Women Shining Bright in Sporting Events Once Primarily Male-Dominated
With a title on the line — women push hard, dig deep, and compete for the win. It is denoted that female involvement in motorsports is set to explode over the next ten years as women prove this competitive nature isn’t a hiccup.
Equality for women overall has turned the page over the last five decades — and sports is at the helm. Often overlooked, disregarded, and underrated, women are now shining in many sporting events that were once primarily male-dominated.
We’ve seen it time and time again with GFG (Go Fast Girl) ambassadors — as more and more girls are proving that they can be competitive — and it’s not an anomaly.
Former FIA Formula E Championship driver, Katherine Legge said it best, "The W Series has come along, there's more women in that, so times are changing. I wish I were 20 years younger honestly because the opportunities now for women in racing are thousands of times more than when I first started.
Legge went on to add, “The doors are opening and there are more people opening those doors which are going to make the nine-year-old Katherines of the future have more opportunities. That's really cool to see unfold during my career. I think it's going to explode here in the next 10 years or so and I think we will see females in Formula 1 and all the top ranks of racing."
Notable Achievements for Women in Racing
IndyCar
Paretta Autosport, a female-led IndyCar team is set to debut at the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. The team is an expansion of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Race for Equality & Change initiative. Paretta Autosport will integrate women into the team to ensure that it provides opportunities in all areas of the racing organization. The Race for Equality & Change initiative is a pioneering opportunity for enormous growth in IndyCar racing as well as opening doors and generating opportunities for women to pursue a career in various areas of motorsports.
Motocross
Since 1970, women have been given few sponsorship opportunities in motocross — leaving many female riders to leave the sport altogether. Fortunately, some female riders were able to push the boundaries and create opportunity alongside men, competing directly in the men’s events. Professional riders like Vicky Golden have set the standard by competing in Supercross series, setting an example of perseverance for the next generation of female motocross riders.
IMSA
IMSA championship-winning driver Christina Nielsen and champion open wheel racer Katherine Legge will be joining forces with former Le Mans 24 Hour-winning Kiwi Earl Bamber and former Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA driver Rob Ferriol behind the wheel of Team Hardpoint EBM’s GTD class Porsche 911 GT3R for the IMSA 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Both female drivers are veterans of the Rolex 24, after teaming up with two other women drivers (Rahel Frey and Tatiana Calderon) in 2020. This year they are teamed with a skilled team in a competitive Porsche. The Le Mans teams are huge supporter of women racers with their all-women driver line-up, finishing 13th overall at the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans in an LMP2 ORECA 07.
Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally, deemed one of the most challenging motorsport events in the world, is normally a man’s race. Belgian racer Christine Beckers was the first woman racer to compete in the Dakar Rally in 1979 and German racer Jutta Kleinschmidt was the first woman to win the Dakar Rally in 2001. But for 2021, with the rally’s second event taking place entirely within Saudi Arabia, nine women will make up the field — including two from the United States.
One of those nine women is Kristen Matlock. Polaris is sending Wayne and Kristen Matlock to Saudi Arabia to race two vehicles in the Dakar Rally — perhaps the ultimate challenge in motorsports. “Dakar is an event I’ve wanted to do for 25 years,” said Wayne Matlock. “We’d been pressuring Polaris for quite a while now. It’s a full factory effort.” This is the Matlock’s first Dakar Rally.
Inspiring Women Across the World
Go Fast Girls provides a platform of optimism — to support and honor girls that have an interest in succeeding and pushing the limits in motorsports and the action sports world. Optimism in the face of the unique challenges faced by women who wish to participate in primarily male-dominated sports.
Professional Race Car Driver Savannah Little, in a recent interview with Gears and Gasoline stated, "Once your helmet is on, you're a driver. It's not about being male, it's not about being female, it's not about anything. Once the helmet's on, none of that stuff matters anymore."
GFG is the missing link in the motorsports and action sports world providing support to young girls and women who are passionate and interested in their respective sport.
