Like most parents, the Hollfelders surrounded their child with toys.  But, unlike other kids, Carol's toys were of the four-wheel variety.  Her parents collected vintage cars and, over time, their lines, power, and speed hooked her too.  She developed a bond with these machines, wanting to learn all she could about them. 

Under her father's tutelage, she learned how the cars worked.  Then, after watching both parents in command behind the wheel, she learned how to drive.  It was a thrill that few have the opportunity to experience.

Change of Plans
Carol didn't start out behind the wheel.  Instead, at the tender age of 9, she climbed on a horse to compete on the equestrian circuit, becoming a champion hunter-jumper.  She loved it, and planned to spend the rest of her life on horseback.  The universe had other plans.  Her equestrian career was cut short at the age of 18, when a motorcycle accident led to paralysis.  Without the power to control the animal beneath her, she refocused her life and moved on to compete in multiple horse-power machines.

Auto Racing—No Feet
Automobile racing presents challenges to a paraplegic driver that someone who is able-bodied doesn't have to consider.  For one thing, if you don't have use of your legs, how do you operate the clutch of a manual-shift beast? 

Clearly, to compete on the track, modifications to a car have to be made.  An inspiration-driven problem solver, and a champion racecar driver himself, her father took on that challenge.  After studying the paddle shifter system built into Ferrari's Formula One series car, he created a system his daughter could use to balance the playing field.

As the name implies, behind the wheel of the Ferrari are paddles that control gear shifts.  In Carol's car, a series of thumb switches and levers let her hands do the work an able-bodied driver's feet normally do.  A ring mounted behind the steering wheel controls both the throttle and brakes.  Pulling forward controls the throttle, while a slight push backward operate the brake.  Clicking a thumb switch, she can choose a gear.

Ferrari Challenge
Carol's driving career started at the Ferrari Challenge, an amateur race that pits Ferrari customers against each other on some very challenging tracks.  After paying her dues by club racing, she took a giant professional leap, competing in the SCCA Pro Racing's World Challenge Series.  It's still one of her favorite memories. 

Every year since 1998 she's competed against some of the world's greatest drivers, and acquitted herself admirably.  In 2006 she took 2nd place in the Super Unlimited class at Inaugural NASA ProRacing National Championships.

But racing fast cars isn't Carol's only interest.  She wants to help other meet the challenges of their lives head-on.  Most recently she's teamed up with the disability awareness and advocacy group, United Spinal, to encourage people with disabilities to get involved in racing.

Check out more on Carol, her organization, and auto racing with a disability.