On August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote in the United States. In honor of this historic anniversary we are recognizing actions taken by the women of SCCA to take control and increase the credibility of women within the Club.
In the 70s, the women of Detroit Region took Club Racing in their own hands by organizing the Ms. Regional Race. The theory of leadership was simple, get as many properly-licensed and qualified women in charge as possible.
Race Chairperson: Pat Prill and Ellen Yates
Chief Stater: Bobbe Orr
Chief Scrutineer: Suzanne Royce
Chief Timer/Scorer: Judy Christensen
Flagging & Communications: Ann Burke
Grid Marshall: Rose Ann Vickerman
Pit & Paddock: Gwen Hughes
Course Marshall: Barb Beurmann
Trophy Chairperson: Wilma Jackman
Even compared to modern standards, this is a lot of women organizing an event. An art
icle in SportsCar by Tom Yates from 1977 states, “The Ms. started out in 1972 as ‘The Ms. Regional, CenDiv’s Sexiest Race,’ the idea being a race run mostly by women. Strangely, it was chaired that year by a man. Since, however, the race has been chaired and officiated, within license requirements, by women.”
Times have changed though. The entry fee was only $49.95, with a $10 late fee if you registered within 4 days of the event. People were probably already commenting on the cost of racing back then!
Kudos to these strong women for seizing control and showing what they were capable of.
Do you have an interesting memory of SCCA in the 70s? Share it with us in the comments!
Images by Dave Herczeg, published in SportsCar November 1977
Special thanks to Pat Prill for additional information and resources
