Erin Vogel

Erin Vogel made history in 2021 as the first woman globally to win a Pro-Am class race in GT World Challenge, a breakthrough that cemented her status as a trailblazer in professional sports car racing and launched her into roles as a team owner, advocate, and voice for women in motorsports.

EARLY YEARS

Racing wasn’t even on her radar until her entire family got hooked on high-performance driving. Her dad and younger brother were the first to hit the track together, and within a year, they’d dragged her mom along—and then Erin. In 2009, she attended her first track day at an Audi Club Southern California event, driving her Lexus IS sedan. It was meant to be a casual hobby. It didn’t stay that way.[1][2]

By 2014, she and her dad wanted more seat time and competition, so they joined the inaugural racing season at Inde Motorsports Ranch. Two years later, in 2016, they were racing with the Porsche Owners Club (POC), where Vogel began moving up the ladder in sports cars—Porsches, Audis, BMWs, Mercedes—learning the craft one lap at a time.[3][4]

OTHER INTERESTS

Vogel attended Mount Holyoke College, where she earned Bachelor’s degrees in English and Music.[5] Before racing consumed her life, she spent five years at Microsoft Corporation in the Central Marketing Group, then built a career in luxury development and resort hospitality, working on projects for major clients like Disney, UCLA, and Kaiser Permanente.[6][7] She’s described herself as being in her early 40s, and credits this decade with giving her a clearer sense of her own self-worth.[8]

EARLY SUCCESS

Vogel’s progression was methodical and earned. She raced for two seasons in the Inde Motorsports Ranch Challenge Series before moving to POC in 2016.[9] In 2018, she led an all-female team to a class win and overall top-five finish at the grueling 25 Hours of Thunderhill in an Audi R8 GT4 LMS—a statement-making performance that showed she could hang with anyone on endurance strategy and speed.[10][11]

In 2019, she claimed the Bronze Class Championship in Porsche Sprint Challenge, then made her SRO GT4 America debut at Sonoma Raceway with Flying Lizard Motorsports.[12][13] She ran GT4 with Flying Lizard for two seasons, sharpening her racecraft in the McLaren 570S GT4 alongside veteran co-driver Michael Cooper. By the time she transitioned to GT3 with DXDT Racing at the start of 2021, she was ready.[14][15]

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2018: Class winner and overall top-five finisher at 25 Hours of Thunderhill with all-female team[10].
• 2019: Bronze Class Champion, Porsche Sprint Challenge[16].
• 2021: First woman globally to win a Pro-Am class race in GT World Challenge, co-driving the No. 19 CrowdStrike/DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Michael Cooper; also the first female driver to secure a North American race win in a Mercedes-AMG GT3[17][18].
• 2022: Race winner in World Racing League GP1 class with teammates Loni Unser and Sabre Cook; swept COTA weekend racing with the all-female #701 Cooper Tires team[19][20].
• 2023: Co-founded AE Victory Racing with Aaron Snair, a team built by women with a dream and men who believed in it[21].

Her driving record includes 15 wins, 6 poles, 57 podiums, and 12 fastest laps across 159 races.[22]

INSPIRATIONS

Her family lit the fuse. Vogel has spoken openly about how her father, brother, and mother all became obsessed with track driving before she did—making racing a family affair from the start. Growing up horseback riding also gave her an early education in handling something powerful, unpredictable, and requiring total focus—a skill set that translated directly to managing a race car at speed.[23][24]

She’s also drawn inspiration from the broader mission of lifting other women up. As president of Shift Up Now, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing women in motorsports, and as a co-founder of AE Victory Racing, Vogel has made mentorship and opportunity-building central to her work.[25][26]

REPUTATION

Vogel is known as a driver who earned every inch of track position. She’s an MSF-certified performance driving instructor, both in-car and classroom, and she’s spent years teaching others—particularly women—how to find speed and confidence behind the wheel.[27] Her rise through grassroots racing, club competition, and into professional SRO series wasn’t bankrolled or fast-tracked; it was built on consistency, grit, and a refusal to settle.

She’s also a team owner now, and that’s where her reputation gets even more interesting. AE Victory Racing, which she co-founded with Aaron Snair—an experienced mechanic, chassis builder, and crew chief—is a statement about what’s possible when women stop waiting for a seat and start building the whole damn car.[28][29] The team made its debut in the World Racing League at COTA and continues to field competitive programs with a roster that prioritizes developing female talent.[30]

Off-track, she’s a sought-after public speaker and advocate, and she’s served on the board of Shift Up Now alongside other trailblazers like Pippa Mann.[31] Her voice matters because she’s lived every stage of the journey—from nervous track day newbie to history-making GT3 winner to team boss.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

AE Victory Racing is gearing up for expansion. The team has opened applications for its 2026 Female Driver Shootout, a program designed to identify and develop the next generation of women racers.[32] Vogel continues to compete in World Racing League with teammates Sarah Montgomery and others, pushing both her own limits and the team’s performance benchmarks.[33]

Her focus is clear: keep racing, keep winning, and keep building a pipeline that makes it easier for the women coming up behind her. She’s not just opening doors—she’s installing better hinges.

REFERENCES

[1] Her-story: Erin Vogel – GT World Challenge America
[2] Meet Erin Vogel, the race car driver uplifting women in motorsports – The Midst
[3] Erin Vogel to Make SRO GT4 America Debut at Sonoma Raceway – GT4 America
[4] Her-story: Erin Vogel – GT World Challenge America
[5] Shift Up Now, Inc. Names Erin Vogel as President – Shift Up Now
[6] Shift Up Now, Inc. Names Erin Vogel as President – Shift Up Now
[7] Erin Vogel – ULI Arizona
[8] Meet Erin Vogel, the race car driver uplifting women in motorsports – The Midst
[9] Erin Vogel to Make SRO GT4 America Debut at Sonoma Raceway – GT4 America
[10] Erin Vogel – Shift Up Now
[11] Erin Vogel launches AE Victory Racing – Racers Behind The Helmet
[12] Erin Vogel – Shift Up Now
[13] Erin Vogel to Make SRO GT4 America Debut at Sonoma Raceway – Flying Lizard Motorsports
[14] Her-story: Erin Vogel – GT World Challenge America
[15] Erin Vogel Joins DXDT Racing for 2021 Season – Shift Up Now
[16] Erin Vogel – Shift Up Now
[17] Erin Vogel Racing
[18] Erin Vogel and Michael Cooper Co-Drive DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 – GT World Challenge America
[19] Erin Vogel – Shift Up Now
[20] WRL: Loni Unser & Sabré Cook sweep COTA weekend – Racers Behind The Helmet
[21] AE Victory Racing
[22] Erin Vogel – Driver Database
[23] Family: Racing Brings You Together – Accelerating Change
[24] Badass Women of Automotive: Erin Vogel – Motorhead Mama
[25] Shift Up Now, Inc. Names Erin Vogel as President – Shift Up Now
[26] Erin Vogel launches AE Victory Racing – Racers Behind The Helmet
[27] About – Erin Vogel Racing
[28] Erin Vogel launches AE Victory Racing – Racers Behind The Helmet
[29] Shift Up Now Announces Partnership with AE Victory Racing – Shift Up Now
[30] Shift Up Now Announces Partnership with AE Victory Racing – Shift Up Now
[31] Shift Up Now Foundation Board Members – Shift Up Now
[32] News – Erin Vogel Racing
[33] AE Victory Racing Earns Best WRL Finish Yet at Watkins Glen – Shift Up Now