Sarah Burgess (born 4 October 1980) is an Australian professional racing driver and crew chief. She has experience in multiple disciplines such as drifting,

rallycross Rallycross is a form of sprint style motorsport held on a mixed-surface circuit (racing), racing circuit using modified production touring automobile, cars or prototype racing cars. It began in the 1960s as a cross between rallying and autocross ...

short course off-road racing Short course off-road racing is a form of auto racing involving the racing of modified vehicles on a dirt road closed course of a short length (tens of kilometers / miles or less). It is distinct from long course desert racing such as the Baja 100 ...

, and

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

Racing career

Early career and drifting

Burgess' interest in motorsports stemmed from watching

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

races with her English-born father. She and husband Adam ran an automotive and machining business and fielded

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...

cars in Australia before moving to the United States in 2008; her interest in the auto industry started eight years prior when she visited the country for business and attended the

NHRA Winternationals The NHRA Winternationals (commonly called the Winternats) are an annual drag racing event held by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, California. History The National ...

. The Burgess family started BMI Racing to manufacture parts for clients in addition to competing in drifting. In 2011, Burgess ran two rounds of the Xtreme Drift Circuit in BMI's

Mazda RX-8 The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Japanese automobile manufacturer Mazda between 2003 and 2012. It was first shown in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show#2001, North American International Auto Show. It is the direct s ...

. After

Mazda is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. ...

discontinued the car, the team purchased a

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...

in an auction for the 2012 season. By that year, Burgess was the only female driver competing nationally in drifting.

Off-road racing

In 2014, Burgess entered

Global Rallycross Global Rallycross (known as Red Bull Global Rallycross for sponsorship reasons) was a rallycross series operated by businessmen Colin Dyne in conjunction with Sponsor RedBull. The series ran for seven seasons, primarily in North America, from 201 ...

in a

Chevrolet Sonic The Chevrolet Aveo ( ) is a five-passenger, front-drive subcompact car ( B-segment) marketed by General Motors (GM) since 2002 over two generations. Originally developed by South Korean manufacturer Daewoo Motors and marketed as the Daewoo Kalos ...

for BMI.

Royal Purple Tyrian purple ( ''porphúra''; ), also known as royal purple, imperial purple, or imperial dye, is a reddish-purple natural dye. The name Tyrian refers to Tyre, Lebanon, once Phoenicia. It is secreted by several species of predatory sea snails ...

followed her to rallycross after previously sponsoring her drifting team, while she had factory support from

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

but continued to run BMI as a

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

. The team elected to skip the season opener in Barbados to continue developing the car and scheduled Burgess' debut for X Games Austin. However, a mechanical problem in testing forced her to abandon the attempt. Had the start happened, Burgess would have been the second female driver in GRC history after

Emma Gilmour Emma Bridget Gilmour (born 30 September 1979) is a rally driver from New Zealand. Early and personal life Gilmour was born in Dunedin in 1979. Her father and maternal grandfather were both mechanics. Before taking up motor racing in her early ...

, who debuted earlier that year. She tried again at

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, about north of Orlando, Florida, Orlando. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race ...

, where she formed Chevrolet's first multi-car effort alongside Pat Moro, but did not run any of the weekend's races following qualifying. Dissatisfied with disciplines that she felt were not enticing enough for fans, she moved to the

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, also known as LOORRS, was a short course off-road racing series in the United States and Mexico. Following the bankruptcy of the CORR series in 2008, Lucas Oil founded LOORRS in 2009, featuring racing events ...

in 2015. She initially planned to race in the Pro 4 class before settling on Pro Lite as it allowed her to "get in the truck at a reasonable expense and just learn the processes and understand the way things are done." In an October interview with LOORRS, she explained there was little overlap in driving styles between drifting and short course off-road, with "the only relation" being in "initial entry (into a turn). It doesn't carry over into anything else, so (it's been a matter of) learning how a track changes every lap and how different setups on a truck can change it and, of course, making sure the truck just stays running to start with." Burgess ran seven races in her first season. Burgess acquired sponsorship from

Axalta Axalta Coating Systems Ltd., also known as simply Axalta, is an American company specializing in coatings in a wide variety of industrial applications, materials and sectors, including automotive paints. The company is based in Philadelphia, Penn ...

ahead of the 2019 season.

ARCA Menards Series West

Burgess serves as crew chief and owner for her daughter

Bridget Bridget is an Irish language, Irish female name derived from the Goidelic languages, Gaelic noun , meaning "power, strength, vigor, virtue". An alternative meaning of the name is "exalted one". Its popularity, especially in Ireland, is largely re ...

in the

ARCA Menards Series West The ARCA Menards Series West, formerly the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR AutoZone West Series, NASCAR Winston West Series, NASCAR Winston Transcontinental Series and NASCAR Camping World West Series, is a regional stock car racing series ow ...

. With a lack of funding compared to the top teams in the series, Burgess has often been Bridget's only pit crew member; she once changed all four tires on Bridget's car by herself during a

pit stop Pitstop may refer to: * Pit stop, in motor racing, when the car stops in the pits for fuel and other consumables to be renewed or replenished * ''Pit Stop'' (1969 film), a movie directed by Jack Hill * ''Pit Stop'' (2013 film), a movie directe ...

. Burgess has also expressed interest in joining Bridget in a West Series race as a driver. In March 2022, Burgess obtained her ARCA license after completing some test laps in Bridget's car when the series visited

Irwindale Speedway } Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 1,472 at the 2020 census, 1,422 at the 2010 census. The ZIP Codes serving the area are 91010, which is shared with Duarte, 91702, which i ...

. She nearly made her debut in the following day's NAPA Auto Parts 150 as a replacement driver for Eric Nascimento. Burgess qualified 15th of 16 cars; however, just prior to the green flag, the team withdrew from the event. In April, Burgess revealed she was still searching for sponsorship to allow her to compete in a race when the series returned to Irwindale later in the summer. Burgess eventually picked up sponsorship from

eBay Motors eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...

for the

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring Las Vegas Motor Speedway (track complex formerly known as Las Vegas Speedway Park from 1993 to 1996, Las Vegas Speedway in 1992, Las Vegas International Speedway from 1990 to 1992, as the Las Vegas International Speedrome from 1972 to 1990) is a ...

race on 14 October, finishing in 17th place with Bridget five spots ahead in 12th.

Personal life

During her youth, Burgess played sports like

BMX racing BMX racing is a type of bicycle racing which features BMX riders sharing a short single-lap circuit or point-to-point course, with multiple banked corners, jumps and rollers. The format of BMX was derived from motocross racing, and sanctione ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

, and

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long-track speed skating, short-track speed skating, and marathon speed skat ...

on both ice and inline. In ice speed skating, she represented Australia three times in the

World Junior Speed Skating Championships In 1971, the International Skating Union, ISU congress decided to hold a World Junior Speed Skating Championships. After two test-championships (1972 and 1973), where only a boys' competition was held in the 1972 edition, the first official cham ...

. She met her husband Adam, who ran a bread delivery company in Brisbane, at a business banquet in 1999. Outside of driving, she has worked for

SEMA Sama (; ) is a Sufi ceremony performed as part of the meditation and prayer practice dhikr. Sama means "listening", while dhikr means "remembrance".During, J., and R. Sellheim. "Sama" Encyclopedia of Islam, Second Edition. Ed. P. Bearman, T. B ...

in the marketing department. Her daughter

drives in the

for BMI Racing.

Motorsports career results

Career summary

Off-road

Complete Global RallyCross Championship results

Supercar

ARCA Menards Series

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series West

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Sarah Living people 1980 births American female racing drivers Australian female racing drivers ARCA Menards Series drivers Global RallyCross Championship drivers NASCAR crew chiefs NASCAR drivers Off-road racing drivers Racing drivers from Brisbane 21st-century American women Australian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Racing drivers from Queensland