Photo courtesy of Zandara ‘Zee’ Kennedy.

The first of two commemorative articles, written in partnership with Katelyn Brozovich, in honor of International Women’s Day and all the amazing ladies who love the world of drifting.

A Million Cheers To The Girls Of Drifting.

Everyone knows the world of motorsports has been mostly dominated by men throughout history.

Indeed, the action of racing a car is still typically viewed as a ‘boy thing’, but it’s also true that women have been working to break through this barrier for over a century now. As far back as 1900, when it was truly rare to see a woman racing a car, a few brave ladies were actually out there hitting the track.

“I’ve been involved in motorsports my whole life,” reminisced Shanna Habich (@firstairmotorsports). She’s the mother of Formula DRIFT PROSPEC and First Air Motorsports (FAM) driver, Jayce Habich, she also wears the FAM brand strategist hat.

“My Dad was into drag racing when I was little and he made sure I knew about Shirley Muldowney - the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), and the first person to win multiple top fuel titles,” Habich added.

Fortunately, the gender stereotype weakens more each time a woman picks up a wrench, goes to a track day, or proudly adds another car to her Hot Wheels collection, but it breaks apart completely, whenever a lady gets behind the wheel to race. And, even though we’re seeing a growing number of women courageously admitting their love for cars, driving, wrenching, and learning about racing today, it’s a deep-seated stereotype that has been hard to overcome.

Nives Arvetti (@formulawoman.nivesladydrift), the first Italian drift girl to participate in Italian and European Drift Championships, explained the impact of this stereotype on her own path. “I was born with a passion for cars and motorsports, but my parents said I’m a girl - not a boy - and I had to study - not race with a car,” she explained, adding that she graduated with a degree in business administration and went to work as an accountant.

Of course, it didn’t stop her from pursuing her passion, and it’s women like Arvetti and countless others, who show up at the track, enter car shows, or do anything else motorsports related that the world has to thank for normalizing a woman’s place in the racing and automotive worlds.

Drifting Welcomes The Ladies.

As important as it is to remember how far women have come across the expansive motorsports landscape, let's talk specifically about female influences in drifting.

Originating in Japan in 1970 by Kunimitsu Takahashi, the sport has been climbing in popularity all over the world ever since, but it's still a mystery (and a debate in some circles) as to who can claim the ‘first woman drifter’ title. Notwithstanding, there are several notable Japanese ladies who made drifting history in the early years of the sport (you can read about some of them in DRIFTEM’s 2020 “Ladies of Drift” article).

Fast forward, and although the sport is still relatively new by global motorsport standards, women cheering in the stands, showing their rad cars, working in the pits, and even driving at grassroots and professional drifting events is no longer uncommon. In fact, drifting is one of the only motorsports in America that does not segregate women and men drivers into separate divisions.

Photo courtesy of FFF Drifting Department.

The Franchise That Can’t Be Ignored.

Of course, seeing women not only enjoy cars, but also exhibiting knowledge about how they operate in all the Fast and Furious movies was an unprecedented inspiration for many.

When Fast and Furious:Tokyo Drift was released, the masses learned even more about drifting, and also saw a young, relatable woman drifting a car… on a mountain… and another one tuning the cars. The movie sent a clear message to women everywhere that they too have the power to do badass things with a car, and can also find peace behind the wheel or working on engines.

“Drifting completely turned my life upside down, thanks to meeting a friend who was a student of Federico Sceriffo that took me to his shop and I saw all those cars...I was astonished,” said Simona Veize (@_simonaveizi), Sceriffo’s and FFF Drifting Department’s lead mechanic. “I said to myself - Tokyo Drift is not just a film, it is reality!”

The Fast and Furious franchise did one more cool thing for women, by shedding light on the idea that ‘car couples’ should be out there celebrating and showing the world how awesome it can be to work alongside each other in the garage, get involved in the local car community together, and run their individual cars on the track in tandem.

“My favorite thing about drifting with my husband is sharing love for the same sport. Being able to tandem together is such a special bond,” said Hannah Birnbaum, who frequents Evergreen Speedway’s open drift events with her husband Corey. “He pushes me to be the best driver on and off the track and I wouldn’t trade our hobby together for anything. It’s our lifestyle and he even proposed to me at the track!”

More Drifting Role Models.

In nature’s terms, the more normal an idea becomes, the more realistic it feels and becomes. This is definitely the case with women in drifting, where we are seeing multiple generations of motorsporting ‘girl-power’ now making an even bigger impact on young ladies.

And, hats off to the pops who brought/bring their daughters and granddaughters with them to the garage and the track. They are, in effect, empowering these girls to confidently join car conversations, work on their own vehicles, and get out to track events and car meets.

Habich remembers her dad throwing her on a creeper and pushing her under whatever car he was working on with instructions to, “HOLD THE LIGHT!”

He wasn’t the only one influencing her young heart, but it was enough to stick.

“My eighth-grade teacher told me I needed to pick a nurse or a secretary for my career shadow assignment. That’s it? Ew. I pick neither,” Habich recalled. “I would rather have shadowed an engine builder or a dyno engineer, or learned how to build a brand with a marketing specialist, or shadowed a race team logistics manager. To have more women involved in motorsports, they need to understand cool roles like this exist.”

Zandara ‘Zee’ Kennedy (@zeedrives), the newest lady PROSPEC driver, figured it out pretty early. She said she “got into drifting backwards,” while working to sharpen the skills she needed for her stunt driving career.

And, some ladies love the culture, competitions and cars so much, they spend most of their time ‘up to their elbows’ in the grit of the sport. Kennedy, for instance, had the pleasure of an all-women crew supporting her at HotPit Autofest’s first 2024 round that took place this month at The House of Drift in Irwindale.

Veizi is another great example. “Since I was little, I have always liked creating, regenerating, and improving all the objects that needed a little love, especially objects that no one gave value to anymore,” she explained. “I liked learning to do things that no one would ever say a woman could do like a man, despite everyone in the family trying to treat me like a princess.”

Veizi playfully added, her intrigue for mechanics and the tendency to rebel against traditional rules were a lot like, “an engine that is created with standards, but then shows the best of itself after it has been developed.”

This was such a fun place to stop, we decided to leave you hanging until we publish Part II in a few short weeks to continue our commemoration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

EMPOWERED WOMEN EMPOWERING WOMEN. (Part I)