Posted Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 10:01pm
Kelly Conroy wasn’t alone in her 1985 BMW 325e at tech inspection during the Northwest Rally Association’s first-ever Women’s Rallycross. And I don’t mean in a spiritual sense, but literally: her two children, ages three and six, were alongside her in her home-built E30-gen race car, tucked away from the danger of the race paddock.
It’s hard to pinpoint where Conroy, who goes by @yourmomracesrally on Instagram, is in her rally journey — but that’s sort of the point, as she explains to Road & Track. Motorsports, car enthusiasm, even driving a manual haven’t come naturally to her, but Conroy is finding that the sideways world of rallying is bringing her closer to herself. Six years into motherhood, Conroy had all but let go of the things she enjoyed beforehand—rock climbing, backpacking, woodworking, house renovation projects, and sleeping—leaving a deficit of autonomy that she was eager to find again.
