{"id":2029,"date":"2025-02-15T20:38:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T20:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/?p=2029"},"modified":"2025-03-15T20:41:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T20:41:15","slug":"women-of-the-autosphere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/events\/women-of-the-autosphere\/","title":{"rendered":"Women of the Autosphere"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Earlier this month I received an invitation to sit in on a women in motorsports webinar. The online event was hosted by the Motoring Podcast Network<\/a> and sponsored by the IMRRC<\/a> [International Motor Racing Research Center]. Although the History of Motorsports Series<\/a> focuses on all aspects of motor racing, the focus on female racers is part of the Center\u2019s celebration of Women\u2019s History Month<\/a>. Consequently, there have been weekly Virtual Center Conversations on women involved in various motorsport platforms, including Drag Racing, Trans Am, Short Track, and SIM. The sessions are co-hosted by Crew Chief Eric<\/a> from Gran Touring Motorsports, and Lauren Goodman<\/a> from the REVS Institute<\/a>. I met Lauren at the Argetsinger Racing Symposium<\/a> a number of years ago when we both served on the Women in Motorsports panel. Eric is the technical genius behind the Argetsinger and a fellow SAH<\/a> [Society of Automotive Historians] member. Lauren and Eric are co-creators for the Motoring Podcast Network and have extensive backgrounds in motorsports and motorsports History.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The session I observed was focused on Trans Am racing, and featured four women who are active in the sport. As Lauren states in her introduction: ‘Get ready for an electrifying discussion as we bring together four of the most accomplished women in TransAm and Road racing! Cindi Lux<\/a>, Michele Abbate<\/a>, Amy Ruman, and special guest Erin Vogel<\/a> take the stage for an exclusive panel diving into the highs, the challenges, and the evolution of women in motorsports. From the adrenaline filled battles to the precision of road racing, they\u2019ll share their first-hand experiences and their insights on what it takes to compete at the highest levels. Whether you’re a die-hard racing fan or just love hearing inspiring stories from trailblazers, this is a conversation you won\u2019t want to miss!’<\/p>\n\n\n

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Cindi’s Dodge Viper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For those unfamiliar with Trans Am<\/a>, it is described as a North American sports car racing series sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America [SCCA]; it competes on a variety of track types including road courses and street circuits. It is a competition for modified production-based cars, primarily focused on driver skill and mechanical parity. As one of the panel members exclaimed, ‘Trans Am is fast, loud, and hot.’<\/p>\n\n\n

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Amy Ruman’s Corvette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The four on the panel, including Amy Ruman<\/a>, the first woman to win the Trans Am championship title, represented a wide range of racing experience. They each entered motorsports through different avenues; some were raised in racing households, while others defied family members to follow their passion. As one remarked, ‘often you have to challenge those who think you shouldn\u2019t do it.\u2019 Female role models played an important part in each woman\u2019s advancement; consequently, they all recognized the necessity of serving in the same capacity to young women new to the sport. Encouraging girls to come forward, inviting them into the pit, answering their questions, and persuading them to participate on social media were only a few of the many suggestions that were offered. The women collectively emphasized that Trans Am isn’t just about driving; they discussed the many behind-the-scenes opportunities motorsports offers. The obstacles women face were also addressed; most prominent is the difficulty of securing funding and sponsorship. This hour-long conversation among experienced, engaging Trans Am racers was a unique opportunity to discover how women have negotiated membership in the male motorsport arena and serves as a source of inspiration for those \u2013 female and male \u2013 interested in motorsports as a career or as an exciting, adrenaline driven pastime.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Michelle’s Ford Mustang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Motorsport Broadcasting Network not only serves women in motorsport through these panels, but its Break\/Fix Women of the Autosphere<\/a> podcasts, hosted by Lauren, provides over 80 interviews and presentations \u2018dedicated to celebrating the diverse women in Automotive and Motorsports Industries.\u2019 Videos of Women of the Autosphere are also included on Eric\u2019s Gran Touring Motorsports <\/a>website. For those interested in all things women in motorsport, I would strongly suggest making an online visit to either of these locations. Through their incredible efforts, Eric and Lauren have brought motorsport women to the mainstream. I invite you to take a look!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Earlier this month I received an invitation to sit in on a women in motorsports webinar. The online event was hosted by the Motoring Podcast Network and sponsored by the IMRRC [International Motor Racing Research Center]. Although the History of Motorsports Series focuses on all aspects of motor racing, the focus on female racers is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[34,13],"class_list":["post-2029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events","tag-motorsports","tag-woman-driver"],"yoast_head":"\nWomen of the Autosphere - Women & Cars<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Women in Motorsports is the subject of a series of webinars, featuring female racers who participate in Trans Am, Drag Racing, Short Track, and SIM.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/chrislezotte.net\/wordpress\/events\/women-of-the-autosphere\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Women of the Autosphere - 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