Renee (Berard) Land

Spec Miata

My Mazda Miata is definitely tons of fun and I like that it’s competitive class. I also have a Honda S2000 which definitely is my favorite, however after a few "incidents", it's currently a track day only car. For now at least. Finding parts for that is more difficult and expensive than the Miata!

Tell me about you .
-In what feels like a lifetime ago, I studied classical music with the plan of becoming an orchestral musician (which, as it turns out, there is not much of a demand for) so I 'retired' with all my student debt and have been working in the office of the family construction business since. While it is not the wildly glamorous career I had intended, I am grateful that it gave me the opportunity to dabble in all sorts of fun and fulfilling hobbies (racing being one of them!). I currently live with my loving husband and some ̶y̶a̶p̶p̶y̶ cute dogs, with our first baby on the way. I have absolutely no knowledge about cars aside from driving them, so I'm always extremely grateful to have 2nd Gen Racing as my support crew. They make it possible for people like me to step into racing.

How long have you been racing ?
-I believe a full decade now, which I'm not sure I want to admit (depending on how you judge my skill level).

Why did you get into racing ?
-I don't come from any car or racing background whatsoever. I stumbled into it by accident. I had bought a sports car (as my daily driver, because it looked cool and gas prices weren't so crazy then) and my friend's husband suggested that I "learn to drive it properly". He hooked me up with his friend's track day at Mission Raceway. From there, one thing led to another, and here I am!

Who in your life has had the biggest impact on your racing career ?
-I would say that would be Glenn Nixon, since he spent a lot of time coaching me in the beginning.... which usually was something to the effect of: "Just pin it!!".

Do you have any sponsors ?
-Mission Contractors Ltd.
-Sterling Loves Recycling

Favorite moment in racing ?
-I have two, and both are enduro races.

We had a team we put together for the 25 hours at Thunderhill (back in 2013). I initially was extremely apprehensive about entering in such a big race with many new challenges and conditions that I had never experienced previously. This felt like a significant push out of my comfort zone and afterwards, I was extremely grateful for the experience.

My other favourite time was at the Lucky Dog Enduro at Area 27 at the end of 2020. Not only was it a beautiful weekend on a beautiful track, but what really made it special was the team we had for this event. It couldn't have been a better mix of personalities, and what I love so much about the enduros is that you really feel the importance of the team as a collective unit, with the drivers and crew members coming together with equal importance.

Dream Race car ?
-A free race car with free trackside support. And free tires.

Mercedes or Redbull ?
-Mercedes.

Something funny or interesting we should know about you.
-I have a very large collection of My Little Ponies (specifically the original first generation from 1982 -1990ish), and sometimes I still hunt/buy them. A few of them are worth a silly amount of money, considering they're just plastic toys. Don't tell Sterling.

Most embarrassing moment ?
-There are quite a few.

Does your car number have a special meaning ? Why did you choose it ?
-I've had numbers usually based only on what was assigned to me or what was already on the car. I was using 75 for a long time, but I believe I just gave it away to Gail so I will now likely adopt one of Sterling's numbers.

Favorite quote ?
-"Life's like a penis; when it's soft you can't beat it; when it's hard you get screwed." -Samuel Shem, House of God.

What car did you take driver training in ?
-Ford Escort

First race car ?
-Ford Escort

Do you have a nickname ?
-Rubber Boots or "RB". And no, I don't use that in my passwords.

Do you name your cars ?
-I'm thinking about calling the S2000 "white lightning".

What would be on the gag real of your life.
-When I was in my early 20's I was running on a treadmill at the gym and I thought I was hot stuff because I noticed people were looking at my ass.... only later to find out that the reason was because there was a huge hole in the butt seam.

What’s you most useless talent?
-I have an incredible ability to find four-leaf clovers. Once, I even found one pressed inside a book at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, in that section that looks like a reconstructed turn-of-the-century town. There was some fake library and I pulled one of the books off the shelf and voila! A four-leaf clover.

What will your gravestone read?
-”Are we there yet?”