Hi there! This is my first blog with Female Racing News, and I could not be more excited to be on board to share my stories and to keep you updated on my racing career! I am about to put you in the passenger seat as I continue my ride in the racing world. First I would like to introduce myself to you and get you up to date on where I have been and where I am heading with my racing career.

So I’ll take you through my career by the years…

2002-2007 Quarter Midgets

I got my start in racing in Quarter Midgets at the age of twelve. After watching my younger brother race for a year, I could not sit on the sidelines any longer. I jumped into a car and got off to a quick start, winning my first seven races. I had great success in Quarter Midgets, ending my six year career with six championships, 60+ feature wins, and three track records.(...)
Read the rest of Welcome to FRN’s Newest Blogger Jessica Bean!

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Post tags: ford focus, jessica bean, kenyon midget, Open Wheel, quarter midget, usac, ussa

Pippa Mann scored a season-high eighth place in the Firestone Indy Lights, Grand Prix of Long Beach. Climbing four spots from the start of the race, Mann put in a strong performance at the Californian event, to take her first top ten finish of the year.

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Read the rest of Pippa Mann finishes in Top 10 at Long Beach

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Post tags: indy, long beach, Open Wheel, Pippa Mann, Salamander Motorsport, top 10

You can see more about Michele on her site: www.michelebumgarnerracing.com

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Post tags: driver profile, indo, Michele Bumgarner, Open Wheel, video

Name: Leilani Munter
Age: 32
Type of Racing: Open wheel and stock cars
Series you participate in: Indy Pro Series and ARCA
Short Introduction: Leilani is a female racer using her voice to speak up for the environment.
Current Season: Indy Pro Series

Racing Accomplishments:

In 2007 Leilani became the fourth woman in history to compete in the Indy Pro Series, the developmental league of IndyCar.

Leilani was 5th quick in her very first laps at Chicagoland Speedway in a practice session for the Indy Pro Series Chicagoland100 on Sept 8, 2007.

In her first Indy Pro Series race, Leilani turned the 5th quickest lap of the race with a speed of 192.399 mph at Kentucky Speedway on Aug 11,2007.

Leilani qualified 5th for her debut in the Indy Pro Series at Kentucky Speedway on Aug 11, 2007. She had trouble on a restart and dropped back to 13th but dazzled the crowd by racing her way back up to the front of the field. She was about to pass for 4th place when she was collected in a multi-car accident. Four time Indy 500 champion Rick Mears, IndyCar driver Jaques Lazier and many others in the IndyCar community spoke very highly of Münter after her debut.

Sports Illustrated named Leilani as one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world.

In her very first laps at Daytona International Raceway, Leilani was 24th quick of 59 ARCA race cars testing on Dec 16, 2006.

Leilani set the record for the highest finishing position for a female driver in the history of the 1.5 mile Texas.

Motor Speedway when she finished 4th in the Konica Minolta 100 on June 10, 2006.

Leilani became the first woman to qualify in the 45 year history of the Bettenhausen Classic at Illiana Speedway in Indiana on September 16, 2006.

Leilani set the record for the highest qualifying effort for a female stock car driver in the history of the 1.5 mile Texas Motor Speedway when she qualified 4th for the First Convenience Bank 100 on June 12, 2004.

Racing Goals: To race and win in IndyCar and NASCAR Sprint Cup

Personal Info: (other hobbies, career, etc..)

Leilani is not just a race car driver, she is a biologist and an activist. Leilani purchases an acre of rainforest for every race she runs to offset her carbon footprint. She is a long time vegetarian and eco activist. She has traveled to Capitol Hill to speak with members of Congress on behalf of the Lieberman Warner Climate Security Act. She holds a bachelors degree in Biology specializing in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from the University of California San Diego. While attending college she worked as a volunteer at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center.

Trivia:

Leilani once worked as a photo double/stunt driver for actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Leilani’s other hobbies include snowboarding and scuba diving.

Leilani’s sister Natascha is married to Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir.

Leilani is a vegetarian.

Leilani has three older sisters: Svenja, Nicolette, and Natascha.

Leilani’s mother was born in Hawaii and her father was born in Germany.

Leilani volunteered for a wildlife rehabilitation center while attending college.

Media:

Leilani’s television appearances include: ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Spike TV, Speed Channel and National Geographic.

She has hosted television shows on Spike TV and DIY Network. Leilani was also an on camera correspondent for Turner Sports

Interactive’s NASCAR.com for three years. Her weekly “Leilani Reports” were available to over 10 million users and the website had over one billion pageviews annually.

Leilani’s print media includes: USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Italian Vogue, Esquire Magazine’s “A Woman We Love”, en’s Journal, ESPN Magazine, Washington Post, and five magazine covers to date.

Leilani is also an accomplished writer. Her work has been published by Turner Sports on NASCAR.com, Corvette Quarterly Magazine, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Leilani’s public speaking engagements include the American Heart Association, ABN-Amro Bank, and the Leadership Forum.

Thanks to:

I would like to thank my family: my father Manfred, my mother Doris and my stepfather Frank, my sister Svenja, my sister Natascha & her husband Bobby, my sister Nicolette & her husband Jon, and my fiance’ Kiwi. Without these people in my life I would have never made it this far. I also have to thank the many people in racing along the way that believed in me and supported my career, you know who you are!

Website: http://leilanimunter.com

Contact: marketing@leilanimunter.com

Photo Credits:
Photo #1 AC Delco
Photo #2 Marc Roy
Photo #3 AC Delco
Photo #4 Shawn Mahoney

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Post tags: leilani munter, Open Wheel, stock cars

Warwickshire racer Sarah Reader and her co-driver Ryan Hooker have claimed a narrow overall lead in the VdeV Endurance Series following another strong result at the Assen circuit in the Netherlands on Sunday (7 Sep).(...)
Read the rest of Sarah Reader takes championship Lead

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Post tags: Open Wheel, ryan hooker, sarah reader, vdev endurance series

Liz Halliday finished tenth in class on her LMP1 debut despite a troubled Nurburgring 1000km race which saw the Creation AIM she shared with South African Stephen Simpson suffer two lengthy pit stops.

Simpson qualified the car 18th on the grid and had climbed a couple of places in the early laps, but unfortunately a problem was brewing. Damage caused by contact with a spinning LMP2 car at the first corner caused a blockage in the cooling ducts for the starter motor and gearbox and had to be remedied to prevent later problems from occurring. As a result, considerable time was lost in making repairs. Having dropped well down the field to 42nd overall, Simpson fought back well to 25th by the time he handed over to Halliday.

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Read the rest of Liz Halliday takes top ten LMP1 finish in difficult Nurburgring race

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Post tags: liz halliday, nurburgring, Open Wheel

Melbourne driver Lauren Gray will contest the opening round of the 2008 Australian Manufacturers Championship at the iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit this weekend ahead of a season-long campaign in the revitalised ‘Manchamps’.

Altona-based Gray, 21, will compete aboard a familiar ride; her long serving Toyota Echo being prepared for the weekends’ round ahead of an anticipated jump into a newly constructed Corolla later this year.
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Read the rest of Lauren Gray returns to the Island to kick off Manchamps campaign

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Post tags: lauren gray, Open Wheel

(May 22, 2008) Indianapolis, IN – Pages 162, 163, and 165 of the 2008 Indianapolis 500 program are dedicated to a driver that is not racing this weekend. A young driver who turned the heads of many in the open wheel community when she burst onto the scene in 2007. Driving for Sam Schmidt Motorsports in her first open wheel race, she qualified 5th and had such an impressive run that four time Indy 500 Champion Rick Mears reacted by saying, “Leilani did a great job. I am looking forward to seeing her race some more.”
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Read the rest of LEILANI MUNTER FEATURED IN HISTORICAL INDIANAPOLIS 500 PROGRAM

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Post tags: indy cars, leilani munter, Open Wheel

INDIANAPOLIS (May 19, 2008) – Milka Duno, IndyCar Series driver with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, qualified Saturday, May 17, for the 92nd Indy 500. Driving her #23 CITGO Honda Dallara IndyCar, Duno recorded a four-lap average speed of 220.305 m.p.h. which secured the 27th starting position and her second start in the classic 500-mile race.

“I’m so relieved and very happy with our qualifying run,” said Duno. “It was our goal to earn a place on the grid, and, with the help of my outstanding team, we did it. There was some wind to fight off, which made the car a bit slower. Even with the weather conditions, we came through to qualify for the world’s largest race with four consistent laps. I am more than excited to compete in my second Indianapolis 500.”
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Read the rest of MILKA DUNO QUALIFIES FOR 92nd INDY 500

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Post tags: Milka Duno, Open Wheel

Danica Patrick is sure to revisit the cover of Sports Illustrated, only this time as a champion driver and not a swimsuit model. The stunning 26-year-old has been voted the most popular driver for three years running and now she has proved that she can hold her own against the men.
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Read the rest of All Eyes On Danica Patrick For Indianapolis 500

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Post tags: Danica Patrick, Indy Racing League, IRL, Open Wheel