Women in Racing

by Nika of racerchicks.com

It is hard to believe that there was a time women were not allowed in the pit or garage areas of the Indianapolis 500 and then a few years later Janet Guthrie was making history as the first woman to compete in this prestigious race. Although female auto racers were rare at the onslaught of competitive motorsport their numbers have been steadily increasing since the introduction of sanctioning bodies such as SCCA. The breaking down of barriers and stereotypes mean female membership is on rise and more and more women are making the transition from fan to racer. As it stands today out of 61,000 SCCA members approximately 25% are women and that number is expected to grow each year. The mentors of today were the women racers of yesterday.

We have to look back and respect those pioneers. Women have competed in all areas of motorsport. In the early 1930’s Kay Petre a daughter of a Canadian barrister who lived in England enjoyed competing in her Wolseley Hornet. In her white leather jacket and tailor made helmet she was an instant media hit. A petite girl standing just under five feet tall, she brought what some say was glamour and style to the racing image instead of grease and grime. Looking back to the vehicles that were raced at the time it took strength, stamina and courage to compete. The technology we have today to make a car safer, faster, and better handling were non existent back then and racing was branded a “life threatening” sport. Thrill-seeking women were branded with negative labels.

One woman to take on the challenge was Shirley Muldowney. She became the first woman to earn a NHRA competition license and the first woman to break the five-second barrier has a distinguished career spanning many decades. In 1977 she became the first and only lady to win the Winston World Championship for top fuel. She followed that with the distinction as being the first racer ever to win three consecutive NHRA national events back to back. Inducted into the Motorsports Hall of fame in 1990 – Shirley is by far the single most accomplished woman in racing.

As the sentiment changes for a woman’s role in society we have expanded from wife and mother to professional and now to racer . We look back to the Italian the word for racer “Pilota” – without the feminine form until recently when Sylvia Oberti become the first woman to finish solo the historic Mille Miglia (1,000-mile) vintage auto race in Italy. She became the “Pilotessa” (her registered trademark) that has competed in the grueling rally for past few years. Sylvia was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame as Outstanding Woman of the Year in Sports and Athletics in 1996. Sylvia has encouraged young girls and older women to follow their dreams and to challenge the status quo.

Formula One which many believe to be the paramount of racing has had a few women compete yet unfortunately without great success. In the 1950’s Maria Teresa Filippis became the first women to compete with her best finish being a tenth place in her Maserati 250F. Her fellow competitors were such renowned names as Bernie Eccelstone, Carol Shelby, Phil Hill and Sterling Moss to name a few Giovanna Amati was just one of a handful of women to try and compete in this series. She described some of the attitude she encountered being the lone female, the “male environment” and how difficult it was to gain respect. Fortunately stories such as hers are heard less and less as motorsports professionals open their eyes to women being a powerful and competitive force behind the wheel.

Today as attitudes change there have been a few women drive in a handful of Winston Cup races with a few running full-time programs in the Busch series. Sarah Fisher is an up and coming IRL driver that aims to win the next Indy 500. At 21 years of age she has proven herself to be the star of the future. When recently asked what it was like as a female driver in a male-dominated sport she responded with “During my entire racing career, I have never emphasized the fact that I was female. This attitude has been well respected by all of the competitors that I have raced against all the way to the Indy Racing Northern Light Series. I am not in the sport to illustrate or grow the "power of women." My entire focus is on winning races and being the best at what I do. However, it is a neat and helpful attribute to have as far as the fans go. A lot of people say it helps with sponsors too, but after all the media attention, etc. our side pod is still bare.”

In the fifties wives and girlfriends of local racers took part in what was called “Powder Puff Derbys”. As the name suggests it was more for amusement then competition and the belief that a woman in her feminine soft ways could not compete in punishing races. In 2001 Jutta Kleinschmidt of Germany became the first woman to win the grueling 10,700km Paris – Dakar Rally. Where the fear of breaking a nail is replaced with sheer survival – such achievements will be recognized as the norm for female racers not unique in the sport.

There are few sports that have both genders competing equally amongst each other – and theories abound to why a female presence is still less than equal on the racing circuit. There isn’t any argument that racing takes energy, commitment, and large sums of money – could these be the key issues? The fall of the Woman’s Global GT in 2000 – a female only racing series was not due to lack of drivers. On the onslaught, more than 200 women came to compete with less than half making the final cut. It was the inability to find a title sponsor to offset some of the costs that was the unfortunate reason. Still, many of the women who competed in the Women’s Global GT have gone to other racing series.

Now in modern times women racers are accepted in certain respect. With club racing becoming more and more popular across the country – many women can be found on the grid instead of in the stands. While the battle the legitimacy may continue, we are making strides and we will be taking the checkered flag often. The increase of the female presence in local racing and feeders series mean only one thing: it will just be a matter of time until the female racer has the respect she deserves.

For comments, feedback and just plain greetings, feel free to e-mail me at nika@racerchicks.com or AOL IM  "racernika"