If you look at the personalities of every racing series on the planet, you might notice a pattern among the drivers who rise to the top. Most of them start karting the day they can crawl, win championships by the time they can walk, and move on to formula cars when they can run – oh, and they’re almost all men. However, many of today’s racing drivers have demonstrated that this long-established formula no longer works, and in many ways Christina Lamb is living proof of someone who forged their own path.
Ram’s motorsport journey began at the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, but it wasn’t the way you’d expect. During an unrelated vacation around Europe, she found herself just a stone’s throw from famous paved roads and decided to take part in one of the Nordschleife’s many turistenferten (sightseeing drive) sessions. It is important to note that she also learned how to drive a manual car during the same trip. This has to be the coolest “how I learned to drive stick” story we’ve heard.
From the moment she discovered her love for racing, she made a quantum leap from her experience abroad to becoming a pioneer for women in motorsport. During her career, she has driven a wide range of machines including GT3, GT4, TCR, LMP3 and even Trans Am cars.
From college graduate to racing at Daytona
Her transition from tourist laps at the Nürburgring to racing driver was surprisingly straightforward. Upon returning stateside, Lamb competed in local autocross races and advanced to NASA track days (often referred to as high-performance driving events). She made her official debut in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing shortly thereafter, and what followed became a picture-perfect success story for grassroots racing in America.
As you might imagine, grassroots competition requires building and fixing things yourself, and Lam’s efforts were no exception. That meant building her first three race cars from scratch. Her first competition car was an E36 BMW M3, followed by two E46s. “Knowing how cars are built is very important, and I think that will help you talk to engineers,” Lamb said. motor trend In a recent interview. Although Lam no longer has to tinker with competition cars herself, her mechanical acumen still pays huge dividends because she speaks the same language as the engineers.
Lamb will race for four years in the SCCA’s Super Tour class, the highest level of club racing in America, before stepping up to the big leagues. Her “successful” moments include racing an Audi RS3 LMS TCR for part of the season at Daytona International Speedway (and other select racetracks) in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge competition. For Ram, it was a dream come true. Not only did she officially establish herself as a racing driver, she also became the first Asian American woman to compete in IMSA.
“For me, it was very surreal to realize…I’m actually making a move not just for women, but for motorsports as a whole,” Lamb said. “There were five girls competing between TCR and GS that year.” Although her IMSA debut was a big moment in her career, Lamb always wanted to take a big step forward and try something new each year to set her career trajectory.
Wrestling Monsters: Transition to Trans Am
“That’s what I wanted to do: build a new car, try a different class or try a different approach,” Lamb said. With her journey woman goals set for 2026, Lamb has earned a spot in the Trans Am Series (presented by Pirelli) for a full season. The championship, sometimes referred to as America’s Racing Series, dates back to 1966 and is the longest-running professional road racing championship in North America. The car itself is an absolute monster and is notoriously difficult to drive. Lamb likened the intuitive experience of piloting a TA2 vehicle to “driving a powerful school bus,” and it says it all.
Her TRB Racing Chevrolet Camaro TA2 has a tubular spaceframe chassis underneath (much like a NASCAR car). It also lacks many of the driver-assistance features you’d expect from a modern race car, such as traction control, ABS, and stability control, which are few and far between on the track, to say the least. This is because the TA2 class places particular emphasis on driver development, close races, and cost control.
“Trans Am cars are very unforgiving…you really have to manipulate the car to get it to do what you want it to do,” Lamb said. “Everyone who drives a Trans Am becomes a better driver.” With more than 500 horsepower and weighing just under 3,000 pounds, keeping the car in a straight line is no mean feat.
While Lamb continues to improve herself behind the wheel of a race car, she has also worked hard to open doors for women in motorsport.
Elevating women in the paddock
Ram, of course, became an extraordinary driver. These days, she does an equally impressive job when she’s not behind the wheel, helping to create opportunities for aspiring drivers as well as other women in motorsport.
“One of my goals is to help other aspiring engineers and connect them with the right team,” she said. In fact, Lamb met (and hired) current photographer and videographer Chelsea Schwier during his club racing days, and the two have spent time together throughout Lamb’s career in IMSA and Trans Am racing.
Lam also worked with the National Center for Women’s Innovation (NCWI) to advance the status of women in motorsport. She said she helped organize a recent NCWI-sponsored initiative that gave the University of Florida’s Formula SAE team behind-the-scenes access to her and the Daytona International Speedway race team. “They got to spend time with me, the mechanics, the car, and see everything up close,” Lamb said. This is just one example, but she continues to help many women navigate the fast-paced path to success in the modern era of auto racing.
Ram continues its Trans Am campaign with upcoming races at North America’s most iconic racetracks. For the remainder of the 2026 season, the series will host races at Lime Rock Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Road America, Watkins Glen, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Virginia International Raceway and concludes at Circuit of the Americas. If you haven’t watched Trans Am yet, you can follow Christina for the rest of the year in her Chevrolet Camaro TA2 car sporting the blue, purple, and orange livery of her longtime sponsor Helium Mobile.
