... And also like daughter

Jil McIntosh

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

If you haven't made your restaurant reservations yet for Mother's Day, you're probably out of luck.

But Joanne Johnston will probably be grabbing a couple of hot dogs at the racetrack, and that's just the way she likes it. It's all part of the day whenever her 18-year-old daughter Caitlin is competing in Formula Ford racing.

"I'm the biggest fan," Joanne says. "I go to the track and I'm the moral support. We're a very close family and we're very supportive of our kids."

Caitlin's interest is rooted in the family business: her father Mike sells snowmobiles, motorcycles and ATVs at his Warp 9 Sports in Orangeville, and is an accomplished snowmobile racer. With her father's training, Caitlin raced snowmobiles herself before branching off into karting; in 2006 she was named Formula Senior Champion at Mosport, and competed in national and international events in Edmonton and Las Vegas.

Her ultimate goal is Indy racing; Caitlin has now advanced into the competitive open-wheel Formula Ford racing circuit for this coming season. Danica Patrick may be her hero, but her mother is her inspiration.

"I don't think it would have gone off as well with just Dad," she says. "It's not a father-son thing that much anymore. People will say to my Dad, `Oh, you have kids who race, how do your boys do?' and he says he `doesn't have boys, he'd rather have his two little girls that go to the track.'"

Racing is never a solitary activity for the Johnston family – 14-year-old Kelsey doesn't participate, but seldom misses a chance to cheer her sister on – and Joanne says that she has seen an increase both in the number of female racers, and in the mothers coming out to support both sons and daughters.

"A lot of the people you see at the track are entire families, both in karting and car," she says. "The families are incredibly supportive. I'm not a gearhead, but I love racing, and that was the common interest with Mike from the time we first started dating. It's in the genes in the family."

Caitlin's dedication to the sport – she works on her car and does her own pit work – impressed Jantzi Racing enough to sign her to its Formula Ford racing team. Despite her family's support, though, she faces an uphill battle.

"A lot of my male friends at the track really respect me as a driver and say, `I'm good at what I do,' but there are the other ones who say, `girls can't race'," she says. "Most of the time I just fluff it off and say, your opinion has no effect on what I'm going to do."

"They see a female and think they know nothing," Joanne says. "Caitlin deals with it very well, though. She sees it as their problem, not hers."

Another obstacle has been the inherent danger in racing. It's more of a concern for mother than daughter.

"You learn to accept that danger is there, but you don't focus on it," Joanne says.

"You have to believe in her ability to overcome the obstacles and excel when she's out there. You don't focus on the danger side, you focus on a good outcome.

"When she's out there and she's struggling, it eats away at me; it breaks my heart. But when she comes off the track, we have pep talks, and we discuss the events of the race and the challenges she faced, and we look forward to the next race. I taught her that no matter what you're doing, you can't be the best every single time, so you have to learn to cope with second or third place, or maybe this is the race that you were unable to finish.

"Something I've always told her is that when you win, and you have frequent wins, it's not something you can gloat about, because there will be days when you don't win and you have to cope with that as well."

Caitlin's Formula Senior award, a huge glass winner's cup, occupies a place of honour in the family's living room.

"My mom brings me so much moral support," she says.

"I have my good and bad days. My dad really helps me with my driving, but sometimes I just need my mom there to help me get through stuff. My dad and I get along famously and we have a tight bond, but my mom gives me that different kind of support. I just need her there."

The Formula Ford circuit opens June 2 and wraps up Oct. 1, with events at Shannonville, Mosport and Calabogie Motorsports Park.

wheels@thestar.ca

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