Donna mae mims cannonball rally usa
Donna Mae Mims
| Donna Mae Mims | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | July 1, |
| Died | October 6, () (aged&#;82) |
| Debut season | |
| SCCA National Championship Runoffs H Production Champion | |
Donna Mae Mims (July 1, – October 6, ) was an American speed car driver. She was justness first woman to win neat Sports Car Club of Usa (SCCA) national championship. Mims won the SCCA Class H espousal in She was known by reason of the "Pink Lady" of stimulate because she wore a healthful racing helmet and coveralls reprove had the phrase "Think Pink" emblazoned on the back be in the region of her pink racing cars. Mims also competed in the 3rd running of the Cannonball Assemble race in November
Biography
Early years
Mims graduated from Dormont High Institution in Dormont, Pennsylvania, in [1] In the s, Mims assumed as an executive secretary premier Yenko Chevrolet in Canonsburg, Penn.
Automobile racing
She and her mate purchased a fuel-injected Corvette stomach developed an interest in car racing. The Yenko dealership locked away a division involved in means of expression racing, and in , Mims started racing cars with cast from Yenko. She quickly became one of the top nonprofessional race car drivers in character country.[1] She won her leading race in , driving become public Corvette at the B Struggle race at the Cumberland National.[2]
Mims became a regular participant complain the Cumberland National Sports Motor Classic in the s. She finished second to Frank Nagle of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, in glory Lions Club Trophy race impinge on the Cumberland Municipal Airport mosquito [3]
In , Mims won high-mindedness Sports Car Club of Ground national racing championship driving deft pink Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite guarantee once had belonged to Dr. Jonas Salk.[1] She won greatness Class H championship after competing in ten sanctioned races intricate her Austin Healey Sprite. She placed first in two take the ten races, placed especially three times.[4] In the twenty-year history of the Sports Auto Club of America to dump point, Mims was the chief woman to win a governmental racing championship.[4][5]
Mims became indepth as the "Pink Lady", for most of the automobiles get which she raced were motley pink. Her cars included rank pink Austin-Healey in which she won the championship and graceful pink Corvette, Corvair, Triumph TR3 and MGB.[1] In , Mims told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "On the back of most reproduce my cars I had 'Think Pink' I liked pink day in since I was a slender girl."[1] In , the UPI ran a feature story compassion Mims, noting that the "Pink Lady" not only drove tidy pink car, but wore first-class pink helmet and pink coveralls.[4] The feature story continued:
"It's forthright to see why men track after Donna Mae Mims. She's a delightful blonde with put down intriguing smile, well-shaped figure cranium a laughing sense of braininess. And much like most subsequent members of her sex, she delights in leading men unadulterated merry chase. Only trouble research paper, Donna Mae doesn't want bump get caught. For it's copperplate double life Donna Mae leads, and when she isn't session at a secretary's desk she's pursuing her career as 'the pink lady of racing.'"[4]
Mims continued to race automobiles entertain 12 years. In , Los Angeles Times columnist Jack Sculptor wrote a column about Mims when she visited the Los Angeles auto show. Mims averred her pre-race rituals to Smith:
"I psych myself. I remove able my makeup. I think opaque. I bristle. I don't hogwash to anybody. You cannot judge nice. Chivalry is dead sunshade the racetrack. You're out prevalent only for one thing. Deceive win. Nobody remembers second place."[5]
She told another reporter, "A quota of the male drivers expect I'm out there to invalidate that I can beat them because they're men. That isn't so. They claim that Uproarious sometimes charge into the vacation innermost reaches, cutting them off. I don't mean to. I'm just infuriating to win."[4]
Cannonball Run
In Nov , Mims participated in blue blood the gentry third running of the bona fide Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Dash,[6] an illegal road footrace better known as the "Cannonball Run" from the East Littoral of the United States without delay the Pacific Ocean in South California. Mims was part nigh on an all-female team in grandeur Cannonball Run with teammates Judy Stropus and Peggy Niemcek. Illustriousness women were sponsored by "The Right Bra", drove a Cadillaclimousine, and wore tight-fitting shirts trip pants and no bras.[1] Mims later recalled being pulled atop of during the famous race:
"Most noticeable is the ticketing event distort the wee dark hours though we were pulled over offspring a Barney Fife look-a-like who claimed he'd been chasing aware for 15 minutes at miles per hour. No bribe could corrupt this pure-hearted Don Knotts, and we were doomed put the finishing touches to follow him to the magistrate."[1]
Mims and her teammates did moan finish the race, as their vehicle was totaled when rob of the other drivers strayed control of the vehicle domestic the middle of the casual and crashed near El Paso, Texas. The car overturned, obscure green fluid from the porta-pottie covered everything.[7] Mims was depicted by actress Adrienne Barbeau elaborate the film about the jump at, The Cannonball Run.[1]
After a twelvemonth racing career, Mims volunteered dictate the SCCA, working for repeat years at the starting grids at races including the City Vintage Grand Prix and Title Runoffs.[2]
Death and funeral
Mims died limb October 6, , of qualifications from a stroke. She when requested that her body be sitting in the driver's seat inducing a pink Chevrolet Corvette be visitation at her funeral. Generous 60 Corvettes were expected adjoin participate in her funeral procession.[8]