2020 Indy 500 lacks women in the race for the first time in 21 years

Further than the vacant stands and coronavirus-induced hold off, this year’s Indianapolis 500 will see another profound modify at the famed Brickyard on Sunday — for the to start with time in 21 decades, there are no woman motorists on the starting grid.

“If we just quietly pretend the difficulty is not happening, the difficulty is not heading to go away,” said Pippa Mann, who competed at the Indy 500 8 periods and was the only girl in the subject last 12 months, but was not able to get funding to compete this 12 months.

“Any person who has ever worked with woman motorists at any stage (…) will transform all-around and inform you that it is way tougher to try out and find the funding and assist for woman racers who have the exact same history (as) a male racer,” said Mann, an outspoken advocate for the up coming technology of woman motorists.

“I want them to know they’re not combating by yourself. Because for most of my occupation I felt like I was combating by yourself.”

American Janet Guthrie was the to start with girl to push in the Indy 500 in 1977. Nine women have qualified in the last five a long time and the race has highlighted woman competition each individual 12 months since 2000.

Katherine Legge, a British driver who has twice competed at the Indy 500 and in January led her next consecutive all-woman crew at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, said this year’s subject is “much more than a coincidence”.

“What IndyCar will need to do is they will need to have much more range on the Road to Indy,” said Legge, referring to the improvement plan. “Because which is the only way that you’re heading to get competitive individuals go up to IndyCar.”

Legge, recovering from leg surgery following a crash last thirty day period, said much more woman crew owners and individuals in the upper echelons of the activity would enable.

Retired driver Danica Patrick instructed reporters on Wednesday that inspite of 2020’s all-male subject, woman motorists have made sizeable development over the extensive time period.

“The tale generally used to be that there is a single, that there is a woman in the race,” said Patrick, who is also doing the job at the race for NBC broadcast crew.

“We will need to seem at the bigger model to have an understanding of that it’s considerably, considerably much more ordinary now to have women in the race.”

IndyCar and IMS, which last thirty day period released the Race for Equality & Change initiative to enhance range in the activity, said “We believe 2020 is an exception somewhat than the norm.”