid for this day, so I’m going to make it count. Regardless of what happens to the car, I am going to go out all five sessions and I am going to do at least one lap on each session. I at least need to try to beat my time.” To attack technical goals, she approaches her mental blocks by allowing herself to know it’s okay to do things differently than what her body may be telling her. “The biggest goal was I was coming in too hot for a few corners and I was losing all speed and momentum at the beginning instead of holding on until the end. So, I needed to get past that block in my head that it's okay to start an entry a little slower rather than coming in too hot and losing everything.”
Engineering and Future Goals
Being a third-year Biomedical Engineering student, Brianna is beginning to learn the classes that build solid foundations for large projects, such as her car. There is overlap in the fundamentals that helps bridge the gap and give her more ideas for her build. “They relate [Biomedical Engineering] closely to everything in Mechanical Engineering because that’s the only way to relate it to the body. [I‘ve taken knowledge] from the mechanics of that and also from Fluids and Transports. Most of the class was based on air and air flow and viscous forces. When we were talking about it, they showed us videos of race cars and the dynamics. Then I started thinking, ‘I would be so much better if I installed this on the car to help with airflow.’”
As she progresses on towards graduation and her future, Brianna has her sights set on more motorsports-related goals, including joining Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and racing in their events. She has already dedicated substantial effort to position herself to achieve this goal. Brianna says, “As far as the car goes, I already built my engine.” However, eventually the car must be fully track ready. By that time, she says, “At that point I am going to have to [retire it] as a streetcar.”
Getting Involved in Time Attack
For those that are interested in Time Attack, the barrier to entry is relatively low compared to other forms of motorsport. Brianna shares, “You need a helmet, and they ask that you cover your body. So, wear jeans, a long sleeve shirt, close-toed shoes. You also self-tech, as long as the car [is not] leaking and you deemed it to be reliable, you[‘re] getting out there.” She continues, “if you sign up early it's about $200-$300. It’s an all-day thing. They send you out in different sessions and based on your knowledge and skill level.”
Brianna’s greatest piece of advice for those wanting to get involved in Time Attack or attempt their first track day is: “If your car is running, just get out there!”
For those interested in following along Brianna’s Time Attack and RX7 related adventures, follow her on Instagram and TikTok at @rx7.bri