Earlier this season Ramona Karlsson was interviewed by Enterprise Magazine’s Gustaf Andersson. The magazine was published in Sweden and Ramona graced the front cover. Here is the translation for her international fans and supports.
Ramona Karlsson gears up
She already has a long successful rally career under her belt, previously being selected as “Best rally driver” and voted “Best Sportsperson”. Now, Ramona Karlsson has ‘changed lanes’. This year she turns her focus to the world’s fastest growing motorsport – Rallycross, and also as the world’s first female driver to run her own team in the fastest class: Supercar class where cars with 600 horsepower under the hood accelerate off the line faster than a Formula 1 car!
Ramona Karlsson is in the midst of her Rallycross season having just returned from her FIA European Rallycross Championship premier in Belgium, Mettet and preparations for the next race are already underway.
“The feelings after the debut in Belgium are a bit mixed,” she says over the phone a few days after returning home.
Ramona gained points in her first supercar event thanks to a heat victory and a second place (with a flat tire). Unfortunately a broken tie rod sustained from a collision during the first day’s second round of the racing put a stop to further advancement.
“I was really set on getting to the semi-finals, but I’m pretty happy anyway because we have not driven the car that much. The level of the supercar drivers is very high. Considering the conditions, I’m happy with our performance.”
It’s all about very small margins at very high speeds. The drivers are fighting all of the time to find the balance between going flat out and staying in control of the car enough so that it does not break.
“The difference between Rally and Rallycross is quite large indeed. Rally is more about endurance. If you make a mistake on a corner, you can regain what you lost after ten corners, but with Rallycross it is much more intense with short heats consisting of laps on a track. The slightest mistake could be fatal. In addition, there are four other drivers on the course, all of whom can cause problems or become obstacles.” says Ramona and laughs.
She reveals that previously her Achilles heel was being overzealous at the start, something you can’t afford to do if you are to progress on to the semi-finals and finals.
“My approach now in the competition is to instead hold back a bit at the start, be strategic and increase the speed gradually.”
The Rallycross track itself is a hive of activity so you have to find a quiet place to focus.
“Before the race I make a little bubble for myself. I sit for a few minutes, anywhere in the car with the helmet on, and mentally go through how to drive the track and what I can change if I’ve already done a heat. I just breathe and find calm.”
Sometimes it can be extra stressful before the start for different reasons; the racing can sometimes result in punctures, mechanical or structural damage. Thankfully this is handled well by her skilled mechanics but by being both driver and team manager there’s a lot to think about. In a short time you have to find the right focus, something Ramona is good at thanks to another sport she was formerly very active in – pistol shooting. A sport requiring real concentration and where she also won several junior championships.
Vindication in Germany
The weekend of June 19 to 21 will be the next competition for Ramona in Estering, Germany. Until then, her team will continue to develop the car, make adjustments and complete test runs. She is hungry for revenge and already knows what she can do differently to go further and achieve more points.
“I’ll come back stronger. I know what I have to do, plus it is a track that I’ve driven before. It is especially known for a first corner that is very crucial. It is important to be first on entry in that corner, and because my car is quick off the start line it should go well there,” she explains confidently then cheerfully speaks about her handpicked team.
“I have hired mechanics from Ingvar Gunnarsson Motorsport who built the car from scratch. They are considered among the best car builders in the world so obviously I feel completely assured with them, but I also feel the same way with the rest of the team as everyone executed their duties well in Belgium.
Dual roles
To be both driver and manager in the same team is not unusual in Rallycross in general. But in the world elite the drivers usually are just drivers and therefore they are able to concentrate only on driving. Ramona says most of her competitors have this ‘golden position’ but adds that her role also has many benefits to being team manager.
“I think it’s fun to keep track of all the different aspects, putting in that big effort and keeping in touch with all sponsors. I have to be both the driver and manager, but luckily I do not feel that it causes me to lose focus on my driving which is most important.”
Besides being a skilled driver, Ramona is a particularly driven and experienced entrepreneur who knows what it takes to succeed.
“During the 2012 World Rally Championship season I drove and managed my own team. I probably will never do this again because in Rally the demands are so much higher. We drove in South America and New Zealand and there were so many logistics and arrangements that had to be thought through, planned and put in place. One person to manage a whole team was far too little, especially since I also drove the car.”
“Rallycross is better in the sense that everything is in one place. You get a better overview. It is easier not to get stressed out and be able to have an organised start.”
Positive to be a girl
When talking to Ramona, it isn’t difficult to pin point what makes her so unique – that she’s a lone woman in a totally male-dominated environment and sport. When asked if she has to fight harder than her male competitors to get respect, she answers:
“It is difficult to answer due to the fact that I’ve never been a boy, but I think that’s the case. I do experience prejudiced views and feel that I have to prove myself before I get respect. For example when I won the final of the Swedish Rally Championship last year, which was a very tough competition, I received 99 per cent positive responses, but there were also some critics who said “What is the level of this Rally Championship when a girl can win it?” I do my best not to pay attention to these comments and, as I’ve been doing this, for some time I have grown somewhat immune to these attitudes.”
If she had listened to everything she’s heard, she probably would have stopped long ago, she says. Instead, she turns the negativity around and uses it as a motivator. Moreover, there are advantages being the only female in her class, such as Ramona receiving extra attention from the media, which ultimately benefits her career.
“PR-wise, I have advantages. Anyone who is looking for sponsors has to try and find things to make them stand out to be able to market themselves. Here I have an automatic advantage by being the only female. The downside of it is that there tends to be more scrutiny on everything I do, resulting in added pressure, but my experience over the years has taught me to deal with this. I think it’s more positive than negative being the only girl.”
At the same time she doesn’t want to proclaim that “girls can” because it should be obvious and natural to think that men and women are equals when it comes to driving. Motor sport can, unlike most other sports, actually encourage this principle due to the fact that both sexes can compete on equal terms as there are no direct physical barriers. Nevertheless the gender balance is distorted.
“Overall, it is unfortunate that few girls are interested in motor sport. Why this is the case I do not know, but percentage wise there are few who are into it and thus get to succeed. It would be great to see more girls become interested.”
Two years ago Ramona started Young Female Drivers, a project in Sweden with the goal to mentor and support young female drivers. During the early days of the project Ramona was very active and organized several meetings with the participating girls, but eventually it took too much time away from her own competition commitments. Today she is therefore mostly a mentor who they can contact when required.
“They call me when they have questions and to report how it is going. We meet sometimes and hang out at competitions. The girls do different sports like cross carting, rallycross, car racing and rally, and all of them are actually competing in races, which is a blast.”
“Unfortunately many girls stop in the early years, partly due to the lack of support and having to do it all on their own. I experienced this same problem when I was young as I lacked a mentor. Back then I often thought “Hmm if only I could have a girl to call and ask questions.” Especially at this young age when you might feel a bit lonely and isolated. So, knowing this motivates me to be there for these young girls!”
Faster than Formula 1
The first time Ramona Karlsson tested a supercar, she had high expectations. Once she sat behind the steering wheel and pressed the accelerator, the reaction was stronger than she had imagined. The car with 600 horsepower shot away like a cannon. From zero to one hundred kilometres per hour in under two seconds. Faster acceleration than a Formula 1 car.
“It was like an explosion! A great feeling. The car was off! I had to catch myself and quickly change to the next gear! The handling was incredible. My Volkswagen Scirocco is able to corner at speeds like you would not believe possible. Totally sick!”
The decision of changing to rallycross was made last year, a move that surprised many because it had gone so well for Ramona in the highest rally competitions. The reason according to her was simple:
“I wanted to progress to the international level in my driving career and since rallycross is the world’s fastest growing motor sport the choice was simple. Additionally, it is a sport centred in an arena where it is easier to get sponsors and is both spectator and television friendly. I have definitely made the right choice!”
To have your own team early on is important according to Ramona, not least because the development can happen quickly but also because many believe that rallycross may even grow to the calibre of Formula-1 in just about five years.
“And then suddenly it is big business!”
Never afraid
When driving in rally or rallycross there are only small margins to play with at all times. Anything can happen at any moment, with devastating consequences. Not being afraid when you’re behind the wheel is therefore remarkable. Ramona says fear detracts from your focus.
“I’m never afraid of rallycross. Sure nasty crashes can happen, but this is not on my mind when I drive. I think it’s worse in rally where the risks are bigger with more fatalities. Rally is a more dangerous sport than rallycross. I was never afraid when I drove in rally, but I have had some situations where it could have gone really badly.”
On a mountain road section during the World Cup premiere in Mexico a few years ago, it could have ended really awfully for Ramona and her former co-driver Miriam Walfridsson. The duo was just a few metres from driving off a cliff.
“I misjudged the road surface, a mistake that could have led to both our deaths.”
The road went from a very soft dirt road to a very hard gravel surface (gravel stones with poor traction), which Ramona had not noticed. Miriam’s pace note read “two hundred meters then triple warning right 1” which translates to a particularly dangerous and tight right corner. A triple warning on this route likely meant a precipice. However, when Ramona applied braking that she believed was enough, it turned out to be too late to successfully make the right hand corner.
“I can’t stop the car! The only thing I can do is to pull the handbrake and try to turn into the corner as best I can, but I realize right away I’m not going to make it. Luckily there is a softer surface right on the outer edge of the corner and as we slide into it we got a bit of grip and the car stops just one and a half metres from the cliff edge. That was close!”
There is a rush of thoughts and emotions at that point. When the car finally stops there is a huge sigh of relief and they look at each other. Ramona says: “Ok let’s skip this and go home to Sweden and have children instead!”
“Ha ha! What a reality check on life. It was the last leg of the day and we crossed the finish line soon after. Later at the hotel, we talked through what happened and the more we talked the more we realized that it was worth all these risks. Admittedly after the incident, I was not as aggressive on similar mountain routes, because I found it hard to completely let go of what happened.”
Nowadays, she does not worry too much because rallycross, according to her, is a safer sport in that there are no cliffs you can go off or trees you can run into.
“Of course, accidents can happen, but the risk of death is not to the same degree. The main reason I switched is probably the excitement and the adrenaline I get in the car when driving. I love that it is so intense and extreme, with many track battles. These bursts of concentrated energy just feed my will to compete.”
Name: Ramona Karlsson
Occupation: Driver and team manager
Lives: Kil, Varmland
Why rallycross?: I drive one of the world’s fastest and most extreme cars, it is explosive with frequent contact, we fight for victory, sometimes only won by thousands of seconds and all this in front of thousands of people who love motorsport. It can’t get any better!
Best features: Strong-willed, a fighter and positive personality
Worst Traits: Absent-Minded, time-optimist and impatient
Best motorsport memories: First stage victory in Rally World Championships 2012, and my rallycross heat victory in Höljes 2014
Worst motorsport memory: When the rally car burned up in New Zealand.
Other interests: Physical training, outdoor training and rebuilding my house
I like: People who see opportunities, empathic people, laughing, and chocolate
I dislike: Unreliable people, disrespect, cancer and war.
Read: Nonfiction, motorsport magazines and fun comics
Food: Indian food
Interesting facts: I can read quickly, am afraid of heights and sometimes I play the piano obsessively at night because sometimes it gets to me that I have to learn a new song before I go to bed – no matter how long it takes.