Racing Lines, Racing Hearts: A NASA Love Story

We all know that racing improves focus, sharpens reflexes, builds confidence and relieves stress. Racing with NASA also can put you on a path to love.

That’s the story of Stefan Derra and Natalia Figura, two drivers who found true love at a NASA MidAmerica event.

Fate brought the couple together in 2023 when they were paired in the HPDE program at Ozarks International Raceway. Derra was Figura’s instructor for the day, and her family could already sense the chemistry.
“My mom is like, ‘Hey, your instructor is cute,’” said Figura, 27. “I’m like, ‘Whoa, whoa.’ I’m focused on not driving off the track and crashing my car, not flirting.”

Derra kept it cool, too, focusing the conversations on driving, the track and Figura’s Subaru BRZ. A week later at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kan., Figura was going through the HPDE2 program and Derra’s HPDE1 student had gone home for the day. The chief instructor told Derra to pick any HPDE2 car that didn’t have an instructor.

“I saw a white Subaru BRZ (Figura’s car) and I guess I’ll go and see if there’s an instructor in there,” said Derra, 24. “It’s at that event when we really connected more.”

When they showed up on grid 30 minutes early after misreading the schedule, the couple sat in the car and talked. They both realized they lived in Columbia, Mo., at the time, were around the same age, and shared common interests.

“I had Natalia’s phone number from being her instructor at Ozarks and I just texted her if she wanted to go get drinks,” Derra said. “And the rest is history.”

Derra was a senior at the University of Missouri, finishing up his business administration degree, while Figura had been working full time. Their first date was on homecoming weekend at the university.

“All the girls were like, ‘We love Stefan. He’s so great. He’s so nice,’” Figura said. “I was like, ‘If the girls are saying that I’m sure the rest of him is pretty good too.’”

The relationship blossomed quickly with the couple hanging out during the weekend. Only a few weeks after their first date, Figura spent Thanksgiving with Derra’s family. They joked that if the relationship didn’t work out, things might get awkward at the track.

“Everyone loved her and she just fit right in,” Derra said.

Stefan’s father, Helmut Derra, who leads NASA MidAmerica’s GR program, said both families have grown closer, since Stefan and Natalia are engaged to be married in fall 2027. Both families will hang out together in the paddocks during a NASA event weekend.

“You don’t look at them and go, ‘Wow, they’re just attached at the hip, and they can’t seem to be separated,’” Helmut said. “They spend time together at the track, but they do their own things.”

For Stefan, that means instructing and running in Time Trial 4 at NASA events. Stefan shares his father’s Audi A4 so he’ll run his sessions when the car is available. “At the end of the day, I want track time,” Stefan said.

Stefan started instructing at age 21, beginning his motorsports career in karts. He started in HPDE3 and went through Time Trial before becoming an instructor.

“I think his demeanor, his maturity, just kind of supersedes his age, so people feel comfortable in the car with him,” Helmut said.

Figura said Stefan’s calm teaching style is one of his many attractive qualities. When Figura was paired with Stefan for HPDE1, her track experience was limited to one other event.

“He has a calm aura when he instructs,” Figura said. “I was very calm, which I liked because I had another instructor that made me nervous.”

Figura grew up in Missouri playing softball, riding four-wheelers and playing paintball with her cousins. Figura remembers watching NASCAR on television with her grandmother and seeing Danica Patrick compete.

“I thought that was cool and I wanted to do it one day,” she said. “I always liked doing motorsports-type stuff. I just found it fun.”

When Natalia started working full-time as a data engineer, she bought a Subaru BRZ. Natalia upgraded it to a turbo, giving it far better straight-line speed than the stock version. “I try not to push it too much out on the track because I have to drive it to work the next day,” Natalia said.

After doing a long-distance relationship for a year (Natalia in Columbia and Stefan in Kansas City), they both moved to Denver, Colo., over the summer. Stefan proposed on a recent trip to Breckenridge, Colo., where their families and friends joined them to celebrate.

Stefan said they were walking around downtown and decided to propose in front of a tree wrapped in lights. Before he could get the ring out of his pocket, Natalia had already accepted.

“I could see it coming. I was so excited,” she said.

Once Derra and Figura get established in Denver, they plan to instruct and race in the NASA Rocky Mountain Region. Their bigger plans are to start an endurance-racing team with their fathers. “We’re already kind of turning the gears on how we can make that happen,” he said.

Since the couple have been dating for more than two years, racing has become a family affair. Figura’s father, John, has done track days for the past couple of seasons. After coming to the track to support Natalia, John bought a car and is regularly participating in NASA events. John has been learning the track from Helmut and is looking forward to endurance racing.

“I’ve been learning a lot from him,” John said. “I’ve gone fast in boats, but the car and the track is all new to me. He’s a good guy to learn from.”

Derra and Figura said they look forward to racing with their extended family.

“My dad always tells me that it’s one of the most rewarding things as a parent to have done all these events with me,” Stefan said. “Obviously Natalia is here and now she’s part of the team too. It’s just really special because motorsports quickly becomes a lifestyle, and to have a significant other that supports you, a lot of people aren’t that lucky.”