OK this is an age old question.
Let me tell you something. I watch a hell of a lot of short oval racing in the UK. I prefer the full contact racing and the starter formula for that is called Ministocks.
They are fairly highly tuned Mini based space-frame cars with full body protection and inner bracing to allow full contact.
Age limit is 14 to 16.
And a few years ago the majority of drivers winning were girls. This is full contact racing like F1 stock cars, hard, very punishing. And most of the champions were lasses.
Talk to them and sex is not even mentioned, they are just racing their mates as peers. So much was there no difference, no pink cars, no special stuff in the press they were literally just racing drivers.
That is a quantum leap over every single sport other than equestrianism in terms of female participation and equality. Actually perhaps drag racing aswell.
I watched a thing about road racing in Ireland recently and there was a pretty little girl racing there, she had amazing bikes, great setups but was useless. That is what gives women racing a bad name. And the tv people should be ashamed, trying to use a young lass to get people interested, it is simple baiting.
There was none of this in Ministocks. I tried to get some press interested but the people running the class were not keen as the kids were simply racing each other, to them their sex was not an issue. And I quickly realised they had jumped about two stages ahead of every other motorsport known to man without even realising it.
Do you see how much further in advance that is compared to every single person mentioned here? Jorda, what a disgrace, Wolff not bad but only there coz of Toto, Danica there as she is hot and was pushed by a massive marketing campaign for years. Wilson, Galica, all average but you only remember them because they were women. Paula Cook, woeful. Lyn St James, fair play for having a go, but c'mon. You don't rememeber the other guys she qualified at the back near do you? Because they are as forgettable as they all should be
There are very few, if any proper female motorsport competitors that deserve credit for their results. Michele is the one that stands out. But be honest, she was there initially as a clever move by Audi, I am sure they had no idea she would be as good as she was. But it worked out superbly for them, and she proved herself in every way.
So, in a basic formula, run but Dads, they have managed to sweep sexism away. Anyone who has seen Judy Lyons in Historic F1 will be fully aware how much of a quantum leap that is as that women should never, ever be allowed on any racetrack