Aline Santos joined SRO Motorsports America for the 2023 season as her foray into racing. She brings her own sparkle and shine to her position as the Team Relations Assistant for the five series competing under the SRO America banner.
In her first season, Santos is walking into her dream job with confidence as she expands her people skill sets into motorsports. She had been a fan of the sport but had never previously sought out work in racing; instead, she chased careers in theatre and as a youth pastor.
“I became a fan of racing recently, but in a very intense way,” Santos said. “It basically took over my life, and I dove in headfirst. It’s as if racing was waiting there for me to discover it and become my passion. I’ve always been a fan of high-stakes sports, and motorsports is pretty much as high-stakes as you can get. I started thinking about wanting to work in the industry in June of 2022. I just had this calling, and I knew this was what I needed to do.”
Her love of theatrics expands past the drama of racing. Santos has a long history of enjoying theatre and cinema.
“I’m a total theater geek and cinephile,” Santos said. “I grew up participating in school plays and musicals and even studied theater in college. My family had movie nights multiple times a week. I can talk about the entertainment industry at length to anyone willing to engage. Do you want to talk Barbie or Oppenheimer? I’m your person.”
Santos made SRO America home after interviewing with General Manager Staci Langham. Langham’s own history in racing and the direction of SRO America enticed Santos to pursue GT racing specifically while also focusing on SRO’s vision, growth, and success.
“I wanted to pursue my dream of working in the motorsports industry, and after meeting Staci and learning about SRO, I really wanted to work specifically for this organization,” Santos said. “I knew the opportunity to work with and learn from someone like Staci was going to be an invaluable experience for me in my pursuit of this new career. Especially not having had any work experience in racing before, I have a lot to learn. Once I met the rest of the team my excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of SRO just grew and keeps growing.”
Like a sponge, Santos has soaked in all the knowledge she can learn from the many new connections she’s made over the season. On any race weekend teams can find Santos running administrative checks, helping at the podium and lending a helping hand to her coworkers. Possibly, most importantly, she keeps a line of communication open from teams to the series to track compliance in the paddock.
“On race weekends I'm on top of ensuring that our teams are fully compliant with necessary paperwork and regulations,” Santos said. “I'm also the go-to person for our teams when they need anything. Whether it's answering their questions, ordering decals, signing up for test days, connecting them with the right personnel for assistance, or being a listening ear for their valuable feedback.”
Her bubbly personality has quickly made her a beloved figure in the paddock. The appreciation is returned.
“As cliché as it might be to say, my favorite thing this year is honestly the people,” Santos said. “I’ve met so many incredible people from all over the country and even the world both within the SRO team and also in the paddock. Within SRO I get to work with and learn from an awesome team, which elevates the experience.”
With her first season nearing completion, Santos is focused on continuing to learn as much as she can ahead of her second season. The excitement of stepping into a career she finally feels at home in is made all the more exciting the knowledge and relationships she’s gained in 2023.