About me
How did you get into racing?
My dad actually used to race motocross, so with him being very mechanically inclined and having that “racing bug” in him, he built a family “go-kart” for all of us to use as an activity together. At this point we were living in the tiny town (10 by 12 blocks) Flagler, Colorado, which is a lot of the reason we built the kart to begin with. When we moved back to my originally hometown, we ended up paving a little quarter-mile track, and bought each family member a kart for themselves. As crazy as it may seem, I honestly didn’t really like the “family go-kart” that we took out on the dirt. Racing didn’t become my passion until we moved home and I got to drive the correct sized kart on a paved track.
|
What has your racing career looked like through the years? Well I started driving in 2006 (when I was 10), and started racing in 2010. The first day anyone saw me drive, besides my family, they instantly saw my potential to race. I did my first race in a club event (a local event) and actually won. My second event was in a regional (Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming) race in which I took second. My very next race was a full-fledge national event. Those first three events were crazy, but it really kicked off a great career. I raced karts for a few years, then landed a test with Phil Giebler Racing (who I knew from karting, but was also rookie of the year in 2007 for the Indianapolis 500) in a Formula Ford 1600. After that I raced a few races in my own Formula Ford 1600, then moved to a Formula Mazda late 2014 through 2015. I tested most of the season in my Formula Mazda, but I did enter SCCA’s Major’s Tour Freedom Sprints and took first by over 30 seconds in the main event over the series’ champion. After that, it takes me to what you all know now, my IndyCar. |
I used to get super nervous before a race when I was driving in Karts, like so much my teeth would start to hurt, but ever since I’ve been driving in cars, that has gone away. I still get a tad anxious, mainly because I’m super excited, and I do want to do well, but it’s not like that painful nervous that I used to deal with. I feel really confident in my driving and what my team has taught me—anymore, I just have these goals that has been set up for me to accomplish, and I’m too focused on attaining them that I forget I should be nervous. |
|
There is so much more to me than just racing though. I love practically all things girly. I enjoy things such as shopping, mani's and pedi's, fashion, and spending hours on my hair and make-up. Even when I was tiny, my mom would always warn people who offered to take me shopping because, as she would say, "I could out-shop anyone". I have received my B.A. in small business at Sheffield State University, majoring in marketing. Not only that, but I am also involved in a local Bible believing church where I love to serve and grow spiritually. |
|
|
To me, racing is so much more than meets the eye. It's not only about being dedicated to driving and being good at it, but it's also about creating a “warm-hearted” feeling for the public; reaching out and making my career more than just ‘what needs done to make it to the professional level’ (ie. creating more than just an ‘empty autograph’). That makes all of the difference. Racing is believing, you can push yourself just a little bit harder each time out, straining to achieve your best. It means improving your skill, technique and self-state with every step you take (on and off the track) —never settling for second best.” - Mianna Wick |
What was it like getting your first test in an IndyCar?Well first off, it was an absolute miracle. Not only do I say this because I was able to test an INDYCAR at such a young age, but also because I had just meet Loophole Racing (who was offering the test) that day, and on top of that, all I had driven really was karts. I mean I had dabbled in a Mazda Miata, and I believe if I’m not mistaken, I had tested a FF1600 by that time, but nothing serious. So for a team like Loophole Racing who understands what it takes to drive an IndyCar to make an offer like that—it was a pure miracle. When I arrived at the track a little while after the offer, the owner of the car, Eric, was testing it till late afternoon. I had arrived at 9am. I was surprisingly super calm in waiting that long, and was only a little concerned that the day would dwindle away before I got a chance to shine. When it finally was time for me to get in the car, I talked with Paul Dallenbach for a short period, getting his input on how to drive such a heroic car. I was told that I would most likely stall it a few times before taking off due to the difficult clutch, but when I got in it, much to everyone’s surprise, I had a smooth take off my first try. I only got to drive it for a few laps, but those laps are one of the most memorable times of my life. The way it felt, the bigness, the weight, the speed… everything. Each lap I coached myself to drive as David had told me to, getting faster and faster each lap. I wanted to respected the equipment of others, so I tried to go pretty slow through the test to prove I would take care of equipment and I wanted to create team comfort above driving super fast that day. I felt like there was a bigger, underlying, test that day than to just go fast in a race-car. When I got out everyone asked how it felt. The only response I could come up with was that it felt like home! |
|
|
Are you sponsored?
Most definitely! Racing isn’t possible at this level, at least for my family, without sponsors. I’m not saying by any stretch of the means that my family is poor, but racing is astronomically expensive. I am forever grateful to the people who help me out, because without them it seriously would not be possible." ... "There is a lot of heart, soul, blood, and tears poured into this sport. It’s true that its about the driving, but its also about the whole team, goals, fans, AND sponsors." ... "I want a personal connection with EVERYONE possible that I work with. I want fans to connect with me, and me with them. I want my team to not only have my back, but know that I also have their’s. I want sponsors to truly benefit from making my dreams come true. That’s the only way this will work. It has to be a win-win. That’s why with every sponsor I take on, it is not only a commitment for them to work with me, but it’s a commitment for me to also work with them. With my sponsors it’s about our careers, but its so much more- it’s a relationship.
Fitness is something else that I am passionate about. I love lifting, playing racquetball, trying couple routines, programs like p90x, and simply trying new things that test my abilities. At the beginning of 2016 I started my fitness media pages, posting about my workouts, dinner meals, and how I keep focused on my goals, sharing more about life outside the track. I have become an online fitness coach as well as an instructor at my local gym. I love being able to talk with people about where they are and what their journey has been like and help them find a program that really works for them. It honestly was a game changer for me and I love to be able to offer the same thing to others.
|
|
|
|
First time I met Mianna Wick was the first time she drove an IndyCar. She presented herself in a calm, professional manner. I loved her helmet design and asked her about ‘Living By Faith.’ She told me about her love for the Lord Jesus Christ, her ministry and her motorsports experience. We instantly became friends. My husband David and his brother Bud (co-owners/Loophole Racing) instructed Mianna as to what to do when warming up and starting out in an IndyCar. Most people stall the car. Mianna drove away like she had been driving this type of vehicle all of her life." ~ Deb Cowan Hoffpauir, Pit Mom/Wife of Loophole Racing co-owner and crew chief David Hoffpauir, who worked for Michael and Mario Andretti late 1980s to early ‘90s |
Family and friends are something that will always be extreamly important to me. I would not be the person I am today without them. I don't just mean "my parents taught me well", but I mean so much more. I mean that the people in my life have been there for me to cry, laugh, and challenge me when I've needed them, and vis-versa. I am perticuallrly found of them. They have shaped me to have the charater I have. I have learned that life would be near to insignificant if it weren't for people and love. Oct, 15th, 2016 I married the love of my life, Ryan. I can't discribe how blessed I am to not only have friends and family, but also a husband. |
|
|
Why is “Living by Faith” your quote? I don’t think I even know the answer to this question to it’s full potential yet. I know the Lord Jesus Christ had way more purpose in steering me to make this my quote than I knew when I first designed it. I say this because over the years, I’ve seen more and more how it pertains to my life, and to racing, in so many different facets. So, I know the meaning will only grow. I first designed it when I was flipping through my bible and fell upon Hebrews 11:1 — “Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”. It instantly just attached to my heart, and I couldn’t image living any other way but in faith. I fought with the decision awhile on if I wanted my quote to be “Living by Faith” or “Living in Faith”. It was crazy to me how much such a small word could change the entire meaning. Unavoidably, I had to decide if I wanted to send the message that I was “taking a leap of faith”, or if in every choice I made, it was made by faith; in every choice I made I was going to choose to be living by Christ’s will. I choose the latter. So therefore, on that day I made a decision to very publicly start “Living by Faith”. |
|
“Racing is believing, you can push yourself just a little bit harder each time out, straining to achieve your best. It means improving your skill, technique and self-state with every step you take—never settling for second best.” -Mianna
| |||
Stats
|Height: 5'3"
|Birth date: September 16, 1996
|Birth place: Delta, Colorado
|Currently Driving: IndyCar (1996 Lola)
|Team: Loophole Racing
|Birth date: September 16, 1996
|Birth place: Delta, Colorado
|Currently Driving: IndyCar (1996 Lola)
|Team: Loophole Racing
|
|