In a successful race, the glory often goes to the driver. But racing is a team sport. Dozens of people work together to set up the car, strategize, adapt in adverse situations and help their driver go fast. Everyone on the team has to communicate well, collaborate, trust each other and give honest feedback. And I have found that as a woman in racing, it also really helps to have strong male allies.
I will be the first to acknowledge that some of my most successful racing seasons have come when I’ve had great male allies. That isn’t to diminish my own talent, hard work and the discipline that it also took to be successful; rather, it’s meant to highlight another element that helped me stay as competitive as possible.
When looking back on my own racing experiences, I didn’t often feel that I was a recipient of explicit bias. Not many people told me to my face that I wouldn’t be successful or that women don’t race well. But upon reflection, I recognize that I felt a more nuanced, or implicit, bias.
One example was feeling underestimated. It only happened a handful of times over my racing career, but if I joined a team where the people didn’t believe that I would be competitive, I could feel that. Feeling underestimated - or like certain team members didn’t want to work with me - weighed me down and negatively impacted the entire team. Pessimism is heavier than optimism, and it spreads easily.
But being underestimated wasn’t what bothered me most. Instead, I worried that if my team didn’t expect me to be competitive, they might’ve been less inclined to give me 100% of their effort. And every successful driver needs their team to give 100%. Further, I worried that my own dedication, funding, time and energy would be wasted.
Therefore, when I felt that I was being underestimated, I put in a lot of extra hard work to earn respect, build better relationships and get the team to believe in me.
Hard work is not new to me, and I know it’s necessary for any driver on any team. Unfortunately, hard work as an effort to earn respect detracts from energy we can put towards perfecting our craft.
And this is where the nuanced bias kicks in. If we as women racers have to more regularly put extra energy and effort into earning the respect of our team, we’re going to be one step behind our competition.
Enter male allies.
These are men who recognize differences in how women are treated, and proactively work towards creating an equitable and equal environment for everyone.
When giving a keynote, I regularly discuss the importance of both explicit and implicit male allies. An explicit ally is someone who speaks up, calls out biased behavior and advocates for us. Conversely, an implicit ally treats us the same way that they’d treat our male peers, has the same expectations for men and women, and maintains consistent behavior around women.
I’ll never forget my 2015 season racing, driving for Lee Pulliam Performance. Lee Pulliam, a five-time Whelen All-American Series National Champion, knew that he had great equipment, competent people and a winning strategy. I got that sense that if he allowed you to race in one of his cars, he expected you to win, no matter who you were.
That attitude and energy was such a luxury! It was a vote of confidence for me and every team member that we should be expecting to win. I felt the belief in me and the respect, and it gave me the mental space to solely focus on my craft.
We went on to win half the races that season, as well as the championship. It was one of the most magical years of my career. That season required an immense amount of hard work from every team member. It required thoughtful collaboration and encouragement, and it was made a bit easier because of the great allies I had.
While being good allies and setting appropriate expectations are not the exclusive solutions for how we can help women in motorsports, they are extremely important components of helping women.
Julia Landauer, a member of the Shift Up Now Board of Directors, is a two-time champion race car driver, and an influential advocate for STEM education and women's empowerment. Landauer is a renowned motivational keynote speaker, corporate advisor, podcast host, and was honored in the Forbes 30 Under 30. Her success in the racing world most recently includes competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. She finished fifth overall in the NASCAR Euro Series, the highest ever for an American.
You can get involved with Shift Up Now (and become an ally for our organization) either by becoming a Member of the Inside Track, or through a donation to our 501c3. If you are a brand who would like to help us support and elevate women in motorsport, we would love to hear from you.
