Does the thought of wearing pink, frills, or a dress give you a stomachache? Maybe those are words best used on rare occasions to describe your wardrobe.
Are your favorite smells the smell of alcohol with grape scented additive? Or burning rubber? Are you often unimpressed by burnouts done on the street, or some punk next to you revving his engine at the light, only to be left in your dust?
If these describe you, you're probably more likely to be seen with a grease smear on your forehead and a vice grips in your pocket. Don't get me wrong, pink is great. Especially pink slips. Its just maybe not the color for me.
You aren't alone in your endeavors to break free of the stereotypes of the motor world.
"Cars are for boys" "Do you even know what you're doing?" "Hey, put that down you might break a nail!" Fear not! These lovely ladies have helped you along in this fight, whether on two wheels or four.
1. Angelle Sampey
Mom, wife, and a drag racer? Yes please! She's been racing Pro Stock Motorcycles since 1996, though she has taken a few breaks throughout the years. Angelle also holds the most wins for any female in both NHRA competition and professional motor sports as a whole.
2. Courtney Force
Taking after dad, John Force, and big sisters Ashley Force Hood and Brittany Force, Courtney got her first career win in 2009, at the age of 21. She's one of two current female Funny Car drivers for NHRA. She also holds the record for most Funny Car wins by a female driver, and is the holder of the 100th win for women in NHRA.
3. Shirley Muldowney
Shirley started street racing in the 1950s, but she first got her NHRA license in 1965."Cha Cha", one of her nicknames, was the first woman to recieve a license for a Top Fuel Dragster. She was the first lady in racing, and fought tooth and nail for us gal's out here on the asphalt until her retirement from racing in 2003.
4. Jutta Kleinschmidt
Jutta is the only woman to have won the infamous Paris Dakar Rally, and for being the only German to win in the car category. She first entered the race in 1988 on a motorcycle, but switched to a car in 1994.
5. Helle Nice
Helle lead a full life. She was a model, dancer and a race car driver, showing us all that you don't have to be unfeminine to kick butt. She set a world record for speed with a woman driving in 1929, and raced the Grand Prix circut along with some of the best male racers of the time, as well as participated in hillclimbs and rallies.
6.Tarah Gieger
Tara is a Puerto Rican Motocross racer, and is the most decorated female moto athlete in X Games history. She's also the only female motocross racer to land a backflip on a bike. Not only that, but she's also the only woman to have competed in Motocross of Nations. Also, she had a kickass photoshoot where she rode naked on a bike, which sounds painful.
7. Lyn St. James
She's one of SEVEN women to have qualified for the Indianapolis 500. She also won twice at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and once at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Not only all of that is behind her name, but she's also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as several other events in both Europe and America.
8. Danica Patrick
How could we not include Danica Patrick? She's become the face of women in motorsports over the last several years, and is known for her sex appeal, but she also knows what she's doing behind the wheel. She's the only woman to have won an IndyCar series race. She's also qualified for the Daytona 500, placing 13th, and while doing so, is the only woman thus far to have to won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole, with the fastest qualifying time since 1990.
9. Maria Teresa de Filippis
Maria was the first woman to race the Formula One series in 1958. Although unsuccessful in that pursuit, she won several other races in other series, and is considered a pioneer in Formula One.
10. Pat Moss
Pat is one of the most successful auto rally drivers of all time, scoring three outright wins and seven podium finishes. She was also crowned European Ladies' Rally Champion five times. Her success is largely shadowed by brother Sir Sterling Moss' success as a Formula One driver.
11. Desiré Wilson
Wilson is one of FIVE women to compete in Formula One Racing. She is also the only woman to have one a F1 race of any kind. She is the only woman to have been licensed to drive in a CART IndyCars event, as well as holding a FIA Super License, which allowed her to race at the highest level FIA Formula One World Championship. She was the first female to have outright victories in any FIA World Championship race
12. Michèle Mouton
Mouton is a rally driver who, while competing in the World Rally Championship for the Audi factory team, took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers' world championship in 1982. She is the last woman to compete in top-level rallying. She started as a co-driver, but quickly moved into the drivers seat in the 1970s. She faced gender discrimination with one of her competitors saying that they would accept "'second place in the championship ... but not to Mouton: 'This is not because I doubt her capabilities as a driver, but because she is a woman'".
So thank these lovely ladies that made it possible for you to enjoy the squeal of tires on pavement, or the dirt clouds behind you as you leave those boys in the dust. Go and get 'em!
