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Skyjacker National Rock Crawling Championship - Charming Chicks Crawl For Crown

Making Rockcrawling Herstory

By Wendy Frazier
photographer: Wendy Frazier

 Skyjacker National Rock Crawling Championship Women Chick Drivers Rock Crawling

Women have always been integrally involved in motorsports in one way or another. So it wasn't a surprise when Sports-in-the-Rough put together the first just-for-women rockcrawling competition. The purpose of the diva-only event was to allow the ladies to dip their toes into the thick and turbulent waters of competition. The challenge came naturally as most of the women already had affection for off-roading and an affiliation in it.

Upper and Lower competition courses at the Rock Garden in Farmington, New Mexico, were set up to test each team's abilities in navigation, driving, and communication. Both challenging courses contained a series of eight stages totaling a punishing 16 stages and demanding two full days of competition crawling. The competitors weren't less fierce, but they were a lot more compassionate than the "other half" competitions.

Three words that best describe the competition are camaraderie, challenge, and communication. The second women's rockcrawl, if it's anything like the first, will offer the same good-spirited competition. Save a spot on your calendar for the next Skyjacker National Rock Crawling Championship for Women in Johnson Valley, California, February 20-21. You can visit www.sportsintherough.com or call 800/556-2801 for event details.

The WomentumMotorsport's Chosen OnesYes, it has been a challenge for women to become more involved in the automotive industry. We salute all the women who have made landmark contributions to the field of motorsports and most recently in the sport of off-roading. It just goes to show that talent, whether it is in driving or wrenching, is not related to gender.

Contributor Contribution
Janet Guthrie 1977 The first woman to drive the Indy 500
Shirley Muldowney 1977, 1980, and 1982 The first driver to
  repeat National Hot Rod Association's
  Winston World Champion three times
Patty Moise 1987 and 1988 The first woman to lead
  the NASCAR Busch Series race at
  Road Atlanta in 1987 and to win a Bud
  Pole at Talladega in 1988
Pamela Vaters 1995 The first woman to qualify for the
  NHRA Monster Truck Penda Point
  competition series
Jutta Kleinschmidt 2001 The first woman to win the
  punishing Paris-Dakar Rally


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