Mazda Teen Challenge racer Natalie Fenaroli at the 2014 Long Beach Grand Prix

Natalie Fenaroli is one of the stars of the Mazda Teen Challenge, and when Autobytel attended the 2014 Long Beach Grand Prix, Natalie was happy to talk about her experiences in the racing series. Autobytel’s Editor-in-Chief Michelle Naranjo got the scoop on the Mazda Teen Challenge, which is a race within a race where the younger drivers are scored separately. Natalie is a Kansas City, Missouri native, and is 18 years old. She started racing go karts when she was 5, and now races spec Miatas in the Mazda Teen Challenge.  She’s been racing Miatas for the last four years, and says that, since moving up from go karts to race cars, she’s never looked back. The California sunshine has also had a positive influence on Natalie, since it’s inspired her to move out west for college. She has been accepted to the University of California at San Diego, and plans to study biology and engineering. The choice in major is no accident, Natalie says. Since she grew up around cars and learned to work on cars herself, she sees engineering as a way to continue to make a career out of the auto industry.