Audi Club’s: AJ Campo

AJ Campo - President for Audi Club Carolina's Region

The Carolinas Chapter of ACNA was chartered in 2015 and has since grown to over 600 members. Our goal is to educate Audi owners about their cars and promote enjoyment of the Audi lifestyle through social and driving events across both North and South Carolina.

Contact: AJ Campo at Visit Online!

       

• Let’s talk about The who/what/where/when/how of YOU  – Did you come from a Racing or Motorsports Family?
• Let’s talk about your Audi S3 aka “The Beast” – Talk us through your Build – Street Car, Race Car or somewhere in between? Power Figures, Mods, etc. 
• HPDE vs Mountain Runs (Smoky Mountain Drives)- which do you prefer and why? How do you setup your car for both types of events?
• You also moved on to SCCA time trials, how does the Audi fair versus the competition – what class are you in?
• You’re a member of the Audi Club (Carolina’s Region); there’s tons of Audi owners out there, but not everyone is a Club Member; as an ambassador for the Club – why should someone join?
• What is “car girl culture” ?

and much, much more!

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] BreakFix podcast is all about capturing the living history of people from all over the autosphere, from wrench turners and racers to artists, authors, designers, and everything in between. Our goal is to inspire a new generation of petrolheads that wonder. How did they get that job or become that person?

The road to success is paved by all of us because everyone has a story.

Crew Chief Eric: Our guest is a force to be reckoned with hailing from the bustling streets of New York City, but finding her true home on the winding roads of North Carolina. Little did she know that fate had something extraordinary in store for her at a local cars and coffee event. Amanda. Better known to her friends as AJ Campo crossed paths with a fellow enthusiasts and leaders at the Audi Club of the Carolinas.

And that chance encounter ignited a friendship that would change the trajectory of her motorsports journey. And she’s here with us on Brake Fix to [00:01:00] share her story. With you. And with that, welcome to the show, AJ.

AJ Campo: Thank you very much. Happy to be here.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, like all good break fix stories, there’s a super heroine origin story.

So tell us about the who, what, when, and where of you and your racing career and your motor sports background. Did you come from a racing family?

AJ Campo: I somewhat did. Yeah. I grew up watching my dad and my brother race, just hanging out in the paddock and always wishing it was me, but never really thought of it as like a tangible thing that could happen.

But no, nothing really turned into anything fruitful until I left New York, moved to North Carolina and started pursuing whatever I thought would make me happy. And I ended up behind the wheel.

Crew Chief Eric: The move from New York to the Carolinas. Was that because you just couldn’t really open the taps in New York city or was there some other draw to move south?

AJ Campo: I felt so restrained and confined in New York in my mid to late twenties, I wanted to invest. I wanted to buy a house. Everything [00:02:00] was so difficult financially. It was the hustle was insane. It was always work, hardly any fun. And I just, I wanted to be somewhere that was removed from all of that constant fast paced stress.

So that way I could focus more on really what made me happy, not just keeping up with the Joneses.

Crew Chief Eric: Racing in New England is kind of interesting because you do have some famous tracks. Let’s call that nearby if we discount traffic disasters. You’ve got places like Lime Rock and you’ve got places like NJMP, even within reach Watkins Glen and Pit Race and Summit Point and places like that.

So there was no shortage of opportunity to go racing though.

AJ Campo: There was a shortage of time. Really? That was it. It was just like always working two, three jobs, always treading water.

Crew Chief Eric: As you moved to the Carolinas, obviously your motor sports background suddenly began to blossom as you made friends within the Audi club and so on.

And I want to talk more about your Audi S3 Quattro, also known to many people as the beast. But I also want to recognize the fact that you [00:03:00] come by the VAG family of vehicles. Honestly, I heard rumor your dad owned a VW Porsche shop.

AJ Campo: He did. Yeah. Up in New York when I was growing up, it was actually called AVP technology.

Yeah. Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche in uh, Patchogue, New York. Mom and pop shop, just the one. Pretty big, I have to say, but I grew up in there with my sister. I remember basically throwing tantrums and making my grandpa lift us on the lifts over and over again, up and down, sitting Indian style, trying not to fall off.

You can’t do that these days. Somebody would get arrested, I guess, but you know. So yeah, we, we grew up in the shop surrounded by them.

Crew Chief Eric: So I can make the assumption that you recognize that Audi started well before the B4 S4 came to market. So growing up around a VW Porsche shop, was there a car that got you excited?

Something that, you know, was like, I got to hang a poster of that on my wall. That’s the car I want to buy or something that got you excited about motorsport?

AJ Campo: No, not really. Every sports car was just, yes. I wanted it all.

Crew Chief Eric: How did you settle on the S3? [00:04:00]

AJ Campo: As a early twenties girl on long Island, New York, my father wouldn’t let me get behind the wheel of anything other than an Audi.

It was safer. It had all wheel drives. There’s snow all the time, et cetera, et cetera. And then when I kind of got into my industry at work and wanted to buy something nice, new and fancy for myself, I went for the S3 cause it was sporty, but it was still affordable. And it had everything that I was already accustomed to.

And actually, funny story, I was driving a Sonata before that. Got into my only accident ever, knock on wood, really stupid, pulled out of a parking spot and hit a guardrail that I didn’t realize was right next to me. So I had a loaner for a couple of weeks and it was this adorable convertible A3 and it was red and it had the vents.

If anybody knows the A3s, S3s, they have like these. And like, you can turn them any direction that you want. Like I’m a little bit of a snob about comfort and convenience and the vents sold me on that platform because it was like the heat of the summer. I was going to work. I was in like suits and everything and it could get [00:05:00] cool and total control over the air.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s funny you bring that up because Audi purists would say, well, those got their inspiration from the first generation TT. When I argue that they actually came from the Pontiac Aztec. But you know, that’s a story for another day. Your S3 has gone through a bit of a metamorphosis. So walk us through the build and why you decided to take your daily driver S3 and make it into more of a, let’s say a beast.

AJ Campo: You never really sit there and make the conscious decision to transform something like that. At least that’s not something I think I would ever do. Coming from the girl who, you know, flipped a switch and left everything in New York overnight to move to North Carolina, but whatever, that’s another story, but you know, when I came down here, I met Jess and others at the Audi club got super involved.

We started going on mountain runs and I was realizing that there’s a couple of tweaks I could do here and there to make the car better perform in the mountains, make it something that I can really enjoy that’s safer, that keeps up with the friends with the R8s and the TTRSs and all that sort of [00:06:00] stuff.

Getting into networking with the track guys and having them pull me in and actually getting my car on track for the first couple of times and realizing this is right here. I can make some minor changes and have a really great time. And then it snowballs a shop reached out dynamic auto tune in Charlotte.

They said, you know what, we think you’re awesome. You’re coming out to all the shows. You’re doing awesome on the track. We want to work with Unitronic and build your car out. And they put everything full Unitronic suite that is offered for the eight feet and a half platform, all the bolt ons, the two and everything on the car.

I had already had Oh three, four kind of like street density suspension on the car. So it was a little bit of a bump from other people. In different directions got me to where I am today.

Crew Chief Eric: But what did you think was a shortcoming of the S3? What was the first thing you felt you had to change or overcome that was inhibiting you from growing as a driver?

AJ Campo: It’s actually funny that you say that because originally before I even started tracking the car, [00:07:00] the one thing that irritated me was that it was a DSG. I’ve totally gotten over that since then. It’s just it blows everybody like so fast. I would say one of the biggest struggles that I have right now, I would say heat and the lack of legitimate track performance aftermarket support.

I

Crew Chief Eric: can see that. I mean, you know, the S3 was never really intended to be a track car. Like a lot of the. Transverse, let’s call them Quattro based Audis that exist like anything, you know, that shares a platform with a Volkswagen. It’s kind of interesting. You bring that up. I hear a lot of people say, ah, well, they understeer quite a bit because it’s still front wheel bias, things like that.

So I was really curious, you know, what it was like to drive on the track and are you happy with the mods you’ve made to a bigger point, it’s a lot different driving it at the track and setting it up for the street. So have you had to make some compromises between the track and the mountain runs?

AJ Campo: Yeah, there’s definitely been some compromises more so moving into next season.

I’ll see that a little more significantly. For example, I’m [00:08:00] running my stock seats, but with the Shroth quick fit harnesses, I’m still having some level of support. It’s still street legal. I can still use my regular belts on the street if I want to, but for daily driving and mountain driving, et cetera, I still can sit in a regular seat.

So it’s actually a compromise on both sides because now moving toward a more serious build in the next couple of. And it’s going to be more and more difficult to get the car out on the mountains. And it’s going to be more dedicated to track

Crew Chief Eric: everything. You’ll make it to the point where it’s no longer street legal and you’re trailering it somewhere like completely gutted cage and all that kind of stuff.

AJ Campo: If it doesn’t, it’s because I bought something else, but that is the goal. I’ve actually already ordered a cage from studio RSR. So they are doing really awesome job expediting that for me. So I can get it in really early in the season, this season. So I’ll have the cage going. I’m still trying to decide on seats, but I just last week actually bought a pickup truck and I’m shopping for a trailer now because it’s getting a little worrisome [00:09:00] being out there on track and wanting to push it.

And then you have that thing in the back of your head that just clicks. It’s like, I got to drive this home so many hours and then go to work tomorrow. You know, it’s stressful.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s talk about mountain runs doing tail the dragon and things like that versus going to the track. Which do you prefer? Is it about the same and why?

AJ Campo: I love hate this question so much because mountain runs and the fun with people and the scenery, I mean, that’s where it started for me. That’s where it kind of like ticked in my head that I just want to go fast all the time and I want to challenge, but on the track, it’s obviously safer. It’s legal. You can really hit it all the way.

You don’t have to worry about is there going to be like a dog running out in the street in front of us, et cetera, et cetera. So I like to be on the safer side of things. Being on the track is more comfortable for me, but just getting out there in the mountains with your friends and their exotics that they only take out on the weekends.

And it’s a totally different monster. For [00:10:00] example, when Mike and I went to the Tale of Dragon with the Audi club a couple of months back, we had a good time just in the parking lot with Rob at Faster Skunk, putting the carbon fiber wheels on the car and just kind of hanging out, drinking beers. We did not drive after, we waited till the next day to take it out.

But you know, just the hang out, have a good time part of it. That’s really where it all started for me anyway. And without that. The rest of it doesn’t mean anything.

Crew Chief Eric: So I’m glad you bring that up. Cause we work with our friends at ESC carbon and they do sponsor the show. So I’m wondering what was it like having the E2 carbon fiber wheels on the car?

People ask, does it drive differently? Does it feel differently? You know, does it handle better? You know, all of these questions, what’s it really like?

AJ Campo: I’m like cheesing like a fool right now, because I love those wheels so much from the second that I got into the car with those wheels on it, it was a completely different monster.

They’re light. The car is so responsive with them on. I walk around like tossing my keys to people, just go take this for a ride around the block. You [00:11:00] need to feel this car with these wheels. Nothing has made me happier in a really long time than making the switch over those wheels. I mean, I did come from a heavy set of street wheels, but I have never experienced anything like these.

I highly recommend them too. Everybody that will even hear me, at least try them out.

Crew Chief Eric: And you’re running a big brake kit on the car, which a lot of times limits the selection of wheels that you can choose from. Even on my time attack car, I run custom made team dynamics because I’m running Porsche brakes.

And so I have to be able to fit around those monster calipers. Did you run into any of those kinds of problems with the wheels, or was it just straight bolted on and go?

AJ Campo: It was straight bolt on and go. Yeah, I have pretty monstrous willwood calipers on the front and the wheels went right on. They’re fantastic.

Crew Chief Eric: Let’s talk a little bit more about the track and your HPD experience, right? And you’ve graduated away from HPD into time trials, and we’ll get into that as well. So down in your area, which tracks are you frequenting? Are you going to CMP? Are you gonna VIR? What’s your favorite?

AJ Campo: CMPI would say is. Kind [00:12:00] of my home track, it is the closest and nearest and dearest to my heart because that’s the first time I actually was on a track in my car, really testing it out.

I go to VIR a lot. VIR is hands down my favorite track, without a doubt. It is just technical enough, but it’s not too difficult. I guess I’m a little bit biased because I’ve been there so many times as well, but it is just always a good time and you always feel great about yourself when you’re going around that track.

CMP is great for just comfort and fun and goofing off.

Crew Chief Eric: Any bucket list tracks you want to drive at?

AJ Campo: Yeah, I want to drive on every single track ever made in the world.

Crew Chief Eric: Fair enough. A lot of people are car aficionados, enthusiasts, etc. And then you talk about the track and they’re like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I’m not leaving the house. I’m going to polish it, go to the car show, not taking autocross might be a stretch sometimes, but then you get those adventurous types that do jump in. What was it like for you? Were you like ready to rock and roll or were you hesitant? Was there some sort of apprehension you had to [00:13:00] get over going from, you know, doing mountain runs to going to the track for the first time?

AJ Campo: Absolutely not. No way. I will say it was completely the opposite. I could not wait to get on the track as soon as I realized it was an option and it was tangible. I realized, you know, on the mountain runs having so much fun, but the level of danger and always having to hold back really irritated me and everything was telling me I want to go faster.

I want to push harder. I want more challenge, et cetera, et cetera. So as soon as the opportunity to get on track came up, I immediately jumped on it. And to be honest with you, zero apprehension or nerves or anything in terms of. My capabilities on track, but my buddy Ryan would say is committing the apprehension for me was just making sure that I was following all the rules.

I just did not want to mess up anybody else’s lap or anybody else’s day. I’m always trying to be the most considerate of other people. But when you’re newer, it’s a little overwhelming. Everybody knows what’s going on, like, 2nd nature. So that’s where my anxiety always kicks in. It’s just like, am I doing all the right [00:14:00] things?

Number one, and then number two is, okay, now go have fun and kill it.

Crew Chief Eric: So there’s a lot of people that make the argument that, oh, I’m only getting, you know, 30 minutes at a time a track day, and I gotta sit around all day. When you calculate the number of hours you spend on track, it’s actually quite a bit.

What do you think about that? Are you getting value for money at an HPDE versus doing a mountain run? I mean, I know they’re a little bit apples and chainsaws, but there’s something to be said about getting off the street and really driving the car at its designed limits.

AJ Campo: First of all, I, Would pay almost anything to be able to do that, to just get off the street onto a track and push the car to, it’s like you said, designed limits, but to be honest with you, if you’re pushing yourself that hard and you’re getting the absolute most out of your track day, it’s not all about your literal seat time.

It’s about coming off and analyzing how you did, what you could do differently, keeping yourself hydrated, keeping yourself fed, keeping your. Mental emotional health in check, and by the time I’ve done all of those things, [00:15:00] then I’m getting called to go back out again. I’m like, all right, now I’m ready to go.

So I have never had an issue with not having enough actual seat time at an HPD event.

Crew Chief Eric: So what are the kind of darker sides to both of these types of motorsport, you know, whether it’s the mountain drives or the HPDs is those. Oops moments, those Code Brown situations, we like to call them, and they happen on the street, and they happen at the track.

Now, I’ll preface that by saying that in the HBDE world, we can get additional track day insurance to help us if something happens that isn’t available on the street. So what have you seen and what have you learned?

AJ Campo: If I ever have to have an incident, it better only be on track. I do purchase additional insurance.

For myself and for the car. Every time I go out on track on the street, there’s absolutely nothing you can do. The risk is so much greater if you’re going out there on mountain runs, especially with like the caliber of vehicles that we typically go with. They’re going to know that there’s going to be videos.

Somebody will have posted it or something. There’s too much risk. It’s way too dangerous and way too unsafe. I get it. It’s fun. I like to have fun and I sound like a [00:16:00] buzzkill talking about it, but. An incident can always occur. It better not happen on street.

Crew Chief Eric: And the reason I bring it up is I’m going to assume as you progress through the HPDE system, you’ve learned some lessons on track too.

So tell us about maybe a moment where the car gave you a reality check.

AJ Campo: I would say there were two particular incidents on track for me. The first one was actually at CMP through the infamous kink. We still don’t know what happened, but the car rotated 180 degrees and I ended up going across the wet grass in reverse.

Starting at, I don’t know, I think I was going over the kink at like a hundred and change miles an hour. And I had just no control over anything. Once you’re on wet grass, that’s it. You just let go of the wheel, brace for impact, you know. Nothing happened. I got really lucky. If there was anything around, that would have been a really bad day.

But I also know that because I was on track, more than likely, nobody else would have been involved. I would have had the car towed home. Insurance would have taken care of everything. And I’d be moving on and buying another track car. But there was another incident also at CMP, [00:17:00] actually. It was, I guess, just an HPTE day.

But there was an R8 in front of me that lost it going around. Can’t even remember what corner it was. I have a video of it on my Instagram though, but he was right in front of me, lost it, and we got pretty close. I actually had one of my buddies who is an instructor in the car with me and we both kind of got a little nervous.

He got a little pucker. We were all paying attention. We did fine and carried on, but it could have been, could have been a bad time.

Crew Chief Eric: So I’m glad you brought up instructing. Is that something you aspire to do in the future?

AJ Campo: It absolutely is. Yeah. That’s something that I will be working on dipping my toes into this season for sure.

I do think it’s very important if you have the ability to go ahead and give back to others. There is no reason not to. And I think that I have a little bit of a niched position being a younger female in that world. That can probably help others with some of the ins and outs that most men don’t necessarily think about.

I would love to help out some beginners that are trying to get on track for sure.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, and it is one of the steps out of the HPD [00:18:00] arena and you took another one already, which was to head into competition with SCCA under their time trials division. What made you decide to go that way versus club racing?

What class is your Audi even in and how is it doing versus everybody else that’s out there?

AJ Campo: I kind of got pulled into the SCCA time trials because I attended a racing for ALS event that was combined with SCCA time trials, racing for ALS hosts the HPDEs, but since I was there anyway, it was Jim’s race at CMP.

Can’t remember what year that was a couple of years ago. I said, you know what, I might as well just sign up for the time trial portion and see how I like the competition. And it really was all downhill from there. I got sucked in. I will say I’m a very competitive person. And going out there and racing against the other guys.

We’re in 2 0 3. It’s usually the same group of us going out time after time. Really good group of guys though. It’s very rewarding. I guess you can say. The S3 holds up very well against those guys. I think I hold up against them very well too. But I guess that’s. [00:19:00] Pretty subjective, but we do pretty great.

I’ve taken home a couple of first place trophies and our last event, first place in my class. And then third place overall, the entire event.

Crew Chief Eric: Just like your car evolves and will continue to evolve. Obviously your driving career is evolving too, but have you learned from time trials? What comes next?

Because when you set it up for the mountain runs and then you set it up for DE, which you’re moving fast and you’re lapping, but it’s not the same as when you’re in competition. Have you had to mod the car since you entered the time trials?

AJ Campo: I have not had to, too heavily, but I have the itch. I have been trying very significantly to hold back because I would love to continue to compete in my class.

I think we are doing so well in it. My sponsors love it. I’m having a great time. I’m feeling great about myself, meeting the boys out there. It’s pretty cool. So I’m trying to hold off on anything that might bump me up out of that class until next season. And there is a big book of work that we plan to do next season.

I will tell you. [00:20:00] But in the meantime, it’s really just about getting the most out of the car. I’m still working on some heating and fueling issues. And the brake setup was a really big one for me last season. It’s just keeping the car up to par with my skill level for now until we decide to really dive in and do some crazy stuff.

Crew Chief Eric: And the dangerous part is, you know, you’re playing the classic game with SCCA and you go from tuner three to something like STU and suddenly you’re like, why are there 900 horsepower Corvettes here? You know, things like that they introduced a couple of years ago, at least in our region, the idea of bracket racing, are you thinking about that?

Because I think club racing would be very difficult to class your car in right now.

AJ Campo: I have no idea what direction I want to go in the next couple of years. I have to tell you, I’m taking everything day by day right now. There is nothing that I won’t consider. It’s just a matter of how the next couple of months go for me and who I’m talking to and what I find an interest in.

And I say yes to everything. So we’ll see.

Crew Chief Eric: We joked earlier about [00:21:00] knowing Audi’s older than the year 2000, the Biturbo S4. As we stated, you know, you’re a member of the Audi club and more so you’re on the board of the Carolinas region. There are tons of Audi owners out there, but not everybody is a club member.

So as an ambassador for the club, How would you entice someone to join? What’s the value proposition there? Why become an Audi club member?

AJ Campo: I wouldn’t entice someone to join cause I’m not a salesperson, but I can tell you the reason why I joined is because I love to drive and to attend the, they call it wheels in motion events with Audi club.

You have to be a paid member, which is. It’s like totally reasonable because you’re covered by insurance for the events, et cetera, et cetera. But there are a significant amount of other benefits as well that I probably should be more mindful of taking advantage of myself. But the even national level sponsorships that the members get discounts.

For almost anything you want to do, not even necessarily just performance upgrades on your car. But there are some big name sponsors that you can really [00:22:00] take advantage of too. It pays off. I think the cost of the membership is like less than what you pay for a tank of gas.

Crew Chief Eric: Your role can be influential in this place by recruiting new members, but You also have other duties as assigned.

So how are you affecting change? Are you helping to come up with new events, new ideas? How are you keeping members involved?

AJ Campo: This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot the last couple of weeks. I was recently elected the president of the Carolinas chapter.

Crew Chief Eric: Congratulations.

AJ Campo: Thank you. Thank you very much.

But what I am trying to be mindful of is not to infuse my own personal goals and missions for the club across the rest of the board. So it’s something that we’re all working on this year is to make sure that we are representing a vast audience and their interests. So I would love to say that we are posting track events all year long and pulling everybody in and making sure that everybody’s getting the most out of driving their car and all that [00:23:00] sort of high performance stuff.

But it’s about giving back to the community and what they want. So we have a couple of ideas up our sleeves this year within the Carolinas chapter. That will be kind of probing our membership audience, you know, what do you want and what can we do for you? And that’s where we’re going to put our attention.

And to be honest with you, I think that’s the only way to do it.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, that also brings up another great question and kind of going back to talking about track rat life. How can we make the paddock not just more diverse, but inviting for people that are like we talked about earlier, maybe hesitant, but also have that idea of if I don’t see myself there, then I don’t belong there.

AJ Campo: I think that is a responsibility of every person involved. Those of us that are already comfortable in the paddock need to reach out and pull others in and say, come hang out. Don’t feel out of place. See how easy it is to get involved. Come have a good time. I don’t care if you’re driving, turning a wrench, cooking hamburgers.[00:24:00]

Or taking photos, you know, there’s a place for everybody. But the other side of it is realizing that if there’s something you’re interested in doing and you don’t feel comfortable necessarily doing it, there is a level of self accountability. Do what you need to do. Step out of your comfort zone to find your happiness.

So people need to understand that it’s not so scary to step out of your comfort zone. And also the rest of us need to be there to catch those people that are doing it.

Crew Chief Eric: There is a place for everyone at the track. I always joke that it’s a party waiting for a race to happen. You know what I mean? You can always get involved.

And I’ve personally made some lifelong friends by going to the track and probably would have never met them anywhere else had it not been for us all going there together. Now, there’s something else I’ve heard you talk about before, which is this concept of car girl culture. Can you explain that to me?

And why is that important?

AJ Campo: Car girl culture is a very sticky subject. I have spent a lot of time in that typical tuner slammed [00:25:00] show vibe culture. And the Women that you see there, the girls, your interests are completely different than someone like myself. Whereas I just want to go fast and I don’t really care about how it actually, it’s funny, I do care about how I look at all times, but like, that’s not my top priority, but there are other girls out there that are really just doing it for the social media, do it for the gram type of attention thing.

And it makes it very difficult for us who are out there trying to be real and feel like we need to compete with, well, I have to also look good while doing it or whatever it is. There are a couple of us women in the area that have a personal prerogative. To pull those girls further into the sport, if they’re interested, but to just not let them just hang out and sit on the sidelines or be kind of like a passenger princess.

If we know that you’re interested in it, at least in some way, and you’re putting yourself out there and you’re making a social media name for yourself or whatever it is. Do you want to come to the track? Do you want to come [00:26:00] for a ride along? You want to sit in my passenger seat? I’ll drive you around, be my passenger princess, you know?

So it also creates a little bit of a stigma, I guess, for the rest of us, too. Someone sees me, a car girl. And they wonder, you know, is she, is she trying to take my man? You know, like that type of a thing. No, I’m not actually, please keep them. I don’t want nobody’s man. I don’t have one myself. I’m, I’m cool.

So it creates a fine line that women in the industry have to kind of walk, which is unfortunate, but you know what, we all contribute to that in society. And I think we all need to do better.

Crew Chief Eric: Say you’re at the track and a little girl walks up to you and says, AJ. Why do you race? What would you say?

AJ Campo: Because it makes me happy.

Crew Chief Eric: Well put. You have a lot of stuff going on. You got a lot of stuff on your plate. And so we tend to just keep piling stuff onto our plate sometimes. And I wonder, what’s next for AJ? What kind of events, projects, do you have some [00:27:00] builds? Anything you can share? Upcoming projects or collaborations. What’s the, not just this season’s outlook, but next season?

AJ Campo: There’s so much going on. I don’t even know how to answer that question. I gotta refer to the whiteboard. Hang on. I just bought a truck for myself last week. So I have a daily driver now. I am shopping for a trailer so I can transport the car, be a little more comfortable on track, a lot more comfortable on track.

I have a cage in the works. I will be kind of transitioning a little bit off of the street onto the track. For the S3, I’m looking forward to next season, probably doing some Aero, doing a significant amount of suspension work with Pete at 529 Innovations. Other than that, I don’t know what’s next. I just want to hit the ground running and do, I just, like I said, I say yes to everything.

Even Mike at ESE Carbon with the E2 wheels. He’s like, you want to see if we can get them going on track? Yeah, I would love to figure out how to test those on track. Like, let’s do it. I would love to be able to be part of testing their product out and opening it up to [00:28:00] a completely new market. Whatever gets me behind the wheel, I am down to do it.

Crew Chief Eric: Is there a dream drive out there still? Not a road or a track, but maybe behind the wheel of a special car?

AJ Campo: When I was growing up, maybe like early 20s, I was like, Oh, I wish one day I could own an R8. So I’ll probably get one for a little bit, but like, that’s not like a dream car anymore. I don’t know what is.

I really don’t know what is. I’m transitioning from what you see coming off the line at the factory. And that, you know, this shiny new toy to like a track monster is what really just gets me going. Ask me another year or two.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, with that, AJ, we’ve come to that part of the episode where I’d like to invite our guests to share any shout outs, promotions, or anything else that we didn’t cover thus far.

AJ Campo: I have to give a shout out to Racing for ALS. Without them, I would have never gotten behind the wheel on a track. So I owe my entire journey in large part to them. If anyone wants to know more, you can go to Racing for ALS. But they are [00:29:00] a non for profit organization that raises funds and awareness for ALS patients and research.

Everything that they do is entirely donated and with true good behind it. They are a network of people that, again, there’s a place for everybody at the track. Not everybody drives, but a lot of them do, but everybody’s an enthusiast about having a good time and saving lives. I feel like everyone in the world should in some way, at least be aware of what racing for ALS does, because I’ve never met a better group of people out there doing good.

Crew Chief Eric: AJ’s story doesn’t end here. She’s not just conquering curves, she’s breaking barriers. As a woman in the automotive world, AJ stands tall, proving that horsepower knows no gender. She is now the president of the Audi Club of the Carolinas, fostering a community where enthusiasts, regardless of gender, come together to celebrate their shared love for all things four wheeled.

To learn more about AJ and her Audi, look no further than social media and [00:30:00] follow her at Nomad underscore S3 on Instagram and Facebook. And don’t forget to check out her YouTube channel or connect with her on LinkedIn. And with that, AJ, I can’t thank you enough for coming on break, fix, and sharing your story with us.

And I have to say, whether you realize it or not, you are what I call a silo breaker. You are an inspiration for women out there trying to get them up off the street and onto the track. And perpetuating and spreading motorsports enthusiasm, which is important these days in the midst of everything that’s changing in the automotive world.

And I deeply appreciate the fact that you’re out there time trialing an Audi. So maybe we’ll see you at CMP in the future and best of luck this season.

AJ Campo: Thank you very much.

Crew Chief Eric: We hope you enjoyed another awesome episode of Brake Fix Podcast brought to you by Grand Touring Motorsports. If you’d like to be a guest on the show or get involved, be sure to follow us on all social media platforms at GrandTouringMotorsports. And if you’d like to [00:31:00] learn more about the content of this episode, be sure to check out the follow on article at GTMotorsports.

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Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

• 00:00 Introduction to BrakeFix Podcast
• 00:27 Meet AJ Campo: From NYC to North Carolina
• 01:05 AJ’s Racing Background and Early Influences
• 01:40 The Move to North Carolina and Audi Club Involvement
• 02:52 Building the Audi S3 Quattro: The Beast
• 05:15 Track Experiences and Challenges
• 17:57 Time Trials and SCCA Competition
• 20:57 Audi Club and Community Involvement
• 24:40 Car Girl Culture and Inclusivity
• 26:55 Future Plans and Shoutouts
• 30:45 Conclusion and Podcast Information

Bonus content available as a #PITSTOP mini-sode.

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