Aurora Straus

Aurora Straus is a professional racecar driver, Harvard graduate, management consultant, folk musician, and founder of Girls With Drive—which is exactly the kind of absurd overachievement that makes most mortals want to throw in the towel.

EARLY YEARS

Born September 17, 1998, Aurora Straus grew up in Cold Spring, New York, the daughter of Ari and Molly Straus, who are founding partners of P1 Motor Club in Tampa, Florida[10]. At 13 years old and standing just 4’9″, she climbed into a racecar for the first time—and her father, Ari, wasn’t exactly blown away. He recalls that she initially lacked “instinct for the strategy of racing”[8]. But what she may have lacked in natural intuition, she more than made up for with sheer determination and an intensity that would eventually become her signature trait.

While most teenagers were navigating school dances and algebra homework, Straus was logging track time and cultivating an obsession with motorsports. By 16, she ran her first semi-professional race[26]. She wasn’t just playing around—this was serious business from the start, fueled by a fierce competitive streak and a refusal to be underestimated because of her size or gender.

OTHER INTERESTS

Racing is only one facet of Straus’s ridiculously multifaceted life. She’s an avid folk musician who performs regularly at local venues in Cold Spring and Tarrytown, New York[21]. In December, she even sang at a Holiday Charity Music Fest, proving she’s as comfortable with a microphone as she is with a steering wheel. According to a Harvard Crimson profile, she hears music in the engines of her racecars—a poetic detail that somehow makes perfect sense[24].

She’s also a voracious reader. Growing up, her favorite books included the Harry Potter series and “The Handmaid’s Tale”—she read the same worn copy her mother had[64]. It’s the kind of detail that paints a fuller picture: here’s a person who thinks deeply, feels intensely, and never does anything halfway. Physics, literature, music, racing—Straus collects passions the way other people collect coffee mugs.

EARLY SUCCESS

Straus’s racing career began in earnest in 2015 when she started competing in spec Mazda MX-5 cars[35]. By 2016, she was selected as one of the U.S. drivers for the inaugural Mazda MX-5 Cup Global Invitational, with backing from Monticello Motor Club[52]. It was a significant early milestone for a teenager still in high school—and a clear signal that she wasn’t just dabbling.

In 2017, Straus made waves in the Pirelli World Challenge, securing the runner-up position while driving a BMW M4 GT4 and leading the championship points in her class for much of the season[15]. The following year, she scored her first professional race win with BMW at Circuit of the Americas in Round 2 of the Pirelli World Challenge, sharing the No. 36 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 with Al Carter[30]. It was a historic moment—and just the beginning.

All of this was happening while Straus was managing dual lives: high school student turned Harvard undergraduate. She took a gap year before enrolling at Harvard to focus on racing and building relationships with sponsors[49]. When she did matriculate, she became the only professional racecar driver on campus—a distinction that turned heads and landed her in multiple Harvard Gazette features[9]. Living this double life gave her what she describes as a “unique perspective” straddling two fiercely opposing worlds: the hyperintellectual halls of Harvard and the high-octane, hypermasculine world of motorsports[9].

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2015: Began racing career in spec Mazda MX-5 cars[35].
• 2016: Selected as U.S. driver for inaugural Mazda MX-5 Cup Global Invitational[52].
• 2017: Secured runner-up position in Pirelli World Challenge and led championship points in class[15].
• 2018: Earned first professional race win at Circuit of the Americas in Pirelli World Challenge, co-driving BMW M4 GT4[30].
• 2018: Named IMSA Rookie of the Year[14].
• 2018: Founded Girls With Drive, a nonprofit mentoring program to inspire young girls in STEM and motorsports[22].
• 2018: Became a Richard Mille partner, wearing an RM 07-04 Automatic Sport[31].
• 2022: Made history as the first woman to win in Radical Cup North America competition[16].
• 2022: Graduated from Harvard University[28].
• 2024: Married teammate Kenny Murillo[4].
• 2025: Returned to IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Murillo Racing, driving a McLaren Artura GT4 and charging from last to 6th at Daytona opener[29].
• 2025: Announced return to Radical Cup North America, driving P1 Motor Club Radical SR3 #44[13].

INSPIRATIONS

Straus founded Girls With Drive in 2018 with a mission to mentor and inspire young girls to pursue careers in STEM and motorsports[19]. The program addresses what she identified as one of the biggest barriers for girls entering these fields: a lack of mentors and role models[22]. She’s visited programs like the one at Mitchel Community Center with East Side House Settlement, bringing her story—and her racecar—directly to young girls who might never have imagined themselves in a driver’s seat[39].

Her philosophy, as she put it bluntly to the Harvard Gazette, is simple: “I’m not going to apologize for that”[47]. It’s a mantra that applies to every aspect of her life—her ambition, her refusal to be sidelined, and her insistence that women belong in racing just as much as men. In a 2017 Jalopnik piece she wrote herself, she made the case plainly: “Of Course Women Are Strong Enough To Race Against Men”[62].

REPUTATION

Straus has built a reputation as someone who doesn’t just compete—she makes history while doing it. Becoming the first woman to win in Radical Cup North America in 2022 cemented her legacy in a series known for brutal competition and unforgiving machinery[16]. She’s respected not just for her results, but for the way she carries herself: unapologetically ambitious, deeply thoughtful, and entirely unbothered by the fact that she’s often the only woman in the paddock.

Off the track, she’s equally impressive. After graduating from Harvard in 2022, she worked as an associate consultant at Bain & Company, specializing in growth strategy[20]. It’s the kind of job that would be a full-time career for most people, but for Straus, it was just another piece of the puzzle. She’s currently pursuing her MBA at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, seeking the business frameworks she “missed out on by learning on the job”[58].

Her partnership with Richard Mille, one of the most prestigious names in luxury watchmaking, speaks volumes. The brand doesn’t partner with just anyone—they choose athletes and artists who embody excellence, grit, and innovation. Straus has been a proud partner since 2018[31].

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

In 2025, Straus returned to the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Murillo Racing, co-driving a McLaren Artura GT4 with her husband, Kenny Murillo[53]. The newlyweds—who married shortly before the season—are teammates both on and off the track, and their Daytona debut showed serious potential despite starting from the back of the pack[5]. She’s also announced her return to Radical Cup North America, driving the P1 Motor Club Radical SR3 #44 sponsored by Primal[13].

Looking beyond the driver’s seat, Straus has always expressed interest in car design and engineering—she wants to be an engineer long after her racing career ends[63]. Her MBA studies at Goizueta are aimed at giving her the tools to advance not just her own career, but the broader world of motorsports[58]. She’s already proven she can race, consult, mentor, and inspire. Whatever comes next, it’s a safe bet she’ll do it at full throttle.

REFERENCES

[1] P1 Motor Club – Aurora Straus Returns to Radical Cup North America
[2] Wikipedia – Aurora Straus
[3] Driver Database – Aurora Straus
[4] YouTube – Aurora Straus on Her Return to Pilot Challenge
[5] Racers Behind the Helmet – Relentless Recovery at Daytona
[6] YouTube – Harvard Student Aurora Straus Has Drive
[7] The Harvard Crimson – Shifting Gears
[8] Harvard Gazette – Harvard Student and Race-Car Driver Aurora Straus Competes with Purpose
[9] P1 Motor Club – Team
[10] YouTube – Rev It Up with Professional Racecar Driver Aurora Straus
[11] 51GT3 – Aurora Straus Racing Driver Profile
[12] A Girl’s Guide to Cars – Inspiring Woman Aurora Straus
[13] Radical Motorsport – Champions Crowned as 2022 Radical Cup North America Concludes
[14] AutoRacing1 – New York’s Unsuspecting Motorsports Star
[15] GT4 America – Three Women, No Limits
[16] Poets & Quants – Meet the MBA Class of 2026
[17] Zola – Aurora Straus and Kenny Murillo’s Wedding Website
[18] Voice of Goizueta – Meet the MBA Class of 2026: Aurora Straus
[19] Racers Behind the Helmet – Aurora Straus Charges from Last to 6th at Daytona
[20] BMW Press – BMW Customer Racing Drivers Show Success at Pirelli World Challenge
[21] Richard Mille – Aurora Straus
[22] YouTube – Harvard’s Professional Racecar Driver
[23] Patch – Tarrytown Students Named National Merit Semifinalists
[24] Harvard Gazette – The Quote Machine
[25] HS Dial – Aurora Straus Races Her Way Through High School
[26] Mazda Motorsports – Mazda Announces U.S. Drivers for Inaugural MX-5 Cup Global Invitational
[27] Poets & Quants – Meet the MBA Class of 2026: Aurora Straus, Emory University Goizueta
[28] Sportscar365 – Newlyweds Straus, Murillo to Make Series Return
[29] YouTube – Harvard Race Car Driver Hopes to Inspire Girls Interested in STEM
[30] Jalopnik – Of Course Women Are Strong Enough to Race Against Men