Out, proud and tearing up the motorsports scene | Articles

Accepting, diverse, exciting. That’s how members describe Out Motorsports, a group dedicated to creating a place to enjoy motorsports of all kinds.

“There are other gay and queer car clubs out there,” says Jake Thiewes, founder of Out Motorsports. “Out Motorsports’ focus is on the LGBTQ driving enthusiast who wants to grow both their skills and their community.”

Jake Thiewes, Out Motorsports founder

While many operations stalled in 2020 and ’21, Out Motorsports picked up the pace by holding weekly Zoom meetings to grow its online community.

Ah, the age of technology.

These Zoom calls were a way to check in, hang out and get feedback regarding future events. Out Motorsports also used it as a time to build its online community via Discord.

“So many of us car folks joke about buying a big plot of land in the country,” says Lexie Murray, a member of Out Motorsports. “Building a huge shop on it and having a bunch of little cottages for all our friends, and I think our Discord really embodies that.”

Since then, all the ideas they gathered have been brought to reality: backroad drives, track days, off-roading and basically everything in between.

“I first stumbled onto Out Motorsports in the summer of 2021,” says Nelson Young, another member of Out Motorsports. “I was scrolling through Facebook and an event suggestion popped into my feed about a rally/trackcross event at the Summit Point Raceway for August of 2021 focusing on the LGBTQ+ population.

“Something that day pushed me to click on the link and read about the event,” he continues. “I had never driven on a race track or participated in any motorsports events, including autocross. I signed up for the event and made one of the best decisions of my life.”

For Lexie, they find joy in not just the events but the environment the outings provide.

“I’m an avid autocrosser, and I’ve crewed at just about any track event you can imagine,” Lexie says. “I have so much love for those communities as well, but there’s something so refreshing about being able to show up to a motorsports event as your authentic self without having to mask any parts of my identity to fit in or feel safe.”

This past year, Out Motorsports spent time at both Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia and California’s Willow Springs Raceway for autocross, track time and even a car show. The Summit Point event welcomed more than a…