More than 60 years have passed since Joyce Thompson entered the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. She was the first woman to do so. With a background in sports car racing, Thompson was thrilled with the opportunity to test her Austin-Healey against the men at Pikes Peak.
Her racing career began in the late 1950s and lasted for six years. She raced at Continental Divide Raceway and throughout the South and Midwest regions in her Alfa Romeo and a Lancia di Garda. One race at the Daytona Speedway was especially memorable as her laps included both the banked oval and the road course.
Living and working in Denver, Thompson traveled to Colorado Springs every morning for practice, made her runs, and returned to her job in Denver. She recalled Bobby and Al Unser helping with car set-up, adjusting carburetion, and choosing the right tires. Despite being the first woman, and a rookie on Pikes Peak, she remembers no special media attention and she certainly didn’t receive any special treatment, stating, “I was just another racer.”
Her one and only run in 1960 was a challenge. From sunny and warm at the Start Line through rain, a hailstorm and finally snow at the summit, Thompson was determined to finish what she started. She recalled, “It was magnificent. It was very slick and I was just so glad to get to the top.”
Joyce Thompson passed away in 2021.
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21 окт 2024
