Driver & Mechanic

At first glance, none would suspect Erica Ortiz to be a frontrunner in the ultra-competitive world of drag racing.  Born and raised in Orlando, Fla. by her grandparents - none will find a drag racer bloodline in her family.  Erica grew up loving competition, which included anything from sports to academics.
 
"I was never much of a girlie girl, no matter how hard I tried.  It was all just awkward to me; I wanted to be out there playing with the boys, not on the sidelines looking pretty."
- Erica
 
Shortly after graduating high school, Erica purchased her first vehicle: a 1990 5.0L Mustang GT.   And that is when her passion for cars, specifically Mustangs, and everything about them, began.  Erica worked on her car herself, as well as played in it, so she started "self-learning" everything about cars wherever she could find the information.
 
It was during this time that she discovered a popular local mustang shop, Lugo Performance Automotive, Inc., in nearby Apopka, Fla.   Home of some of the fastest mustangs in the sport, Lugo Performance became her new favorite hangout.     It was there she learned the ropes, spending countless nights with Dennis Lugo in the engine room becoming a hands-on player in the mechanics of the sport.
 
After entering her first race at the Fun Ford weekend in YEAR, Erica quickly paved the way for the Horsepower and Heels team, by finishing in 2nd place.  Erica's most notable stats are:
Finished 2nd in the Bracket 3 Category her Rookie year at the largest Ford Race of the year, "World Ford Challenge" in Pro-Mod
Holds the record for first female into the 6's and over 200mph in FFW
Finished 2nd in Drag Radial in 2003
Went 8.42 @ 175mph in the "street" car, and was the first female in the 8's on a radial tire
 
The Horsepower and Heels team did all of this on one of the smallest budgets in the industry and with an all-female crew. Erica is a true "Jill" of all trades, taking the driver's seat when it comes to her racing as not only as the race driver, but also the mechanic and the marketer.
 
For the '07 - '08 season Erica and Debbie Denny, her team marketer, are launching a web TV series called "Horsepower and Heels."  The series takes viewers behind the scenes of the ins and outs of being a drag racer: from in the pits, to behind the wheel, to meeting the crews.  Read Erica's feature article in Latina magazine and watch for the series and also check out the Horsepower and Heels upcoming season schedule online on http://horsepowerandheels.pnn.com