The world of motorsports has always been a bastion of male domination, with the last woman driver to take part in a Formula 1 Grand Prix race coming almost half a century ago. Those women were Maria Lella Grazia Lombardi, becoming only the second woman in the history of the sport to participate. However, the participation of women in these sports have been scant throughout the years, with none taking part in a race such as Formula 1.

However, this year ushered in a period of change, with the introduction of the W Series, a woman only motorsport event for four wheel driving. Initiatives like these have been introduced in other related sports as well, with the aim of increasing the visibility and participation of women in the sport.

Through the years there have been many women drivers, with the current set of drivers participating in competitions such as W Series. There are many female drivers in the current generation that have certainly made their predecessors proud.

James Chadwick

James Chadwick hails from the country of Somerset in England, establishing a name for herself by becoming the youngest and first ever female to win the British GT Championship in 2015. Debuting professionally in the 2018-19 racing season, she has already participated in two seasons of the Ginetta Junior Championship, BRDC British Formula 3 Championship event where she came first, as well as the coveted MRF Challenge in February 2019.

Tasmin Pepper

Tasmin Pepper comes from South Africa, having participated in over 110 competitions, reaching the podium 35 times. Her career highlights include a Second place finish at the Formula Volkswagen South Africa 2010, taking part in the South African Engen Volkswagen Cup National Championship and the 2013 edition of the South Africa Engen Polo Cup National Championship, along with numerous other competitions.

Carrie Schreiner

Perhaps one of the youngest entrants into the world of motorsports at 21, Carrie Schreiner is one of Germany’s best female racers currently. Having started entering competitions in 2013, she has won several accolades including a first place finish in the 2018 Porsche Super Sports Cup Red Bull Ring event. Carrie is now part of the famed “Giti’s Angels” team, an all women racing team set to participate in the upcoming W Series Sports Event.

Ronja Assmann

Just like her fellow German Carrie Schreiner, Ronja Assmann is also part of the aforementioned Giti’s Angels team. She started her racing career in 2013 at the tender age of 17, becoming the youngest woman to ever participate in the Renault Clio Cup Bohemia. Her list of accolades is equally as impressive, with a 5th place finish in the Porsche Club Historic Challenge Event, as well as both a 6th and 4th place finish in the RCN trophy.

Vicky Piria: Born to an Italian father and British Mother, Vicky Piria is an Italy based driver who has also raced under a British licence in the Formula 2000 Light events. She made her debut in GP3 in 2012, as part of Trident Racing. She finished the season with a best finish of 12th.

Naomi Schiff

Naomi Schiff is a Rwandan professional racing driver, born in Belgium, appearing first in the South African Formula Volkswagen. She has received various accolades for her performances in major sporting events, such as the Rotax World Finale and has won the Clio Cup China Championship as well.

Caitlin Wood

Australian racer Caitlin Wood became the first Australian woman to ever compete in a European Stage full-time circuit racing event, at just 21 years of age. She has proven herself to be quite the competitor in the past, participating in blancpain GT Series as well as the Blancpain Sprint Cup in 2017

Beitske Visser

Born in The Netherlands, Beitske Visser has competed in kart racing, single-seater as well as the GT series. By mid-2017, she was admitted into the BMW Junior Driver Programme, and took part in the famed 2017 GT4 European Series Southern Cup alongside several high profile racers. Her best performance came in the GT$ European Series in 2018, where she finished 6th.

Conclusion

The mainstream participation of women in motorsports competitions have been long overdue. Initiatives such as the W series not only encourages women participation but increases the visibility and the interest among Motorsports fans worldwide. Even though the initiative has got criticism from within the community, teams as the Giti’s Angels have certainly paved the way for a more gender balanced competitive sport. With participation from countries such as the U.K, U.S.A, Spain, Canada, Poland, Japan, South Africa and others, things are certainly looking bright for the world of female racing.