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By SparrowNoblePoland

The fastest girl ever - Michele Mouton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb4DILvSG9o
One day I saw Antti's tribute but I thought that he used very little footage so I've decided to improve his work.

Michele Mouton is the best female driver ever and one of the best rally drivers in history. She drove such monsters like killer B Audi Quattro S1

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And Michele Mouton is not the only woman to kick some butt!

Lyn St. James

Named one of the "Top 100 Female Athletes of the Century" by Sports Illustrated, Lyn St. James has set 21 national and international speed records. As a competitor in the world’s largest sporting event - the Indianapolis 500 - St. James earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1992 and competed in 15 IndyCar races, including seven Indy 500s. She has competed all over the world, including twice at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and scored victories in IMSA. She continues to compete in vintage races and at the Bonneville Salt Flats, as well as serving as an advocate for women in racing and the automotive field.

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ST JAMES: Saluting the trailblazers

Maria Teresa de Filippis. Motorsport Images
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By Lyn St. James | March 1, 2021 9:27 AM

March is annually recognized as Women’s History Month; an opportunity to highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, with International Women’s Day falling on March 8. This year will have extra significance, with a woman as Vice President in Washington DC.

For me, it it’s all the more special because it’s a great time to celebrate the women in motorsports whose shoulders we stand on, as well as for the current and future women successfully competing on racetracks all over the world. You may recognize some of the names, but many will be new and might surprise you.

First, let’s take a look at some of the women who did so much before women were considered able to do such things:

Women have been competing in motorized vehicles since the beginning of the sport – Camille du Gast competed in the 1901 Paris to Berlin, finishing 33rd out of 122 participants, and then was banned from racing by the Automobile Club de France after she competed in the Paris to Madrid in 1903, on the grounds of ‘feminine excitability’!

On the English circuit of Brooklands, women were excluded from racing until 1908, although even then, they were only allowed to race each other in Ladies’ Cups. At around the same time, Joan Cuneo raced successfully in the U.S. until a ban on female racers relegated her mostly to exhibition events.
Kay Petre takes a break in the stalls in the paddock during the Inter Club Meeting at Brooklands in 1934. Motorsport Images

With the end of World War I, new careers were evolving in numerous sports disciplines throughout Europe and the United States which brought many women to compete on circuits and rallies: Gwenda Stewart-Hawes, Helle Nice, Kay Petre, Elisabeth Junek, Elsie “Bill” Wisdom, Anne Cecile Itier, and many others.

Nothing would be the same after World War II, including women’s roles in society. The 1950s & 60s included international road rallies and endurance circuit races for drivers such as Annie Bousquet, Pat Moss, and American Denise McCluggage. One of most profound drivers of this era was Maria Teresa de Filippis (main image), who raced in three Grands Prix in a Maserati 250F. Only four other women have attempted to qualify a grand prix. Lella Lombardi went on to make 12 starts, and scored half a point after being classified sixth in the shortened 1975 Spanish GP), while Divina Galica (1976, 197, Desire Wilson (1980), and Giovanna Amati (1992) took part in qualifying but did not secure a place on the race grid.
Pat Moss and navigator Elisabeth Nystrom put their Lancia Fulvia through its paces at the 1968 Acropolis Rally. Motorsport Images

Another significant landmark achieved by a female in racing was Shirley Muldowney, who became the first female licensed NHRA Top Fuel drag racer. Shirley went on to win three NHRA Top Fuel Championships, the first person (male or female) to win two and three Top Fuel titles. NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Automobile Racing) was formed in the 1950’s for stock cars to race mostly on oval tracks, and Louise Smith and Sara Christian competed in the early races.

The 1970s brought consumerism into motorsports, and sponsorship became the norm. At the same time, the women’s lib movenent opened some minds and doors. Some significant outcomes in the 1970s were when women racers were accepted at Le Mans after a 20-year absence; Michele Mouton became a French rally champion in an Alpine Renault; and Marie-Claude Beaumont raced in rallies around the world and at Le Mans between 1971 and 1976 Le Mans with Corvette, Alpine and Porsche.

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Garnering a tremendous amount of international publicity was Team Aseptogyl, created in 1971 by dentist Bob Neyret who was trying to promote his new brand of toothpaste. He organized a ruthless selection process, in live conditions, during the Chartreuse Rally, with the girls driving small Group 3 Alpine saloon cars. A roster of over 10 female drivers were engaged, (all wearing pink) including Belgian Christine Beckers, who went on to a successful international racing career, and Leila Lombardi, who went on to successfully race in international sports cars in addition to her achievements in F1.
Lombardi en route to an historic sixth place at Montjuich Park in 1975. Motorsport Images

Michele Mouton had a profound effect on a century of racing in the 1970s when she was six-time French female rally champion, five-time European rally champion, finished runner-up in the rally drivers’ world championship and helped Audi win its first manufacturers’ title. In 1985 she won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, setting a record in the process. Today she is the first president of the FIA Women Motor Sport Commission and the FIA’s manager in the World Rally Championship.

Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify and race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. She competed in the Indy 500 in 1977, 78, 79, with a top finish of ninth in 1978. Janet was also the first woman to lead a lap in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. She was inducted into the 1980 International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, the 2006 International Motorsports Hall of Fame, the 2019 Automotive Hall of Fame, and this year will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

This gives you a little taste of the history of the extraordinary women who competed in motorsports around the world. Next we’ll take a look at the women who followed them, before bringing you into the current crop of racers, then a peek into the future!

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Lyn St James collection
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emailBy Lyn St. James | February 4, 2021 11:26 AM

The Annual National Girls and Women in Sport Day has been a special day for me for many decades because of my support of and leadership role at the Women’s Sports Foundation, one of the founding organizations of National Girls and Women in Sport Day.

This year’s celebration was yesterday, and carried on the aim of bringing national attention to the importance of women’s sports for all girls and women. I recall joining other elite female athletes as we hosted a press conference and reception at the Capitol in Washington DC, visited various congressional representatives for photo ops and to remind them of the importance of protecting Title IX (the federal civil rights law that prohibits sexual discrimination in any federally-funded school or education program), and often visited the White House to meet Presidents and First Ladies.

As President of the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1989-91, I was honored to join elite athletes such as Olympic swimmers Donna de Varona and Nancy Hogshead, tennis greats Chris Evert, Pam Shriver and Martina Navratilova, basketball great Nancy Lieberman, and so many more. I was even able to take my daughter with me one year when we walked along the Mall as part of the celebration, and she was able to meet then-senator Joe Biden. Some great memories indeed. Due to COVID this year’s celebration was virtual, but no less important.
St James steps up to the podium at the 1990 event, while a crowd including basketball stars Nancy Lieberman and Anne Donovan, N.J. Senator Bill Bradley, track & field Olympian Willie White, and world champion water skier Camille Duvall look on. Image via Lyn St James collection

I was proud to represent motorsports, but sometimes questioned how Title IX affected women in racing since it’s a sport not offered in the traditional educational systems around the country. But women’s sports is a community; a large and powerful community, and the importance of equal opportunities goes far beyond traditional sports. I’m convinced that because we now have moms and dads who were influenced by Title IX during their educational experience, they are now more open and supportive of their daughters doing things, like competitive racing than in the past, when they would have only expected to support their sons.

Research on women in leadership in business documents that the majority of them will have stories about their participation in sports, and how much that influenced their ability to succeed in business and in life.

When eyes and minds are opened by seeing women succeed, it doesn’t really matter in what area, because it sends a message that affects everyone. I’ve always felt racing is a gender-neutral sport, but there is no denying that women have had a harder time getting the best opportunities to allow them to reach their potential and excel. Racing is also a unique sport because men and women compete on an equal level. By collectively working for equal opportunities, change can happen, and is happening. There’s momentum for women in racing now as never before, and we’re seeing them succeed in karting, drag racing, off road racing, rallying, and oval track and road racing.

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ST JAMES: A landmark week for women in racing

Skibinski/IndyCar
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emailBy Lyn St. James | January 22, 2021 2:53 PM

On Tuesday, a press conference was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway announcing the introduction of Paretta Autosport, a female-led IndyCar team set to debut at the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 with veteran racer Simona de Silvestro in the cockpit powered by Chevrolet, and technical support provided by Team Penske.

The team is an extension of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Race for Equality & Change initiative announced last July. Paretta Autosport will integrate women into the team to ensure that it provides opportunities in all areas of the racing organization. While not able to announce further races, the intention is to develop the team to be able to run a full season in the future.

Beth Paretta (pictured above) has a long history as an automotive and motorsports executive, holding leadership roles at FCA’s (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) SRT (Street and Racing Technology) where she was the first female executive to lead a performance brand and an OEM in motorsports. While she led FCA/SRT they earned three national championships: in 2012 the NASCAR Cup Series championships for Dodge with Team Penske, in 2014 the IMSA GTLM championships with the factory Viper GTS-R program and the Trans Am championship with the Dodge Challenger TA2. Prior to that she was Aston Martin’s East Coast operations manager, often calling on Penske Automotive.

In 2016 Beth announced the launch of Grace Autosport with the intention of campaigning an all-female team in the 2016 Indianapolis 500 with Katherine Legge as the driver. Although that program was never realized, she has had a long passion for education and focused Grace Autosport on STEM educational programs.

One thing I found noteworthy is how building positive, long-term relationships is critical to success. Having formed a relationship with Roger Penske enabled her to approach him after the announcement of the Race for Equality & Change initiative. This is a ground-breaking opportunity for tremendous growth in IndyCar racing as well as opening doors and creating opportunities for women to pursue a career in various areas of motorsports. This program checks all the boxes for success: experienced leadership, commitment to opportunities, and support from the top.
With mixed-gender driver pairings built into the regs, Extreme E will offer a huge platform for women racers. Image via Extreme E

IMSA

Another important program was the announcement that IMSA championship-winning driver Christina Nielsen and multiple race-winning sports car and open wheel racer Katherine Legge will be joining forces with former Le Mans 24 Hour-winning Kiwi Earl Bamber and former Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA driver Rob Ferriol behind the wheel of Team Hardpoint EBM’s GTD class Porsche 911 GT3R for the IMSA 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

While both women drivers are veterans of the Rolex 24 and were teamed with two other women drivers (Rachel Frey and Tatiana Calderon) in 2020, this year they are teamed with an experienced team in a very competitive Porsche. Other partners include VB Enviro Care and Richard Mille, who has been a huge supporter of women racers with their all-women driver line-up, finishing 13th overall at the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans in an LMP2 ORECA 07. I’m hopeful this program with continue for the season.

TRANS AM

It was exciting to see the first female driver to finish on the podium in the Trans Am TA2 Series, Michele Abbate, voted the Fan Favorite Driver in the Trans Am Series. This confirms how many fans love to see women drivers succeed in racing.

OTHER NOTABLES:

DAKAR RALLY

After Belgian racer Christine Beckers was the first woman racer to compete in the Dakar Rally in 1979 and German racer Jutta Kleinschmidt was the first woman to win the Dakar Rally in 2001, nine women were competing in this year’s Dakar Rally, including two from the United States.

EXTREME E

This new series will be racing electric SUVs around the world in a five-race environmentally conscious series. What makes it important for women in racing is that each race team must have two drivers – one male and one female — promoting gender equality and a level playing field. Chip Ganassi Racing (Sara Price) and Andretti Autosport (Catie Munnings) are among the eight teams en-ered. This is creating some great opportunities for women racers!

W SERIES

I’m very excited about the W Series being included as a Formula 1 support race. While the schedule continues to be adjusted due to COVID, I look forward to seeing women compete in this very competitive open-wheel series. I’ll be watching former Project Podium Grant recipients American Sabre Cook, along with 2014 F1600 champion Ayla Agren, compete against a strong field of 20 women racers from around the world! COTA is on the schedule, which will bring the series to the United States for the first time. You bet I’ll be there!

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ST. JAMES: Who are we missing?

Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images
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emailBy Lyn St. James | December 17, 2020 9:15 AM

The pandemic has created havoc for everyone around the globe. It uprooted everything we hold dear; our passions, professions, families, and friends. It upended our sense of timing of the things we look forward to; race schedules, holidays, award celebrations, and industry trade shows. Most of us build our yearly calendar around these events, and it created discord. While everyone has a different point of view about things, those POV’s were elevated and often difficult to reconcile. It challenged our core values; how we spend our time and with whom and how we spend our money. It generated fear in some of us, not knowing who and what to believe. In some ways, it brought people together who have spent most of their lives competing against each other because that’s what happens when survival is at stake.

I couldn’t be prouder of the racing and motorsports industries, as they’ve taken the lead in demonstrating how to “pivot” and “adapt” (two words that have become staples), responding quickly so as not only to survive but to embrace new ways of doing business. That’s what racers do! (I’ve heard this stated many times.)

Early December is one of those “staples” for the racing industry — trade shows where the expectation is to come together, learn how to improve our businesses, network, tell our stories, demonstrate our products, and get ready for the next season. Two examples of “pivot” and “adapt” were the EPARTRADE Online Race Industry Week and the Virtual Racetrack Business Conference. I spent time in both, listening to industry leaders tell their stories, demonstrate their technology and inspire us all. It was beautiful because you could take it all in sitting at your computer or listening on your phone, instead of having to pick and chose as you do when actually at an event where everything is spread out and schedules often conflict.

But still, something glared at me. Diversity has been on the “to do” list in motorsports for decades, with a sporadic effort. Due to the highly publicized and terrible social injustice issues that have occurred this year, “diversity and inclusion” have stepped into the forefront of priorities. People are speaking eloquently about how important they are, how they’re the right things to do, and how embracing them is a way to grow the sport. Data and statistics support these facts.

Yet there’s something at the core that’s conflicting. Story after story talks about how someone came into the sport because of family influence when they were young or how their dad took them to a race. That’s a common theme for so many people in the sport, whether in the business or as fans. Yet when you talk about diversity and inclusion, you’re now talking about people who likely have not had the same experience, so we need to adjust our language if we’re going to resonate with new audiences and populations. If you’ve grown up in the sport and have a passion for participating, competing and being in the business, it’s like a like-minded community. But if that’s not your story, exposure comes via different people, places and times in your life. We need to be respectful and understand everyone has a unique journey.
Outreach to young potential fans beyond families already involved in motorsports has improved in recent years, but much more needs to be done, St. James argues. Steven Tee/Motorsport Images

I grew up in the ’60s muscle car era, and I’ve always been a car person. Because of my buddies, I went to the Indy 500 and some drag races in and around Ohio and called myself a quasi race fan. My family had no idea what an automobile race was, and I followed the path that society set out for me as a young female in the late ’60s/early ’70s — married, helped start and build a business. Fortunately, my husband was one of those guys who took me to the races and we both became hooked, and as soon as we could afford a little extra time and dollars for something other than our business, we started racing in SCCA in the early ’70s. I’ve never looked back, and I challenge anyone to question my passion and commitment to the sport. While I was often the only female competing on the racetrack, many women were active in the club, and I felt completely comfortable at the racetrack. I’d found my community of like-minded people.

Fast forward: NASCAR has had a Diversity Council and Drive for Diversity program since the ’90s/early 2000s, which has evolved into the Rev Racing team run by Max Siegel. In 2009 the FIA established the Women in Motorsports Commission, headed by rally champion and one of the most competitive women racers globally, Michele Mouton. Michele has led the efforts brilliantly over the last 10 years, including creating the FIA – Girls on Track driver search program. Many females and people of color have had opportunities and experiences they would otherwise not likely have had. NHRA has had successful females and people of color throughout their racing divisions. I credit their Jr. Dragster program, ease of entry at the grassroots, and Shirley Muldowney’s championships in the 1970s and ’80s as contributing factors. Some individual standout success stories such as Janet Guthrie in the Indy 500 and Daytona 500, Willy T. Ribbs in IndyCar, Trans Am, and IMSA have garnered media attention and demonstrated what’s possible. I believe my success with the support of Ford Motor Company in the 1980s also helped along the way.
St. James’ Indy 500 runs helped shine a media spotlight to break down stereotypes and to pave the way for a new wave of female racers. Motorsport Images

Of course, my years racing in the Indy 500 in the 1990s helped set the stage for the onset of women racers such as Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick, and the other six women who have successfully competed at Indy. A few other opportunities emerged in the late 1990s/2000s: Don Panoz’s Women’s Global GT Series (which I helped manage); in 2004, Formula Woman was created in the UK, where over 10,000 women applied and whittled down to 16 drivers to compete in Mazda RX-8s (the first season won by Natasha Firman, daughter of race car constructor Ralph Firman Sr). And then late in 2018, the ground-breaking, game-changing race series for women, the W Series, was announced.

What made it ground-breaking/game-changing? There were no costs associated with the drivers competing. There was a race purse so the drivers would receive prize money; the race cars were current, state of the art F3 open-wheel cars prepared and maintained by a top-flight professional race team. Plus, throughout the season, the drivers were supported by media, fitness, and technical training teams. The 2019 season produced fabulous racing. While grounded in 2020 due to the pandemic, the recently announced 2021 season will be a support series in eight F1 races — ground-breaking/game-changing for women in racing worldwide.

With the activities listed above, it would be safe to assume there’s been a lot of support for women racing, so why is there complaining? Yes, there have been programs established and efforts made, but it takes leadership and a sustainable commitment, along with a robust and collective strategy to effect change. Except for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity and the FIA WIM Commission, those mentioned are independent efforts dependent on individuals who either run out of money or energy or become distracted by other priorities. I’ve always believed the sport needs to invest in itself to effect change. Earlier this year, Roger Penske decided to do just that, with his announcement of the Race for Equality & Change campaign, followed up by the new Force Indy team’s announcement for people of color to compete in the USF2000 Series under the tutelage of Penske Racing. I’ve never known Roger Penske to run out of money, energy, or to become distracted.
Women in the Winner’s Circle celebrations in Indianapolis featured Sarah Fisher (front row, far right); Katherine Legge (far left) and the author (front, center).

My new role in motorsports is to have the honor of serving as a board member of ACCUS (Automobile Competition Committee of the United States) and being nominated to represent ACCUS on the FIA-WIM Commission. I’ve been listening to the leaders of the sport saying words like “sustainable,” “tangible,” “engagement,” “do, not talk,” “greatest single opportunity to grow the sport,” “what’s best for the sport.” I feel compelled and empowered to help bring those words into action. It’s time for the industry leaders to follow in-step with Roger Penske’s commitment and take actionable steps that are thoughtful, tangible, and sustainable.

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For me, it is a “restart” time and an opportunity to make changes that will last and help grow and expand the sport in a meaningful way. Leaders know this is the right thing to do. They need to understand that NOW is the time! Women represent over 52% of the population and influence over 80% of household purchasing decisions. Women represent +- 40% of existing race fans, so we’re not trying to build something from the ground up. RACER.com has shared that it’s seen an over 150% increase in their female users between January-September 2020 vs. 2019. And yes, many women are already successful in racing and motorsports in all categories but are still very much in minority numbers.

We have a strong base and message to build from, and NOW is the time to do just that!

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ST JAMES: Standing on the shoulders of giants

Desire Wilson, 1979. Motorsport Images
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lBy Lyn St. James | March 8, 2021 9:04 AM

The very first sports car race I saw was the 24 Hours of Daytona in the early 1970s, and besides seeing superstars like Mark Donahue, Mario Andretti, Pedro Rodriguez, and Roger Penske, I remember seeing this incredible Inaltera-sponsored racing car being driven by women racers Christine Beckers from Belgium and Lella Lombardi from Italy.

This left an indelible impression on me. When I watched the “Battle of the Sexes” on television when Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in 1973, it really influenced my thought process that it would be OK for me to pursue racing. Then in 1983, while racing in the SCCA Trans Am Series (the series was sponsored by Budweiser), I was invited to the Women’s Sports Foundation dinner in New York. After meeting Billie – she was the founder – she made me realize the importance of knowing the history of women who competed in my sport. She said that we were the most powerful while we were competing, and that we needed to know whose shoulders we stood on.

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ST JAMES: Saluting the trailblazers

In 1974 I started racing in the Sports Car Club of America at the very bottom of the ladder, in a Showroom Stock Pinto, and while I was often the only woman racing at the tracks during those years, drag racer Shirley Muldowney was the woman racer getting a lot of attention, and I went to the Gatornationals to try to meet her. I was unsuccessful, but it was incredible to watch her race and see how many fans she had. At that time my goal was to win races, to win the Florida Regional Championship, and to eventually qualify for the runoffs and win a SCCA National Championship.
Beckers and Lombardi wheeling their Inaltera LM 77 Ford Cosworth DFV at Le Mans in 1977. A few years earlier, the same duo had made what would prove to be a formative impression on the author at the Daytona. Motorsport Images

While I didn’t achieve those goals, I quickly realized that to be successful in racing, even at the amateur level, it was going to take more funds than I had access to, which meant sponsorship. I co-owned some businesses with my former husband, so I understood sales and marketing. After reading an article in Car & Driver magazine titled “Ford & Feminism” I wrote letters to Ford, eventually got a meeting in Dearborn, MI and secured Ford as a sponsor in IMSA.

The 1980s provided me with a decade of quality racing with some of the top teams in sports car racing, where I was able to win important races like the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, to race at the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans, and to set 21 national and international speed records at Talladega International Speedway. All of these experiences and my desire to get as far as my talent could take me led me to competing in the Indianapolis 500, where I won the 1992 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors. During the 90s I ran 15 IndyCar races, including seven Indianapolis 500s. Until 2000 I was the only woman competing in IndyCar racing.
St James on her way to 11th place and Rookie of the Year honors at Indy in 1992. Image via IMS

I continued to work with the Women’s Sports Foundation (eventually becoming President) and learned so much: it takes a group of dedicated people to achieve change, and that while I was competing I needed to bring others into the fold to have an impact. My journey in racing has taken many turns, and I’ve been blessed to have been able to meet some of the most incredible people who have greatly influenced and supported me. After competing in the 1992 Indy 500 I received so much fan mail – and not just asking for an autograph, but asking for advice. With my Women’s Sports Foundation background I was able to start my own foundation, and create a driver development program to try to help the next generation of racers. I’m proud to say over a 20+ year period we worked with over 230 women racers from 30 states and seven countries, many who went on to achieve their goals. But whose shoulders were they standing on?

Let me highlight some significant drivers who influenced me.

I met Desire Wilson through a mutual friend when Desire had recently come to the United States to try to get her career going here. Originally from South Africa, Desire started racing go-karts at a young age, and with the help of first her father, then her husband, was able to move into other types of racing, including formula cars – eventually competing all over the world and winning a race in what is known as the Aurora Formula 1 Series (year-old F1 cars) at Brands Hatch, where there is a grandstand named after her.
Wilson (far right) was an inspiration to St James (second from left), and their careers converged when the shared a car with Kathy Muller at Le Mans in 1991. Motorsport Images

She was also successful in sports cars and made some attempts to qualify at Indy a couple of times in the 1980s in uncompetitive equipment. She struggled to get sponsorship at a time when apartheid was in the headlines, and I believe that made it almost impossible for her to secure sponsorship. She is now a U.S. citizen and lives in Colorado with her husband, Alan Wilson, a well-known racetrack designer. In my opinion, Desire is one of the most naturally talented race car drivers I know, male or female. Opportunity and timing worked against her to realize her potential.

I cannot overlook one important female in our history, and that’s Denise McCluggage. While most of Denise’s racing took place in the 1950s and 1960s, her biggest achievements were in her literary life. She founded Competition Press, which became Autoweek, and was the first journalist inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. She raced in an era with the true gentlemen racers, and since she was racing cars she had great access to the drivers and was able to take some amazing photographs and write stories from an inside perspective. I met Denise at a Ford press event where I had to drag race her in a Ford Mustang. When we honored her with our Pioneer Award, she continued to dismiss her racing accomplishments and focus on her journalist career.

Kathy Rude was an extremely talented racer from the Pacific Northwest who had some great results in IMSA sports car racing. She suffered horrific injuries in a crash in 1983 which ended her career at the young age of 26. She has survived breast cancer, and is married to Indy 500 veteran Ludwig Heimrath, Jr. and living in western Washington state.

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The Brumos 924 Carrera GTR shared by Kathy Rude, Deborah Gregg and Bonnie Henn kicks up some spray at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1983. Murenbeeld/Motorsport Images

There was another young driver who was destined to become one of the greatest talents ever seen. Her name was Kara Hendrick. I met Kara while I was racing my Ford Mustang at Sonoma Raceway (then Sears Point), and when she introduced herself to me, all I could see was her huge smile. Her energy was jumping off her like the energizer bunny. She was full of questions about how to have a career in racing. She told me about her racing successes in Midgets and how she wanted to – no, had to get sponsorship so she could move into the higher ranks. I asked around and discovered that she in fact was really good – so good in fact that she often equaled, or sometimes beat, the likes of Jeff Gordon in Midget races. I gave her my contact info and told her I was working hard just to keep my own career going, but that I would help her all I could. We stayed in touch, and then I heard the news of her tragic death in October of 1991 in a midget race at El Cajon Speedway while setting a track record. Kara was only 22 years old. There was a decal made in her honor, which was a pink heart with Kara’s name on it, and I placed it inside my IndyCar for the 1992 Indy 500. It was my way of getting Kara to run the Indy 500. I created a Kara Hendrick Scholarship at my annual driver development program as a way to highlight a special talent and continue Kara’s legacy, and also to tell a story of what can happen.

When I started my driver development program in 1994 I was delighted to see how many young females were not only racing, but who had career aspirations in the sport. It inspired me to work hard to help provide them with the best advice and advisors I could assemble. It was a different world, and a world where moms and dads were now OK with their daughters doing what their sons had been doing for decades. Things were changing. But there was also much work that had to be done to fill the knowledge gaps. There were many young and talented female racers on the horizon, and I was not only excited but motivated to do whatever I could to help them. Next week, I’ll tell you about some of them.