NDIA ERBACHER was first taken to the dragstrip when she was three weeks old . Even though she grew up around motorsports , Erbacher was never really into drag racing .

Her hobby consisted of a different type of horsepower – horse show jumping . However , when the time came for her dad , one of the first drag racers in Switzerland , to retire after spending more than 35 years in the sport , Jndia decided to switch gears .

“ We are a family team ,” explains Erbacher . “ We don ’ t do it for a business – we just do it out of passion as a family . It was like , if he stops racing , I will lose my racing family , so I asked him to give me a try .”

Erbacher ’ s father , Urs , immediately said no to the idea , stating that it was too dangerous .

So , she went a different route to obtain her first drag racing license by asking a friend to help fund the process .

“ I went to my dad and said , ‘ You do it with me , or I ’ m doing it alone ,’ and then he was like , ‘ OK , I ’ ll do it with you ,’” she says .

Erbacher began by getting her Super Comp license , then worked her way to a Top Alcohol Dragster license . She only competed in three races as a TAD driver and then took the step into a Top Fuel dragster .

After competing in the class for several years , Erbacher ’ s goal was to field the Top Fuel dragster for a full season . However , this year , the FIA Top Fuel racer was thrown an unexpected curveball .

“ I was planning to do the full season after the Main Event since we were pretty good in the points ,” she says . “ Then , at the Main Event , the first race of the year , I had some very massive back pain after the last qualification around on Saturday . I was thinking it ’ s probably just something in my back , maybe a muscle or something .”

Erbacher continued to compete throughout Sunday up to the semifinals , where she was eventually eliminated . “ After the semifinals , I almost couldn ’ t get out of the car ,” she confesses .

The 29-year-old returned home and was still thinking the pain was muscle-related . However , after a week of no relief , she went to the doctor for X-rays , and it turned out she had a fractured vertebra in her spine .

After only two and a half months , Erbacher returned to racing and competed at the NitrOlympX at the Hockenheim Motodrom . At the end of the 2023 season , she finished third in the FIA championship points .

Now , her plan for the future is to chase a championship in Europe . However , Erbacher has to juggle her full-time student status , a full-time job , and securing funding . Plus , the Erbacher team still has the dragster she licensed in stored with the Lagana family in the U . S ., with hopes to run a few races stateside this coming year as well .

“ As I said , we are a family team . All of us are doing this in our free time ,” she concludes . “ All of my crew has a full-time job , and I know how much effort this is . I really want to thank them and my dad and mom . I know I wouldn ’ t be here without them .” – KAYLA ZADEL DI

150 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 185