Women in the Toyota Long Beach Pro-Celebrity Race

Dara Torres and Sarah Fisher celebrate

Toyota held its annual Pro-Celebrity race on the Long Beach road course between 1977 and 2016. The race usually featured a selection of professional drivers taking on celebrities over 10 laps in identical Toyota cars. Originally these were Celicas, but this changed to Scions in 2006.

The celebrity drivers normally had a 30-second head start over the pros. Celebrities included faces from the world of sport, cinema and TV. There was usually a motorsport reporter or two involved and often a Toyota employee or prizewinner in a competition. Celebrities who held on to their advantage to win the race were upgraded to Pro status for any subsequent events.

No women were invited to race in the first event in 1977, but stuntwoman and landspeed record chaser Kitty O’Neil became the first in 1978. Most women who have taken part fall into the Celebrity category, but there have been several Pros.

Olympic swimmer Dara Torres is the most successful woman in the race’s history, winning in 2002 and making five appearances in total. Pitlane reporter Jamie Little also managed to win the race in 2008.

Toyota moved its headquarters away from Long Beach after 2016 and the race was cancelled. 

1978

Kitty O’Neil - 8th

1979

Jayne Kennedy - 14th

Kitty O’Neil - 15th

1980

No female entrants

1981

Pam McInnis - 8th

Jennilee Harrison - DNS

1982

Kathy Rude (Pro) - DNF

Jennilee Harrison - DNF

1983

Margie Smith-Haas (Pro) - 6th

1984

Betty Thomas - 13th

Desire Wilson (Pro) - 14th

1985

Kathy Rude (Pro) - 12th

Raechel Donohue - 14h

1986

Ana Alicia - 9th

1987

Jean Lindamood - 6th

Justine Bateman - 15th

1988

Monica Brooks - 12th

Susan Ruttan - 15th

Nicolette Larson - 16th

1989

Cornelia Guest - 14th

1990

Monica Brooks - DNF?

1991

Marsha Mason - 11th

Susan Ruttan - 13th

Leeza Gibbons - 15th

1992

Ellen K - DNF?

1993

Crystal Bernard - DNF?

Mary Lou Retton - DNF?

1994

Christy Carlson - DNF?

Sylvia Aimerito - DNF?

Beth Tuschak - DNF?

1995

Shelly Anderson (Pro) - DNF?

Cameron Diaz - DNF?

Helene Udy - DNF?

1996

Sharon Lawrence - 6th

Kate Linder - 8th

1997

Christy Carlson - 3rd

Carol Alt - DNF?

1998

Kumi Sato (Pro) - 5th

Cameron Diaz - 6th

Cristen Powell - 15th

Junko Mihara (Pro) - 16th

Queen Latifah - 17th

Catherine Bell - DNF?

1999

Angelle Sampey (Pro) - 7th

Melissa Joan Hart - DNF?

Catherine Bell - DNF?

Kim Alexis - DNF?

Lauralee Bell - DNF?

2000

Lyn St. James (Pro) - 11th

Melissa Joan Hart - 12th

Alyson Hannigan - 14th

Ashley Judd - 15th

2001

Dara Torres - 4th

Sara Senske (Pro) - 12th

Elisa Donovan - 13th

Piper Perabo - 15th

2002

Dara Torres - winner

Danica Patrick (Pro) - 3rd

Sarah Fisher (Pro) - 5th

2003

Milka Duno (Pro) - 6th

Shawna Robinson (Pro) - 7th

Angie Everhart - 9th

Leilani Munter (Pro) - 10th

Picabo Street - 11th

2004

Dara Torres (Pro) - 5th

Melissa Joan Hart - 10th

Laila Ali - 11th

Andrea Parker - 12th

Liza Snyder - 14th

Li’l Kim - 16th

Jill Pasant - 17th

2005

Misty May - 8th

Amanda Beard -12th

Paige Hemmis - 16th

2006

Martina Navratilova - 3rd

Shannon Miller - 15th

2007

Martina Navratilova - 2nd

Emily Procter - 8th

Kelly Hu - 9th

Aisha Tyler - 11th

Kathryn Morris - 13th

Robin Quivers - 14th

Annamarie Dean - 15th

Kendra Wilkinson - 17th

2008

Jamie Little - winner

Beccy Gordon (Pro) - 15th

Sarena Traver - 16th

Nancy Liebermann - 18th

2009

Jamie Little (Pro) - 9th

Annamarie Dean - 12th

Mary Lynn Rajskub - 14th

Raven Symone - 18th

2010

Tika Sumpter - 14th

Megyn Price - 15th

2011

Megyn Price - 11th

Jillian Barberie Reynolds - 17th

2012

Kate del Castillo - 10th

Jillian Barberie Reynolds - 12th

Eileen Davidson - 15th

2013

Kate del Castillo - 10th

Melanie Troxel (Pro) - 12th

Jenna Elfman - 13th

Jessica Hardy - 15th

Wanda Sykes - 18th

2014

Tricia Helfer - 10th

Vanessa Marcil - 15th

Lisa Stanley - 17th

Carmelita Jeter - 19th/DNF

2015

Dara Torres (Pro) - 5th

Tricia Helfer - 13th

Donna Feldman - 15th

2016

Dara Torres (Pro) - 14th

(Image copyright espn.com)

Bonnie Henn

Bonnie, centre, with Janet Guthrie and Lyn St James

Bonnie Henn raced Ferraris and Porsches in IMSA between 1979 and 1985, usually as part of her father, Preston Henn's, team. She and Preston were IMSA’s first father-daughter racing team. Her other team-mates included Kathy Rude, Janet Guthrie and Desiré Wilson.

Bonnie’s career developed in tandem with her father’s. He only began racing two years before she did, having made his money buying disused drive-in cinemas, which he turned into flea markets.

Her first major finish was a seventeenth place at the 1979 Sebring 12 Hours, driving a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 with Lyn St James and Janet Guthrie. They were sponsored by Thunderbird Swap Shop, the Henn family business. Bonnie also entered the IMSA Daytona Finale, driving the Ferrari with Hal Sahlman. They were 28th overall, fifteenth in the GTO class. In between, Preston Henn ran an AMC Pacer for Bonnie in the Daytona 6 Hours. She did not finish. The underpowered Pacer must have been a stark contrast to the Ferrari she was more used to.

In contrast to her first season, 1980 was very quiet, as Bonnie concentrated on developing her driving skills. She was linked to a drive in an Alfa Romeo Alfetta in the Daytona 6 Hours, but did not start. The car belonged to Janis Taylor, who drove instead, with Del Russo Taylor.

1981 could have been her first attempt at the Daytona 24 Hours. Preston put together a Swap Shop team of himself, Bonnie, Desiré Wilson and Marty Hinze. Although she had practised in the team’s Porsche 935, she decided that she did not have enough experience to tackle the race itself, and stepped down. She did race the 935 at the Daytona Finale in November. Preston was her team-mate. They did not finish.

Desiré Wilson became something of a mentor to Bonnie at this time. She gave her advanced driving tuition and supported her through a part-season in IMSA in 1982. Desiré’s race seat with the Swap Shop team was largely down to her work with Bonnie.

Bonnie and Desiré aimed to start 1982 by teaming up again for the Daytona 24 Hours, but Bonnie, along with Janet Guthrie, dropped out. The three worked together again at the Sebring 12 Hours, where they drove a Ferrari 512BB/LM in “Miss Budweiser” colours for North American Racing. For her next race, the Charlotte IMSA round, she shared a Swap Shop Porsche 935 with Preston, and was rewarded with an eleventh place. Her best result of the year was a fourth place in the Daytona 250 Miles. She had jumped into the 935 of Preston and Randy Lanier after her own Swap Shop 935 expired after eight laps.

She raced with Desiré again at Mosport and Road America. At Mosport, she was 24th. Later in the season, she and Preston travelled to Japan to race in the Fuji 6 Hours, in the Ferrari. They crashed out on the tenth lap. At the end of the year, she decided that she no longer wanted to race. Sadly, this meant that Desiré Wilson’s place in the team became redundant.

Having announced her retirement once, Bonnie was persuaded back into action in 1983 with an all-female team, led by Deborah Gregg and carrying her Brumos colours. The third driver in the team was Kathy Rude. They drove a Porsche 924 Carrera in the Daytona 24 Hours and gave Bonnie her best finish of her career: thirteenth. They were sixth in class. Bonnie’s last event with the team was the Sebring 12 Hours. Driving the same car, she was 35th with her two team-mates. After Sebring, she retired for good, aged just 27.

She died suddenly in 2006. She was 49.

(Image from www.lynstjames.com)

Kathy Rude

Kathy climbing into George Drolsom's Porsche, 1983

Kathy Rude was born in 1957. She is most remembered for racing in major sportscar events, in the early 1980s. She started her career with karting in the 1970s, and progressed through Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic, racing in Atlantics for at least one season, in 1979.

1980 saw Kathy make her move into major sportscar racing. She had attracted the attention of several team owners, and was being tipped by some as a future Indycar hopeful. Driving Tom Nehl’s Chevrolet Camaro, she entered the Daytona 24 Hours, with Nehl and Peter Kirill. They were 25th, eighth in the GTO class, after limping to the end with engine trouble.

In 1981, she was signed up by Kent Racing, and expanded her competition programme. Her car was a Mazda RX-7, and her usual co-driver was Lee Mueller. Her return to Daytona at the start of the season went well: Kathy, Lee and Philippe Martin were seventh overall, and third in the GTU class. Unfortunately, Kathy’s first Sebring 12 Hours did not go as smoothly. She and Divina Galica were classified 31st in the RX-7 after not making the finish. This was after qualifying fourth in their heat, along with Lee Mueller. Driving solo, Kathy was then fourteenth in the Road Atlanta IMSA race. In the Riverside 6 Hours, she and Divina could only manage a lowly 36th. It was better for Kathy and Lee in the Pocono IMSA round: they were ninth. On her first trip to Europe, driving Quirin Bovy’s Camaro, she did not finish the Spa 24 Hours. However, her best result of the year came on another “away” race, the Suzuka 1000km. She and Yoshimi Katayama were third in the Kent Mazda.

She remained with Kent in 1982, and her season this year was focused on the IMSA championship, in the USA. Teaming up with Lee Mueller again for Daytona at the start of the season, she achieved a class win and a sixth place overall, becoming the first woman to win her class in that event. Allan Moffat was the third driver.

In the same car, but now driving for Rick Knoop, the pair entered the Sebring 12 Hours, but did not drive. They were back with Kent for the Riverside 6 Hours, but in a Toyota Celica rather than the Mazda. They were 31st. At Charlotte, they fared somewhat better, coming 13th. The next time they drove together was at Mosport, Lee Mueller or Rick Knoop having tackled the single-driver races. They were fourteenth, fifth in class. At Road America, they were 22nd, fourth in class, and at Mid-Ohio, 24th. Road Atlanta gave them a 26th place. Their last race of the season together saw them fourteenth at Pocono. 

1983 saw Kathy back in the IMSA series, beginning with the Daytona 24 Hours. By this time, she was no longer racing with the Kent team, and was driving a Porsche 924 run by Brumos Racing. For Daytona, it was an all-female team of Kathy, Deborah Gregg, and Bonnie Henn. They were thirteenth, one place below Kathy’s former team-mate Lee Mueller in a Kent Mazda. The same trio was less fortunate in the Sebring 12 Hours, only managing 35th. This event was never Kathy’s best one. Her next outing was Road Atlanta, in the same car, with Deborah Gregg. They were 20th, fourth in class. At Riverside, they were down the order again in 43rd, after failing to finish. After missing the Laguna Seca round, they were seventeenth at Charlotte, fifth in class.

A couple of rounds later, Kathy reappeared in George Drolsom’s 934, with him as co-driver. They were fourteenth at Mid-Ohio. At Brainerd in July, she had switched teams again, and was driving a Porsche 935 with Greg Pusey. Sadly, this proved to be her last major sportscar race. On the 59th lap, she was involved in an incident with another car*, and flipped the Porsche at 140mph. The car caught fire immediately. Kathy received serious burns, and multiple orthopaedic and internal injuries. She was in a coma for several weeks after the crash, and underwent a series of surgeries and blood transfusions, as well as a lengthy rehabilitation programme. Fortunately, she survived her ordeal, and even returned to the tracks for a few smaller events, most notably the 1985 Toyota Pro Celebrity Long Beach race. However, she never got the chance to take up the Indycar seat for 1984 that she had arranged. Her career is one of the great “could have been” scenarios of motor racing, as she was well-respected as a driver and earmarked for great things by some.

During her convalescence, she married Ludwig Heimrath Jr., a fellow sportscar racer. She now works as a driving safety instructor and public speaker, and has also survived breast cancer.

*Details of the crash have been redacted. This is partly due to conflicting evidence, and partly due to ambivalence over detailed reporting of accidents on Speedqueens. 

(Photo by Mark Windecker)