Every few weeks, the sounds of Top Gear and Formula One highlights echo through classrooms. For senior Katherine Pearson and juniors Dylan Kramer and Walker Benoit, cars aren’t just machines. They are communities, creative outlets, and the backbone to two growing clubs on campus.
Pearson, co-founder and president of the F1 Club, traces her passion to watching Netflix’s Drive to Survive with her dad. “Drive to Survive pulled people in with the drama,” she said. “But the sport keeps you there once you understand it.”
Since then, Pearson has followed the F1 circuit closely, tuning in to races all across the world. What keeps her hooked, she says, is the unpredictability to such a precise sport, a sport that blends individual prowess with team synergy.
“F1 is both a team and an individual sport,” Pearson said. “It’s not on a level playing field, which makes it even more interesting.”
Now, her club meets after major races to break down results, exchange views on standings, and even plan themed gatherings. Timed to celebrate the championship finale, the club arranged an ice cream party to be a happy or sad party–depending on who won.
She credits the sport’s explosion in popularity to F1’s strategic marketing and American races. “Formula One’s gotten huge because of social media,” she said. “They’ve made it flashy and accessible.”
Across campus, that same spark fuels the Car Club, co-led by Kramer and Benoit. Both trace their love of cars to early family influences: Kramer’s dad’s rare vintage Excalibur and Benoit’s Porsche 911.
“I’ve loved cars since I was little,” Kramer said. “My dad’s always been into them, so he kind of fostered that.”
Together, they founded the Car Club to share that enthusiasm with the student body.
Their first official meeting promises to combine education and fun, featuring: Chick-fil-A, an F1-shirt raffle, and a screening of Top Gear classics. However, the club’s influence reaches far beyond school walls.
On the occasional Saturday, Kramer and Benoit can be found at Cars and Coffee, Houston’s monthly gathering of car enthusiasts. “People get there at six in the morning,” Benoit said. “There’s a DJ, food, every kind of car you can imagine—no one really goes for the coffee.”
The founders have strong opinions on what defines car culture: they love classic and high-performance cars; modern muscle car culture, however, for them is “too destructive;” and when it comes to electric vehicles, their views are disparate.
“Electric cars are cool for acceleration, but they’re too heavy and too quiet,” Kramer said. “You can’t beat a real engine sound.” Still, Benoit admits the powerful hum of super-EVs like the Rimac Nevera is “a cool, intense feeling.”
Both leaders are working to make their club more active this year through regular meetings, community excursions, and social-media showcasing of original student-taken photos.
Whether they’re debating race results, comparing horsepower, or just admiring design, these students have built communities united by curiosity.
As Pearson put it, “Being around people who also love this stuff, and getting to share what you know, that’s the best part.”
