Amanda Sorensen

Amanda Sorensen is a Las Vegas-born motorsports multi-threat who’s made history as the first woman to podium in Formula DRIFT and the first to break into PRO Spec, all while juggling college, a million-plus Instagram following, and a lifelong rivalry with her Formula DRIFT driver brother that pushed them both to the top.

EARLY YEARS

Born November 24, 2002, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Amanda Sorensen didn’t stumble into racing—she was practically shoved into it by sibling rivalry. At six years old, she was already competing in BMX racing when her family drove past a go-kart track on the way home from an event. One look was all it took. She was hooked. Her parents, clearly either very supportive or very brave, bought a 50cc go-kart for Amanda and her younger brother Branden to share. Sharing, of course, meant competing, and competing meant war. The kind of healthy, friendly war that would define both their careers.

The Sorensen household became a racing factory. Amanda and Branden quickly outgrew the single kart, so their parents upgraded them to individual machines. By age nine, Amanda was already winning her first karting championship in the Las Vegas regional Rotax MicroMax class. At eleven, the family made a strategic pivot from pavement karting to dirt racing and mod karts, where Amanda found herself battling future stars like Hailee Deegan and Sheldon Creed. The competition was fierce, the stakes were high, and Amanda was just getting started.

She wasn’t just fast—she was focused. Amanda graduated high school early in 2019 with an advanced honors diploma, then enrolled at Utah Valley University to study construction management while continuing to race full-time. Because apparently, breaking barriers in motorsports wasn’t enough of a challenge.

OTHER INTERESTS

When she’s not sideways in a drift car or pinning it through the desert, Sorensen stays busy. She’s into fitness and fashion, figure skating, volleyball, snowboarding, flying planes, dirt biking, and snow biking. If it’s fast, dangerous, or involves some level of athleticism, she’s probably tried it. Her BMX racing background earned her multiple regional and national podiums between 2008 and 2010, proving early on that two wheels or four, Amanda was built to compete.

With 1.7 million Instagram followers, she’s also carved out a space as a social media influencer, understanding the marketing and business side of action sports as well as she understands throttle control. She’s stated she wants to inspire young women to pursue their passions and take unconventional paths, which tracks for someone who’s spent her entire life doing exactly that.

EARLY SUCCESS

Amanda’s early racing résumé reads like someone in a hurry. After her first karting championship at nine, she placed third in the 2010 CalState Karting Championship and followed up with back-to-back second-place finishes in the 2012 LVKC MicroMax and MiniMax Championships. She broke track records in go-karting and dominated her classes with a focus that belied her age. But karting was just the warmup.

At fourteen, Amanda made the leap to side-by-side racing, competing in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. In 2016, her rookie year, she won the Lucas Oil UTV Unlimited Class Championship—not as a promising newcomer, but as the outright champion. She followed that up in 2017 by winning the SXS World Finals Women’s Class and racking up multiple podiums in the WORCS Series. In 2018, she even cracked the top ten at the brutal Mint 400 in the Trophy Lite class, one of the most punishing off-road races in North America.

As Amanda told Motorsport.com, “I won the championship my rookie year in 2016, just as a young girl competing against all these older men. That was one of my career highlights that made me fall in love with honestly the taste for winning.” That taste would drive everything that came next.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2010: 3rd in CalState Karting Championship[2].
• 2011: LVKC Rotax MicroMax Champion[2].
• 2012: 2nd in LVKC MicroMax Championship[2].
• 2012: 2nd in LVKC MiniMax Championship[2].
• 2016: Lucas Oil UTV Unlimited Class Champion (rookie year)[2][4][5].
• 2016–2017: Multiple podiums in WORCS Series[2].
• 2017: SXS World Finals Women’s Class Champion[2][4].
• 2018: Top 10 finish at Mint 400 in Trophy Lite class[4].
• 2018: 4th in Drift League Pro Am Championship[2][4].
• 2018: Youngest Formula Drift Pro 2 Driver[4].
• 2019: Youngest Formula Drift Pro 1 Driver; youngest Formula Drift female at age 16[4].
• 2021: Link ECU ProSpec Fan Favorite Driver[2].
• 2022: Link ECU ProSpec Fan Favorite Driver[2].
• 2023: Driver for Chip Ganassi Racing XE Team in Extreme E[2][6].
• 2024: First woman to podium in Formula DRIFT; first female to make PRO Spec[1][3].

INSPIRATIONS

Amanda’s biggest inspiration isn’t a famous racer or a childhood hero—it’s her brother. Branden Sorensen, now a Formula DRIFT driver himself, has been her competitor, motivator, and benchmark since day one. As she told Females in Motorsport, “No matter what I did, I always had a competitor, and that’s what’s helped me achieve so much. It was very competitive, but in a healthy, friendly way.”

That sibling dynamic shaped everything. Amanda didn’t get into Formula DRIFT because she dreamed of it as a kid—she got into it because Branden did, and she wasn’t about to let him have all the fun. “For me it wasn’t necessarily about the thrill of the driving aspect at the time,” she explained to Motorsport.com. “It was more about the thrill of the friendly competition—competition between my brother and I.” When she finally reached the Formula DRIFT podium in 2024, she reflected, “I remember my first interview, I made it very clear that I just wanted to be out there with my brother, competing with him, running doors with him.”

Mission accomplished.

REPUTATION

In an industry where women are still fighting for every inch of track space, Amanda Sorensen has earned her spot the hard way: by winning. Her reputation is built on versatility—she’s raced BMX, karts, mod karts, side-by-sides, UTVs, desert trucks, drift cars, and even took a turn in Extreme E with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023. She’s proven she can compete in anything with wheels, and she’s done it while maintaining a full-time college course load and a massive social media presence.

Fans love her. She was voted Fan Favorite Link ECU ProSpec Driver in both 2021 and 2022, and her Instagram following of 1.7 million suggests she’s not just fast—she’s watchable. Media coverage consistently highlights her boundary-breaking achievements and outgoing personality. She’s regarded as fierce, driven, and unapologetically competitive, with a track record that speaks louder than any hype.

Her 2024 podium finish in Formula DRIFT wasn’t just a personal milestone—it was a historic moment for women in drifting. As one of only two or three licensed female Formula DRIFT drivers, Amanda didn’t just break into a male-dominated sport; she made it to the podium and into PRO Spec, a feat no woman had achieved before her. The industry noticed. Rockstar Energy signed her, the United States Air Force has sponsored her since 2022, and she’s become a visible, vocal advocate for young women chasing their own unconventional paths.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As of 2026, Amanda is campaigning her Air Force-sponsored BMW in Formula DRIFT’s PROSPEC division, where she’s listed as an active driver. With Rockstar Energy backing her and a growing platform, she’s positioned to make an even bigger mark. Her goals remain consistent: keep competing at the highest level, keep motivating young women, and—most importantly—keep racing door-to-door with her brother.

She’s still a full-time student at Utah Valley University, still stacking championships, and still proving that “young girl from Las Vegas” isn’t a limitation—it’s a launchpad. Whether she’s sliding a 1000-horsepower LS-powered BMW or blasting through the desert, Amanda Sorensen is just getting started.

References:

Rockstar Energy Campaign Page
Sorensen Motorsports Official Bio
Females in Motorsport Interview
Speed and Sport Adventures Team Page
Motorsport.com Interview
Famous Birthdays Bio
Drifting but Not Lost – Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Formula DRIFT Driver Page