Paying respect to Women who have set precedent – the first all female Team to race and finish Suzuka 4H Race in 2014, the brainchild of Midori Moriwaki and Nita Korhonen ( at the time FIM Women in Motorcycling Commissioner) and rider’s Melissa Paris and Shelina Moreda from America.
The significance of the initiative not only established a bench-mark that females have the potential and capabilities to race against male counterparts in National Motorcycling Championship, but also shifted perspective on women pursing careers in Motorsport, both on and off the track.
Certainly, the all-female team who qualified P59 from 69 teams, and finished Suzuka 4H race in P28 confirmed that Midori’s goal of women claiming racing success was possible, when opportunities to compete were made available with corresponding resources and initiative, supported by FIM Women in Motorcycling Commission.
At the time of the event Midori states: ‘There are people with so much talent, yet the environment we are in often does not offer opportunities for them to present themselves. I hope that we will be able to continue to offer such chances to such people’.
The perspective was shared by FIM Women in Motorcycling Commission Director Nita Korhonen (2006 – 2022) stating: ‘The professionalism, characters, and attitude of Paris and Moreda were the main qualities that we thought would be good for our project’.
From there on in, Midori has become the mainstay Team Principal for WSBK Team MIE Honda, running rider’s whose talent and skills require further development via the opportunity to compete against the world’s best bikes, Team’s, and competitors from one season to the next.
In a recent interview with SBK Motul, Moriwaki remarked: ‘What I try to do is make a foundation for the next generation, not for myself. I have been in motorsport for a very long time, this year is 28 years, myself and the whole family is 70 years of history. We have seen good times and bad times in motorsport. The next generation is always key, not today. I see it for the future. I’m always looking at what I can do for motorsport and what legacy I can leave.”
From the early 2000’s, women have pushed the goal-posts out, challenged conventional protocols on who, where, and when women can race, while at the same time achieving success as in the case of Midori, Nita, Melissa, and Paris. The repercussions of such staunch actions have not only raised the bar on what younger generations can achieve in Motorsport, but also buoyed similar stances from women competing over the past 2 plus decades.
Take for example, NZ’s Avalon Biddle whose goal of racing overseas in 2011 was unprecedented, yet the feisty Kiwi went on to win European Women’s Junior Cup in 2015, and 2016 when the category was incorporated within WSBK Rounds. Or, Laia Sanz who entered her first Women Trails World Championship in 2000, and went to win total of 14 Titles, with the latest in 2021. And, Japan’s own Keiko Ihara who became the first women from her country to finish 24H of Le Mans with Team Larbre Competition in 2014.
The number of women who have raced, achieved results within varying Motorsport disciplines in the 20th and 21st century have built their respective careers on the founding pathways women carved before them. Yes, these female pioneers carved their names in history through achievements gained on and off the track, but these women also set new bench-marks on what would follow by the next generation of Motorsport athletes.
Paying homage to the trail-blazers remains necessary, for gaining perspective supports decision making for women whose Motorsport careers are developing in the present day, and in the future.
Header photo: Midori Moriwaki, Nita Korhonen, Shelina Moreda, and Melissa Paris competing in Suzuka 4H Race 2014 Image: Team.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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