10 Most Influential Women In Motorsports
1. Susie Wolff
A former Formula 1 development driver and the first woman in 22 years to take part in a Formula 1 race weekend. Susie Wolff is also the Team Principal for VENTURI Formula E. She has been a prominent figure consistently supporting the growth and representation of females in motorsports.
2. Shirley Muldowney
Known as the “First Lady of Drag Racing”. Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and then won the NHRA Top Fuel championships in 1977, 1980, and 1982. Among many more impressive achievements and records!
3. Lyn St. James
A former IndyCar driver, Lyn St. James started seven Indy 500 races and was the first woman named the race’s Rookie of the Year in 1992.
4. Michele Mouton
Former French rally driver, Michele Mouton was the first woman to win a World Rally Championship event and a four-time winner of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
5. Janet Guthrie
Janet Guthrie was the first woman to qualify for and race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, both in 1977.
6. Danica Patrick
Having broken many records, Danica Patrick is known as the most successful female driver in NASCAR history, with seven top-10 finishes and a pole position. She was even the first woman to win a NASCAR Cup Series pole. Additionally, she was the first women to lead laps and score a top-five finish in the historic Indianapolis 500 race.
7. Sarah Fisher
Sarah Fisher is a former IndyCar driver, with the most Indianapolis 500 career starts for a woman (9). Later she also became an IndyCar team owner.
8. Maria Teresa de Filippis
Italian racing driver and the first woman to compete in Formula 1! Maria Teresa de Filippis drove in the 1958 and 1959 seasons.
9. Jutta Kleinschmidt
Jutta Kleinschmidt is a German offroad race known as the first woman to win the Dakar Rally in 2001.
10. Jamie Chadwick
British race driver who won the inaugural Women’s Series in 2019. She was also the first female (and youngest) driver to win a British GT Championship, a BRDC British Formula 3 race, and the MR Challenge Championship.