Women in motorsport have a surprisingly long history. The first race that involved women took place in Paris in 1897. This was followed by another important race in 1901, which featured the first woman, Camille du Cast of France, to participate in an international motor race. Since then, many female racers have emerged and shown that they are not only daring and talented but also very sensible, stylish, and resilient.
Such racers include Baroness Maria of Italy (1920s), Hellé Nice of France (1920s/30s), Kay Petre of Canada (1930s), Ada Pace of Italy (1940s), Sara Christian of the U.S. (the first female racer to participate in NASCAR in 1949), Anne Hall of Great Britain (1950s/60s), Stirling Moss of Britain (1960s), Michele Mouton of France (1980s/90s), and Giovanna Amati of Italy (1990s) who is still regarded as the most recent competitor in the world of motor racing.
Women continued to participate in many different races and rallies of all sizes and circuits worldwide, and the following lists the recent women in motorsport.
1. Jutta Kleinschmidt
Born in Germany, Jutta started racing in 1988, and now she’s known as one of the most remarkable women in motorsport and the first and only woman to win the race during the Dakar Rally in France in 2001. The rally, also referred to as “The Dakar,” was initially held in Paris in France to Dakar in Senegal. Still, it was relocated to South America for several reasons in 2009. Compared to other motorist races, the rally is considered one of the most challenging in the world, and Jutta strained every nerve to win the race.
2. Maria Costello
Maria is another female racer known for her motor skills, and in 2009, she was awarded an MBE due to her excellent services in motorcycling. She has participated in many motorcycle events, such as the Isle-of-Man TT, which is regarded as one of the most dangerous and demanding competitions. During her racing career, she has suffered injuries and broken several bones. She was featured in the Guinness World Book of Records in 2004 for being the fastest female racer to lap at a mean speed of 114.7MPH during the international Isle-of-Man TT race.
3. Danica Patrick
Being an American-born female racer, Danica has participated very well as a racing driver and emerged as one of the most successful motorists. She took part in the IndyCar, Indianapolis, and NASCAR races, earning several awards such as the Indianapolis 500 Rookie-of-the-Year award, IndyCar Series Most-Popular-Driver award, and NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver awards.
4. Keiko Ihara
Ihara is of Japanese nationality and has taken part in many international races in different parts of the world. Some of the series she has been involved in include the Formula-Renault 2.0 U.K. (2000), Asian-Formula 2000 (2002), British-Formula Three (2005), Formula-Le Mans-Cup (2009), and FIA World-Endurance-Championship (2012/13). She has won in various Asia Le-Man’s Series, making her one of the most notable female racers in motorsport.
In conclusion, motor racing is becoming one of the most significant sporting activities in the whole world, and we’re looking forward to seeing what happens in the future with women in motorsport.
