If there are two things that male racing fans would love to combine if given the chance, they’d be drifting and hot chicks. The union of the world’s hottest new style of racing and sexy, action-ready gorgeous girl is a dream come true to red-blooded American young men everywhere, right? Well, Verena Mei and her Star Girl Racing site is just what the doctor ordered!

This Asian bombshell is one of the most recognized models in the Sport Compact Racing industry. Mei has been an International Toyo Tires Poster Model for 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. During 2002 and 2003, she she also represented the Import Drag Racing Circuit (IDRC) as a Starter Girl. As a full-time model and actress, Verena is constantly on the go, traveling to Pro Sport Compact events throughout the year, signing autographs for fans throughout the nation. She has also graced the pages of Super Street, Turbo Magazine, Sport Compact Car, Modified Magazine, Drag Sport and many other popular industry magazines and Web sites. Best of all, in April 2002, Verena became the first model in the sport compact industry to earn a NHRA Pro Competition Drag Racing License.

How did she get into racing, you wonder?

In 1999, she modeled at SEMA , the largest automotive tradeshow, and remembers seeing the Toyo Tires models and the line of men waiting for their autographs. She looked at them and thought, “Wow, I wonder how you get that job, they’re so lucky, I’d love to do that one day.” In 2000, she signed with Toyo Tires, which introduced Verena to the Sport Compact scene. Appearing at race after race, show after show, throughout the nation, Verena became friends with many racers, crews and other people in the industry.

“From one city to the next, from one event to another. I traveled with the same people all the time,” she once said. “They became my closest friends, people who would always look out for me. After a while they just considered me as one of the guys.”

The more she learned about racing, the more interested she became in the sport. “I always said that I wanted to race too. One day it occurred to me that I CAN race – there’s nothing holding me back. Just because I’m a model, it doesn’t mean I can’t race.”

With Bobby Unser Jr.’s recommendation, Verena attended and graduated from The Motion Picture Stunt Driving School in Palmdale, CA in January 2002. She learned how to control a car in extreme situations and perform cool stunts including drifting, reverse driving at 55 mph, 180’s, and 90’s into a parking space - just to name a few.

Verena attended the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School in Pomona, California. On April 9, 2002, Verena earned her NHRA Professional Competition Drag Racing License. On her seventh run in her life, she made her best elapsed-time running a 9.46 second mile at 143.81 mph in a Super Gas Firebird. This 9.46 seconds of her life, made her the Fastest Asian-American Woman in the World and the First Asian-American Woman to earn a NHRA Professional Drag Racing License.

Once she got her footing in the racing community, she decided it was time to package herself and her skills via a Web site. Hence, the birth of www.StarGirlRacing.com. The site is “where model and racer becomes one,” she says. Fans can get “updates on my race car, post messages on my forum, and best of all, you can go to my store to purchase personally autographed photos and Star Girl Racing merchandise.”

“I miss being at the track so much during the off-season,” she admits. “It’s become a large part of my life.”

And life just gets wilder and more exhilarating for this gal on the run, as her love of sports and the great outdoors doesn’t stop at racing. She also gets wet and wild via bodyboarding, snowboarding, racing, rollerblading, skateboarding and surfing. But nothing will ever replace her love for racing, her #1 passion.

“I love the Sport Compact scene,” she gushes. “I’ve met so many of my good friends at these events and have learned so much about racing and what it takes to be a racer.”

We recently had a chance to chat one-on-one with Verena about her love of racing, drifting and getting hot under the hood.

How often do you race professionally?
This is the first year that I've competed in a Professional Race. It's so exciting to be a part of the first year of Professional Drifting in the US, and being the first girl to run in a series. I've competed at two Formula-D events, one U.S. Drift, and the Hankook Drift Nationals, where I took third place while blowing my engine. I'm really looking forward to competing at different venues as more pop-up next year. You'll definitely see me sideways on the track!

Tell us about your love of Drifting?
I have a NHRA Pro Drag Racing License to go as quick as a 7.5 second quarter-mile, but my front-wheel drive, pro-stock drag race car is still being built. I'm currently training diligently perfecting my drifting skills to become a fierce competitor in 2005. I've been fortunate to have formed a wonderful partnership with Motegi, Rotora, Nissan Motorsports, Yokohama, Twins Turbo Motorsports, Tein and all the rest of my sponsors!

What is your favorite video game?
I like playing Halo and any other shoot-em-up video games like House of the Dead.  I'd really like to be a character in a racing game one day -- that would be fun! Everyone would get a chance to push my buttons.

Does your website get you in closer contact with your fans?
Definitely! When someone see me at an event, on TV or in a magazine and want to find out who I am, they just visit my site. Some people post on my forum to chat with me and other people. It's just a place where you can talk to others about what's going on, and share a common interest. Most of them send me e-mails, and I respond to each of them personally. It's a way for me to reach all my fans from all over the world, even if they don't have a chance to come to my events. I get a lot of e-mails from kids who ask me for advice on how to get started racing, modeling, or how to get sponsors. It's really great being a positive role model and I hope to make a difference in their lives!

What is your goal as a racer?
1) As the first girl to compete in a U.S. Drift Series, my goal is to be the first girl to qualify in the Top 16.
2) Be a positive role model.
3) Educate young adults about racing responsibly -- keeping it "On the Track."
4) Gain maximum media coverage representing my sponsors.
5) Become a versatile driver in various types of motorsports.