Women’s Day is around the corner and it is a great time to recognize the contributions of women in the world of car racing. Automotive racing, while largely male-dominated over the years, has seen some incredible feats from iconic women who have broken glass ceilings with ease.
The first woman to ever take part in a NASCAR race was Sara Christian in 1949. Shirley Muldowney was another incredible woman, who was called the First Lady of Drag Racing, being the first woman to win an NHRA drag race championship. These were inspirational women who set the stage for others to follow, while winning numerous accolades along the way.
Here are some of the other torchbearers in the sport who deserve a tribute this Women’s Day:
Christina Nielsen
Danish racing car driver Christina Nielsen was the first female driver to win the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series title. She was coached by her father Lars-Erik Nielsen, who raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. She began her racing journey in the year 2007 with a stint in karting. By the year 2016, she won the 12 Hours Sebring race with her team.
Katherine Legge
Katherine Legge has been a professional racer for close to two decades, having taken part in NASCAR, Formula E, 24 Hours of Daytona, and Le Mans. In 2000, she was the first woman to get a pole position in a Zetec race event. She also became the first woman to get the BRDC Rising Star award.
Rahel Frey
Rahel Frey is a Swiss Audi factory racing driver and has taken part in series championships like the International Formula Master, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, and the German Formula Three Championship. In 2010, she took part in the LGMT1 category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while joining the all-woman Kessell team in 2019 at the European Le Mans series. It was the very first all-woman team to finish since the year 1977.
Simona De Silvestro
The Italian-Swiss racing driver became a factory driver for Porsche in 2019. She has previously been a development driver in Formula One for the Sauber F1 team , while having participated in multiple racing series’ including Australian SuperCars, IMSA SportsCars, and the Formula E. She also won the Indy Rookie of the Year award.
Michelle Gatting
Michelle Gatting is an acclaimed Danish female racer who currently takes part in the European Le Mans series. She has also participated in the Porsche Carrera Cup in Germany, the Danish Thundersport Championship, and the International GT Open. She was the first woman to win a race at the Danish Thundersport Championship. She took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2019.
This Woman’s Day, it is only fitting that these legendary women in car racing are recognized and feted for their accomplishments. We hope to see more women entering the fray and breaking barriers with their inspirational achievements.
