Legends: Pioneer Women in Racing is one of three panel discussions that will take place Saturday, January 14, in The Grand Ballroom of the Arizona Biltmore during the Arizona Concours d’Elegance. The noontime discussion will illuminate the lives of notable women racers throughout time, and the panel will include veteran race driver Janet Guthrie, the first woman to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500 in the 1970s, and Miranda Seymour, an acclaimed author whose book, Bugatti Queen, explores the life of France’s Hellé Nice, who raced during the 1920s and ’30s. The discussion will be moderated by another female racing star, Lyn St. James, who was Rookie of the Year at Indianapolis in 1992, and will include the following cars and drivers;
- 1925 Bugatti Type 35 (from the Jan Voboril Collection) driven by Elizabeth Junek.
- 1927 Bugatti Type 37A (from the collection of Andrew Larson) driven by Anne-Cecile Rose Itier.
- 1927 Bugatti Type 35 (from the collection of William “Chip” Connor II) driven by Helle Nice.
- 1955 Maserati 250F (from the collection of Bill Pope) driven by Maria Teresa de Filippis.
- 1967 Ferrari NART Spyder & 1960 OSCA Formula Junior (from the Collection of Lawrence Auriana) driven by Denise McCluggage,
Following that discussion, at 2 p.m., the day’s second panel will convene to discuss, Driven: What Drives Successful Race Team Owners, which will include successful racing team owners Chip Ganassi and Bobby Rahal.
Ganassi, named one of the 50 most-influential people in the auto industry by Complex magazine, currently fields teams racing in NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA, FIA and Global RallyCross. Rahal was a three-time CART Indycar champion and an Indianapolis 500 winner when he partnered with late-night TV host David Letterman as a team owner in 2002. Rahal Letterman Racing won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 with Buddy Rice driving, and currently runs a team in both IndyCar and IMSA.
The Saturday panels begin at 9 a.m. with the annual Phoenix Automotive Press Association (PAPA) preview of the seven collector car auctions that will take place later in the week. Tickets for the panel discussions are priced at $60, and allow admission to all three panels. Tickets are also now available for the Arizona Concours d’Elegance itself, with a limited number priced at $80 in advance or $100 at the door.
Net proceeds from the nationally recognized Arizona Concours, as well as generous donations from participants and spectators, benefit Make-A-Wish® Arizona, the founding chapter of the international organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.ArizonaConcours.com
