The race is more impressive when you consider that it’s more of a test of drivers and their teams than the best open-wheel race car. Trying to drive the optimum path with 32 other cars on the track is a real challenge, since each driver wants to be on the optimum line. The front and back straightaways are only five-eighths of a mile long, so drivers spend a good deal of time in the 9° banked turns. The fastest average speed is more than 185 mph with top speeds cresting at about 235 mph. The event will pit 33 cars and drivers against each other in a grueling 500-mile race around a 2.5-mile track. For the non-gearheads, this Memorial Day marks the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500. "The Indy 500 is the greatest race in the world, and one day soon we hope to have a woman's face on the Borg-Warner Trophy.Surely most racing fans have May 24, 2009, circled on their calendars. "Our team, along with our technical alliance with Team Penske, will work hard to give Simona the best car we can provide so she can achieve her best results," Paretta said. Paretta also serves on the the board of Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, but she has a bigger goal. In that role, Paretta played a part in three championship-winning seasons from 2012-14, including Penske's first NASCAR Cup Series title in 2012. She served as an executive with Street and Racing Technology and was hired at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles as the first female director to lead a performance brand and motorsports for an original equipment manufacturer. That's very important because I think once we get that pipeline going, I don't think it will stop."įor Paretta, it's another chapter in a pioneering career. "We want to create a pipeline for engineers, for owners, for drivers and how to run a team with the help of Mr. "This is a powerful moment that meets our goals for Racing for Equality and Change," Ind圜ar chief diversity officer Jimmie McMillian said.
And the bluprint fits as part of Ind圜ar's outreach to create more diversity in the sport. Paretta intends to hire women in all facets of the operation - competition, administration, logistics, marketing and public relations. The announcement comes less than three months before Ind圜ar's season opener in Birmingham, Alabama, and less than five months after the rescheduled 500 ran without a female driver for the first time since 1999. "And I hope it inspires more women to follow their dreams." "I think it's going to be the best opportunity for me yet with everyone involved believing in the same goals so we can be successful when we come in May," De Silvestro said. She also was a development driver in Formula One and has been a factory driver for Porsche since 2019. She also has has competed in Australian Supercars, Formula E and IMSA SportsCars. 16 Chevrolet.ĭe Silvestro finished a career-high 14th in 2010 but last competed at Indy in 2015 when she finished 19th with Michael Andretti's team. The 32-year-old Swiss driver and 2010 Indy 500 rookie of the year will attempt to qualify for the traditional 33-car starting grid in the No. The team founded by series owner Roger Penske will provide technical support for Paretta Autosport and the two will initially work together at Penske's headquarters in North Carolina. Now she's back with a five-time 500 starter, Simona de Silvestro, and some assistance from Team Penske, the most successful team in Indy history. But there's extra scrutiny on a program like this." "The car we had wasn't race worthy, really," she said. But when Paretta's team couldn't find a suitable car just weeks before the race, the effort stalled. Paretta took this route once before when she announced she would form an all-female team with driver Katherine Legge to qualify for the the 100th running of the 500 in May 2016. Paretta certainly wants to make an impact on girls, who might feel left out in what has largely been a male-dominated sport.īut she also wants to send another message: Don't give up on big dreams. "It's that idea if you find something that you love and you work hard at, maybe the result isn't a race team but there's somewhere you can fit. "I didn't grow up in a racing family, I grew up as a racing fan and I could not have dreamed this for myself," Paretta said at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Additional races could be added later this year, she said, with the hope of competing in every Ind圜ar race next season. On Tuesday, she announced the formation of Paretta Autosport and the intention to run this May at Indianapolis. And then Paretta hopes to turn it into a full-time pipeline for women in racing.
She wants to send the first female driver to victory lane at the Indianapolis 500 with the support of a predominantly female cast. INDIANAPOLIS - Beth Paretta has a vision for her new Ind圜ar team.