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Time to read 10 min
The world of competitive sports is both challenging and somewhat traumatizing - depending on your level of commitment and passion. Forward facing victories are always filled with praise, adulation, and glamor when viewed by the true enthusiast, but some may be observers of the shoe drop, waiting for the slightest failure to exploit and exaggerate, since human imperfection is often forgotten when we are transformed into superheroes for pleasure and profit. This world is also filled with the ultimate examples of creativity and expression. If this raises any doubt, one may need to examine the truth behind the most memorable, dare we say, "performances" that are executed by talented, ingenious, and, yes - creative human beings. A dynamic, driven, athlete needs to be passionate, persistent, innovative, and creative soul to move forward, be victorious and competitive.
Subaru lovers are creative people who are always looking for answers and innovative but intelligent work-arounds. Subimods was founded on the idea that doing things differently is not only good but necessary to move obstacles and propel the industry forward. Our team takes pride in bringing the Subaru community the answers they need by highlighting companies that were born because of an obstacle that seemed too big to climb. As always, we draw from a well that is brimming with individuals and organizations who keep the best interest of the enthusiast top of mind, because they are also living the life we all understand. Companies that feel joy by just taking the longer path around the mountain, or just bracing for the challenge and pulling themselves upward - one step at a time.
Some feel that men are the only pieces of the overall equation that is worth discussing. We firmly disagree and feel that the Subaru community needs to learn about the movers, shakers, and innovators in our industry, no matter sex, belief system, or way of life. Unfortunately, even the smartest among us with the best intentions can overlook the ever-increasing impact of women in sports that have been categorically controlled by male athletes. We can forget that the level of commitment, passion, physicality, and determination within a female athlete is much higher because the amount of challenges, volume of obstacles, and voice of discrimination is amplified and, sadly, never exhausted. Do any of us know that before the 1950's female drivers named Camille du Gast , Eliška Junková , and Kay Petre were scooping up trophies in their individual genres in multiple countries?
European Rally drivers Anne Hall , Pat Moss was a known champion throughout the 1950's and 1960's winning high profile victories in Norway, Denmark and at Monte Carlo. Lella Lombardi , Divina Galica , and Desiré Wilson proved themselves as true pioneers in Formula 1 in the 1970's and 1980's. As the sport broadened and the list of women overflowed, female drivers kept crossing the line and pushing the envelope year after year without publicly showing a decrease in effort and passion. From Indy and Daytona pioneer Janet Guthrie , to Drag racing royalty Shirley Muldowney , the Cross-country champion Jutta Kleinschmidt , Indy 500 icon Danica Patrick, Lemans driver Vanina Ickx , and Formula platform leader Katherine Legge, these strong women navigated carefully but successfully through their own sea of challenges to pave the way for those young women dreaming to express themselves behind the wheel or their car and genre of choice.
As of 2024, the light upon the world of motorsports has brightened leaving an illuminated road of opportunities for women in all genres and at all levels of competition. A younger generation of inspired, creative, and enthusiastic female driver has infiltrated the industry by taking the reigns of technology, communication, and promotion to not only perform at their maximum, athletic potential, but to be educators to those who wish to inspire others and erase the boundaries that have created all the obstacles not needed in an exciting, enjoyable world of the automotive enthusiast.
The Subimods team is grateful to have built a relationship with a young, dynamic young woman who is using all the tools at her disposal to not only promote her growing motorsports career, but also to inspire other women to scale the obstacles, confront the challenges, and get their hands deep into the mechanics and physicality of the automotive world. Devin Hofmann and her moniker and motor sports brand, Devine Force Racing , is exercising a positive presence as an athlete, an educator, and influencer by taking control of her journey by driving technology, sharing her personality, and exhibiting her automotive intelligence to be an inspiring marker to the Subaru enthusiast community. She is an active enthusiast, writer, and contributor to multiple social media channels including her engaging programming on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram where she covers everything from event coverage, race day commentary, and reviews of modifications from her own garage. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Devin, ask questions about her background, her greatest inspirations, her brand, her passion for racing and her goals for the future.
It is silly to assume that the backstory of every person who leads a life of professional performance driving is identical. Motorsports attracts people from all walks of life and motivations. Some are born into the life since the bug jumps from family member to family member easily and likes to infect the heart deeply. Others find a path behind a thick grove of trees that separates them from ultimate liberation and a journey into freedom they had always felt they needed, but never could discover. Devin is an individual one could foolishly assume was born into the life but they would fail from making a gross generalization. Hofman is a breaker of molds. A perfect example of doors opening when brave enough to grab the handle and just turn.
“I started doing HPDE in 2018-2019 with NASA to get my Time Trial license while testing products on my car for an aftermarket company to better develop customer parts for the Subaru community”, Devin explained. “I started competing in Global Time Attack and Gridlife in 2020 - Driving originally started for me just to test and develop products but quickly turned into something I fell in love with”, she passionately confirmed. I didn't come from a background of driving, never did karts or any of that - so I wasn't really sure I belonged behind the wheel and really thought I belonged behind the pits reviewing data as the engineer or working on the car and supporting the race.” Not a predictable stereotype by any means, Hofman’s journey is her own - paved in possibilities and layered with true inspiration for even the most doubtful person in the tribe who never thinks they could take a leap of faith or think outside the box. “While I love doing data acquisition or car chiefing…still, it's been one of the most incredible opportunities to drive and really represent the underdog that has no ties in the racing world as well as represent women who also dream of racing", she said. “I believe when people see me racing they can really see themselves doing it - and believe it's a possible goal.
Every enthusiast falls in love with their year, make, and model for a number of reasons, but they will all confirm without hesitation why they embrace, pursue, and cherish the rewards of this relationship and joyfully speak about their conversion to others. As we have confirmed many times over, the Subaru brand breeds a rabid dedication and an indescribable appeal that wraps around the heart of the enthusiast like in no other motosports community. This culture, inclusive and accepting of personalities who crave thrills from racetracks to mountain trails, inspires and prompts creativity from those who appreciate a quality belief system. “While my love for cars originally started with muscle cars - the GTO Judge specifically - hearing a Subaru with the UEL headers definitely got my attention with a quickness”, Hofman remembers. “The sound was so unique and naturally I wanted to know everything there was about them.
Subaru was the first platform I learned to work on, and while I realized how much easier some of the other platforms were to work on, there was just something that has always kept me in love with Subarus”, she confirms. Aligning with the spirit that floods the enthusiasm of every true believer, Devin’s passion grew and this world of unbound creativity and imagination pulled her into its ranks quickly turning a journey of interest into an energy of enthusiasm into a pursuit of passion and love that transformed her life and set her future. “The culture also really keeps you hooked”, Devin confirmed, “In the community, Subies have their own waves and car meets and it's just so easy to build a family out of strangers because you all love this same platform”, she said. “As time went on, I also really loved how Subaru remained one of the manufacturers that offered a manual. They're such rewarding cars when maintained and built right - I don't think I'd ever sell mine.”
The pursuit of victory and containment of knowledge is not an easy task for the slightly unmotivated or determined person. It can be incredibly challenging for even the most impressive of talents that run on pathways with no social obstacles, economical pitfalls, or prejudices that are often overlooked by the eyes of a privileged world of sports and competition. Partnerships with major players and iconic brands in this industry are not handed to everyone. Most often those who clearly deserve the alliance will be overlooked for all the wrong reasons. Hofman is an individual that faces many challenges and opposition by default - forcing her to work harder, speak louder, and run faster to be a victorious brand clearing a wide path that continually becomes overgrown with the weeds of ignorance and a clear exhibition of male dominance. The Subimods team has built a relationship with Hofman based on pure talent, ambition, and the obvious quality of work and passion evident in every performance and interaction that bears her brand.
“Partnering with Subimods really helps spread awareness to how any of my fellow Subaru enthusiasts can accomplish their goals”, Devin confirms. Being an example and inspiration to the average Subaru enthusiast is a primary goal in Hofman’s mind due to the true reward and the change it brings to an enthusiast’s life. “I believe I'm able to show it's a lot easier to get into than you realize. You don't have to spend a ton of money to go racing, have the fastest build or come from a background of racing or even know how to build your own car”, Devin encourages. “I'm really excited to be able to interact with the Subaru community at more events where I can continue to share knowledge and learn all the innovative things that the community comes up with!” Devin teaches us that knowing how to use the gifts you are given was never as important as sharing that knowledge with those who truly have the desire to learn, succeed, and work to also provide inspiration.
We believe the real lesson in success and a victorious life is carefully hidden behind the positive deeds, the genuine motivations, and the well-deserved accomplishments we should witness in this culture. How can we truly inspire, empower, encourage, and provide support to our hungry community of creatives without doing the work and showing results? The Subimods team is always in pursuit of success - but, most importantly, success that is fueled by quality work, tireless effort, genuine understanding, and premium education which is aggregated by positive partnerships and rewarding experiences gifted by the talented community we support. The relationship with Devin Hofman and Devine Force Racing is also fueled by our observance of her brand building, her continuous drive to provide knowledge and encouragement, and her efforts to keep awareness alive and well in this industry. “I really enjoy educating others and I hope to be able to provide some lessons learned when building your Subaru into a track car”, Hofman says with pride. “I walk through some product installs as well as provide the answers of why and how things work in some tech articles.
For me, I always wanted to know the science behind things before just slapping a mod on my car”, she exclaims. “It's fascinating how much of the stuff we learned in school actually comes full circle.” Hofman is truly becoming one of the sharpest tools the automotive enthusiast world has ever needed to propel it beyond the culture of old - a one dimensional, exclusive club of singular thought - into a dynamic, inclusive, empowering world of rewarding experiences that willingly holds the heaviest of doors open for everyone to enter freely. “As a female - and now racer/mechanical engineer - who comes from a non-mechanical or racing background, I really hope to show others they too can learn how to do an install and build their car”, Devin confirms with conviction. “They too can sign up for a track day, work towards a racing license, or, at the very least, show that they too can follow their dreams - that might be more attainable than they thought.”
Learn more about Devin Hofman and her continual work on and off the track by checking out her informative and inspiring videos on her YouTube channel, Devine Force Racing , at https://www.youtube.com/@devineforceracing .
Photo Credit Belongs To All Respective Owners
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