March 20, 2025 • 35 mins
Throughout its storied history, motorsports has been unwelcoming to women. Consequently, it has been necessary for female racers to develop unique strategies to enter what has long existed as an exclusive masculine enclave. While entry can be facilitated through a familial relationship with a male driver, women without such connections often get their start through participation in women-only racing events. Although these races have provided women with the opportunity to enter the track, they have not been without controversy. Detractors argue that women will not be considered legitimate racers unless they compete on the same track as men. Proponents view women-only racing not only as a way to attract more women into the sport, but also as an important source of skill development, support, and community building.
Chris Lezotte investigates the evolution of women-only racing, from its early introduction as a media stunt, to its current incarnation as a proving ground for serious female open-wheel racers. Informed by archival resources and motorsport scholarship, it considers how women-only racing complicates, facilitates, and liberates women’s entry, participation, and recognition in the masculine world of motorsports.
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00:00 The Evolution of Women-Only Racing 03:34 Early History of Women in Motorsports 06:40 Powderpuff Racing and Its Impact 10:17 The Rise of All-Female Racing Teams 15:28 The W Series and Modern Developments 22:19 Debate on Gender Segregation in Racing 24:12 Q&A Session 32:27 Closing Remarks and Credits====================
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This episode is part of our HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family - and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.
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(00:00):
Breakfix's History of Motorsportsseries is brought to you in part
by the International Motor RacingResearch Center, as well as the
Society of Automotive Historians,the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of
Commerce, and the Argettsinger family.
From Powderpuff to W Series, the evolutionof women only racing by Chris Lezat.
(00:22):
Throughout its storied history,motorsports has been unwelcoming to women.
Consequently, it has been necessaryfor female racers to develop unique
strategies to enter what has long existedas an exclusive masculine enclave.
While entry can be facilitated througha familial relationship with a male
driver, women without such connectionsoften get their start through
participating in women only racing events.
(00:42):
Although these races have provided womenwith the opportunity to enter the track,
they have not been without controversy.
Detractors argue that women will notbe considered legitimate racers until
they compete on the same track as men.
Proponents view women only racingnot only as a way to attract more
women into the sport, but also as animportant source of skill development,
support, and community building.
This paper investigates the evolutionof women only racing from its early
(01:06):
introduction as a media stunt toits current incarnation as providing
ground for serious female open wheelracers informed by archival resources
and motor sports scholarship.
It considers how women onlyracing complicates, facilitates,
and liberates women's entries,participation, and recognition in
the masculine world of motor sports.
A Motor City native, Chris Lizotte spentpart of her life writing car commercials.
(01:29):
After exiting her advertising career,she pursued a Master's in Women's and
Gender Studies at Eastern MichiganUniversity and was awarded a PhD
in American Culture Studies fromBowling Green State University.
Now working as an independent scholar,Chris continues her research focused on
the relationship between women and cars ina variety of contexts, including women's
participation in traditionally masculinecar cultures, as well as representations
(01:51):
of women and cars in popular culture.
Her work has been included in popularculture, women's studies, transportation
history, media studies, masculinestudies, and automotive history journals.
Chris's first book, Power Under HerFoot, Women Enthusiasts of American
Muscle Cars, was published in 2018.
Good morning, everyone.
To introduce myself, I'm ChrisLizotte, an independent scholar.
(02:12):
My research focuses on therelationship between women and
cars in a variety of contexts.
This presentation from Powder Puffto W Series traces the complicated
history of women only racing inEurope and the United States.
In 2019, I was asked to contributea chapter on the rather broad topic
of women in motorsports, to beincluded in a compiled volume on the
(02:32):
history and politics of motor racing.
At the time, the W Series, anall female, single seater racing
championship, had just been introduced.
This announcement created a fair amountof controversy in the racing community.
WSeries proponents praised the racingchampionship as an important platform
for women to showcase racing ability,as well for its potential to carve
(02:53):
a pathway to higher level racing.
Opponents decried the series asaggressive and belittling to women,
claiming segregated racing carries theimplication women aren't capable of
competing at the same level as men.
The question of whether female racersare best served by separate or equal
opportunities has long been a subjectof discussion and unwavering opinion.
(03:13):
Thus, I thought an examinationinto the history of women only
racing could perhaps provide someinsight into the ongoing debate.
This presentation is takenfrom the chapter that was
eventually published in 2023.
Although the W Series was suspendedin 2022 due to financial issues, the
question of how to best advance womenin motorsport remains relevant today.
(03:34):
Women's interest in motorsportbegan shortly after the
automobile's introduction.
In the early auto age in both Europeand the United States, the horseless
carriage was accessible primarily tothose with considerable financial means.
Although the association of the automobileand mass transit accepted as a given
throughout automotive history, at the turnof the 20th century, it was wealth and
(03:55):
status rather than gender that determinedwho could operate a motor vehicle.
Thus, it was not unusual for well offwomen to join men as driving enthusiasts.
The permission awarded to early womendrivers allowed them to call upon
the automobile to expand social,physical, and political horizons.
Female motorists of significant meanswere, in fact, the first to engage
(04:16):
in cross country automobile trips.
While these tours often served as autocompany publicity stunts, they also
effectively presented women on thenational stage as legitimate motorists.
Yet for some women, longdistance tours were not enough.
To satisfy a new pound passion fordriving, they turned to racing.
By the early 1900s, informal andformal racing events were being
(04:37):
held in Europe and the UnitedStates in a variety of venues.
On both sides of the Atlantic,upper class women gained notoriety,
if not success, as female racers.
Camille Dugas of France was recognizedas the first female star of motorsports.
Through her impressive racingaccomplishments, Britain's Dorothy
Leavitt earned the right to callherself the fastest woman on Earth.
(04:58):
Joan Newton Cuneo went on to becomeperhaps the most well known female
motorist in the U. S. until abruptlyshut down in 1909 by the American
Automobile Association, when women wereofficially forbidden to participate in
the organization's motorsport events.
The situation differed in Europe, however.
Motor racing at Brooklyn's wasbeginning to draw large crowds.
Eyeing a potential for profit, raceauthorities relented and allowed
(05:21):
women onto the track, albeit inspecial event women only races.
Taking over the motor racing circuit afterher husband's death in 1926, Ethel Locke
King created new opportunities for women.
Organizations such as the LadiesAutomobile Club at Brooklyn and the
Automobile Club Féminin de France becameimportant networks for the development
and promotion of female racers.
(05:42):
In these European venues, women hadthe opportunity to demonstrate they
could race as competitively as men.
World War II altered the possibilitiesfor female racers in both Europe and
the United States in conflicting ways.
In Britain, the post war periodwitnessed a change in attitudes
regarding female racers.
New personnel at Brooklands, theretirement of former female racers,
(06:02):
and increased emphasis on the dangersof the sport contributed to the return
of traditional opinions opposing womendrivers involvement in motor racing.
The prevailing mood was no longerconducive to women on the track.
Public spirit required thatevery woman look after her war
veteran and produce children.
In post war America, however, women,nearly invisible on the track since
(06:23):
the AAA ban, were the beneficiariesof new motorsport opportunities.
Motorsport, which had long existed asan activity for the rich, soon became
accessible to those of lesser means.
These amateur competitions became fanfavorites, as anyone with a vehicle
and a bit of daring could participate.
Women who accompanied boyfriends orhusbands to the racetrack were soon
(06:44):
offered the opportunity to competein separate ladies races, most
often referred to as powderpuff.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s,powderpuff races were created
to address a number of concerns.
Women who accompanied maleracers had little to do once
arriving but watch and wait.
In the masculine world of motorsports,women served primarily as uniform washers,
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picnic lunchmakers, and cheerleaders.
Confined to the sidelines, female interestin the race experience soon began to wane.
Race promoters, fearful women's lackof enthusiasm would keep boyfriends
and husbands from entering events, sawan opportunity to keep women occupied
and in the process increase the gate.
Role friends and wives wereencouraged to borrow cars from
male companions and race againsteach other as a special attraction.
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Powderpuff participants often had limiteddriving experience, but were encouraged
to take part to show support for amale companion's motorsports hobby.
While many women participatedtentatively, there were some
dissatisfied with roles as tag alongs.
who desire to race competitively.
But because most tracks prohibited womenfrom racing against men, powderpuff
competitions became the primary wayto develop confidence behind the
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wheel, gain track experience, honeracing skills and strategies, and show
the guys that they could do it too.
On most tracks, powderpuffraces were often more spectacle
than serious competition.
As an auto journalist recalls,the women also had to participate
in a gong show type agenda.
They might have to run so many laps.
Stop to eat a piece of watermelon,roll up into the stands and kiss
(08:11):
the man of their choice, then resumethe race, or stop after so many
laps to wrestle with a greased pig.
As another noted, Powder Puff were thetype of events in which women were treated
as less significant and where the menwould kindly lend their race cars to women
for just a few laps around the track.
Clearly, women competitorswere not taken very seriously.
Yet despite the negative attitudestoward women racers, participation
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in Powderpuff often had a positiveand powerful effect on women's lives.
Women raced not only to supportmale companions, but also to expand
social networks, gain confidence,and escape from everyday lives.
Powderpuff provided women with theopportunity to develop advanced
driving skills, make importantcontacts, gain a little notoriety, and
prove themselves as serious racers.
(08:55):
Many, including those featured here,who went on to achieve a number
of firsts in women's motorsport,began racing careers in powder puff.
Other than premier events such asthe Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR
championship, American post war racingwas primarily an amateur pastime.
Races were run for trophies.
Cash prizes were banned as weredonations from sponsors, car
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makers, or local businesses.
While the conditions under which menand women raced were not the same, women
received less track time and had fewerand shorter races than male counterparts.
All racers were held to the samerestrictions in terms of sponsorships
and financial remuneration.
As the decade concluded, top driversfrom the sports car circuit were
being lured by the considerable cashprizes of international competition.
(09:38):
U. S. racing organizations foughtback by creating racing events
with comparable financial awards.
Smaller venues, losing topdrivers, and paying crowds.
So it sponsors to stay in business whilethe move toward the commercialization of
motorsports affected all amateur racers,regardless of gender, it was ultimately
responsible for the decline of all femaleracing without amateur ladies races.
(10:01):
Women lost an important platform fromwhich to gain experience and exposure.
While ladies races were often thesubject of derision and disparagement,
they were without question instrumentalin bringing the racing experience
to an increasing population offemale motorsport enthusiasts.
As the professionalism of racingresulted in reduced possibilities
for female racers, women's racingteams emerged as one of the few
(10:24):
opportunities to fill the void.
During the 1970s, two racing organizationsin Europe and the United States
developed all female racing teams.
While the primary motivation wasthe marketing and promotional
potential of photogenic femaleracers, the very existence of
these teams allowed for increasedwomen's motor sports participation.
During the early 1970s, Bob Mayrett,a French tennis and former rally
(10:47):
competitor, convinced Aseptical, a brandof toothpaste created by his company, to
sponsor a European all female rally team.
As part of Aseptical's wide reachingPR campaign, the team was composed
of attractive women with varyingdegrees of driving skills, outfitted
in matching pink racing ensemblesthat complemented the red, white,
and strawberry pink racing cars.
(11:08):
The team's first outings in 1973 wereearly season alpine rally events in France
and provided challenging competition,as well as all important promotional
opportunities over the next 20 years.
Team Aseptical had varyingdegrees of success.
Team Aseptical inspired the formation ofother all ladies rallies teams in Europe.
And while the women serve primarily asmarketing tools for the owner sponsors
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and race promoters, it also broughtattention, both positive and negative
to individual drivers in particular.
And motorsport women in general, manywho spent a season or two driving for
team aseptical were able to fashionsolid careers as rally drivers get
more significantly team aseptical andthe all female racing teams inspired
suggested that women in motorsports werenot in fact exceptions to the rule, but
(11:55):
we're part of a growing population ofserious and competent female racers.
Around the same time in the UnitedStates, the Macmillan Oil Racing
Team sponsored a group of femaleracers known as the Motor Maids.
The team was first assembled in 1966to compete in the Daytona 24 Hours.
Yet much like the European racing scene,the focus was on the all female team
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was more promotional than professional.
Publicity focused not on drivingskills, but personal appearance.
A 1966 press release described motormaid Donna Mae Minns as a bubbling,
bouncing blood bombshell of energy.
Her famous pink wardrobe on thetrack has become her trademark.
News devoted to Leanne Ingemann calledattention to her clothing choices.
(12:35):
Leanne's trademarks are her whiteturtleneck sweaters and a purple
racing outfit that emphasizes the factthat this racing driver is all girl.
Emphasis on physicalappearance served two purposes.
First, of course, was the utilization ofattractive women as a promotional device.
As women were a rarity in motorsports,female racers garbed in bright pink
racing apparel made them stand out.
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They were perceived as a novelty,eye candy for male spectators, or an
exciting diversion for speed enthusiasts.
Secondly, it determinedly andpurposefully framed female
racers as appropriately feminine.
Post war culture increasingly stereotypedfemale athletes as unfeminine in
demeanor, masked in their appearance,and incapable of maintaining
heterosexual relationships with men.
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Calling attention to women's sexualattractiveness implied that not only
are unfeminine, code for lesbian, Womenabsent in motorsports but participating
in motorsports will not move a woman'ssexual orientation in that direction.
Selecting heterosexually appealingwomen and outfitting them to accentuate
their femininity assured spectatorsand participants of both genders
(13:39):
that female race car drivers werenon threatening women who adhere
to traditional female gender rolesas attractive sexual partners.
Yet despite the focus on personalappearance, participation as a Motor Maid
did create opportunities for a few of itsmembers, including Janet Guthrie, who went
on to become the first woman to qualifyand compete in the 1977 Daytona 500.
(14:00):
She was also the firstwoman and top rookie at the
Indianapolis 500 the same year.
Competing as a Motor Maid provided itsdrivers with experience, exposure, and
future racing possibilities they wereunlikely to have received otherwise.
50 years later, in September 2020,two all female crews, the Iron Dames
and the Richard Mule racing team,competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans,
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the world's most famous endurance race.
Although faced with shortenedtraining sessions due to COVID, both
teams had modestly successful runs.
The Iron Dames claimed ninth place fromthe 22 starters in the LMGTE AM category.
The Mule team finished an impressiveninth of the 24 LMP2 crews.
In their debut outing, the inclusionof these teams resulted in the highest
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female participation in the 24 hourssince 10 women competed in 1935.
Unlike previous all female racingteams, promotional possibilities took
a backseat to talent on the track.
The teams were built around strong,experienced, and serious racers.
The marketing focus was onindividual and collective ability
rather than on femininity orthe color of the racing suits.
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Within the historically masculinemotorsport enterprise, there is
perception that female only teamsand the drivers that inhabit
them are inherently second rate.
Many competitors expressed reluctanceto join the teams for that reason.
However, the talent and teamworkon display at Le Mans demonstrated
that with support, sponsorship, andopportunity, women could achieve success
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and respect in the motorsports arena.
In the early 2000s, the women'sracing series emerged as an
alternative all female racing concept.
While the all female racing teamexpanded the opportunities for women's
participation in high performanceracing events somewhat, women
remained a significant minority.
The Women's Racing Series, therefore,was created to address the lack of women
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in the higher echelons of motorsport byproviding more openings for more women
to develop the skills and experiencenecessary to move on to the next level.
One of the earliest and moreunconventional examples of this concept
was Formula Women, an all female basedmotor racing championship created
and marketed in association withthe British media from 2004 to 2007.
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More than a race series, Formula Womenshared many of its components with the
UK's burgeoning reality television boom.
The promoters did not solicit establishedracers, rather a team of 16 finalists was
selected from over 10, 000 applicants.
Respective drivers were subject toa series of assessments in driving
skill, physical fitness, and mediaand public relations management.
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The series was also promotedas a male free zone.
As the applicant invitation read,the charm of Club Formula Woman is
that we operate in an entirely femaleenvironment, removing the stigma of
intimidating male dominated driving days.
Formula women drivers were initiallyintrigued by the prospect of participating
in an all female motor racing series.
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As relatively new to the racing scene,the women believed the unique experience
would mold them for a possible careerin the sport, and hoped the television
exposure would create lucrativepromotional and sponsorship possibilities.
However, problems with the format,organization, and financial backing led
to difficulties on and off the track.
While Formula Women was created with theintent to provide increased motorsport
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opportunities for women, as well as toexpand female interest in the sport,
it ultimately failed to do either well.
However, that over 10, 000 appliedto Formula Women program certainly
suggests a growing female interest inmotorsport and despite its inability to
capture a loyal audience in its originalincarnation, the Formula Women series
was relaunched in post COVID 2021.
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The media attention brought to the WSeries has unquestionably provided an
impetus for various racing organizations,including Formula Women, to encourage
female interests in motorsports.
The W Series was introduced in October,2018 as a unique groundbreaking free to
enter single seater motor racing series.
For women drivers only, the formula threechampionship series was conceived to
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promote female drivers into formula one.
The objective was not only to producetop notch racing for spectators
and viewers on a global scale, butalso to equip its drivers with the
experience and expertise with whichthey may progress their careers.
In its inaugural season, 18 driversrepresenting 13 countries, chosen from
nearly 100 top female drivers across theglobe, participated in six races at some
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of Europe's premier F1 racing venues.
Those selected are required to take partin rigorous training programs centered on
driving techniques, simulator exposure,technical engineering approaches,
fitness, and media conducted byinstructors with Formula One experience.
Efforts were taken to address theinequalities that plague many of
the world's premier racing series.
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Drivers were not expected toattain sponsorships nor to shoulder
any financial responsibility.
All expenses were coveredby the series organization.
The 2019 series was a modest success.
It experienced an increase in viewerinterest and ratings after each race.
By the end of the first season, the WSeries was broadcast in over 50 countries,
reaching up to 350 million households.
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At the end of the season, it wasreported that in 2020, the top eight
championship drivers would collectpoints toward an FIA super license, an
important entryway into Formula One.
Despite the mostly positive press, WSeries entered the racing arena under a
cloud of controversy with much to prove.
Not everyone, the media, racingorganizations, race promoters, and
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the women themselves, was convinced awoman only series was a step forward.
Opponents argued since motorsports is oneof the few competitions in which women can
compete directly with men, female racersshould take every opportunity to do so.
Detractors claim that much like the allfemale racing competitions that preceded
it, WSeries was primarily a PR move.
As women's success in thesevenues had little influence within
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the masculine effluent culture.
The debate surrounding the WSeries echoes that which has
accompanied most configurationsof the female motorsport since
powderpuffs entered the racing arena.
For much of its existence, women'sracing has been constructed as a
frivolous sideshow, a trivial endeavor.
A catwalk of second ratedrivers in pink racing suits.
Although women's racing has comeinto its own in the 21st century, it
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cannot completely escape such longstanding, disparaging associations.
It is not surprising, therefore,that many choose to dismiss all
female racing as a way to distancethemselves from these pervasive
sexist, stereotypical representations.
Secondly, throughout automotive history,critics have drawn on gender stereotypes,
women as emotionally unstable, physicallyweak, and intellectually deficient,
(20:35):
to frame women as interior drivers.
These assumed biological characterdeficits have carried over
into motorsports, where womenare considered less able to
perform in a competitive field.
The arguments against the W Seriesassume an either or position.
Only one platform, segregated or nonsegregated, best serves female racers.
However, the W Series framed itselfas an addition to, rather than
(20:59):
replacement for, non segregated racing.
The W Series objective was not tocompete with non segregated events
for female support and participation,but rather to increase opportunities
for women throughout motorsports.
The COVID pandemiccancelled the 2020 W Series.
The 2021 season featured eightraces in support of the 2021
(21:19):
Formula One World Championship.
The 2023 season was shorteneddue to financial issues and the W
Series was ultimately dissolved.
Britain's Jamie Chadwick wasthe winner of all three seasons.
Chadwick went on to become adevelopment driver for the Williams
Formula One team and race forAndretti Global in Indy and XT.
In November 2022, Formula 1 announcedthe creation of F1 Academy, a female
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only, junior level, single seater racingseries aimed to develop and prepare young
drivers for higher levels of competition.
Like Formula Women and the W Seriesthat preceded it, it was established
to address the lack of femaledrivers in other racing series.
Now in its second season, the Academy hasalready witnessed an increase in female
participation, with a 265 percent increasein cadet age females qualifying for the
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British Carding Championships, the firststep in a young woman's racing journey.
In 2024, the F1 Academy Racing Series willcompete across seven countries spanning
three continents for the first time.
Each side of the gender segregatedversus integrated racing conundrum
makes a compelling gaze for howwomen in motorsports are best served.
Champions of integrated racing argue womenwill not be considered equal in motorsport
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until they compete head to head with men.
Those on the opposing side contendbecause women have traditionally had fewer
avenues into motorsports than male peers.
Female racing provides an importantand necessary entryway into the
higher echelons of competition.
There can be little question that thehistory of motorsports is a masculine
one, even in its earliest years, whenwell connected societal women were
(22:53):
conditionally accepted into the racingarena, traditional assumptions and
biologically deterministic attitudestoward women frame motoring and
motorsports as exclusive male preserves.
100 years later, the positionof motorsports as a nearly
impenetrable male enterprise remains.
Women with an interest in racing,therefore, have had to devise particular
strategies to enter what has long existedas an exclusive masculine fraternity.
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Without many of the connections availableto male racers, rising through the
ranks of karting, coming from a familyof racing enthusiasts, having an
intermediary in the racing community,and racing mentors, women must often rely
on other methods, and one of those isparticipation in women only racing events.
This examination of female onlyracing over the past 75 years does
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not attempt to answer the questionof whether or not women are best
served by gender segregated racing.
Rather, it offers insight into how womenhave and continue to construct alternative
avenues into the historically masculineand often unwelcoming motorsports arena.
Through an inspection of women'sengagement in female racing venues, from
Powder Puff to W Series, it provides anopportunity to consider how segregated
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racing has both limited and empoweredwomen's motorsports participation.
Thank you for your attention.
The photographs in this presentationare from the following resources.
Thank you, Chris.
I have a question, actually.
The two series that you talkedabout seem to be mostly, if
I'm correct, European oriented.
Is there any U. S. or NorthAmerican equivalent that has been
(24:24):
tried or is currently being run?
Um, not recently.
Not that I'm aware of.
In the early part of your presentation,you talk about how women were
initially accepted into racingand then ultimately prohibited.
What was the sort of impetus or I guessmore likely pretext for that prohibition?
My theory is that the prohibition happenedright around the time when the gasoline
(24:47):
powered automobile was introduced.
And before they were driving these lowpowered cars, society was opposed to
women driving gasoline powered automobilesbecause they had too much power.
They liked them in electricsbecause they didn't go very fast
and they didn't go very far.
I think that that's one of theimpetuses that said, you can't race.
It's too dangerous.
It's too fast.
Too much power.
(25:07):
I wonder when you looked at the60s and 70s and all the promotion
and advertising, clearly that wasgeared toward the male viewer.
We know that as we entered into the2000s that the majority of financial
decisions in a household is made by women.
So do you think there could be anexamination of how we advertise if we
focused on Women and saying like I don'tthink given that type of promotion.
(25:32):
I would ever have steered my daughterinto motor sports I know I wouldn't
have in fact I didn't soccer.
Yes, basketball.
Yes, and other sports.
Absolutely I wonder if anexaminations ever been on that.
Well, I think part of the issue is thatgirls are not exposed to motorsports or
even cars in the way that young boys are.
They don't even know that it'ssomething that they can pursue.
(25:55):
It's not even in their wavelength.
And by the time they want todo it, it's usually too late.
If they're 16, when they decide theywant to become a race car driver, they're
already eight years behind the guys.
So it's really hard for them to catch up.
And that's why, like, theF1 Academy is helping.
They're starting withgirls that are younger.
They're also doing thatin the United States.
I've been to a couple of seminarsthat Lynn St. James has held.
(26:18):
You know, her organization isdoing a lot to promote young women.
And they had a young girl there that was15 that was also into carding and actually
her family was moving to the south sothat she could sort of do this all year
round where the weather was better.
You know, that's a reallyhard commitment to make.
We got one from John Summers.
He says, Women buying the groceriesand controlling the family finances.
Wasn't that why Tide got into NASCAR?
(26:41):
Makes sense, but I couldn't verify that.
It's always worked that way inmy household, I'll tell you that.
In, uh, SCCA sports car racingin the late 50s, they referred
to them as the ladies race.
Then eventually they were able torun against the men and there was
a picture of Donna Mae Mims there.
She was the first national championin SCCA in the H production class.
(27:04):
She, uh, built her own cars.
She was an amazing lady.
Thank you.
Yes, the one thing that they all seemto have in common, all of the women's
teams is that they're all pink.
So the iron dames who are still racingin world endurance, their sister car
or the brother car is iron links.
And that is the samecar but bright yellow.
Even though the iron dames are much moreabout, as you say, opening the door to
(27:27):
women races and giving them an avenue in.
Can you foresee a woman'sonly team not being pink?
Or do you think no matter whathappens, that's going to be part of it?
I can foresee it, although now withthe whole Barbie thing, I think
pink's going to be around for a while.
Because, you know, she'sgot that pink Corvette.
With Lynn, if you recall, she was sort oftorn with this question also of whether
(27:48):
it's better to race against men or topromote these all female racing teams.
When somebody raised the question ofall female NASCAR, she said, no, no.
But then she also said, you know, butI went to the W Series, and I was on
the panel, and they provide all of thisfor women, and it's great for them.
So again, there's no right answer.
I don't have the answer.
I think it's just very individual.
(28:09):
These all women platforms are important.
Just brings more womenand increases the feel.
Yes.
I just have a comment and then a question.
Some years ago I was, I consider myselffortunate to have spent some time with
Linda Vaughn, Ms. Hurst Golden Shifter.
Yeah.
Given the general popular perceptionof her as being unintelligent
and just a model, I found hera very warm, engaging person.
(28:30):
Which was just a remarkable contrast.
So there was kind of some interplaybetween popular culture and the reality.
More to my question though, thesevoices have been clearly silenced.
As we saw in our literaturereview yesterday.
How did you go about researching thisand how did you bring those voices out?
W Series was new, so that was justbasically reading the journal, you know,
the automotive press on the W Series.
(28:51):
A lot of the stuff I found in secondarysources, I really didn't go back into.
to research all of theseat the primary source.
But I found it through secondarysources in print and online.
Jay Hungerford writes, What do you thinkthe future is for women in motorsports?
Is it normalizing orwill it remain a novelty?
I would like to see it normalized,but I think We're still a ways away.
(29:14):
We need a star, and I think that willbring more women into motorsports,
they'll become more aware of it.
We need a star like CaitlinClark, you know, she brought
attention to women's basketball.
Motorsports needs the same thing.
Do Girl Scouts of Americahave an automotive?
I don't know, but thatwould be a good one, yeah.
With the promotion of STEM educationamong high schoolers, science, technology,
(29:36):
engineering, and math, and the UNOHprograms, when I see women in motorsports,
I don't just automatically think drivers.
I think, like what I do, Ithink about riders, and motors,
and engineers, and the like.
So I'd like to see youdo some research on that.
I think you've covered this one well.
Well, thank you.
I know that's what the F1 Academyis doing, that they're increasing
(29:58):
opportunities for women in allaspects of motorsports, like the
ones that you mentioned, and when St.
James organization is doing thesame thing, they're not just
concentrating on drivers, butthey're concentrating on all aspects.
I would say we're starting to see a littlebit more of that with the stars coming
out, I mean, even through namesake LeahBlock, who is obviously the daughter
(30:20):
of Ken Block, the rally driver, all ofthat has started to make her way in the
rally series and the F1 Academy series.
And then even in representation inFormula One, you have the strategist
for Red Bull, who is a veryprominent female figure in the sport.
I would also say regarding starsand racing and probably because we
showed the Shirley Muldowney movie.
(30:40):
What some people consider kind of aniche sport is drag racing, but drag
racing certainly has more than its fairshare of stars that are female stars.
Yes, Erica Enders andJohn Force's daughters.
And well, I mean, Shirley Muldowneystarted it all years and years and
years ago, but I think drag racingprobably is as well represented.
(31:01):
In terms of stars for womenin racing as, as any series.
But again, like the daughters ofJohn, I wonder if they would have gone
into drag racing if he had had sons.
Well, that's a good point.
Which I can't answer that.
They had a clear advantage.
Yeah, and that's a waythat women get into this.
A lot of women get into this is throughfamily participation or if their
(31:22):
family's interested in motor sports.
If they participate, they get into it too.
It's harder for women who don'thave that family connection.
Right.
So to add to that, John Summerssays, It's a great point about
needing a star performer.
The unfortunate issue with Danica wasthat she was just okay as drivers goes.
She's not Schumacher,Senna, Andretti, or a Foyt.
Danica Patrick was also nota great promoter of women.
(31:46):
She wasn't a role model.
So, I think that had some influence also.
She wasn't like when I'm talking abouthow turning around and promoting women
and young women into motorsport andDanica Patrick This is just my impression.
I don't know really anything about her.
I just don't think she was interestedin that I think Danica was more of a
self promoter than a woman's promoter.
(32:06):
Yes, honestly I was justwondering, who is Jaye Stanridge?
She was a writer for Open Wheelback, I think that was the 60s.
She was a columnist, and thiswas from one of her columns.
Well, Chris, that was great.
Thank you very much.
Very informative.
(32:27):
This episode is brought to youin part by the International
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of motorsports, spanningcontinents, eras, and race series.
The Center's collection embodiesthe speed, drama, and camaraderie
of amateur and professional motorracing throughout the world.
(32:51):
The Center welcomes serious researchersand casual fans alike to share stories
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And brought to life througha regular calendar of public
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To learn more about the Center, visit www.
(33:12):
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This episode is also brought to you bythe Society of Automotive Historians.
They encourage research into anyaspect of automotive history.
The SAH actively supports the compilationand preservation of papers, organizational
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(33:37):
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From Powderpuff to W Series, the evolutionof women only racing by Chris Lezat.
(00:22):
Throughout its storied history,motorsports has been unwelcoming to women.
Consequently, it has been necessaryfor female racers to develop unique
strategies to enter what has long existedas an exclusive masculine enclave.
While entry can be facilitated througha familial relationship with a male
driver, women without such connectionsoften get their start through
participating in women only racing events.
(00:42):
Although these races have provided womenwith the opportunity to enter the track,
they have not been without controversy.
Detractors argue that women will notbe considered legitimate racers until
they compete on the same track as men.
Proponents view women only racingnot only as a way to attract more
women into the sport, but also as animportant source of skill development,
support, and community building.
This paper investigates the evolutionof women only racing from its early
(01:06):
introduction as a media stunt toits current incarnation as providing
ground for serious female open wheelracers informed by archival resources
and motor sports scholarship.
It considers how women onlyracing complicates, facilitates,
and liberates women's entries,participation, and recognition in
the masculine world of motor sports.
A Motor City native, Chris Lizotte spentpart of her life writing car commercials.
(01:29):
After exiting her advertising career,she pursued a Master's in Women's and
Gender Studies at Eastern MichiganUniversity and was awarded a PhD
in American Culture Studies fromBowling Green State University.
Now working as an independent scholar,Chris continues her research focused on
the relationship between women and cars ina variety of contexts, including women's
participation in traditionally masculinecar cultures, as well as representations
(01:51):
of women and cars in popular culture.
Her work has been included in popularculture, women's studies, transportation
history, media studies, masculinestudies, and automotive history journals.
Chris's first book, Power Under HerFoot, Women Enthusiasts of American
Muscle Cars, was published in 2018.
Good morning, everyone.
To introduce myself, I'm ChrisLizotte, an independent scholar.
(02:12):
My research focuses on therelationship between women and
cars in a variety of contexts.
This presentation from Powder Puffto W Series traces the complicated
history of women only racing inEurope and the United States.
In 2019, I was asked to contributea chapter on the rather broad topic
of women in motorsports, to beincluded in a compiled volume on the
(02:32):
history and politics of motor racing.
At the time, the W Series, anall female, single seater racing
championship, had just been introduced.
This announcement created a fair amountof controversy in the racing community.
WSeries proponents praised the racingchampionship as an important platform
for women to showcase racing ability,as well for its potential to carve
(02:53):
a pathway to higher level racing.
Opponents decried the series asaggressive and belittling to women,
claiming segregated racing carries theimplication women aren't capable of
competing at the same level as men.
The question of whether female racersare best served by separate or equal
opportunities has long been a subjectof discussion and unwavering opinion.
(03:13):
Thus, I thought an examinationinto the history of women only
racing could perhaps provide someinsight into the ongoing debate.
This presentation is takenfrom the chapter that was
eventually published in 2023.
Although the W Series was suspendedin 2022 due to financial issues, the
question of how to best advance womenin motorsport remains relevant today.
(03:34):
Women's interest in motorsportbegan shortly after the
automobile's introduction.
In the early auto age in both Europeand the United States, the horseless
carriage was accessible primarily tothose with considerable financial means.
Although the association of the automobileand mass transit accepted as a given
throughout automotive history, at the turnof the 20th century, it was wealth and
(03:55):
status rather than gender that determinedwho could operate a motor vehicle.
Thus, it was not unusual for well offwomen to join men as driving enthusiasts.
The permission awarded to early womendrivers allowed them to call upon
the automobile to expand social,physical, and political horizons.
Female motorists of significant meanswere, in fact, the first to engage
(04:16):
in cross country automobile trips.
While these tours often served as autocompany publicity stunts, they also
effectively presented women on thenational stage as legitimate motorists.
Yet for some women, longdistance tours were not enough.
To satisfy a new pound passion fordriving, they turned to racing.
By the early 1900s, informal andformal racing events were being
(04:37):
held in Europe and the UnitedStates in a variety of venues.
On both sides of the Atlantic,upper class women gained notoriety,
if not success, as female racers.
Camille Dugas of France was recognizedas the first female star of motorsports.
Through her impressive racingaccomplishments, Britain's Dorothy
Leavitt earned the right to callherself the fastest woman on Earth.
(04:58):
Joan Newton Cuneo went on to becomeperhaps the most well known female
motorist in the U. S. until abruptlyshut down in 1909 by the American
Automobile Association, when women wereofficially forbidden to participate in
the organization's motorsport events.
The situation differed in Europe, however.
Motor racing at Brooklyn's wasbeginning to draw large crowds.
Eyeing a potential for profit, raceauthorities relented and allowed
(05:21):
women onto the track, albeit inspecial event women only races.
Taking over the motor racing circuit afterher husband's death in 1926, Ethel Locke
King created new opportunities for women.
Organizations such as the LadiesAutomobile Club at Brooklyn and the
Automobile Club Féminin de France becameimportant networks for the development
and promotion of female racers.
(05:42):
In these European venues, women hadthe opportunity to demonstrate they
could race as competitively as men.
World War II altered the possibilitiesfor female racers in both Europe and
the United States in conflicting ways.
In Britain, the post war periodwitnessed a change in attitudes
regarding female racers.
New personnel at Brooklands, theretirement of former female racers,
(06:02):
and increased emphasis on the dangersof the sport contributed to the return
of traditional opinions opposing womendrivers involvement in motor racing.
The prevailing mood was no longerconducive to women on the track.
Public spirit required thatevery woman look after her war
veteran and produce children.
In post war America, however, women,nearly invisible on the track since
(06:23):
the AAA ban, were the beneficiariesof new motorsport opportunities.
Motorsport, which had long existed asan activity for the rich, soon became
accessible to those of lesser means.
These amateur competitions became fanfavorites, as anyone with a vehicle
and a bit of daring could participate.
Women who accompanied boyfriends orhusbands to the racetrack were soon
(06:44):
offered the opportunity to competein separate ladies races, most
often referred to as powderpuff.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s,powderpuff races were created
to address a number of concerns.
Women who accompanied maleracers had little to do once
arriving but watch and wait.
In the masculine world of motorsports,women served primarily as uniform washers,
(07:04):
picnic lunchmakers, and cheerleaders.
Confined to the sidelines, female interestin the race experience soon began to wane.
Race promoters, fearful women's lackof enthusiasm would keep boyfriends
and husbands from entering events, sawan opportunity to keep women occupied
and in the process increase the gate.
Role friends and wives wereencouraged to borrow cars from
male companions and race againsteach other as a special attraction.
(07:27):
Powderpuff participants often had limiteddriving experience, but were encouraged
to take part to show support for amale companion's motorsports hobby.
While many women participatedtentatively, there were some
dissatisfied with roles as tag alongs.
who desire to race competitively.
But because most tracks prohibited womenfrom racing against men, powderpuff
competitions became the primary wayto develop confidence behind the
(07:50):
wheel, gain track experience, honeracing skills and strategies, and show
the guys that they could do it too.
On most tracks, powderpuffraces were often more spectacle
than serious competition.
As an auto journalist recalls,the women also had to participate
in a gong show type agenda.
They might have to run so many laps.
Stop to eat a piece of watermelon,roll up into the stands and kiss
(08:11):
the man of their choice, then resumethe race, or stop after so many
laps to wrestle with a greased pig.
As another noted, Powder Puff were thetype of events in which women were treated
as less significant and where the menwould kindly lend their race cars to women
for just a few laps around the track.
Clearly, women competitorswere not taken very seriously.
Yet despite the negative attitudestoward women racers, participation
(08:33):
in Powderpuff often had a positiveand powerful effect on women's lives.
Women raced not only to supportmale companions, but also to expand
social networks, gain confidence,and escape from everyday lives.
Powderpuff provided women with theopportunity to develop advanced
driving skills, make importantcontacts, gain a little notoriety, and
prove themselves as serious racers.
(08:55):
Many, including those featured here,who went on to achieve a number
of firsts in women's motorsport,began racing careers in powder puff.
Other than premier events such asthe Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR
championship, American post war racingwas primarily an amateur pastime.
Races were run for trophies.
Cash prizes were banned as weredonations from sponsors, car
(09:15):
makers, or local businesses.
While the conditions under which menand women raced were not the same, women
received less track time and had fewerand shorter races than male counterparts.
All racers were held to the samerestrictions in terms of sponsorships
and financial remuneration.
As the decade concluded, top driversfrom the sports car circuit were
being lured by the considerable cashprizes of international competition.
(09:38):
U. S. racing organizations foughtback by creating racing events
with comparable financial awards.
Smaller venues, losing topdrivers, and paying crowds.
So it sponsors to stay in business whilethe move toward the commercialization of
motorsports affected all amateur racers,regardless of gender, it was ultimately
responsible for the decline of all femaleracing without amateur ladies races.
(10:01):
Women lost an important platform fromwhich to gain experience and exposure.
While ladies races were often thesubject of derision and disparagement,
they were without question instrumentalin bringing the racing experience
to an increasing population offemale motorsport enthusiasts.
As the professionalism of racingresulted in reduced possibilities
for female racers, women's racingteams emerged as one of the few
(10:24):
opportunities to fill the void.
During the 1970s, two racing organizationsin Europe and the United States
developed all female racing teams.
While the primary motivation wasthe marketing and promotional
potential of photogenic femaleracers, the very existence of
these teams allowed for increasedwomen's motor sports participation.
During the early 1970s, Bob Mayrett,a French tennis and former rally
(10:47):
competitor, convinced Aseptical, a brandof toothpaste created by his company, to
sponsor a European all female rally team.
As part of Aseptical's wide reachingPR campaign, the team was composed
of attractive women with varyingdegrees of driving skills, outfitted
in matching pink racing ensemblesthat complemented the red, white,
and strawberry pink racing cars.
(11:08):
The team's first outings in 1973 wereearly season alpine rally events in France
and provided challenging competition,as well as all important promotional
opportunities over the next 20 years.
Team Aseptical had varyingdegrees of success.
Team Aseptical inspired the formation ofother all ladies rallies teams in Europe.
And while the women serve primarily asmarketing tools for the owner sponsors
(11:31):
and race promoters, it also broughtattention, both positive and negative
to individual drivers in particular.
And motorsport women in general, manywho spent a season or two driving for
team aseptical were able to fashionsolid careers as rally drivers get
more significantly team aseptical andthe all female racing teams inspired
suggested that women in motorsports werenot in fact exceptions to the rule, but
(11:55):
we're part of a growing population ofserious and competent female racers.
Around the same time in the UnitedStates, the Macmillan Oil Racing
Team sponsored a group of femaleracers known as the Motor Maids.
The team was first assembled in 1966to compete in the Daytona 24 Hours.
Yet much like the European racing scene,the focus was on the all female team
(12:15):
was more promotional than professional.
Publicity focused not on drivingskills, but personal appearance.
A 1966 press release described motormaid Donna Mae Minns as a bubbling,
bouncing blood bombshell of energy.
Her famous pink wardrobe on thetrack has become her trademark.
News devoted to Leanne Ingemann calledattention to her clothing choices.
(12:35):
Leanne's trademarks are her whiteturtleneck sweaters and a purple
racing outfit that emphasizes the factthat this racing driver is all girl.
Emphasis on physicalappearance served two purposes.
First, of course, was the utilization ofattractive women as a promotional device.
As women were a rarity in motorsports,female racers garbed in bright pink
racing apparel made them stand out.
(12:57):
They were perceived as a novelty,eye candy for male spectators, or an
exciting diversion for speed enthusiasts.
Secondly, it determinedly andpurposefully framed female
racers as appropriately feminine.
Post war culture increasingly stereotypedfemale athletes as unfeminine in
demeanor, masked in their appearance,and incapable of maintaining
heterosexual relationships with men.
(13:18):
Calling attention to women's sexualattractiveness implied that not only
are unfeminine, code for lesbian, Womenabsent in motorsports but participating
in motorsports will not move a woman'ssexual orientation in that direction.
Selecting heterosexually appealingwomen and outfitting them to accentuate
their femininity assured spectatorsand participants of both genders
(13:39):
that female race car drivers werenon threatening women who adhere
to traditional female gender rolesas attractive sexual partners.
Yet despite the focus on personalappearance, participation as a Motor Maid
did create opportunities for a few of itsmembers, including Janet Guthrie, who went
on to become the first woman to qualifyand compete in the 1977 Daytona 500.
(14:00):
She was also the firstwoman and top rookie at the
Indianapolis 500 the same year.
Competing as a Motor Maid provided itsdrivers with experience, exposure, and
future racing possibilities they wereunlikely to have received otherwise.
50 years later, in September 2020,two all female crews, the Iron Dames
and the Richard Mule racing team,competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans,
(14:22):
the world's most famous endurance race.
Although faced with shortenedtraining sessions due to COVID, both
teams had modestly successful runs.
The Iron Dames claimed ninth place fromthe 22 starters in the LMGTE AM category.
The Mule team finished an impressiveninth of the 24 LMP2 crews.
In their debut outing, the inclusionof these teams resulted in the highest
(14:43):
female participation in the 24 hourssince 10 women competed in 1935.
Unlike previous all female racingteams, promotional possibilities took
a backseat to talent on the track.
The teams were built around strong,experienced, and serious racers.
The marketing focus was onindividual and collective ability
rather than on femininity orthe color of the racing suits.
(15:05):
Within the historically masculinemotorsport enterprise, there is
perception that female only teamsand the drivers that inhabit
them are inherently second rate.
Many competitors expressed reluctanceto join the teams for that reason.
However, the talent and teamworkon display at Le Mans demonstrated
that with support, sponsorship, andopportunity, women could achieve success
(15:25):
and respect in the motorsports arena.
In the early 2000s, the women'sracing series emerged as an
alternative all female racing concept.
While the all female racing teamexpanded the opportunities for women's
participation in high performanceracing events somewhat, women
remained a significant minority.
The Women's Racing Series, therefore,was created to address the lack of women
(15:47):
in the higher echelons of motorsport byproviding more openings for more women
to develop the skills and experiencenecessary to move on to the next level.
One of the earliest and moreunconventional examples of this concept
was Formula Women, an all female basedmotor racing championship created
and marketed in association withthe British media from 2004 to 2007.
(16:09):
More than a race series, Formula Womenshared many of its components with the
UK's burgeoning reality television boom.
The promoters did not solicit establishedracers, rather a team of 16 finalists was
selected from over 10, 000 applicants.
Respective drivers were subject toa series of assessments in driving
skill, physical fitness, and mediaand public relations management.
(16:30):
The series was also promotedas a male free zone.
As the applicant invitation read,the charm of Club Formula Woman is
that we operate in an entirely femaleenvironment, removing the stigma of
intimidating male dominated driving days.
Formula women drivers were initiallyintrigued by the prospect of participating
in an all female motor racing series.
(16:51):
As relatively new to the racing scene,the women believed the unique experience
would mold them for a possible careerin the sport, and hoped the television
exposure would create lucrativepromotional and sponsorship possibilities.
However, problems with the format,organization, and financial backing led
to difficulties on and off the track.
While Formula Women was created with theintent to provide increased motorsport
(17:12):
opportunities for women, as well as toexpand female interest in the sport,
it ultimately failed to do either well.
However, that over 10, 000 appliedto Formula Women program certainly
suggests a growing female interest inmotorsport and despite its inability to
capture a loyal audience in its originalincarnation, the Formula Women series
was relaunched in post COVID 2021.
(17:35):
The media attention brought to the WSeries has unquestionably provided an
impetus for various racing organizations,including Formula Women, to encourage
female interests in motorsports.
The W Series was introduced in October,2018 as a unique groundbreaking free to
enter single seater motor racing series.
For women drivers only, the formula threechampionship series was conceived to
(17:58):
promote female drivers into formula one.
The objective was not only to producetop notch racing for spectators
and viewers on a global scale, butalso to equip its drivers with the
experience and expertise with whichthey may progress their careers.
In its inaugural season, 18 driversrepresenting 13 countries, chosen from
nearly 100 top female drivers across theglobe, participated in six races at some
(18:22):
of Europe's premier F1 racing venues.
Those selected are required to take partin rigorous training programs centered on
driving techniques, simulator exposure,technical engineering approaches,
fitness, and media conducted byinstructors with Formula One experience.
Efforts were taken to address theinequalities that plague many of
the world's premier racing series.
(18:42):
Drivers were not expected toattain sponsorships nor to shoulder
any financial responsibility.
All expenses were coveredby the series organization.
The 2019 series was a modest success.
It experienced an increase in viewerinterest and ratings after each race.
By the end of the first season, the WSeries was broadcast in over 50 countries,
reaching up to 350 million households.
(19:05):
At the end of the season, it wasreported that in 2020, the top eight
championship drivers would collectpoints toward an FIA super license, an
important entryway into Formula One.
Despite the mostly positive press, WSeries entered the racing arena under a
cloud of controversy with much to prove.
Not everyone, the media, racingorganizations, race promoters, and
(19:26):
the women themselves, was convinced awoman only series was a step forward.
Opponents argued since motorsports is oneof the few competitions in which women can
compete directly with men, female racersshould take every opportunity to do so.
Detractors claim that much like the allfemale racing competitions that preceded
it, WSeries was primarily a PR move.
As women's success in thesevenues had little influence within
(19:49):
the masculine effluent culture.
The debate surrounding the WSeries echoes that which has
accompanied most configurationsof the female motorsport since
powderpuffs entered the racing arena.
For much of its existence, women'sracing has been constructed as a
frivolous sideshow, a trivial endeavor.
A catwalk of second ratedrivers in pink racing suits.
Although women's racing has comeinto its own in the 21st century, it
(20:12):
cannot completely escape such longstanding, disparaging associations.
It is not surprising, therefore,that many choose to dismiss all
female racing as a way to distancethemselves from these pervasive
sexist, stereotypical representations.
Secondly, throughout automotive history,critics have drawn on gender stereotypes,
women as emotionally unstable, physicallyweak, and intellectually deficient,
(20:35):
to frame women as interior drivers.
These assumed biological characterdeficits have carried over
into motorsports, where womenare considered less able to
perform in a competitive field.
The arguments against the W Seriesassume an either or position.
Only one platform, segregated or nonsegregated, best serves female racers.
However, the W Series framed itselfas an addition to, rather than
(20:59):
replacement for, non segregated racing.
The W Series objective was not tocompete with non segregated events
for female support and participation,but rather to increase opportunities
for women throughout motorsports.
The COVID pandemiccancelled the 2020 W Series.
The 2021 season featured eightraces in support of the 2021
(21:19):
Formula One World Championship.
The 2023 season was shorteneddue to financial issues and the W
Series was ultimately dissolved.
Britain's Jamie Chadwick wasthe winner of all three seasons.
Chadwick went on to become adevelopment driver for the Williams
Formula One team and race forAndretti Global in Indy and XT.
In November 2022, Formula 1 announcedthe creation of F1 Academy, a female
(21:43):
only, junior level, single seater racingseries aimed to develop and prepare young
drivers for higher levels of competition.
Like Formula Women and the W Seriesthat preceded it, it was established
to address the lack of femaledrivers in other racing series.
Now in its second season, the Academy hasalready witnessed an increase in female
participation, with a 265 percent increasein cadet age females qualifying for the
(22:08):
British Carding Championships, the firststep in a young woman's racing journey.
In 2024, the F1 Academy Racing Series willcompete across seven countries spanning
three continents for the first time.
Each side of the gender segregatedversus integrated racing conundrum
makes a compelling gaze for howwomen in motorsports are best served.
Champions of integrated racing argue womenwill not be considered equal in motorsport
(22:32):
until they compete head to head with men.
Those on the opposing side contendbecause women have traditionally had fewer
avenues into motorsports than male peers.
Female racing provides an importantand necessary entryway into the
higher echelons of competition.
There can be little question that thehistory of motorsports is a masculine
one, even in its earliest years, whenwell connected societal women were
(22:53):
conditionally accepted into the racingarena, traditional assumptions and
biologically deterministic attitudestoward women frame motoring and
motorsports as exclusive male preserves.
100 years later, the positionof motorsports as a nearly
impenetrable male enterprise remains.
Women with an interest in racing,therefore, have had to devise particular
strategies to enter what has long existedas an exclusive masculine fraternity.
(23:17):
Without many of the connections availableto male racers, rising through the
ranks of karting, coming from a familyof racing enthusiasts, having an
intermediary in the racing community,and racing mentors, women must often rely
on other methods, and one of those isparticipation in women only racing events.
This examination of female onlyracing over the past 75 years does
(23:38):
not attempt to answer the questionof whether or not women are best
served by gender segregated racing.
Rather, it offers insight into how womenhave and continue to construct alternative
avenues into the historically masculineand often unwelcoming motorsports arena.
Through an inspection of women'sengagement in female racing venues, from
Powder Puff to W Series, it provides anopportunity to consider how segregated
(24:01):
racing has both limited and empoweredwomen's motorsports participation.
Thank you for your attention.
The photographs in this presentationare from the following resources.
Thank you, Chris.
I have a question, actually.
The two series that you talkedabout seem to be mostly, if
I'm correct, European oriented.
Is there any U. S. or NorthAmerican equivalent that has been
(24:24):
tried or is currently being run?
Um, not recently.
Not that I'm aware of.
In the early part of your presentation,you talk about how women were
initially accepted into racingand then ultimately prohibited.
What was the sort of impetus or I guessmore likely pretext for that prohibition?
My theory is that the prohibition happenedright around the time when the gasoline
(24:47):
powered automobile was introduced.
And before they were driving these lowpowered cars, society was opposed to
women driving gasoline powered automobilesbecause they had too much power.
They liked them in electricsbecause they didn't go very fast
and they didn't go very far.
I think that that's one of theimpetuses that said, you can't race.
It's too dangerous.
It's too fast.
Too much power.
(25:07):
I wonder when you looked at the60s and 70s and all the promotion
and advertising, clearly that wasgeared toward the male viewer.
We know that as we entered into the2000s that the majority of financial
decisions in a household is made by women.
So do you think there could be anexamination of how we advertise if we
focused on Women and saying like I don'tthink given that type of promotion.
(25:32):
I would ever have steered my daughterinto motor sports I know I wouldn't
have in fact I didn't soccer.
Yes, basketball.
Yes, and other sports.
Absolutely I wonder if anexaminations ever been on that.
Well, I think part of the issue is thatgirls are not exposed to motorsports or
even cars in the way that young boys are.
They don't even know that it'ssomething that they can pursue.
(25:55):
It's not even in their wavelength.
And by the time they want todo it, it's usually too late.
If they're 16, when they decide theywant to become a race car driver, they're
already eight years behind the guys.
So it's really hard for them to catch up.
And that's why, like, theF1 Academy is helping.
They're starting withgirls that are younger.
They're also doing thatin the United States.
I've been to a couple of seminarsthat Lynn St. James has held.
(26:18):
You know, her organization isdoing a lot to promote young women.
And they had a young girl there that was15 that was also into carding and actually
her family was moving to the south sothat she could sort of do this all year
round where the weather was better.
You know, that's a reallyhard commitment to make.
We got one from John Summers.
He says, Women buying the groceriesand controlling the family finances.
Wasn't that why Tide got into NASCAR?
(26:41):
Makes sense, but I couldn't verify that.
It's always worked that way inmy household, I'll tell you that.
In, uh, SCCA sports car racingin the late 50s, they referred
to them as the ladies race.
Then eventually they were able torun against the men and there was
a picture of Donna Mae Mims there.
She was the first national championin SCCA in the H production class.
(27:04):
She, uh, built her own cars.
She was an amazing lady.
Thank you.
Yes, the one thing that they all seemto have in common, all of the women's
teams is that they're all pink.
So the iron dames who are still racingin world endurance, their sister car
or the brother car is iron links.
And that is the samecar but bright yellow.
Even though the iron dames are much moreabout, as you say, opening the door to
(27:27):
women races and giving them an avenue in.
Can you foresee a woman'sonly team not being pink?
Or do you think no matter whathappens, that's going to be part of it?
I can foresee it, although now withthe whole Barbie thing, I think
pink's going to be around for a while.
Because, you know, she'sgot that pink Corvette.
With Lynn, if you recall, she was sort oftorn with this question also of whether
(27:48):
it's better to race against men or topromote these all female racing teams.
When somebody raised the question ofall female NASCAR, she said, no, no.
But then she also said, you know, butI went to the W Series, and I was on
the panel, and they provide all of thisfor women, and it's great for them.
So again, there's no right answer.
I don't have the answer.
I think it's just very individual.
(28:09):
These all women platforms are important.
Just brings more womenand increases the feel.
Yes.
I just have a comment and then a question.
Some years ago I was, I consider myselffortunate to have spent some time with
Linda Vaughn, Ms. Hurst Golden Shifter.
Yeah.
Given the general popular perceptionof her as being unintelligent
and just a model, I found hera very warm, engaging person.
(28:30):
Which was just a remarkable contrast.
So there was kind of some interplaybetween popular culture and the reality.
More to my question though, thesevoices have been clearly silenced.
As we saw in our literaturereview yesterday.
How did you go about researching thisand how did you bring those voices out?
W Series was new, so that was justbasically reading the journal, you know,
the automotive press on the W Series.
(28:51):
A lot of the stuff I found in secondarysources, I really didn't go back into.
to research all of theseat the primary source.
But I found it through secondarysources in print and online.
Jay Hungerford writes, What do you thinkthe future is for women in motorsports?
Is it normalizing orwill it remain a novelty?
I would like to see it normalized,but I think We're still a ways away.
(29:14):
We need a star, and I think that willbring more women into motorsports,
they'll become more aware of it.
We need a star like CaitlinClark, you know, she brought
attention to women's basketball.
Motorsports needs the same thing.
Do Girl Scouts of Americahave an automotive?
I don't know, but thatwould be a good one, yeah.
With the promotion of STEM educationamong high schoolers, science, technology,
(29:36):
engineering, and math, and the UNOHprograms, when I see women in motorsports,
I don't just automatically think drivers.
I think, like what I do, Ithink about riders, and motors,
and engineers, and the like.
So I'd like to see youdo some research on that.
I think you've covered this one well.
Well, thank you.
I know that's what the F1 Academyis doing, that they're increasing
(29:58):
opportunities for women in allaspects of motorsports, like the
ones that you mentioned, and when St.
James organization is doing thesame thing, they're not just
concentrating on drivers, butthey're concentrating on all aspects.
I would say we're starting to see a littlebit more of that with the stars coming
out, I mean, even through namesake LeahBlock, who is obviously the daughter
(30:20):
of Ken Block, the rally driver, all ofthat has started to make her way in the
rally series and the F1 Academy series.
And then even in representation inFormula One, you have the strategist
for Red Bull, who is a veryprominent female figure in the sport.
I would also say regarding starsand racing and probably because we
showed the Shirley Muldowney movie.
(30:40):
What some people consider kind of aniche sport is drag racing, but drag
racing certainly has more than its fairshare of stars that are female stars.
Yes, Erica Enders andJohn Force's daughters.
And well, I mean, Shirley Muldowneystarted it all years and years and
years ago, but I think drag racingprobably is as well represented.
(31:01):
In terms of stars for womenin racing as, as any series.
But again, like the daughters ofJohn, I wonder if they would have gone
into drag racing if he had had sons.
Well, that's a good point.
Which I can't answer that.
They had a clear advantage.
Yeah, and that's a waythat women get into this.
A lot of women get into this is throughfamily participation or if their
(31:22):
family's interested in motor sports.
If they participate, they get into it too.
It's harder for women who don'thave that family connection.
Right.
So to add to that, John Summerssays, It's a great point about
needing a star performer.
The unfortunate issue with Danica wasthat she was just okay as drivers goes.
She's not Schumacher,Senna, Andretti, or a Foyt.
Danica Patrick was also nota great promoter of women.
(31:46):
She wasn't a role model.
So, I think that had some influence also.
She wasn't like when I'm talking abouthow turning around and promoting women
and young women into motorsport andDanica Patrick This is just my impression.
I don't know really anything about her.
I just don't think she was interestedin that I think Danica was more of a
self promoter than a woman's promoter.
(32:06):
Yes, honestly I was justwondering, who is Jaye Stanridge?
She was a writer for Open Wheelback, I think that was the 60s.
She was a columnist, and thiswas from one of her columns.
Well, Chris, that was great.
Thank you very much.
Very informative.
(32:27):
This episode is brought to youin part by the International
Motor Racing Research Center.
Its charter is to collect,share, and preserve the history
of motorsports, spanningcontinents, eras, and race series.
The Center's collection embodiesthe speed, drama, and camaraderie
of amateur and professional motorracing throughout the world.
(32:51):
The Center welcomes serious researchersand casual fans alike to share stories
of race drivers, race series, and racecars captured on their shelves and walls.
And brought to life througha regular calendar of public
lectures and special events.
To learn more about the Center, visit www.
(33:12):
racingarchives.
org.
This episode is also brought to you bythe Society of Automotive Historians.
They encourage research into anyaspect of automotive history.
The SAH actively supports the compilationand preservation of papers, organizational
records, print ephemera, and images tosafeguard, as well as to broaden and
(33:37):
deepen the understanding of motorizedwheeled land transportation through
the modern age and into the future.
For more informationabout the SAH, visit www.
autohistory.
org.
We hope you enjoyed another awesomeepisode of Brake Fix Podcast, brought
(34:00):
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If you'd like to be a guest onthe show or get involved, be sure
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