Elena Luchian

Elena's story does not begin with "Once upon a time" but with a phone call that turned her life around. She was 18 and a first-year student when she started out as a TV sports reporter. She watched soccer, tennis, car racing, everything with a ball or without, and wrote about them all, day in and day out.

Years passed, and she realized television was a bug. You can't live with it, and you can't live without it. She got promoted to senior editor at 23 and was planning to keep that job until she retired in her late 80s.

But then there was another phone call, and she ended up in the car media. Test drives followed, lots of writing, lots of traveling, off-road courses, track courses, defensive driving courses, too, and diplomas (they're completely useless, she says. But what she learned is not!).

The mental pace was back. Not complaining, just bragging. Because once you start, there is no turning back. Tell her something more intoxicating than going down a steep hill in a V12-powered G-Class, and she won't believe it! Tell her there's something more thrilling than driving along winding roads in a convertible yellow Mustang, and she'll think it's a joke. Don't argue with her there! We all have our soft spots!

In 2022, another phone call brought her to this team. Again, she's not complaining. Just bragging.