'Really demanding': Vancouver Island teen training to become Formula One racer

She may only have her learner’s licence, but that hasn’t held a 16-year-old Comox Valley, B.C., teen back from working towards her goal of being a professional driver. Nicole Haverda got the green light on her desire to be a professional race car driver four years ago when her father took her to a Formula One race in Europe.

Nicole Haverda got the green light on her desire to be a professional race car driver four years ago when her father took her to a Formula One race in Europe.

Previous to that she had been a competitive swimmer.

"Our whole family likes the competitiveness and the speed, and my brother’s a downhill biker and so we kind of just have that," said the B.C. teen.

After getting several wins in cart racing she is now gearing up into Formula Three vehicles, which are for more high-end juniors. The move is considered a stepping stone to professional Formula One driving.

"It’s really demanding. It’s usually the upper body, so it goes from your shoulders to your forearms and the neck as well," she said.

"The neck muscles are very crucial because of the g-forces you’re pulling."

Haverda splits her time between races in the Eastern and Western United States, and her home in the Comox Valley. But she doesn’t see travelling those distances as a drawback.

"Being a Canadian racer coming from a small valley, a lot of people see, 'Oh she’s from a small valley it’s not like she’s from Los Angeles or something.' So actually I feel it’s a benefit for me," Haverda said.