Women's Day In Racing, powered by Ford

(Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

So I get back from vacation the other day, and step in my boss' office.

"I got an assignment for you, there's an event you'll have to attend at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve."

"Great, what is it?", I said.

"It's an event dedicated to women in the Champ Car racing series. I want you to cover it with Phil (our photographer)."

"Wha... what? Women in racing? There's that many? Will I meet Danica?"

"No, she's in IRL, not Champ Car, you dummy."

As it turns out, there are a lot more women involved in racing than I thought. Me and Phil were surrounded by women all day long, from all ages and backgrounds, from students to vice-presidents. And I discovered that quite a few women stand out in a universe we only used to see men in, motorsports.

One rare dude I met when I got on the circuit is Jimmy Vasser, who took me around the track aboard a shiny blue Ford GT.

"So Jimmy, how do you like this car? Do you own one?", I asked.

"This IS my car," he said. Vasser, Champ Car champion in 1996 but now retired, is the co-owner of the PKV Racing team.

(Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

We were treated to a tour of the paddocks, and met up with Pattie Mayer (pace car co-pilot) and Gail Truess (pace car backup driver), who told us a little about their racing experience, and let us sit in a set of Mustang Pace cars. These pony cars are basically stock but prepped for race use, including racing tires, strobe lights, fire extinguishers, and such.

We then visited the Brigestone stand, where Trisha Hessinger explained to us how the teams strategically use their sets of tires. Each team is allowed 8 sets of racing slicks, including 2 sets with red stripes that are stickier than the ordinary ones. They also get 1 or 2 sets of rain tires.

Hessinger explained that the teams will use one set of red tires for qualifying, and the other set at some strategic point during the race. All

(Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

wheels are also equipped with a tire sensor that sends information back to the team to keep them aware of each tire's pressure.

Next up, pace car driver Kelly Williams gave us some under-the-hood maintenance tips. Born in Val D'or, Quebec, Williams is a former Cascar race driver and is a certified high school teacher as well as a performance driving instructor.

(Photo: Philippe Champoux, Auto123.com)

A brief visit of Team Australia's premises allowed us to meet Anna Chatten, who's in charge of the car's gearbox. She can disassemble the unit, replace a gear, and put it all back together in about 40 minutes. During the race, she's also a pit crew member, and she's in charge of the lift when a car comes in to change tires.