OCBob
VIPER POWERED
With the need for speed in her bones, it seems only fitting that former Asan resident Marla L. Santos would find employment and enjoyment around a bunch of cars.
As assistant art director for Road & Track magazine, she is surrounded by everything on wheels, from the high-performance Lingenfelter Twin Turbo Commemorative Corvette to the cute and super compact Kia Spectra. The magazine is considered a bible for serious auto enthusiasts.
Since October, Santos, 33, has been laying out pages for the monthly magazine, coordinating its special sections such as the Truck Buyers Guide, the Car Buyers Guide and the 2006 Road Test Annual, on which she appeared on the cover (as one of those shadowy drivers often found in such magazines).
"I've always wanted to work for a national magazine," she says. "I'm not so much interested in cars as I am in the whole automotive industry. ... I'm really into trucks and bikes, and this (job) is a foot in the door. But since I've been here, I've developed a new-found appreciation for cars."
Santos says working for Road & Track combines her two loves -- graphic design and motor sports.
Job perks
Santos' design career began as a graphic artist for the Pacific Daily News' advertising department.
Santos then left Guam in 1999 for a position with the Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., and later moved on to the Press Enterprise in Riverside, Calif. All the while, she developed a strong visual style with an edgy news sense, qualities that have served her well with her work in both hard news and features.
The job at Road & Track has afforded her the opportunity to attend the Champ Car Race, where she had VIP passes to see the action up close. She may soon get a chance to attend the famed Skip Barber Driving School. "Like racing school, they teach you how to drive defensively," she says. "All the editors go through it."
But the best perk of the job, she says, is access to some of the newest and flashiest cars just off the assembly line. Road & Track routinely receives the latest models from all the big makers for review.
"During lunch, we can take test cars we want and drive around," she says. "Sometimes you'll see a $60,000 car pull up to the Del Taco drive-thru, it looks ridiculous. ... But I'm able to drive cars that I could only imagine buying."
The best cars she's driven so far?
"It has to be the Dodge Ram SRT-10 with the Viper Engine in it," she says. "The truck had 500 horsepower that handled very nicely for a truck."
A close second was the BMW M roadster.
"I took it on the slalom and skid pad on our test course," Santos says. "That was cool."
Her story
Santos' affinity for motor sports goes back to growing up on Guam.
Her name might sound familiar if you're into water sports history; she made a name for herself in the Guam watercraft race scene in the early '90s. She won the local women's championship from 1991 to 1993 and nabbed the Philippine national championship in 1993. For a couple years there, she ruled the water in the women's Jet Ski scene.
"I've always been into engines and modifying them, which stemmed from racing Jet Skis," Santos says. "I was always in the shop, looking for aftermarket parts to enhance performance."
Santos' racing background has translated into an interest in sports. In fact, one of the reasons she loves living in California is its proximity to some of the world's best outdoor playgrounds.
"I'm totally into the action sports industry," she says. "I'm into speed and the adrenaline rush you get from it."
When she's not working, Santos likes to snow board at Big Bear or Mammoth in northern California. And for a couple years now, has taken up hula dancing as a stress reliever and an interesting way to stay in shape.
"One day I'll learn how to do the fire dance," she says.
For all her activities, it's the comfort of the ocean that she comes back to. Although she's surrounded mainly by road racers during the week, the weekends are reserved for racing on water. After a long absence from riding, she recently got herself a '94 Yamaha SuperJet, and drives down to Mission Bay in San Diego to push its limits.
"It's stock right now, but I'm planning to fix it up," she says.
What she misses most about Guam is its warm water and being able to ride a Jet Ski year-round.
"Here, it's wetsuit required," she says. "No matter how warm they say the water is, it's not like on Guam."
Here is her email in case any of you single gents want to take her for a ride LOL
[email protected]
As assistant art director for Road & Track magazine, she is surrounded by everything on wheels, from the high-performance Lingenfelter Twin Turbo Commemorative Corvette to the cute and super compact Kia Spectra. The magazine is considered a bible for serious auto enthusiasts.
Since October, Santos, 33, has been laying out pages for the monthly magazine, coordinating its special sections such as the Truck Buyers Guide, the Car Buyers Guide and the 2006 Road Test Annual, on which she appeared on the cover (as one of those shadowy drivers often found in such magazines).
"I've always wanted to work for a national magazine," she says. "I'm not so much interested in cars as I am in the whole automotive industry. ... I'm really into trucks and bikes, and this (job) is a foot in the door. But since I've been here, I've developed a new-found appreciation for cars."
Santos says working for Road & Track combines her two loves -- graphic design and motor sports.
Job perks
Santos' design career began as a graphic artist for the Pacific Daily News' advertising department.
Santos then left Guam in 1999 for a position with the Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., and later moved on to the Press Enterprise in Riverside, Calif. All the while, she developed a strong visual style with an edgy news sense, qualities that have served her well with her work in both hard news and features.
The job at Road & Track has afforded her the opportunity to attend the Champ Car Race, where she had VIP passes to see the action up close. She may soon get a chance to attend the famed Skip Barber Driving School. "Like racing school, they teach you how to drive defensively," she says. "All the editors go through it."
But the best perk of the job, she says, is access to some of the newest and flashiest cars just off the assembly line. Road & Track routinely receives the latest models from all the big makers for review.
"During lunch, we can take test cars we want and drive around," she says. "Sometimes you'll see a $60,000 car pull up to the Del Taco drive-thru, it looks ridiculous. ... But I'm able to drive cars that I could only imagine buying."
The best cars she's driven so far?
"It has to be the Dodge Ram SRT-10 with the Viper Engine in it," she says. "The truck had 500 horsepower that handled very nicely for a truck."
A close second was the BMW M roadster.
"I took it on the slalom and skid pad on our test course," Santos says. "That was cool."
Her story
Santos' affinity for motor sports goes back to growing up on Guam.
Her name might sound familiar if you're into water sports history; she made a name for herself in the Guam watercraft race scene in the early '90s. She won the local women's championship from 1991 to 1993 and nabbed the Philippine national championship in 1993. For a couple years there, she ruled the water in the women's Jet Ski scene.
"I've always been into engines and modifying them, which stemmed from racing Jet Skis," Santos says. "I was always in the shop, looking for aftermarket parts to enhance performance."
Santos' racing background has translated into an interest in sports. In fact, one of the reasons she loves living in California is its proximity to some of the world's best outdoor playgrounds.
"I'm totally into the action sports industry," she says. "I'm into speed and the adrenaline rush you get from it."
When she's not working, Santos likes to snow board at Big Bear or Mammoth in northern California. And for a couple years now, has taken up hula dancing as a stress reliever and an interesting way to stay in shape.
"One day I'll learn how to do the fire dance," she says.
For all her activities, it's the comfort of the ocean that she comes back to. Although she's surrounded mainly by road racers during the week, the weekends are reserved for racing on water. After a long absence from riding, she recently got herself a '94 Yamaha SuperJet, and drives down to Mission Bay in San Diego to push its limits.
"It's stock right now, but I'm planning to fix it up," she says.
What she misses most about Guam is its warm water and being able to ride a Jet Ski year-round.
"Here, it's wetsuit required," she says. "No matter how warm they say the water is, it's not like on Guam."
Here is her email in case any of you single gents want to take her for a ride LOL
[email protected]
