Since the beginning of the transportation era women have been discriminated against. They were limited socially in how far and how fast they could travel. Women were always in the back seat and never the front-runners. When the fist women learned how to ride a bicycle, it was looked upon as an abomination instead of an achievement. It was socially unacceptable to think that a woman could master a transportation machine, which was built for a man.

Well, all has changed since then and everything is now equal, right down the middle. These days a woman can operate every means of transportation a man can without any problem. They have nothing to prove to the society or stand out for going against the grain. The last few statements are not entirely true, but most of us believe them to be. It is true that things have changed since the days of old, women have a lot more freedom and many more rights. There are still many more barriers left for women to overcome when it comes to transportation technology, from the aviation to the automotive industry. For instance, if you look carefully into the automotive industry, you will find that except for the vanity mirror, every other aspect of a vehicle is built to accommodate a man. The same can be also found in the aviation industry, where everything from switch placement to the contour of the seats are specifically designed for men. Therefore it is very hard for women to operate such machinery and as a result of which there are discouraged. That is why there are very few women pilots and racecar drivers in the world.

Drag racing has been a male-dominated sport since its beginning in the early 1930s, when hot rodders used to congregate in the dry lakebeds in Muroc, California’s Mojave Desert. As Drag racing evolved from the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) to the NIRA (National Import Racing Association) scene, one tradition always stayed the same-- the male dominance of the sport. A lot of the racers had the mentality that “women can’t even drive, how can they race?” Indeed, at men’s racing competitions and auto shows, women usually occupy the positions of supporters and as sex objects to please the men at the events.

Then out of the blue came Lisa Kubo, queen of import drag racing, and her racing team. Kubo is a native of Rosemead, California, and started racing eight years ago. She first started racing Volkswagens then graduated into Hondas. Her 2-liter single turbo charged Honda Civic holds the title as the unibody champion and Lisa is the record holder as the world’s fastest female import racer. Kubo has gained the respect of her male peers and at the same time she has also inspired them as well as many women all across the country. It takes a lot to be a ripple in the ocean of stagnant water and Kubo has proven to be just that. Since Kubo’s accomplishment many women have gotten into import racing and even started women’s racing clubs, such as Girlie Girl Racing. Lisa Kubo has proven to the world that when it comes to racecars women can be more then just a hood ornament.

Suggested Readings:
Frances E. Willard, A Wheel Within a Wheel: A Woman’s Quest for Freedom. Bedford, MA: Applewood Books, 1995.

Rachel N. Weber, “Manufacturing Gender in Military Cockpit Design,” in The Social Shaping of Technology, ed. by Wajcman. Philadelphia, PA: Open UP, 1999.

Super Street Magazine http://www.superstreetonline.com/>www.superstreetonline.com June-November, 2001.