Terri Sander - An Australian Champion On and Off the Track

By Mike Dalenberg

Over the past year through RacersIMC I have had the pleasure of communicating with Australian drag racer and mother of two Terri Sander. What I have found is that she is a very remarkable woman and a true champion in drag racing on and off the track.

Terri Sander was introduced to the sport of drag racing back in 1993. Her late brother-in-law had not long taken up drag racing and her husband and she decided to check it out. Terri’s first pass was on  July 24, 1993 in their grocery getter 4 speed manual Bluebird Station Wagon and was a bit of a snail only running a 19 second pass over the quarter mile. However after achieving the run they fell madly in love with this awesome and addictive sport called Drag Racing. Terri and her husband, Warren Sander mainly race at their home track - Willowbank Raceway, in Australia. But occasionally they will travel up and down the east coast of Australia to compete for the Australian Championship.

 Seeing her passion for the sport, her husband suggested they look around for a more suitable vehicle to race. They came across a 308 HX Premier, although it is a big car they agreed it would suit the purpose and at the time acceptable to their budget. The first meeting with the Premier was September 4, 1993 at a Street Meeting.  The meeting resulted in a first round loss in the Powderpuff class (all ladies bracket) then followed by 3 wins in the Street Bracket to reach the final.

At the events, Terri and her husband noticed that some of the race prepared vehicles had names embedded on either side of their cars and they thought what a neat idea. So after some thought they came up with ‘MAMA’S TOY.’ It seemed quite appropriate at the time since she was a mother to two beautiful children and the name has stuck over the years. Although they are now grandparents for a second time, her husband jokes about changing the name to, ‘GRANDMA’S JOY.’

 After many years of racing the Premier it was put to rest in 1998 after showing signs of the mounting points of the rear suspension weakened by rust. The result led to the purchased of a vehicle to be its replacement. The Rover!

 The Rover’s debut was late 1998, running 12 second passes over the ¼ mile. Terri soon began competing in the occasional Major Meeting. But going into these events with limited experience she really wasn’t focused on succeeding. Terri was just out there having fun with her fellow competitors in the sport she fell in love with – Drag Racing!

 But January 2003 was a turning point in Terri’s motorsports career. After several years of competing and almost 1900 passes down the drag strip she got was she was working for, a perfect reaction time! Not once but 3 times. The motorsports years have been very kind to Terri with many final appearances, and in 2005 she saw the Mama’s Toy race vehicle in 8 finals. Now at the age of 54 and 87 drag racing trophies later (that adorn her living room in Australia), Terri has accomplished so many things in her motorsports career. With over 2800 passes she has had:

• 4 perfect (.000) reactions and one perfect pass of 11.760 on her 11.76 dial-in
• The first person to go down a drag strip in the NEW Millennium (2000) anywhere in the world.
• Winning her first gold ANDRA (Australian National Drag Racing Association) Christmas tree trophy at the 42^nd Australian Nationals and only the 5^th woman in the 40-year history to do so.
• The Super Street Australian Champion for the 2009/2010 season.
• Best elapsed time to date in the quarter mile is 11.14 at 122.78 mph (January 2011)

Terri is also very proud of introducing other women into the sport and seeing the excitement on their faces after their very first pass. She is a member of the Australian Women’s Motorsport Network and the Groovy Grandma’s Website. Terri takes very much pride in the fact that at the young age of 54 she is not your typical grandma and that she is still able to compete against the young guns of the sport with their youthful energy and high levels of concentration and beating them. If you are going to win against Terri Sander you had better be on your “A” game at the track. Terri’s passion, commitment and love for the sport keeps her at the track even when she does get eliminated as she stay and cheer for her favorite drivers from the grandstands.

She admits that the mechanical time she spends on the race car is limited and for safety reasons it is better left up to her husband and crew. She will occasionally help out with nuts and bolts that need checking, tyre pressures, water in the radiator etc. It looks like it has all payed off.

 THINGS SHE LIKE AND DISLIKES ABOUT DRAG RACING

 “The thing I like most about drag racing is being able to compete at my age, as it’s a sport that has very limited age barriers. It’s family orientated and I love the support our family and other racers have given me over the years and the great friendships made along the way. Drag racing has given me the highs and lows that come with any form of sport but the pleasure derived unsurpassable. Imagine sitting behind the steering wheel, strapped firmly by a harness into a race seat, helmet buckled up with a V8 purring in your ears ready for racing. The excitement is building and the adrenalin pumping through your veins. The lights are activated and you stomp on the go pedal accelerating at speed down a drag strip.”

“There’s really not much to dislike! Nowadays I don’t handle the heat very well, but I usually find ways to overcome this. It’s sometimes disappointing when an event is scheduled and has to be cancelled due to the weather.”

A Turning Point in My Life.

 “In 2003, after having a mammogram and finding a rather large lump I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radium treatments. I had all the nasty things that happen when anyone goes through this ordeal. I lost my eyebrows, my hair and quite often I was very ill for months on end. I’ll spare you the rest of the gory details of this journey that I hope I never have to take again. My passion for drag racing saw me through some of the tough times and I drew strength from a sport that kept my spirits high. It was a place to conquer all fears and allowed me to become the aggressor against that which set about destroying my life. I believe I have come through the other side a stronger and more determined person to do better not only in my chosen motorsport but also life in general.”

 Over the past 4 years Terri has organized  the Breast Cancer awareness event "Mini-Field of Women"   that took place at their home track Willowbank Raceway, and this year will be no different. The event date is yet to be determined. These events are run in conjunction with Willowbank Raceway's Street Series drag racing. The Mini-Field is designed to pay tribute to women who have suffered from breast cancer with the planting of 100 Pink Lady Silhouettes serving as a powerful reminder of the 36 women in Australia alone who will be told they have breast cancer.

Never Give Up!

“The best piece of advice I have ever been given was to Never Give Up! I learned early from my husband that even though you may stuff up at the beginning of a race and have a poor reaction time, the race is not over until you reach the finish line.” "My husband is a tower of strength and I would not be where I am today without him."

“My future aspirations are staying healthy and continue on with my racing for as long as possible.

Terri Sander aka mama

For more information on Terri Sander, her accomplisments and crew go to:

http://www.mamastoyracing.com.au

http://mamastoyracing.ning.com/

/drivers/terri-sander

We wish her well in all her endeavours and a happy and healthy life from here on out. She is an inspiration to us all.