Little is mentioned about women and their involvement in motorsports in media. Events, which saw women compete in, had been present since the earliest days of the sport; yet, limited prospects resulted in only a few taking the wheel.
It started off with Camille du Gast, who was regarded as one of France’s finest female racers – who made it to the history books as the first woman to compete at an international level. That was 1900’s. Since then, across the various decades, women have made their mark on the sport (from Championship Rally’s to Drag Racing; from NASCAR to the Indy Series).
Though, their presence might not have translated into a significant achievement in terms of their individual trophy cabinets, nonetheless, their very determination to prove the point among the sport, which is dominated by their male colleagues.
Last week, a fresh perspective was introduced. For the first time ever in the history of motorsports, more specifically the Indy Car Series, an all-female race team was announced.
Katherine Legge along with Grace Autosport, ironically which actually is her last name, will be part of an all-female team with the intent to compete in the 2016 Indianapolis 500.
The Indianapolis 500 (also called Indy 500) is one of the largest automobile race held annually at the Indinapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, USA with an patrons on that single day ranging from somwhere between 250,000 to 300,000. The even is part of the Indy Car Series – the top-level open-wheel racing present in the country.
Established in 1994, Indy Car racers drive a ‘single-seat, open-cockpit cars that feature a 2.2-liter, twin turbocharged, direct-injected V-6 engine optimized to run at 12,000 RPM with an estimated 500-700 horsepower depending on the turbocharger boost setting. The consumer-relevant engines, which are supplied by Chevrolet and Honda, utilize E85 fuel.’
What makes the sport more entertaining and impressive is the fact that it races speedier and closer than any other form of motorsports out there with cars reaching up to speeds of 235 mph.
Both Legge, a two-time Indianapolis 500 starter, and Autosport are part of the team that is presently devised by the officials to reach out to a female audience and close the gender gap that is exists within. All key roles within group will be taken up by women, led by Beth Paretta, former head of SRT Motorsports. The team is confident that enough women are present within the sport globally to fill out those roles, most importantly a pit crew that requires special training.
Though the series started in March, the last race of the season is scheduled on August 30th, with five races already completed and ten remaining. Passionate Indy Car Series in the Middle East can catch all the action on OSN Sports – the only network with rights to broadcast the series in the region. Subscribe now, just in time to view the much awaited 99th edition of the Indy 500 race on May 24th, an event which draws approximately 4.4 MM viewers within the US alone.