Participatory funding launched for a book on women in motorsport
Two journalists and a photographer have teamed up to publish a book on women in motorsport. To finance it, they have launched a crowdfunding campaign.
They are pilots, mechanics, engineers, team managers… They can be found in almost every profession in motorsport. For the past few years, the media and the general public have been able to see them in the pits, factories…
Many articles or publications have been written about them recently, as if their presence were something new. And yet, they have always been present. In the 1920s and 1930s, many women wrote history books. With XXL performances in the Monte-Carlo rally or setting around twenty world records at Montlhéry… They regularly made headlines in newspapers of the time.
Some have today disappeared from collective memory, due to false controversies surrounding them or a rather controversial end of life. How can we not mention Violette Morris, a great champion in numerous sports, who collaborated with Nazi Germany during the Second World War…
The amateur and professional world
Whether it’s at the 24 Hours of Le Mans or in Formula 1, there has always been a female presence. Fifty years ago, almost to the day, Lella Lombardi became the first woman to enter the points zone in the World Championship. Christine Beckers won the Le Mans classic in her category… In short, it wasn’t only in the 2010s and 2020s that women have shone.
They also make their mark in the paddocks. Chemical engineers, strategy managers, mechanics… There too, they excel.
Through their book, the two journalists and the photographer want to pay tribute to them. “We want to highlight their work and prove to the public that, yes, women are indeed present in motorsports. And that they have their place just as much as men,” confirm the authors.
For nearly a year, they traveled a large part of the circuits in France and Europe to meet them: Monza, Magny-Cours, Portimao, Le Castellet… Professionals as well as amateurs will be highlighted in the approximately 240 pages planned by the trio.
« The amateur world is extremely important, it’s the gateway to go further. Some regional or national paths are magical. It also shows the commitment and determination of some to succeed in this field. »
Among the numerous female testimonies, a few men were also interviewed. Some offered opportunities to these women, some accompanied them, or simply, they were their adversaries. Richard Mille undertook a superb project with his LMP2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2020 and 2021. He entrusted the prototype to Sophia Flörsch, Beitske Visser, and Tatiana Calderón, the authors recall.
The book is expected to be finalized by early July for a hoped-for release in September. To achieve this, they have launched a crowdfunding campaign on Ulule to finance it. The publishing house De temps à autre, based in Roanne in the Loire, is supporting them in this project.
