>> Click here to read about : Nice girls and fast cars - Part 2
Male domination over professional racing is being challenged by a new crop of female drivers. The prospect of driving cars to their limits attracts more and more young women from around the globe every year. Danica Patrick is well known in the IndyCar circuit and the American competitor has paved the way for several other talented girls who are working hard to reach the top step of the international motorsport ladder. Here are a few of the top. DANICA PATRICK Born March 25, 1982 in Beloit, Wisconsin. Known around the world, Danica currently competes in the IndyCar Series, driving for team Andretti-Green Racing. She was named the Rookie of the Year for both the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series season. Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy car race. It happened last year in Japan. TIFFANY CHITTENDEN Born August 27, 1981 in Kent, Great Britain. Tiffany Chittenden is certainly the UK's highest ranked and currently one of the best kart racers in Europe. She is the 2007 British Rotax DD2 Champion. In her first ever sports car drive in the Brit Sport series, she not only won the class but also finished on the podium. Tiffany has also raced a number of different single seater with very impressive results and on her second ever Formula Renault race won the TOCA British Formula Renault Elf Driver of the Day award at Donington. CHRISTINA SURER Born March 26, 1974 in Basel, Switzerland. She has been racing for more than a decade, having spent several years in go-karts before participating in the Ford Superseries (2002), Alfa 147 Cup (2002) and the Ford Fiesta Cup (2003). She has participated in two 24 Hours Nürburgring races (2004-2005) and since 2004, has been racing in the Seat Leon Supercopa. CYNDIE ALLEMANN Born April 4, 1986 in Moutier, Switzerland. After a successful career in karts, Cyndie Allemann moved to car racing in 2004 in the Swiss Formula Renault 2.0 series, finishing 6th. She then moved up to the German F3 series, and then the Euro F3 Championship. In 2008, she contested the Firestone Indy Lights Series in the U.S. for American Spirit Racing. MICHELE MARIE BUMGARNER Born September 2, 1989 in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Bumgarner is a race car driver coached by former world karting champion Terry Fullerton. She made her debut with the Philippines National Karting Series in 1999 at the age of 10, and has progressed rapidly since. She is currently racing in the Asia-Pacific Karting Championships in Japan, Shell Super Karting Series, Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC), and the Italian Masters Series. Her goal is to become the first Filipina F1 driver. NATACHA GACHNANG Born October 27, 1987 in Vevey, Switzerland. The Swiss driver is the cousin of rookie Formula 1 driver Sébastien Buemi. After racing in the Formula BMW series, she moved to America to compete in the Star Mazda Series in 2007. Last year, she ranked 3rd in the Spanish F3 Championship. Natacha will become the first female to drive in the new F1 feeder series, Formula 2. LEILANI MÜNTER Born on February 18, 1976 in Minnesota. She holds a bachelors degree in Biology, specializing in ecology, behaviour and evolution from the University of California San Diego. She is a race car driver and environmental activist. In 2007, she drove twice the No. 57 SMART Papers Dallara in the Firestone Indy Lights, the development league of IndyCar. Prior to her debut in open wheel racing, she was a stock car driver in the NASCAR Elite division. MILKA DUNO Born April 22, 1972 in Caracas, Venezuela. Duno is a former model and has thus attracted much attention. Her racing career is unusual because of her late start; she did not start racing until she was 24 and her experience prior to racing was mostly academic. Milka holds master's degrees in Organizational Development, Naval Architecture, Maritime Business and Marine Biology. She currently competes in the IndyCar series. Photos: Drivers' web site, IndyCar, Renault, DTM
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