From Streetcar to Racecar in One Year: Erika Hoffmann’s Rise in Motorsport

If you wanted to know what it would be like for someone ordinary without any connections to the motorsport industry, mentors or pre-existing financial support to become a racing driver, look no further. 

Erika Hoffmann is a star driver in the making, and everyone should be on the watch for her journey. Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, Erika’s story is humble, but far from boring. Females in Motorsport spoke with her to discuss her career progression and future goals in the racing world.

Hoffmann currently races in the Sprint Challenge of the Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver North America Programme, a collaborative effort between Porsche Motorsport North America and Mobil 1 that strives to support and involve more women who originate from North America in their motorsport pyramid. As a first-year driver in this programme, Hoffmann says that her experience thus far in the season (which began towards the end of February) has been spectacular. 

“It’s been really positive,” Erika tells Females in Motorsport. “Overall, the Porsche paddock is really supportive of women and has been such a healthy, wonderful place. All my competitors are very respectful. It’s surreal to have a manufacturer that’s iconic backing you. Having them want to invest in us as drivers, specifically wanting to invest in me, is really humbling in a way, but also very exciting.”

One of the most exciting parts of being supported by Porsche in this programme, Hoffmann says, was being able to access the workshops that they provide. 

“It was super cool getting to do the workshop and talk with people like Patrick Long, who’s had such a storied career as a Porsche factory driver, talk with different members of Porsche Motorsport, and the experts who have had great careers,” she says. “Suddenly being in this environment and [knowing] that they all want you to succeed and that Porsche’s putting this backing behind you for a reason has been such a cool experience. I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

Erika didn’t grow up racing or knowing anyone who did. Her first time racing was when she pulled up to her local race track near Ottawa, Canada, and drove her everyday-use streetcar. 

“I always loved racing, but it seemed like something I could never do,” she says. “I cold-called a local racetrack a few hours from my house. I was like, ‘Hey, how do I get involved?’ I started volunteering and working there, and started lapping my streetcar.” 

She recalls that growing up in Canada, there wasn’t a prominent motorsport scene. Although she grew up watching Formula 1 with her family, she remembers thinking about the lack of women in the sport, and also how the only successful people seemed to have started racing when they were young and “had millions of dollars”. 

Her chance to enter the international world of racing came when she found out about the International Driver Search Competition in 2022 after only a summer of lapping. Hoffmann’s thought process when competing was to leverage this opportunity for potential sponsorship opportunities back in Canada. It  even surprised her when she won and claimed a seat in the UK GT Cup Championship for that year. 

“We were only able to do three rounds, but it was awesome,” Erika says. “It was my first race in a McLaren GT4 car. I went from a summer of lapping to racing in a GT4 car on a GT4/GT3 grid.

“I was like, this is insane. My family came over. Instead of me changing my own tires on my road car to lap, I had a whole race crew! That was just the childhood dream that I always wanted. And all of a sudden, it happened!”

On top of that, she’s also been in the FIA Rally Star competition in 2023 as a wildcard entry, chosen by her country’s national sporting agency to represent, even though she didn’t have prior experience in rally or off-road racing. Women in Motorsport Canada, a member of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, and the Canadian Autorité Sportive Nationale GDS, the national sporting agency for autosport, designated by the FIA, selected her through the application process.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” she says. “And they were like, ‘It doesn’t matter. You did well in competitions that you had no qualifications for and were unprepared for, so we figured we’ll send you to this one.’” 

She surprised competitors and even herself after finishing as the highest-scoring female driver from North America.

Hoffmann secured her first win at Road Atlanta, triumphantly finishing the season. Photo credit: Kyle Schwab

She notes how, although her entry in the industry seemed like it happened overnight, her newfound success was, if anything, from the ground up: no industry connections, preexisting funding, or racing experience whatsoever. 

“If I’ve learned anything from pursuing this career, it’s that things take a lot of time and persistence if you want to make it happen,” Erika says. “Being able to have this opportunity to capitalise on really made a difference.”

Cut to February 2025, Hoffman’s debut in the North American Porsche Sprint Challenge through the Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Programme. Driving alongside the Radical North America series during certain race weekends, the Sprint Challenge consists of seven rounds with two rounds each across six months. With her debut season having just concluded, she’s had nothing less than an outstanding first season, clinching fourth out of thirteen total drivers in the Cayman Pro/Am division. With 540 points and a top-five finish in her class at every race, it’s hard to believe this was her debut season! Not to mention, she placed first at Road Atlanta, the final round of the series, for an amazing finish to the season.

Erika Hoffmann finished third in the second round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge at Sonoma Raceway. Photo credit: Kyle Schwab

What’s even more impressive is that every race weekend is the first time she experiences the track. Due to budget constraints, Hoffmann is unable to participate in testing. 

“When you’re in the moment, if you’re so stressed out and putting so much pressure on yourself, you’re not going to enjoy what you worked so hard to get to,” she says. “Easier said than done, but let yourself be loose and enjoy getting the privilege to drive.”

Looking ahead, Hoffmann mentions she wants to stay with the Porsche community and climb the series ladder of Porsche Motorsport North America. She also remarks that her team, Kellymoss, has been an amazing group to work with throughout her Sprint Challenge series career.

“Whatever I can do to stick with this trajectory would be fantastic,” she says. “It really depends on the budget. I’m 100% sponsorship funded and don’t have any family money. I figured all of this out on my own, trying to grind it and make it happen. But the goal would be to, after GT4, eventually move up to the [Carrera] Cup Car.”

Her advice to others looking to gain sponsorships and experience? Persistence and authenticity. 

“A lot of times we want things to happen quickly because we’re excited,” Erika says. “You can get discouraged just as fast because you see things happening for other people but not for you. But if I’d given up two years ago, I wouldn’t be where I am today. There’s going to be a lot of closed doors and no’s, but you just have to realize that’s the part of the process.

“When it comes to sponsorships, understand what you want and what the sponsors are looking for. Instead of ‘Hey, you should sponsor me because I’m doing this,” realise what the business’ goals are and what they’re trying to accomplish, and discuss how you could help them reach their goals.”

For young female drivers, Erika’s story serves as a reminder that there is no motorsport dream that is “too big”.  As she continues to climb the Porsche Motorsport ladder and advance her racing career, we have no doubt that she will cement her place as an up-and-coming driver to watch in the seasons ahead!