Motor Bella Celebrates First Year at UF

The Motor Bella club celebrated its one-year anniversary with a paper airplane contest, driver trivia and an emoji quiz, fitting with the traditional one-year anniversary gift of paper. 

The club’s founder, sophomore public relations student Elise Ralph, felt a lack of female presence in the motorsport community at UF. Before her freshman year, she reached out to other Formula One fans who were also intimidated by the lack of inclusion. 

“I wanted there to be a no-judgement space,” Ralph said. “I wanted to find a place that could support my professional goals and meet my emotional needs as well.” 

Despite Formula One being one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, there are few resources for women entering the male-dominated terrain. On Oct. 15, 2024, Motor Bella hosted its first event: a small group of women gathered for the United States Grand Prix. 

Since then, the club has grown to men and women across campus. One year later, for the organization’s second viewing of the U.S. Grand Prix, more than 20 people attended. 

Sophomore health science major Mia Napier is another executive board member at Motor Bella. Before last year, Napier had never seen a Formula One race, but now she serves as the club treasurer. 

During their freshman year, Napier met Ralph at another club’s meeting. They became friends, and Ralph invited her to Motor Bella’s inaugural watch party. 

“Honestly, that’s how I got into F1,” Napier said. “I kept going to watch parties after that, and I just fell in love with the sport as I learned more about it.”

She now understands the rules of the sport as well as the drivers and teams involved. The passion she gained is shared among the Motor Bella executive team and its members. 

It’s been difficult to book rooms for watch parties and other events without being an official club, Ralph said. Early in the organization’s journey, she looked to other clubs like Redline352 for help. 

As a sophomore, she has looked beyond other clubs to establish Motor Bella’s presence on campus. She enlisted the help of her professors in the College of Journalism and Communications. 

“Faculty at the CJC who know me have been able to support Motor Bella in that way, which is how we’ve gotten the AHA Lab and the Atlas Lab,” Ralph said. 

Both of these facilities in the CJC require her to reserve them under her own name because  Motor Bella is not yet an official club. She said the support and trust she has received from the faculty encourage her to continue to grow the organization. 

The club’s mission is to empower women in motorsports through shared community and professional development. In addition to its watch parties, Motor Bella hosts Q&As with industry professionals like Katharina Nowak, the vice president of business operations for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.

Professional development events like these help members gain a deeper understanding of the industry and build connections with the industry’s top officials — an important step for future internships and jobs. 

The other executive board members — Emma Thron, Barbara Delafe, Izzy Boysen and Keagan Bell — help to target these efforts toward students of all backgrounds. They are posting resume advice on the Motor Bella Instagram account this month. 

As the Formula One season begins to wind down, the organization is looking toward the future. Despite founding the club, Ralph plans to step down before in order to give other women the opportunity to lead. She said she wants to see what someone else’s passion and vision can create with Motor Bella. 

Since moving from a member to an executive position, Napier said they still have places to grow and improve. However, it’s where she learned some of her most valuable lessons during her freshman year. 

“I think before I was really scared to get into new things and to try new things, kind of out of fear of judgment,” Napier said. “‘You don’t know this well, you can’t be a part.’ But I feel like Motor Bella is an encouraging space where you’re encouraged to ask questions.”

Category: Auto Racing, F1, Motor Sports, Santa Fe