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Pippa Mann is a British-born IndyCar driver, endurance racer, and pioneering force for women in motorsports who’s proven herself on both sides of the Atlantic—and made a career out of refusing to let “tough industry” mean “impossible dream.”

EARLY YEARS

Born August 11, 1983, in London, England, Pippa Mann grew up as a racing fan, not a racer. She spent her childhood watching motorsports on TV in England, never imagining she’d one day be the one behind the wheel. That changed when she spotted a female driver competing in IndyCar. “Suddenly there was a female driver out there,” she recalled years later. “And from that moment forward I started following IndyCar as a fan.” Inspired by the simple fact that a woman could do it, Mann started karting at age 13 in Britain, racing throughout Europe. By 2001, at 18, she’d moved to Italy to pursue karting full-time, committing to the sport that had captured her imagination just a few years earlier.

OTHER INTERESTS

Mann’s interests beyond the cockpit are deeply tied to the future of women in racing. She leads Shift Up Now, an organization dedicated to securing funding for aspiring female racers through donations and sponsorships, providing them with competitive equipment, seat time, and career resources. One of the organization’s biggest successes came when they partnered with Yokohama Tire to fund Ashley Freiberg’s full-time seat in the Porsche Sprint Challenge—a partnership that led directly to Freiberg winning the series championship. “We were able to watch Ashley go out there and win races and win the series championship in that car,” Mann said. “That was so incredibly cool to see!” Outside racing advocacy, she’s built a business coaching drivers in the SRO America and IMSA GT4 series, works as a performance driving coach for brands, and serves as an Expert Host for Formula 1 in Austin. Her career has taken her from Italy to the United States (she moved stateside in 2009 for Indy Lights), and she’s never looked back.

EARLY SUCCESS

Mann’s karting career set the stage for everything that followed. She became the only British female to win an international karting race—a milestone she hit before transitioning to single-seaters. In 2003, at age 20, she made the jump to British Formula Renault, racing in the UK Formula Renault Championship in 2004 before moving up to the Formula Renault Eurocup from 2005 to 2006. By 2007, she’d advanced to the World Series by Renault, where she became the first female driver to score points in the series and the first to start a race from pole position. Her European career was building momentum, but the call that changed everything came at the end of 2008. Panther Racing’s Indy Lights team rang, and suddenly she was headed to the United States. Her first season in 2009 was a tough introduction—she managed three top-10 finishes, but the team folded at season’s end. Still, she’d gotten her foot in the door.

The breakthrough came in 2010 with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Mann earned three pole positions, including a historic first: she became the first woman to take pole position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indy Lights. She also scored her first Indy Lights win at Kentucky Speedway and finished fifth in the championship standings. It was the kind of season that announced her arrival—and set up her next big goal.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2003: Only British female to win an international karting race[2].
• 2007–2008: First female to score points in World Series by Renault; first female to start from pole in the series[3].
• 2010: First woman to take pole position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Indy Lights)[1][2][4]; won race at Kentucky Speedway; finished 5th in Indy Lights championship with Sam Schmidt Motorsports[2][3].
• 2011: First British female to start the Indianapolis 500[3]; raced through a broken hand sustained at Toronto and Edmonton, earning points that secured her fifth-place finish in the championship[3].
• 2011–2017: Competed in seven Indianapolis 500s with teams including Conquest Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan, and Dale Coyne Racing, becoming the eighth woman ever to compete in the race[1][3]; achieved career-high eighth place running in 2016, finishing 18th[1][3].
• Undated: One of three women to win in the Indy NXT series[4].
• 2021: Won SP8 class at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with Giti Tire Motorsport[1]; drove restart from ninth to fifth in class, posting the fourth-fastest lap of the race[4].
• Post-2017: Served as test driver in FIA Formula E[1].

INSPIRATIONS

Mann’s path to racing began with a single moment: seeing a female driver compete in IndyCar as a child. That unnamed driver sparked a fandom that became a career. “Suddenly there was a female driver out there,” she said, and from that point forward, IndyCar had her attention—and eventually, her ambition.

REPUTATION

Pippa Mann has earned her place in the record books through sheer tenacity. Whether it was gritting through a broken hand during the 2011 Indy Lights season—”Even though I wasn’t able to drive as well with my broken hand during the races in Toronto and Edmonton, the fact I was able to grit through it and bring home some points made a big difference at the end of the year”—or qualifying for her seventh Indianapolis 500, she’s built a reputation as a driver who doesn’t back down. Media coverage has consistently highlighted her pioneering achievements for women in racing, from her historic pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to her status as the first British female to compete in the Indy 500. One profile cheekily asked: “Blonde Brit who loves shopping or championship-caliber driver? Little of both.”[2] The answer, of course, leans heavily toward the latter. Her advocacy work through Shift Up Now has positioned her as a leader in the fight to create pathways for the next generation of female racers, and her coaching work in GT4 and SRO America shows she’s committed to staying in the sport—one way or another. As she put it: “Motorsport is a tough industry to make a living in—in many ways even more so as a woman—but driving race cars has always been my first love.”[4]

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Mann remains active in coaching and endurance racing, with recent involvement in European endurance events including the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with Giti Tire Motorsport. Her greatest memories include moments from both her IndyCar career and her endurance racing adventures: “Taking pole at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indy NXT, and winning a race later that year. Qualifying for my first Indy 500, and qualifying for my seventh… Getting to do the restart this year at the Nurburgring 24 hour race and going from 9th to 5th in our class and setting 4th fastest lap of the race, and then getting back in the same car at night and having my best night stint I’ve ever had yet on the Nordschleife.”[4] She continues to coach drivers in SRO America and IMSA GT4 and serves as an Expert Host for Formula 1 in Austin, all while leading Shift Up Now’s mission to fund and support female racers. “Any time I can get my hands on the steering wheel to share a race car with someone, that right there, that’s living the dream,” she said[4]—and by all accounts, she’s still living it.

References:

Industry Insights: Pippa Mann, Performance Racing Industry magazine
Indy 500: Who Is Pippa Mann…, Bleacher Report
Pippa Mann injury didn’t stop her from racing, OrthoIndy blog
Pippa Mann Q&A, LeCar.co blog
Pippa Mann driver profile, OldRacingCars.com
Her Story – Pippa Mann, IN.gov