First Woman
to...
Menstuff is providing an incomplete list of "Firsts" women have
accomplished when racing against men:
- Aitken-Walker, Louise - 1979 - first woman to win a
national championship round in Britian.
- Aldred, Anna Lee
- the first woman in the United States to receive a professional
jockeys license.
- Beckers, Christine - NASCAR - First time since
1949 that three women competed in a race together: Janet Guthrie,
Lella Lombardi, and Christine Beckers
- Christian, Sara - First women to compete in NASCAR It
was at Charlotte.
- Cuneo, Joan Newton - first female driver in the first
Glidden Tour, won several races between 1905-1908, won a national
amateur championship- 1909, broke speed records at the Marti Gras
races - stopped racing in 1909 when women were banned from AAA
events.
- de Balanza, Julia - first woman to race Formula One
since introduction in 1950 of the Drivers Championship
- Duno,
Milka - The first Latin American women driver ever
to be classified "expert" First woman to win overall a major
international sports car race outright in North America in 24
years when she triumphed in the second round of the 2004 Grand
American (GrandAm) Sportscar Series at Homestead on 28 February
2004.First woman to twice win overall a major sports car race in
North America. First woman to drive the fastest cars in the Rolex
Series - the Daytona Prototype. First woman to win the prestigious
Petit Le Mans. First woman with two class wins at Petit Le Mans.
First woman to score points in the most important single seat
racing series in Europe aside from Formula One - the Open
Telefonica World Series. The first Latina to be featured in the
advertising launch of the new Pontiac G6. First woman in history
to score points in this prestigious Europes World Series
Light by Nissan Championship series. First woman to win a Ferrari
Challenge race in the USA. The first woman in the United States
and second in the world to ever win the Ferrari Challenge race at
Road Atlanta
- Enders, Erica -
the first woman to qualify first in the pro stocks.
- Filippis, Maria Teresa De - The first women to compete
in the modern Grand Prix era.
- Fisher, Sarah - a
second-place finish at the IRL's inaugural race at Homestead Miami
Speedway in 2001 is the best result ever by a woman in Indy-style
racing. 2002 Sarah became the fastest woman qualifier ever for the
Indianapolis 500 with a four-lap average speed of 229-plus miles
per hour. A few months later, Sarah became the first woman to ever
qualify fastest for a major North American open-wheel event
capturing the pole and setting a new track record at Kentucky
Speedway. First woman to drive the fastest cars in the American Le
Mans Series - LMP 900
- Guthrie, Janet
The first women to qualify for a major American automobile race,
the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 1976, the first
woman to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup superspeedway stock car
race On May 7, 1977, Guthrie was the first woman to race in the
Indy 500, she also set an Indianapolis 500 qualifying lap-speed
record. She was also the first woman to qualify for the Daytona
500 finishing 12 in 1977.
- Halliday, Liz -
the first women to race the Aston Martin DBR9 in International
sportscar competition and the first women to ever win a round of
the British GT Championship Spa, 2003.
- Heath, Kate - 1st
Louise Aitken-Walker Trophy
- Holl, Diane - The first woman to be chief engineer of a
race winner in modern Indy-car history.
- Howell, Mrs. John -1899 - first woman to obtain a
drivers licence
- King, Anitam - first woman race driver on West Coast -
daring behind the wheel and quit after a near death accident
(silent film actress) - first person to complete a
transcontinental journey, alone.
- Kirk, Tammy Jo - first female NASCAR Slim Jim All Pro
Series Driver in 1991 - first woman to win two Busch Pole Awards
in the series in 1996 - first female driver to compete in NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series in 1997
- Kleinschmidt, Jutta - first woman to win the
Paris-Dakar Rally 2001.
- Labrousse, Mme - first woman to entered the Paris-Spa
race. She finished 5th
- Legge, Kathrine -
2000 - the first female driver to win a pole British
Formula Ford Zetec Championship. 2002 - the first female to
receive the prestigious British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) Rising
Star Award. 2005 - the first female driver to win a major
U.S. open-wheel event when she scored victory in her very first
Atlantic Seires event, coming from seventh on the grid to win in
Long Beach. First female driver to win a major open-wheel race in
United States. 2006 - First female driver to run full-time
in Champ Car World Series
- Linz, Mrs. F.J. - organized the first womens
motor club
- Lombardi, Lella - Spanish GP,
first women to post a top six placing (6th), 1975. The only woman
(so far) to earn even half a point in a World Formula One Driver's
Championship Race. (The race was shortened because of numerous on
track accidents.)
- Mann, Pippa - The
first British female to have won an international kart race
(2003). The first female to race in the World Series by Renault
3.5 Championship.
- Mims, Donna Mae -
First woman to win a national championship - 1963
- Mitchell, Lynn
- the first woman to win a feature event on
her home track, an asphalt circle-track in Ohio. (It has been open
since the late 1930's).
- Moise, Patty. One of only two
women to have run a full schedule in the NASCAR Busch series (in
the 1990's) the other being Shawna Robinson. The first
woman to lead a NASCAR Busch Series race (at Road Atlanta in 1987)
and the first woman to win a Bud Pole at a superspeedway (at
Talladega in 1988). In addition, Moise holds the record for the
highest finish by a woman in a NASCAR Busch Series race, with a
seventh-place at Talldega in 1995. The first woman to lead a
NASCAR Busch Series race (at Road Atlanta in 1987) and the first
woman to win a Bud Pole at a superspeedway (at Talladega in 1988).
In addition, Moise holds the record for the highest finish by a
woman in a NASCAR Busch Series race, with a seventh-place at
Talldega in 1995.
- Mouton, Michele - France. First woman to win a round of
the rally World Championship, won at San Remo Rally in 1981- win
the rallies of Portugal, Brazil and Acropolis and finish second
overall in Rally World Championships with co-driver Fabrizia Pons
1982 - first woman to win the Race of Pikes Peak (1985) Ran
in the 1975 Le Mans
- Muldowney,
Shirley. The first woman licensed by the National Hot Rod
Association. She was the first driver, male or female, to repeat
as NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Winston World Champion and
the first driver to win the Championship three times: 1977, 1980,
and 1982.
- Patrick, Danica -
the first full-time female driver in the history of the Toyota
Atlantic Series. The first women in history to win a pole position
in the Toyota Atlantic Championship. The first woman to lead the
Indy 500.
- Poensgen, Katja
Katja Poensgen, 21, of Germany, became the first woman to win an
international motorcycle racing title. She topped all in the
Supermono Cup series on a Suzuki 750 at Brands Hatch, UK, Aug.
2nd, 1998. German VW Polo Cup-#30
- Saint-James, Lyn
the first woman to win a professional road race driving solo and
is the first woman to drive faster than 200 mph on an oval
track.
- Sampey, Angelle - a three-time champion, has won more races
than any other woman in NHRA history.
- Sampey,
Angelle - Angelle set a national motorcycle speed
record by negotiating the quarter mile at Reading, Pa., in 7.373
seconds, the fastest pass ever by an NHRA pro stock motorcycle by
either a man or woman to earn her first NHRA victory. A three-time
champion who has won more races than any other woman in NHRA
history
- Skelton-Frankman, Betty - first woman in Covette Hall
of fame
- Troxel, Melanie - First NHRA Top Fuel driver, male or female,
to reach the final round in the first five events of a season.
First female to be named a quarterly winner of the prestigious
ESPY Driver of the Year award. Became quickest and fastest
female in NHRA history at Pomona 2 in 2005.
- Vaters, Pamela
Driver of Boogie Van monster truck. Pamela is the first and
only female monster truck driver to qualify for the Penda Point
Series.
- Whitaker,
Amanda
Jane,
l first female
to win a British National Single Seater Championship by winning
the Monoposto Championship (1996) Euro Historic F2-Chevon B.34
FA
- Willard, Jessica is the ORIGINAL Queen of Diamonds. She
drove Al Hanna's Queen of Diamonds jet dragster when he first
debuted it.
* * *
It wasn't that many years ago that women weren't even allowed in
the pits.

WomenInRacing.org
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