Category: Motorsports & Gear

The Most Iconic Women in Motorsports

Motorsports have long been considered to be male sports and they were dominated by men in every aspect. Aside from men being more involved in the driving itself, it’s the majority of men as well who take advantage of Golden Nugget Sportsbook welcome bonus offers and sports betting in general. However, during all of the history of motorsports, there were examples of women who proved that they had their place in these adrenaline and gasoline-fueled sports as well.

Today, things are quickly changing. Women are becoming an integral part of the sport, as they are proving to be a decent competition for men. Women today take roles both as drivers, engineers, and mechanics, and can be seen in races such as Formula One or Rally Raid.

Let’s see who the most important women in motorsports are today.

Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick has been dominating the IndyCar and the NASCAR championships for over a decade now. She was born in Wisconsin and has left a mark in motorsports that cannot be erased. She has some amazing results on the track to boast about but she was not idle off the track either. She appeared in Hip Hop videos and did FHM photoshoots.

She is still competing in NASCAR today and since 2005, she has had some big results. In 2005 she took fourth place in her first Indianapolis 500, as well as a podium finish at the same race in 2009. Then, in 2014, she claimed the pole at the Daytona 500.

Keiko Ihara

Ever since the 1950s, Japan has been a pioneering car and motor-related technologies. Some of its most notable accomplishments in motor racing are powering McLaren in the 1980s and dominating the Formula One races in the 1990s. Today, Japan has Keiko Ihara to bring back the old glory to the country.

She started racing in 1999 but encountered a lot of prejudice in her home country. Eventually, she found her place in the Ferrari Challenge Championship and the European Formula Renault.

In 2014, Keiko Ihara became the first Asian woman to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. She finished 13th overall.

Pat Moss

Pat Moss is an iconic woman in motorsports still today, even though she raced back in the late 1950s. She was the younger sister of the world-famous Stirling Moss, who won the Grand Prix 16 times. Pat Moss first started racing horses but soon fell in love with horsepower.

She ended up winning three international rallies, racing in cars such as Fords, Lancias, Saabs, and Minis. In 1958, she took the fourth place in the RAC Rally and also finished fourth at the Liege-Rome-Liege Rally. This made her the first woman to finish in the top ten of this prestigious racing event.

Michèle Mouton

Michèle Mouton had many talents when she was young. At first, she was great at ballet, skiing, academia, and much more. However, when she tried racing for the first time – that was it, she was instantly in love!

She got the place as one of the Audi Works drivers and won the World Rally Championship four times, ended up on the podium nine times, and won 160 stages.

The Most Important Racing Equipment and Accessories

If you are planning to start racing on a motorcycle, of course, the most important thing to own is a motorcycle. However, a motorcycle might not end up as the most expensive piece of racing equipment that you need to buy. All of the necessary racing accessories and other pieces of equipment that you have to buy might end up even more expensive.

However, they are indispensable and important for your safety, so read on carefully to find out what they are!

Summer and Winter Jacket

A racing jacket is definitely one of the most important things that you can buy for your safety and comfort. If you plan to race in all weathers and during all seasons, it is a good idea to buy both a summer and a winter jacket.

First of all, a summer jacket will feel hot when you stop at a traffic light, that cannot be escaped. However, summer jackets have a mesh that allows air to flow around your body, so it will keep you safe and cool while riding.

A winter jacket is much thicker, with a warmer lining. You can choose either leather or a synthetic material if you want to be kind to the animals. Whatever you choose, get a bike-specific option as it will give you the most protection.

Gloves

Gloves are also an important piece of equipment as they will protect your hands which are often the first to make contact with the ground during a fall. Moreover, they give you a better grip, so you will feel more confident while racing.

Elbow and Shoulder Armor

Most jackets that you buy will come with elbow and shoulder armor. However, they are often not high-quality armor pads, so you should consider replacing them. Make sure that the ones you buy meet Europe’s CE safety ratings. These are used in the US as well since they do not have their own.

Pants

We just cannot emphasize enough how important a good-quality pair of motorcycle pants is. Hollywood movies might tell you that riding in a pair of jeans or a pair of commercial leather pants is cool or enough to protect you. However, the reality is different. Make sure you buy pants that were specially made for motorcycle racing. The best option is to choose a model that is lined with Kevlar or go for Cordura textile pants.

Knee Armor

When you’re buying a pair of pants, make sure that they let you insert knee armor pads. High-end motorcycle pants will have specially designed pockets created especially for this purpose. They are designed from special EVO X material which molds around your body as it gets heated for added comfort and safety.

Helmet

Last but not least, never ride a motorcycle without wearing a helmet! This is definitely the most important piece of safety equipment, which is why we have left it for the end. It will protect your head in a fall but it will also protect your eyes and your face from flies, bugs, or foreign objects that might come in your direction while riding.

Make sure that the helmet you buy meets the official safety standards, which get an update once in five years. Also, replace your helmet after five years in use, as it starts losing its protective properties after that period of time.

Most Popular Motorsports

Ever since the cars were invented, racing was a part of it. At first, it was simple and then it started becoming more and more intricate. Today, we have a myriad of different motorsports, some of which are more popular than others.

What makes a motorsport likeable among motorheads is prestige, danger, cars, and cool drivers. Many people enjoy watching and betting on these sports. There are numerous bookmakers that offer cool bonuses for newcomers, a most recent example being the Unibet sign-up bonus. We’ve decided to create a list of the most popular motorsports and the ones that we personally enjoy watching and betting on the most.

Check it out below!

Endurance Races

Endurance races are possibly the most complicated races in the world. Speed is important and it is important to be the first to cross the finish line. However, the destination is not everything – the journey matters as well since these races last as long as 24h.

Drivers need to ride in the dark, in the rain, and during all sorts of tough times. Possibly the toughest race of all endurance races is the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This race is important also because it is the event where the newest technologies are tried out and the efficiency of hybrids is proven.

Formula One

We mentioned prestige as one of the criteria that we use to measure the popularity of a motorsport. Well, according to many, and we definitely agree, formula one is the most prestigious of them all. Formula One cars are built only with speed in mind and it is not strange for them to reach 200 mph on the track!

The amount of money spent on the organization of a formula one event and on the support of cars and teams is gobsmacking. Moreover, races often take place in the centers of wealth, such as Monaco, Abu Dhabi, Monte Carlo, and so on. There are also some world-famous names associated with Formula One that you have probably heard of, such as Ayrton Senna and Jackie Stewart.

NASCAR

NASCAR has a long and exciting tradition which is just what a motorsport needs in order to gain popularity. It originated during the middle of the 20th century when bootleggers upgraded their sedans in order to escape from the cops. It came a long way since then, so today it is one of the biggest motorsports in the United States.

NASCAR is very loud and not at all subtle, which is why it is considered to be one of the most American sports. The cars use huge and loud V8s which produce in excess of 700 HP. If you want to experience the ultimate motorsport, definitely see a NASCAR race!

Drag Racing

The official drag races in the USA are organized by the National Hot Rod Association and they are the place where teams compete in order to create the most powerful monster. The racetrack is only a quarter of a mile long, so racing really does not get much more exciting than that.

The NHRA competition actually has more than 200 classes of both amateur and professional races that you can watch or participate in. The three most popular ones that you should definitely pay attention to are Pro Stock, Top Fuel, and Funny Car. And when we say pay attention, we think really pay close attention – these races are usually over in a matter of seconds!