Menstuff® has compiled the following information on women in racing. Do you know any woman who is racing that is or isn't on the list. Send us information about her and a picture, if possible. If she has a web site and/or e-mail address, send that too. Go to Feedback.
Karting has always been a great proving ground for future great drivers. Names like Mario and Tomas were common. Enter a new era with names like Jessica, Ashley, Jody, Beth, Courtney, Kimberly, Dawn, Sherry, Lindsay, Kristin, Tiffany, Deanna, Amy, Amanda, Nicole, just to name a few of the women who competed in November, 2005 at Road Atlanta. And, they're kicking butt.
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raced the same weekend in Houston |
- Are you a Girl Racer or do you want to learn more about racing,
for fun or for a career? Check out the links here to learn more
about racing series, trailblazers of racing, and other racing web
sites. Read articles about becoming a professional driver and
understand what you'll need to get on the track. video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=cc7b7e04-70e5-4c10-b2da-1c3eeb556b25,9dbc7367-7bfe-4a1f-8083-1dbe4188baf5,fbdf7a82-145b-43a2-b6b3-0eaadb329b69&t=m128&f=06/64&p=Fox%20Sports_Motorsports
- Lyn St John- 22 pagesRelated issues
How to Get Your Daughter Started
However, if you forget, many of the souvenir stands at many tracks
carry good protectors for around $10 to 15.
Many of the great race car drivers started in go-karts from Jackie Stewart to Danica Patrick. It's relatively inexpensive to get started and the great advantage is that you can start very young.
Karting is a fun and exciting activity for young and old alike. Go-Karting is actually the world's most popular motor sport. Children, boys and girls alike, love the feeling of being able to drive or ride in a Go-Kart.
Getting Started
First Steps
One of your first major decisions is to focus on the kind or kinds of racing that interests you. Call the organization that promotes this kind of racing you are interested in.
Get A First-Hand Look
Check out the local racing in your area. Be it karting, Jr. Drag, Jr. Sprint Car or any other form of racing - you need to experience it to feel the excitement. Your local Motorsports center or organization can steer you to the action. Almost every track has a rule book or flyer that defines what types of classes, what types of rules, and on what days the track races, that will provide useful information.
WATCH to see how the races are run and don't be afraid to ASK questions. Most racers will be more than happy to answer your questions. Also, don't be afraid to interview track officials or the workers at the registration area. If you have the opportunity to purchase a pit pass, DO! This will allow you to get a better feel for what racing is all about.
Read. There are many publications that offer the expert and novices alike information on the sport. These are excellent resources that provide many of the names of manufacturers and retailers that are involved in racing.
At this point you can begin to look towards developing a working budget. This is useful in determining, blinders aside, what would be a realistic investment to start your racing career.
More and more tracks and Motorsports Centers have begun programs that allow you to get a better feel for racing before you make a decision. Racing schools and classes are becoming more and more frequent and offer a great advantage -- they allow you to really get a better "hands-on" feel without the investment. Some of these programs are advertised while others can be found by calling around with the resources that you now have.
If you are comfortable with where you are at, or if you have more questions, you can benefit from a stop at your local Motorsports retailer. The shop owner is the best resource for information and can help set you up with the right equipment to get started. Just as one would go to a hardware store for advice on a home improvement project, you local race shop owner can offer you the best advice on racing.
Starting Out
Practice, practice, practice! Just like any sport, practice is one of the key essentials to success. Practicing in a non-competitive environment is vital to learning the ins and outs of racing. Many local tracks set aside several days a week for practice times. The best way to find this out is to call your local Motorsports Center or track.
Learn the basics: One of the fundamental keys to safe racing is to develop a mastering of the basics. Starting, stopping, maintenance, and track rules are some of the key basics. These rules can be learned before and during practice. A little "seat time" and these rules will become second nature.
Be Safe
Safety, safety, safety! Any form of racing has risks associated with it. The organizational bodies lay out track rules to protect racers, but it is important to know about any local differences, SO ASK!
Be sure you always wear the proper safety equipment, including a suit or approved jacket, an approved helmet, driving gloves, and a neck brace. Make sure that your local track has a satisfactory insurance policy! Also, be sure to race only on sanctioned tracks at sanctioned events!
Have Fun
The bottom line in motorsports is the enjoyment of racing.
Following safety rules, keeping your cool, and enjoying the
adrenaline of racing are the steps to a safe and fun-filled career in
racing.
Find the Perfect Driving School
or click
here to see what we've collected.Endurance Go-Kart Racing
Muldowney instantly realized what had occurred. Not only had she beaten Bob Edwards to win the top fuel final at the 1976 Springnationals, she had become the first woman to win an event in NHRA’s fastest division. She was now a trailblazer in a sport in which women, up to that point, were rarely accepted.
"(The fans) were just out of control that day," said Muldowney, who would win 17 more events and three series championships. "It was a good day for the NHRA. They finally relaxed and realized this is something the sport had needed for some time."
A gender barrier was broken that day, but few women followed Muldowney into drag racing. More than two-dozen female drivers have competed in NHRA events since Muldowney’s achievement. Eight have won professional events. Pro stock bike driver Angelle Sampey has been the best with 39 wins and three series championships.
While the number of female drivers remains low, the group that is racing this season is having unprecedented success. Entering the Pontiac Performance Nationals this weekend at National Trail Raceway, four women are ranked in the top five of the points standings in their respective categories, the most in NHRA history.
Melanie Troxel is off to a record-setting start in top fuel and leads her category by 132 points. Angelle Sampey is second and Karen Stoffer is fifth in pro stock bike. Erica Enders is third in pro stock and Hillary Will is 10th in top fuel.
It could be coincidence their prosperity is happening now. It helps that female drivers are landing with well-established, well-financed teams. Troxel and Sampey are associated with Don Schumacher Racing, the biggest team in drag racing and one with vast resources.
"What we are starting to see now is women who are capable, good drivers are starting to get some opportunities with the right team," Troxel said. "We're starting to see women who are capable of doing the job and getting opportunities with teams that can do the job."
Sampey agreed. She has one of the best teams in the motorcycle category, finishing in the top three in the points standings every year since 1998. "You have to have to the whole combination to win," she said.
Troxel tried for years to find that right combination. She didn't compete in 2004 and only raced the last half of the 2005 NHRA season as she sought sponsors.
Since she hooked up with Schumacher, Troxel has been the hottest driver on the NHRA circuit. She became the first top fuel driver to reach the final round in the first five events. She has won national awards for her start and gained attention throughout the country
"This is kind of what you hope for in an odd way," Troxel said of the notoriety she has received. "This is what I worked for my entire life to achieve. It was a struggle at times and I wondered if I was going to get an opportunity, but I never questioned my resolve to try to find a ride." Enders and Will have not toiled as long as Troxel. In their 20s, they are part of a core of young racers who are emerging after succeeding in the junior ranks.
"It's great to have girlfriends out here in a man's world," Enders said. "This has been a dream of mine forever since I was a little girl ... It is surreal (to be racing)."
Though female drivers are taking center stage this season, they hope the attention quickly diminishes. They relish the spotlight and the focus it brings to drag racing. More important to them is that they be viewed as great drivers, not female drivers.
"I've always felt very accepted by other competitors, but I've always been conscious of the fact that I didn't want to be seen as a female first," Troxel said. "All I want to be is a good race car driver who happens to be female."
Source: Friday, May 19, 2006, Jeremy McLaughlin,
The Columbus Dispatch, www.dispatch.com/sports-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/05/19/20060519-F1-00.html
or E-Mail
is the vision of racing enthusiast Nika.
The mission: to provide a forum for women in or interested in the automotive and motor sports industry. We aim to provide an informative and entertaining look at women and their passion for cars.
Racerchicks.com
is here to support all the women involved in the industry. With
sections such as Racerchick 101 which provide free tutorials for
women wanting to take their racing to the next level, the website has
become a invaluable resource.
Racerchicks currently lists 221 women drivers at www.racerchicks.com/racers/index.html
The value of Racerchicks.com
is as a place for exchange, information, entertainment, and
promotion. Contact Nika at E-Mail
The prize for the winners of the four races – Amanda Elliott (34 from Derby) Michelle Nixon (22 from Little Malvern), Lucy Redding (31 from Toddington) and Amanda Black (23 from Skegness) respectively – is automatic entry for the 8-round 2006 Formula Woman Novice Race Series, which will feature at events throughout the UK. The remaining women will now be invited to attend a Formula Woman ‘boot camp’, from which the final 12 entrants will be selected for the Series.
Said Formula Woman founder Graeme Glew, "We had over 4000 applicants for just 16 places in next year’s Series for Caterham K-Series racecars. The 2000 selected were whittled down to 100 hopefuls via a variety of tests on and off the track. Those 100 were then invited to enter for Pembrey, as it was felt a concentrated race day was the perfect way of sorting the women from the girls and giving those attending an experience to remember. We are confident we created a new world record in the process and have submitted our claim to the Guinness Book of Records."
As part of a commitment to Formula Woman, Channel 4 is compiling a documentary on four of the competitors – including the oldest entrant, 67-year-old Jean Neville from Haslingden in Lancashire. The resulting programme will be screened in 2006.
The race days were with not without incident, with Race Two posting a pair of false starts and the final event ending prematurely following an accident. However the driving was hard and fast and the competitors and spectators loved every minute.
Said Formula Woman’s Penny Mattocks, "The other race goers (almost exclusively male!) were bemused by the number of drivers with long blonde hair and the circuit restaurant had to purchase an emergency supply of cereals and fruit to supplement its normal fare of fried food. There was even a nutritionist on hand and Formula Woman marshals manning the marshal’s posts. In short, there were girls everywhere!"
Source: www.femalefirst.co.uk/motoring/6022004.htm
2006
Formula Woman Championship
Give the track a call on 01400 230306. - It's an open race to any female driver.
All drivers will receive a safety breifing and safety clothing and helmet.
Start off with a timed practice session, this will determine the order of the grid. With the fastest driver on poll, second fastest 2nd etc.
The race starts with a rolling lap. The winner is the first person to complete 50 laps.
The first 3 placed drivers will receive trophies, with an additional trophie being given to the driver with the fastest lap.
It's good fun, so why not take part? Call now to reserve your
place. What is a Formula One Go-karting Event? Amanda is planning to
enter Ancaster's women only F1 race. If you fancy having a go or
challenging her, come along for a bit of fun. Why not check out their
website for more infomation View High Resolution
Wikipedia Encyclopedia Lists 41
Women
Formula One (5) Giovanna Amati, Maria Teresa de Filippis, Divina Galica, Lella Lombardi, Desiré Wilson
Formula Three (10) Gina Maria Adenauer, Giovanna Amati, Danielle Argiro, Bia Figueiredo, Claudia Hürtgen, Keiko Ihara, Katherine Legge, Ellen Lohr, Lella Lombardi, Susie Stoddart
Indy 500 (4) Sarah Fisher, Janet Guthrie, Danica Patrick, Lyn St. James
NASCAR (13) Sara Christian, Erin Crocker, Kim Crosby, Tina Gordon, Janet Guthrie, Tammy Jo Kirk, Ethel Mobley, Patty Moise, Deborah Renshaw, Mara Reyes, Shawna Robinson, Louise Smith, Kelly Sutton
Rally (4) Jutta Kleinschmidt, Pat Moss, Michèle Mouton, Coral Taylor
Source: Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Female_racecar_drivers
Provisional Formula Woman Championship Dates - 2006.
7/29-30 - Pembrey - 2 races
8/12-13 - Mallory Park - 2 races
8/19-20 - Brands Hatch - 2 races
9/23-24 - Snetterton - 2 races (double points)
Source: www.amandablack.co.nr/
