Sara Senske

Daughter of a racer, Sara Senske started young. She began karting at seven, won her first race at eight and her first championship at nine. During her seven years in karts, she won the prestigious IKF Gold Cup three times, and won or scored well in several other state and club championships.

After her illustrious karting career, she was signed by the Lyn St James Driver Development Program, where she honed her racecraft and media nous further in 1994 and 1995. At the age of eighteen, in 1996, she enrolled at the famous Skip Barber racing school, in order to move up to cars. In that year's Skip Barber Western racing series, she won one race and collected five podium finishes. She ended the year as the school's Most Improved Driver.

The following season she stepped up to the popular Star Formula Mazda single-seater series for the last six races. Having learnt the car, she came back the next year for a full season and ended it eighth. Eighth was her final position in 1999 too, after a string of top-ten placings, some podium finishes and two fastest laps, at Irwindale and Pike's Peak. That year she also tried sportscar racing in the Women's Global GT Series. She won once, from pole, at Portland, and came fourth in the championship.

For 2000, Sara decided she had learnt enough from Formula Mazda. Showing her typical self-discipline and determination which she attributes to her Christian faith, she put together funds for a ride in the Barber Dodge Pro Series with Lynx Racing. She had been running with the team for a while and it was a logical step. Her first year was not spectacular, with one top-ten place to her name, but she was a steady and reliable finisher. The following year, her confidence and experience grew and she was rewarded with more top ten positions. starting with a sixth at Lime Rock. Her biggest achievement was at Chicago, where she was second behind Nicolas Rondet, having kept by him for the whole race. That was the first time a woman had mounted the podium in the Pro Series, and Sara joked later about the lack of "podium guys" laid on for her.

At first, Lynx Racing were keen to capitalise on her success with a move into the Toyota Atlantic series, the next step towards CART or the IRL. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, Sara was passed over by the team in favour of someone else. She tested for a few other teams, and tried out for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in a Dodge, but nothing came of it. This must have been a big blow, especially as she gave up her university studies to focus on her racing.

Sara still had ambitions of reaching CART or the Indy Racing League, and kept her hand in by driving the official Pace Car at CART events. She also drove in the 2001 Toyota Pro/Celebrity race as a Pro.

She has now retired from motorsport, and works as a mental health counsellor.

(Image from www.thunval.com)

Rhonda Trammell

In 2003 Rhonda was unable to race at the level she thought herself capable of, so launched a singing career. Her album was quite warmly received and is still available.

Rhonda has been writing music and poetry for a long time, but she has also been in motorsport for over twenty years. As Rhonda Gutsue, she began karting in 1983 at the age of eighteen, encouraged by her then-boyfriend. Compared to some, she was a late starter, but five years later she won the International Superkart Championship. This was followed by two years at the very top of the karting ladder, as none other than World Karting Champion.

She continued in karts in 1991, and scored two World Championship wins. She also enrolled at the famous Skip Barber Racing School and finished in the top ten of its Formula Ford Series in her first year of car racing.

For the next two years, Rhonda tried several junior formulae across America. She raced extensively in Barber Saab (as Rhonda Regnier), and won her first race in Formula Russell. Keen to progress, she passed her Indy Lights Rookie Test in 1992, but lacked the funds to go further. 

The story remained the same for another five years, with Rhonda racing part seasons in the junior series, picking up a growing collection of good finishes along the way. She had a decent run in the Zerex Saab series in 1992, finishing ninth at Elkhart Lake.

In 1998 she tried her hand at saloon car racing in the higher-profile PPG Chrysler Neon Celebrity Challenge. She won one race, at Minneapolis. This brought some welcome sponsorship opportunities and she was finally able to progress into the Barber Dodge Pro Series, the first step on the ladder to CART racing. She entered two races in 1999 and six in 2000.

2001 brought Rhonda's first full year in Barber Dodge, driving a Reynard single-seater. Her results were not spectacular, but she proved herself capable of finishing races and defending her track position at this level. She also contested that year’s Toyota Grand Prix of Detroit, and was fifth in a pro-celebrity race.

Klein Tools continued to sponsor her for the 2002 season, and some good results started to appear. She finished in the top ten in the first race of the season and was one of the top twelve finishers four times. Her performances were comparable with that year's champion John Fogarty the previous year. In order to learn the tracks better, she also kept her hand in lower down the US motorsports ladder, and won a Skip Barber Race Series event at the classic Sebring road course.

Rhonda planned to graduate to Toyota Atlantic in 2003, and tested with Lynx Racing at Buttonwillow, but the funds were not forthcoming and her plans were shelved. She had resigned as one of the PPG CART pace car team's elite female drivers in order to concentrate on her racing. Toyota Atlantic's loss was country-flavoured guitar pop music's gain.

For several years, Rhonda stated that she intended to return to motorsport once she had raised enough sponsorship. However, she is now described as “retired”.

(Image from www.thunval.com)