Latest / BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show / From Powderpuff to the W Series: Tracing the Evolution of Women-Only Racing

Transcript

From Powderpuff to the W Series: Tracing the Evolution of Women-Only Racing · BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show

0:00
Breakfix's History of Motorsports series is brought to you in part
0:04
by the International Motor Racing Research Center, as well as the
0:07
Society of Automotive Historians, the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of
0:11
Commerce, and the Argettsinger family.
0:16
From Powderpuff to W Series, the evolution of women only racing by Chris Lezat.
0:22
Throughout its storied history, motorsports has been unwelcoming to women.
0:25
Consequently, it has been necessary for female racers to develop unique
0:29
strategies to enter what has long existed as an exclusive masculine enclave.
0:33
While entry can be facilitated through a familial relationship with a male
0:37
driver, women without such connections often get their start through
0:40
participating in women only racing events.
0:42
Although these races have provided women with the opportunity to enter the track,
0:46
they have not been without controversy.
0:48
Detractors argue that women will not be considered legitimate racers until
0:52
they compete on the same track as men.
0:54
Proponents view women only racing not only as a way to attract more
0:57
women into the sport, but also as an important source of skill development,
1:01
support, and community building.
1:02
This paper investigates the evolution of women only racing from its early
1:06
introduction as a media stunt to its current incarnation as providing
1:10
ground for serious female open wheel racers informed by archival resources
1:14
and motor sports scholarship.
1:16
It considers how women only racing complicates, facilitates,
1:19
and liberates women's entries, participation, and recognition in
1:22
the masculine world of motor sports.
1:24
A Motor City native, Chris Lizotte spent part of her life writing car commercials.
1:29
After exiting her advertising career, she pursued a Master's in Women's and
1:32
Gender Studies at Eastern Michigan University and was awarded a PhD
1:36
in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University.
1:39
Now working as an independent scholar, Chris continues her research focused on
1:43
the relationship between women and cars in a variety of contexts, including women's
1:47
participation in traditionally masculine car cultures, as well as representations
1:51
of women and cars in popular culture.
1:53
Her work has been included in popular culture, women's studies, transportation
1:57
history, media studies, masculine studies, and automotive history journals.
2:01
Chris's first book, Power Under Her Foot, Women Enthusiasts of American
2:04
Muscle Cars, was published in 2018.
2:07
Good morning, everyone.
2:08
To introduce myself, I'm Chris Lizotte, an independent scholar.
2:12
My research focuses on the relationship between women and
2:14
cars in a variety of contexts.
2:17
This presentation from Powder Puff to W Series traces the complicated
2:21
history of women only racing in Europe and the United States.
2:24
In 2019, I was asked to contribute a chapter on the rather broad topic
2:29
of women in motorsports, to be included in a compiled volume on the
2:32
history and politics of motor racing.
2:34
At the time, the W Series, an all female, single seater racing
2:38
championship, had just been introduced.
2:41
This announcement created a fair amount of controversy in the racing community.
2:45
WSeries proponents praised the racing championship as an important platform
2:49
for women to showcase racing ability, as well for its potential to carve
2:53
a pathway to higher level racing.
2:55
Opponents decried the series as aggressive and belittling to women,
2:59
claiming segregated racing carries the implication women aren't capable of
3:03
competing at the same level as men.
3:05
The question of whether female racers are best served by separate or equal
3:09
opportunities has long been a subject of discussion and unwavering opinion.
3:13
Thus, I thought an examination into the history of women only
3:16
racing could perhaps provide some insight into the ongoing debate.
3:20
This presentation is taken from the chapter that was
3:23
eventually published in 2023.
3:25
Although the W Series was suspended in 2022 due to financial issues, the
3:30
question of how to best advance women in motorsport remains relevant today.
3:34
Women's interest in motorsport began shortly after the
3:38
automobile's introduction.
3:38
In the early auto age in both Europe and the United States, the horseless
3:42
carriage was accessible primarily to those with considerable financial means.
3:47
Although the association of the automobile and mass transit accepted as a given
3:51
throughout automotive history, at the turn of the 20th century, it was wealth and
3:55
status rather than gender that determined who could operate a motor vehicle.
4:00
Thus, it was not unusual for well off women to join men as driving enthusiasts.
4:04
The permission awarded to early women drivers allowed them to call upon
4:08
the automobile to expand social, physical, and political horizons.
4:12
Female motorists of significant means were, in fact, the first to engage
4:16
in cross country automobile trips.
4:18
While these tours often served as auto company publicity stunts, they also
4:22
effectively presented women on the national stage as legitimate motorists.
4:26
Yet for some women, long distance tours were not enough.
4:29
To satisfy a new pound passion for driving, they turned to racing.
4:33
By the early 1900s, informal and formal racing events were being
4:37
held in Europe and the United States in a variety of venues.
4:41
On both sides of the Atlantic, upper class women gained notoriety,
4:44
if not success, as female racers.
4:47
Camille Dugas of France was recognized as the first female star of motorsports.
4:51
Through her impressive racing accomplishments, Britain's Dorothy
4:54
Leavitt earned the right to call herself the fastest woman on Earth.
4:58
Joan Newton Cuneo went on to become perhaps the most well known female
5:02
motorist in the U. S. until abruptly shut down in 1909 by the American
5:06
Automobile Association, when women were officially forbidden to participate in
5:10
the organization's motorsport events.
5:12
The situation differed in Europe, however.
5:15
Motor racing at Brooklyn's was beginning to draw large crowds.
5:18
Eyeing a potential for profit, race authorities relented and allowed
5:21
women onto the track, albeit in special event women only races.
5:25
Taking over the motor racing circuit after her husband's death in 1926, Ethel Locke
5:30
King created new opportunities for women.
5:32
Organizations such as the Ladies Automobile Club at Brooklyn and the
5:36
Automobile Club Féminin de France became important networks for the development
5:40
and promotion of female racers.
5:42
In these European venues, women had the opportunity to demonstrate they
5:45
could race as competitively as men.
5:47
World War II altered the possibilities for female racers in both Europe and
5:51
the United States in conflicting ways.
5:53
In Britain, the post war period witnessed a change in attitudes
5:57
regarding female racers.
5:59
New personnel at Brooklands, the retirement of former female racers,
6:02
and increased emphasis on the dangers of the sport contributed to the return
6:06
of traditional opinions opposing women drivers involvement in motor racing.
6:11
The prevailing mood was no longer conducive to women on the track.
6:14
Public spirit required that every woman look after her war
6:17
veteran and produce children.
6:19
In post war America, however, women, nearly invisible on the track since
6:23
the AAA ban, were the beneficiaries of new motorsport opportunities.
6:28
Motorsport, which had long existed as an activity for the rich, soon became
6:32
accessible to those of lesser means.
6:34
These amateur competitions became fan favorites, as anyone with a vehicle
6:38
and a bit of daring could participate.
6:40
Women who accompanied boyfriends or husbands to the racetrack were soon
6:44
offered the opportunity to compete in separate ladies races, most
6:47
often referred to as powderpuff.
6:49
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, powderpuff races were created
6:54
to address a number of concerns.
6:56
Women who accompanied male racers had little to do once
6:59
arriving but watch and wait.
7:00
In the masculine world of motorsports, women served primarily as uniform washers,
7:04
picnic lunchmakers, and cheerleaders.
7:07
Confined to the sidelines, female interest in the race experience soon began to wane.
7:11
Race promoters, fearful women's lack of enthusiasm would keep boyfriends
7:15
and husbands from entering events, saw an opportunity to keep women occupied
7:19
and in the process increase the gate.
7:21
Role friends and wives were encouraged to borrow cars from
7:24
male companions and race against each other as a special attraction.
7:27
Powderpuff participants often had limited driving experience, but were encouraged
7:31
to take part to show support for a male companion's motorsports hobby.
7:34
While many women participated tentatively, there were some
7:38
dissatisfied with roles as tag alongs.
7:40
who desire to race competitively.
7:42
But because most tracks prohibited women from racing against men, powderpuff
7:46
competitions became the primary way to develop confidence behind the
7:50
wheel, gain track experience, hone racing skills and strategies, and show
7:54
the guys that they could do it too.
7:56
On most tracks, powderpuff races were often more spectacle
7:59
than serious competition.
8:00
As an auto journalist recalls, the women also had to participate
8:04
in a gong show type agenda.
8:06
They might have to run so many laps.
8:08
Stop to eat a piece of watermelon, roll up into the stands and kiss
8:11
the man of their choice, then resume the race, or stop after so many
8:14
laps to wrestle with a greased pig.
8:16
As another noted, Powder Puff were the type of events in which women were treated
8:20
as less significant and where the men would kindly lend their race cars to women
8:24
for just a few laps around the track.
8:26
Clearly, women competitors were not taken very seriously.
8:30
Yet despite the negative attitudes toward women racers, participation
8:33
in Powderpuff often had a positive and powerful effect on women's lives.
8:38
Women raced not only to support male companions, but also to expand
8:41
social networks, gain confidence, and escape from everyday lives.
8:45
Powderpuff provided women with the opportunity to develop advanced
8:48
driving skills, make important contacts, gain a little notoriety, and
8:52
prove themselves as serious racers.
8:55
Many, including those featured here, who went on to achieve a number
8:58
of firsts in women's motorsport, began racing careers in powder puff.
9:02
Other than premier events such as the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR
9:06
championship, American post war racing was primarily an amateur pastime.
9:10
Races were run for trophies.
9:12
Cash prizes were banned as were donations from sponsors, car
9:15
makers, or local businesses.
9:17
While the conditions under which men and women raced were not the same, women
9:20
received less track time and had fewer and shorter races than male counterparts.
9:24
All racers were held to the same restrictions in terms of sponsorships
9:28
and financial remuneration.
9:30
As the decade concluded, top drivers from the sports car circuit were
9:34
being lured by the considerable cash prizes of international competition.
9:38
U. S. racing organizations fought back by creating racing events
9:42
with comparable financial awards.
9:44
Smaller venues, losing top drivers, and paying crowds.
9:48
So it sponsors to stay in business while the move toward the commercialization of
9:52
motorsports affected all amateur racers, regardless of gender, it was ultimately
9:56
responsible for the decline of all female racing without amateur ladies races.
10:01
Women lost an important platform from which to gain experience and exposure.
10:06
While ladies races were often the subject of derision and disparagement,
10:09
they were without question instrumental in bringing the racing experience
10:13
to an increasing population of female motorsport enthusiasts.
10:17
As the professionalism of racing resulted in reduced possibilities
10:20
for female racers, women's racing teams emerged as one of the few
10:24
opportunities to fill the void.
10:26
During the 1970s, two racing organizations in Europe and the United States
10:31
developed all female racing teams.
10:33
While the primary motivation was the marketing and promotional
10:36
potential of photogenic female racers, the very existence of
10:39
these teams allowed for increased women's motor sports participation.
10:43
During the early 1970s, Bob Mayrett, a French tennis and former rally
10:47
competitor, convinced Aseptical, a brand of toothpaste created by his company, to
10:52
sponsor a European all female rally team.
10:55
As part of Aseptical's wide reaching PR campaign, the team was composed
10:59
of attractive women with varying degrees of driving skills, outfitted
11:03
in matching pink racing ensembles that complemented the red, white,
11:07
and strawberry pink racing cars.
11:08
The team's first outings in 1973 were early season alpine rally events in France
11:14
and provided challenging competition, as well as all important promotional
11:18
opportunities over the next 20 years.
11:20
Team Aseptical had varying degrees of success.
11:23
Team Aseptical inspired the formation of other all ladies rallies teams in Europe.
11:27
And while the women serve primarily as marketing tools for the owner sponsors
11:31
and race promoters, it also brought attention, both positive and negative
11:35
to individual drivers in particular.
11:37
And motorsport women in general, many who spent a season or two driving for
11:41
team aseptical were able to fashion solid careers as rally drivers get
11:46
more significantly team aseptical and the all female racing teams inspired
11:50
suggested that women in motorsports were not in fact exceptions to the rule, but
11:55
we're part of a growing population of serious and competent female racers.
11:59
Around the same time in the United States, the Macmillan Oil Racing
12:02
Team sponsored a group of female racers known as the Motor Maids.
12:06
The team was first assembled in 1966 to compete in the Daytona 24 Hours.
12:11
Yet much like the European racing scene, the focus was on the all female team
12:15
was more promotional than professional.
12:17
Publicity focused not on driving skills, but personal appearance.
12:21
A 1966 press release described motor maid Donna Mae Minns as a bubbling,
12:26
bouncing blood bombshell of energy.
12:28
Her famous pink wardrobe on the track has become her trademark.
12:31
News devoted to Leanne Ingemann called attention to her clothing choices.
12:35
Leanne's trademarks are her white turtleneck sweaters and a purple
12:39
racing outfit that emphasizes the fact that this racing driver is all girl.
12:43
Emphasis on physical appearance served two purposes.
12:46
First, of course, was the utilization of attractive women as a promotional device.
12:51
As women were a rarity in motorsports, female racers garbed in bright pink
12:55
racing apparel made them stand out.
12:57
They were perceived as a novelty, eye candy for male spectators, or an
13:00
exciting diversion for speed enthusiasts.
13:03
Secondly, it determinedly and purposefully framed female
13:06
racers as appropriately feminine.
13:08
Post war culture increasingly stereotyped female athletes as unfeminine in
13:13
demeanor, masked in their appearance, and incapable of maintaining
13:16
heterosexual relationships with men.
13:18
Calling attention to women's sexual attractiveness implied that not only
13:22
are unfeminine, code for lesbian, Women absent in motorsports but participating
13:27
in motorsports will not move a woman's sexual orientation in that direction.
13:31
Selecting heterosexually appealing women and outfitting them to accentuate
13:35
their femininity assured spectators and participants of both genders
13:39
that female race car drivers were non threatening women who adhere
13:42
to traditional female gender roles as attractive sexual partners.
13:46
Yet despite the focus on personal appearance, participation as a Motor Maid
13:50
did create opportunities for a few of its members, including Janet Guthrie, who went
13:55
on to become the first woman to qualify and compete in the 1977 Daytona 500.
14:00
She was also the first woman and top rookie at the
14:02
Indianapolis 500 the same year.
14:04
Competing as a Motor Maid provided its drivers with experience, exposure, and
14:08
future racing possibilities they were unlikely to have received otherwise.
14:12
50 years later, in September 2020, two all female crews, the Iron Dames
14:17
and the Richard Mule racing team, competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans,
14:22
the world's most famous endurance race.
14:24
Although faced with shortened training sessions due to COVID, both
14:27
teams had modestly successful runs.
14:29
The Iron Dames claimed ninth place from the 22 starters in the LMGTE AM category.
14:35
The Mule team finished an impressive ninth of the 24 LMP2 crews.
14:39
In their debut outing, the inclusion of these teams resulted in the highest
14:43
female participation in the 24 hours since 10 women competed in 1935.
14:49
Unlike previous all female racing teams, promotional possibilities took
14:53
a backseat to talent on the track.
14:55
The teams were built around strong, experienced, and serious racers.
14:58
The marketing focus was on individual and collective ability
15:02
rather than on femininity or the color of the racing suits.
15:05
Within the historically masculine motorsport enterprise, there is
15:08
perception that female only teams and the drivers that inhabit
15:11
them are inherently second rate.
15:14
Many competitors expressed reluctance to join the teams for that reason.
15:18
However, the talent and teamwork on display at Le Mans demonstrated
15:21
that with support, sponsorship, and opportunity, women could achieve success
15:25
and respect in the motorsports arena.
15:28
In the early 2000s, the women's racing series emerged as an
15:31
alternative all female racing concept.
15:34
While the all female racing team expanded the opportunities for women's
15:37
participation in high performance racing events somewhat, women
15:41
remained a significant minority.
15:43
The Women's Racing Series, therefore, was created to address the lack of women
15:47
in the higher echelons of motorsport by providing more openings for more women
15:51
to develop the skills and experience necessary to move on to the next level.
15:55
One of the earliest and more unconventional examples of this concept
15:59
was Formula Women, an all female based motor racing championship created
16:03
and marketed in association with the British media from 2004 to 2007.
16:09
More than a race series, Formula Women shared many of its components with the
16:12
UK's burgeoning reality television boom.
16:15
The promoters did not solicit established racers, rather a team of 16 finalists was
16:20
selected from over 10, 000 applicants.
16:23
Respective drivers were subject to a series of assessments in driving
16:26
skill, physical fitness, and media and public relations management.
16:30
The series was also promoted as a male free zone.
16:33
As the applicant invitation read, the charm of Club Formula Woman is
16:37
that we operate in an entirely female environment, removing the stigma of
16:41
intimidating male dominated driving days.
16:44
Formula women drivers were initially intrigued by the prospect of participating
16:48
in an all female motor racing series.
16:51
As relatively new to the racing scene, the women believed the unique experience
16:55
would mold them for a possible career in the sport, and hoped the television
16:58
exposure would create lucrative promotional and sponsorship possibilities.
17:02
However, problems with the format, organization, and financial backing led
17:06
to difficulties on and off the track.
17:08
While Formula Women was created with the intent to provide increased motorsport
17:12
opportunities for women, as well as to expand female interest in the sport,
17:16
it ultimately failed to do either well.
17:18
However, that over 10, 000 applied to Formula Women program certainly
17:23
suggests a growing female interest in motorsport and despite its inability to
17:27
capture a loyal audience in its original incarnation, the Formula Women series
17:32
was relaunched in post COVID 2021.
17:35
The media attention brought to the W Series has unquestionably provided an
17:39
impetus for various racing organizations, including Formula Women, to encourage
17:43
female interests in motorsports.
17:46
The W Series was introduced in October, 2018 as a unique groundbreaking free to
17:51
enter single seater motor racing series.
17:54
For women drivers only, the formula three championship series was conceived to
17:58
promote female drivers into formula one.
18:00
The objective was not only to produce top notch racing for spectators
18:04
and viewers on a global scale, but also to equip its drivers with the
18:08
experience and expertise with which they may progress their careers.
18:12
In its inaugural season, 18 drivers representing 13 countries, chosen from
18:17
nearly 100 top female drivers across the globe, participated in six races at some
18:22
of Europe's premier F1 racing venues.
18:25
Those selected are required to take part in rigorous training programs centered on
18:28
driving techniques, simulator exposure, technical engineering approaches,
18:33
fitness, and media conducted by instructors with Formula One experience.
18:37
Efforts were taken to address the inequalities that plague many of
18:40
the world's premier racing series.
18:42
Drivers were not expected to attain sponsorships nor to shoulder
18:46
any financial responsibility.
18:48
All expenses were covered by the series organization.
18:51
The 2019 series was a modest success.
18:54
It experienced an increase in viewer interest and ratings after each race.
18:58
By the end of the first season, the W Series was broadcast in over 50 countries,
19:02
reaching up to 350 million households.
19:05
At the end of the season, it was reported that in 2020, the top eight
19:09
championship drivers would collect points toward an FIA super license, an
19:13
important entryway into Formula One.
19:15
Despite the mostly positive press, W Series entered the racing arena under a
19:20
cloud of controversy with much to prove.
19:22
Not everyone, the media, racing organizations, race promoters, and
19:26
the women themselves, was convinced a woman only series was a step forward.
19:31
Opponents argued since motorsports is one of the few competitions in which women can
19:35
compete directly with men, female racers should take every opportunity to do so.
19:39
Detractors claim that much like the all female racing competitions that preceded
19:44
it, WSeries was primarily a PR move.
19:46
As women's success in these venues had little influence within
19:49
the masculine effluent culture.
19:51
The debate surrounding the W Series echoes that which has
19:54
accompanied most configurations of the female motorsport since
19:58
powderpuffs entered the racing arena.
20:00
For much of its existence, women's racing has been constructed as a
20:03
frivolous sideshow, a trivial endeavor.
20:05
A catwalk of second rate drivers in pink racing suits.
20:08
Although women's racing has come into its own in the 21st century, it
20:12
cannot completely escape such long standing, disparaging associations.
20:17
It is not surprising, therefore, that many choose to dismiss all
20:20
female racing as a way to distance themselves from these pervasive
20:23
sexist, stereotypical representations.
20:26
Secondly, throughout automotive history, critics have drawn on gender stereotypes,
20:31
women as emotionally unstable, physically weak, and intellectually deficient,
20:35
to frame women as interior drivers.
20:38
These assumed biological character deficits have carried over
20:41
into motorsports, where women are considered less able to
20:44
perform in a competitive field.
20:46
The arguments against the W Series assume an either or position.
20:50
Only one platform, segregated or non segregated, best serves female racers.
20:55
However, the W Series framed itself as an addition to, rather than
20:59
replacement for, non segregated racing.
21:01
The W Series objective was not to compete with non segregated events
21:05
for female support and participation, but rather to increase opportunities
21:09
for women throughout motorsports.
21:12
The COVID pandemic cancelled the 2020 W Series.
21:15
The 2021 season featured eight races in support of the 2021
21:19
Formula One World Championship.
21:21
The 2023 season was shortened due to financial issues and the W
21:25
Series was ultimately dissolved.
21:27
Britain's Jamie Chadwick was the winner of all three seasons.
21:30
Chadwick went on to become a development driver for the Williams
21:33
Formula One team and race for Andretti Global in Indy and XT.
21:38
In November 2022, Formula 1 announced the creation of F1 Academy, a female
21:43
only, junior level, single seater racing series aimed to develop and prepare young
21:48
drivers for higher levels of competition.
21:51
Like Formula Women and the W Series that preceded it, it was established
21:54
to address the lack of female drivers in other racing series.
21:58
Now in its second season, the Academy has already witnessed an increase in female
22:02
participation, with a 265 percent increase in cadet age females qualifying for the
22:08
British Carding Championships, the first step in a young woman's racing journey.
22:12
In 2024, the F1 Academy Racing Series will compete across seven countries spanning
22:17
three continents for the first time.
22:19
Each side of the gender segregated versus integrated racing conundrum
22:23
makes a compelling gaze for how women in motorsports are best served.
22:27
Champions of integrated racing argue women will not be considered equal in motorsport
22:32
until they compete head to head with men.
22:33
Those on the opposing side contend because women have traditionally had fewer
22:37
avenues into motorsports than male peers.
22:40
Female racing provides an important and necessary entryway into the
22:44
higher echelons of competition.
22:46
There can be little question that the history of motorsports is a masculine
22:49
one, even in its earliest years, when well connected societal women were
22:53
conditionally accepted into the racing arena, traditional assumptions and
22:57
biologically deterministic attitudes toward women frame motoring and
23:00
motorsports as exclusive male preserves.
23:03
100 years later, the position of motorsports as a nearly
23:06
impenetrable male enterprise remains.
23:08
Women with an interest in racing, therefore, have had to devise particular
23:12
strategies to enter what has long existed as an exclusive masculine fraternity.
23:17
Without many of the connections available to male racers, rising through the
23:20
ranks of karting, coming from a family of racing enthusiasts, having an
23:24
intermediary in the racing community, and racing mentors, women must often rely
23:29
on other methods, and one of those is participation in women only racing events.
23:34
This examination of female only racing over the past 75 years does
23:38
not attempt to answer the question of whether or not women are best
23:42
served by gender segregated racing.
23:44
Rather, it offers insight into how women have and continue to construct alternative
23:49
avenues into the historically masculine and often unwelcoming motorsports arena.
23:54
Through an inspection of women's engagement in female racing venues, from
23:57
Powder Puff to W Series, it provides an opportunity to consider how segregated
24:01
racing has both limited and empowered women's motorsports participation.
24:06
Thank you for your attention.
24:07
The photographs in this presentation are from the following resources.
24:11
Thank you, Chris.
24:12
I have a question, actually.
24:13
The two series that you talked about seem to be mostly, if
24:17
I'm correct, European oriented.
24:19
Is there any U. S. or North American equivalent that has been
24:24
tried or is currently being run?
24:26
Um, not recently.
24:26
Not that I'm aware of.
24:28
In the early part of your presentation, you talk about how women were
24:32
initially accepted into racing and then ultimately prohibited.
24:37
What was the sort of impetus or I guess more likely pretext for that prohibition?
24:42
My theory is that the prohibition happened right around the time when the gasoline
24:47
powered automobile was introduced.
24:49
And before they were driving these low powered cars, society was opposed to
24:53
women driving gasoline powered automobiles because they had too much power.
24:57
They liked them in electrics because they didn't go very fast
24:59
and they didn't go very far.
25:01
I think that that's one of the impetuses that said, you can't race.
25:04
It's too dangerous.
25:05
It's too fast.
25:06
Too much power.
25:07
I wonder when you looked at the 60s and 70s and all the promotion
25:12
and advertising, clearly that was geared toward the male viewer.
25:16
We know that as we entered into the 2000s that the majority of financial
25:20
decisions in a household is made by women.
25:23
So do you think there could be an examination of how we advertise if we
25:27
focused on Women and saying like I don't think given that type of promotion.
25:32
I would ever have steered my daughter into motor sports I know I wouldn't
25:36
have in fact I didn't soccer.
25:37
Yes, basketball.
25:39
Yes, and other sports.
25:40
Absolutely I wonder if an examinations ever been on that.
25:44
Well, I think part of the issue is that girls are not exposed to motorsports or
25:49
even cars in the way that young boys are.
25:52
They don't even know that it's something that they can pursue.
25:55
It's not even in their wavelength.
25:57
And by the time they want to do it, it's usually too late.
25:59
If they're 16, when they decide they want to become a race car driver, they're
26:03
already eight years behind the guys.
26:05
So it's really hard for them to catch up.
26:07
And that's why, like, the F1 Academy is helping.
26:10
They're starting with girls that are younger.
26:12
They're also doing that in the United States.
26:14
I've been to a couple of seminars that Lynn St. James has held.
26:18
You know, her organization is doing a lot to promote young women.
26:21
And they had a young girl there that was 15 that was also into carding and actually
26:24
her family was moving to the south so that she could sort of do this all year
26:28
round where the weather was better.
26:30
You know, that's a really hard commitment to make.
26:32
We got one from John Summers.
26:34
He says, Women buying the groceries and controlling the family finances.
26:38
Wasn't that why Tide got into NASCAR?
26:41
Makes sense, but I couldn't verify that.
26:44
It's always worked that way in my household, I'll tell you that.
26:47
In, uh, SCCA sports car racing in the late 50s, they referred
26:51
to them as the ladies race.
26:53
Then eventually they were able to run against the men and there was
26:58
a picture of Donna Mae Mims there.
26:59
She was the first national champion in SCCA in the H production class.
27:04
She, uh, built her own cars.
27:06
She was an amazing lady.
27:07
Thank you.
27:08
Yes, the one thing that they all seem to have in common, all of the women's
27:13
teams is that they're all pink.
27:14
So the iron dames who are still racing in world endurance, their sister car
27:19
or the brother car is iron links.
27:21
And that is the same car but bright yellow.
27:23
Even though the iron dames are much more about, as you say, opening the door to
27:27
women races and giving them an avenue in.
27:29
Can you foresee a woman's only team not being pink?
27:32
Or do you think no matter what happens, that's going to be part of it?
27:36
I can foresee it, although now with the whole Barbie thing, I think
27:39
pink's going to be around for a while.
27:41
Because, you know, she's got that pink Corvette.
27:43
With Lynn, if you recall, she was sort of torn with this question also of whether
27:48
it's better to race against men or to promote these all female racing teams.
27:53
When somebody raised the question of all female NASCAR, she said, no, no.
27:56
But then she also said, you know, but I went to the W Series, and I was on
28:00
the panel, and they provide all of this for women, and it's great for them.
28:04
So again, there's no right answer.
28:06
I don't have the answer.
28:07
I think it's just very individual.
28:09
These all women platforms are important.
28:12
Just brings more women and increases the feel.
28:15
Yes.
28:15
I just have a comment and then a question.
28:17
Some years ago I was, I consider myself fortunate to have spent some time with
28:20
Linda Vaughn, Ms. Hurst Golden Shifter.
28:23
Yeah.
28:23
Given the general popular perception of her as being unintelligent
28:26
and just a model, I found her a very warm, engaging person.
28:30
Which was just a remarkable contrast.
28:32
So there was kind of some interplay between popular culture and the reality.
28:35
More to my question though, these voices have been clearly silenced.
28:39
As we saw in our literature review yesterday.
28:41
How did you go about researching this and how did you bring those voices out?
28:45
W Series was new, so that was just basically reading the journal, you know,
28:49
the automotive press on the W Series.
28:51
A lot of the stuff I found in secondary sources, I really didn't go back into.
28:56
to research all of these at the primary source.
28:59
But I found it through secondary sources in print and online.
29:02
Jay Hungerford writes, What do you think the future is for women in motorsports?
29:06
Is it normalizing or will it remain a novelty?
29:10
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 will bring more women into motorsports,
29:19
they'll become more aware of it.
29:20
We need a star like Caitlin Clark, you know, she brought
29:22
attention to women's basketball.
29:24
Motorsports needs the same thing.
29:25
Do Girl Scouts of America have an automotive?
29:28
I don't know, but that would be a good one, yeah.
29:31
With the promotion of STEM education among high schoolers, science, technology,
29:36
engineering, and math, and the UNOH programs, when I see women in motorsports,
29:41
I don't just automatically think drivers.
29:44
I think, like what I do, I think about riders, and motors,
29:48
and engineers, and the like.
29:49
So I'd like to see you do some research on that.
29:52
I think you've covered this one well.
29:54
Well, thank you.
29:55
I know that's what the F1 Academy is doing, that they're increasing
29:58
opportunities for women in all aspects of motorsports, like the
30:02
ones that you mentioned, and when St.
30:04
James organization is doing the same thing, they're not just
30:07
concentrating on drivers, but they're concentrating on all aspects.
30:12
I would say we're starting to see a little bit more of that with the stars coming
30:15
out, I mean, even through namesake Leah Block, who is obviously the daughter
30:20
of Ken Block, the rally driver, all of that has started to make her way in the
30:24
rally series and the F1 Academy series.
30:27
And then even in representation in Formula One, you have the strategist
30:31
for Red Bull, who is a very prominent female figure in the sport.
30:34
I would also say regarding stars and racing and probably because we
30:38
showed the Shirley Muldowney movie.
30:40
What some people consider kind of a niche sport is drag racing, but drag
30:44
racing certainly has more than its fair share of stars that are female stars.
30:50
Yes, Erica Enders and John Force's daughters.
30:53
And well, I mean, Shirley Muldowney started it all years and years and
30:56
years ago, but I think drag racing probably is as well represented.
31:01
In terms of stars for women in racing as, as any series.
31:04
But again, like the daughters of John, I wonder if they would have gone
31:07
into drag racing if he had had sons.
31:10
Well, that's a good point.
31:12
Which I can't answer that.
31:14
They had a clear advantage.
31:16
Yeah, and that's a way that women get into this.
31:19
A lot of women get into this is through family participation or if their
31:22
family's interested in motor sports.
31:24
If they participate, they get into it too.
31:26
It's harder for women who don't have that family connection.
31:30
Right.
31:30
So to add to that, John Summers says, It's a great point about
31:33
needing a star performer.
31:35
The unfortunate issue with Danica was that she was just okay as drivers goes.
31:39
She's not Schumacher, Senna, Andretti, or a Foyt.
31:42
Danica Patrick was also not a great promoter of women.
31:46
She wasn't a role model.
31:47
So, I think that had some influence also.
31:51
She wasn't like when I'm talking about how turning around and promoting women
31:55
and young women into motorsport and Danica Patrick This is just my impression.
32:00
I don't know really anything about her.
32:01
I just don't think she was interested in that I think Danica was more of a
32:04
self promoter than a woman's promoter.
32:06
Yes, honestly I was just wondering, who is Jaye Stanridge?
32:10
She was a writer for Open Wheel back, I think that was the 60s.
32:15
She was a columnist, and this was from one of her columns.
32:18
Well, Chris, that was great.
32:19
Thank you very much.
32:20
Very informative.
32:27
This episode is brought to you in part by the International
32:30
Motor Racing Research Center.
32:33
Its charter is to collect, share, and preserve the history
32:36
of motorsports, spanning continents, eras, and race series.
32:42
The Center's collection embodies the speed, drama, and camaraderie
32:47
of amateur and professional motor racing throughout the world.
32:51
The Center welcomes serious researchers and casual fans alike to share stories
32:56
of race drivers, race series, and race cars captured on their shelves and walls.
33:02
And brought to life through a regular calendar of public
33:05
lectures and special events.
33:08
To learn more about the Center, visit www.
33:12
racingarchives.
33:14
org.
33:15
This episode is also brought to you by the Society of Automotive Historians.
33:20
They encourage research into any aspect of automotive history.
33:25
The SAH actively supports the compilation and preservation of papers, organizational
33:31
records, print ephemera, and images to safeguard, as well as to broaden and
33:37
deepen the understanding of motorized wheeled land transportation through
33:41
the modern age and into the future.
33:45
For more information about the SAH, visit www.
33:51
autohistory.
33:51
org.
33:56
We hope you enjoyed another awesome episode of Brake Fix Podcast, brought
34:00
to you by Grand Touring Motorsports.
34:03
If you'd like to be a guest on the show or get involved, be sure
34:05
to follow us on all social media platforms at GrandTouringMotorsports.
34:10
And if you'd like to learn more about the content of this episode,
34:13
be sure to check out the follow on article at gtmotorsports.
34:18
org.
34:18
We remain a commercial free and no annual fees organization through
34:22
our sponsors, but also through the generous support of our fans,
34:26
families, and friends through Patreon.
34:28
For as little as 2.
34:30
50 a month, you can get access to more behind the scenes action, additional
34:35
Pit Stop minisodes, and other VIP goodies, as well as keeping our team
34:39
of creators fed on their strict diet of Fig Newtons, Gumby Bears, and Monster.
34:44
So consider signing up for Patreon today at www.
34:47
patreon.
34:48
com forward slash gtmotorsports.
34:51
And remember, without you, None of this would be possible.