Jen Horsey (born October 28, 1975) is a Canadian automotive journalist, TV personality[1] and motorsport competitor[2] with a specialty in rallying and rallycross.
Horsey is a longtime contributor to ESPN’s digital and television programming.[3] who, in 2012, became ESPN’s first-ever female motorsport analyst, broadcasting from the announce booth for X Games and other rallycross competition.[4] She debuted on-air at ESPN as an in-car commentator in 2009. In what was reported as a television first, she and fellow commentator Chrissie Beavis rode along in the passenger seat with top drivers during racing competition and offered their analysis and commentary live-to-air.[5] [6] She and Beavis returned to the broadcast in the same capacity the following year. In 2011, Horsey joined the on-air team at X Games as a pit reporter for rallycross. In addition, her numerous articles on automotive and other topics have appeared in a vast range of media outlets, primarily in the United States and Canada.[7]
In competition, she is best known as a rally co-driver, although she has also competed as a rally driver in both the US and Canada.[8] She is the voice of the co-driver in the third installment of the Codemasters videogame, DiRT 3, and returned for Dirt 4.[9] Her most notorious co-driving appearance came in 2008 during X Games competition when, during a head-to-head race against Dave Mirra (and his co-driver Alexander Kihurani) driver Andrew Comrie-Picard shorted the 70 ft (20 m) gap jump and her team’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX made a spectacular front-flip. Neither Horsey nor the driver were injured.[10]
Since 2005, she has earned four division podium finishes, including two wins, in five appearances as a co-driver at the Targa Newfoundland rally. Her first Modern division victory came in 2006 as co-driver to Keith Townsend in a Subaru WRX STi.[11] She repeated in 2008 alongside Andrew Comrie-Picard in a factory supported Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.[12] [13] In 2011, she co-drove Ralph Gilles in a Dodge Viper and the duo finished third in the Modern division.[14] [15] In 2012, she moved to Open division with driver Samuel Hubinette and finished in second-place in a factory supported 2012 Fiat Abarth.[16] She has also co-driven Steve Millen at Targa New Zealand in a Nissan GTR,[17] as well as competing in numerous stage rallies, primarily in Canada, with various other drivers.