The Fastest Newsletter in Women’s Sports - Issue 08 | 10/29 – 11/04
You know the power of women supporting women—the WNBA is thriving, women's soccer is selling out stadiums. But there's one sport everyone is missing, and it’s the most important for gender equality. It’s the one where men and women go head-to-head. No handicaps, no separate leagues. When a woman wins in racing, she's not the best 'female'—she's the best, period.
Here are this week's Top-10 stories about that progress…
This week we've got drag racing history in a retirement season, an all-female Formula E test where the women ran stunningly close to the full-time men, a ten-year-old who's the only girl beating 35 boys, a legal battle over the FIA’s presidency, a driver with juvenile arthritis securing her F4 seat, a rally that proves brains beat brawn, and the woman who raced NASCAR's entire first season then got lost to branding.
Buckle up…
🏆 THE PODIUM
P1: BRITTANY FORCE - When Legends Rewrite the Record Books on Their Way Out
BRITTANY FORCE just rewrote the record books in the by beating Shawn Langdon in the final round at Las Vegas with a 3.704-second pass to claim her 19th career Top Fuel victory. That number isn't just another win; it officially makes her the winningest female driver in Top Fuel history, breaking a tie with the legendary SHIRLEY MULDOWNEY.
Someday maybe a man will be this fast. 😄
The weekend was almost scripted on how to go out on your own terms. Force qualified No. 1 after setting a track speed record on Friday at 338.85 mph, then systematically dismantled Clay Millican and Tony Stewart before facing Langdon in the final. This is her final season racing full-time, and she's making sure everyone remembers exactly what they're losing.
Her last race will be Nov 13-16 in Pomona. We’re hoping for more track records and a final win.
P2: CHLOE CHAMBERS - Proving Women Belong in Formula E
CHLOE CHAMBERS absolutely demolished expectations at Formula E's second women's test in Valencia, topping both sessions with a 1:22.767. When you consider the current Formula E champion - the fastest man in the testing - ran 1:21.493, after racing these cars all year PLUS four days of testing, Chloe’s 1.274 second gap seems pretty small. Remember, she had only 6 hours in the car vs the men’s 4 days, and she dropped her time from the morning 3hr session to the afternoon by .824s. Imagine what 4 days would do.
Last year's Madrid test saw women two seconds off the pace, but Valencia this year proved that women are coming on fast. Feeder series like F1 Academy are giving women the seat time and experience to improve dramatically. Suddenly a full-time female Formula E seat doesn't look like a pipe dream anymore - it’s looks inevitable.
the helmet is half her size!
P3: KHLOE MCGILL - Only Ten Years Old and Already Breaking Barriers
Ten-year-old KHLOE MCGILL from Scotland just earned a spot in the F1 Academy's Discover Your Drive series after finishing seventh in the British championships - and she did it as literally the only girl in a field of 35 drivers. We're talking about a kid who's been holding her own against boys since she was six, regularly setting lap records and proving that talent doesn't care about gender.
Her mom Jamie doesn't sugarcoat the challenges, mentioning parents who couldn't handle their boys getting beaten by a girl. But KHLOE's response? She just keeps winning. Now she's heading to Abu Dhabi for the three-day F1 Academy series managed by Susie Wolff - one of only two girls selected in her age group, with Lewis Hamilton as her inspiration and a track records that speak for themselves.
🏁 IN THE POINTS
P4: Laura Villars Takes FIA to Court Over Election Process - Swiss-French racer LAURA VILLARS is taking motorsport's biggest organization to court in Paris after being systematically blocked from challenging Mohammed Ben Sulayem for the FIA presidency. Her legal team secured a November 10 hearing, calling out "serious democratic failings within the FIA." Shocker!
P5: Daniella Sutton Secures F4 Seat While Managing Juvenile Arthritis - DANIELLA SUTTON has secured her Formula 4 seat with Chris Dittmann Racing for 2026 while managing Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis diagnosed at 12. Currently ranked as the top-performing female driver across all UK ARDS-affiliated junior championships, her ultimate goal is F1 Academy (which is based on F4) as her stepping stone to F1.
P6: Manuela Gostner Clinches Ferrari Challenge Europe Championship - MANUELA GOSTNER secured her first Ferrari Challenge Europe Shell Cup championship with a calculated fifth-place finish at Mugello. After a season with three victories, eight podiums, and three poles, she proved that championship mentality means being smart about being fast.
P7: Rachel Robertson Gets Her F1 Academy Shot in Las Vegas - RACHEL ROBERTSON gets her shot at the finale of the F1 Academy season in Vegas after AIVA ANAGNOSTIADIS broke her foot. The 18-year-old Scot's rapid rise from British karting to third place in Radical Cup UK this year shows exactly what happens when talent gets an opportunity.
P8: Abbi Pulling's Formula E Dream Takes Shape - ABBI PULLING finished second at Nissan's women's test at Valencia, just 0.064 seconds behind leader Chloe Chambers. Nissan signed the F1 Academy champion to a multi-year deal as their rookie and simulator driver, and she's proving she belongs at the pinnacle of electric racing.
P9: Diana Pundole Makes History for Indian Women in Racing - DIANA PUNDOLE is blazing a trail as the first Indian woman to compete in the Ferrari Club Challenge Middle East. In August 2024, she became the first Indian woman to win the MRF Indian National Car Racing Championship Saloon category, proving she's not just breaking barriers but dominating.
P10: Taylor Reimer's Championship Celebration Goes Viral - TAYLOR REIMER got to celebrate with boyfriend Corey Heim when he invited her into his #11 Toyota for a victory lap after capturing the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series title at Phoenix. We look forward to Taylor returning the favor when she takes Corey on a victory lap.
🏅 HONORABLE MENTION
Racing for Women - When Expertise Beats Horsepower
NENA BARLOW and TERALIN PETEREIT claimed first place at the 2025 Rebelle Rally, leading the eight-day, 2,500-kilometer competition that challenges teams to navigate using only map and compass (read that again, gizmo kids – map and compass). With 67 two-woman teams competing in mostly stock vehicles, the rally proves that navigation expertise and mental toughness matter more than horsepower. Toyota's MICAELA RIONDA highlighted why manufacturers invest in the Rebelle Rally as a leadership development tool: "I've seen the women come back changed by the experience. They are more confident." And we bet they had a hell of a lot of fun!
👑 HERSTORY: SARA CHRISTIAN
Before Danica, before Janet Guthrie, before any woman was "breaking barriers" in NASCAR, there was SARA CHRISTIAN - and she didn't break into NASCAR, she helped start it.
On June 19, 1949, at Charlotte Speedway, NASCAR held its first-ever Strictly Stock race (what we now call Cup Series). SARA CHRISTIAN was there, driving a 1949 Ford that her husband Fleetwood prepared. She didn't just participate - she competed, running with the men and finishing 14th out of 33 cars in a race where half the field didn't even finish.
But here's what makes Sara's story remarkable: this wasn't a one-time stunt. She raced throughout that inaugural 1949 season, competing in six of the eight races. She finished fifth at Heidelberg Raceway in Pennsylvania - the highest finish by a woman in NASCAR's premier series for the next 63 years until Danica Patrick matched it in 2012. Sara finished 13th in the final season standings, ahead of several men who are now celebrated as NASCAR pioneers.
Unfortunately NASCAR lost her in their story. As the sport professionalized and sought mainstream legitimacy in the 1950s, Sara Christian faded from the narrative. Perhaps the sport that she helped launch decided women didn't fit the macho image they wanted to project.
Sara Christian proved women could compete in stock car racing on day one. But we’re here to remind all women racing has always been a place for them, even if those in racing keep forgetting.
GRRL! Website Stats
New This Week | Website Total | |
|---|---|---|
19 | 750 | |
68 | 1644 |
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