Elise Sias sets up a turn at a soggy 2004 Solo Nationals in Topeka. Since then, Sias had her first baby during the off-season and is ready to get back to action this weekend at California Speedway. (Bob Ucker Photo)

FONTANA, Calif. (March 4, 2005) – On any given The Tire Rack® SCCA ProSolo weekend, a competitor’s checklist might have items like checking tire pressures, making suspension adjustments and keeping an eye on other competitors’ times.

Trying to balance that schedule is challenging enough, but after giving birth to her and her husband’s first child this off-season, soloist Elise Sias, of Santa Clara, Calif., has a list that now includes those items plus feeding schedules, nap times and Huggies.

It’s a change, Sias said, that is both welcome and challenging at the same time.

“I’m hoping it will take out some of the intensity because I have the distraction with the baby,” Sias said. “Because yes, I do need to be focused, but at the same time it might be a good distraction so I’m not completely obsessing or freaking out over the event.

“I tend to get a little bit nervous before big events, and I think having to keep the baby in mind will help even that out.”

Before son Peyton was born last December 1, Sias ran a normal schedule in 2004, competing in Solo events for the first six months of her pregnancy, all the way through last September’s The Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Championships in Topeka, Kan. It was a decision that some others questioned, but Sias said every precaution was taken, and she felt there was nothing to worry about.

“There were a lot of people who thought maybe I shouldn’t be running,” Sias said. “But Vic and I talked to an OBGYN out of the South Dakota Region, and he said ‘I feel safer with you running Nationals than I would if you were driving on the freeway.’ So I went ahead and ran Nationals and finished up my year.”

In fact, the only change that Sias (who finished third and fourth in Stock Modified Ladies at Nationals in 2002 and 2003, respectively) made was a change to the seatbelt in the 1995 BMW that she and Vic (her 2004 Street Modified National Champion husband) share.

“We switched it to a five-point harness,” Sias said. “We did it to take some of the pressure off of my stomach, and it worked fine. There was hardly any pressure on Peyton at all.”

The current plan for the family is to run the same number of events as in past years, and Sias said she is ready to get back to competing, starting this weekend at the Fontana event at California Motor Speedway.

“I’m very ready,” Sias said. “I missed driving a lot between September and January. It was so awesome to get back behind the wheel. We’ve got a great car and great co-drivers for this year, and all of those things have me excited for this year.”

And while three-month old Peyton won’t be able to compete at any Solo events for some time, his mom thinks he is already showing signs of being a natural.

“He does really well and is adaptable,” Sias said. “He’s getting used to all of the car noises and different locations. He loves being out and about and does really well with people, so he’s definitely on the road to being there.”

 

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