driver’s seat was seen as a naturally male position’. The beliefs held by males in powerful societal positions transitioned into control of a new form of dangerous, exotic technology and worked to limit the involvement of early female drivers, including racers. To allow for the sport to occur in the UK, but to bypass public roads where accidents and fatalities were increasingly commonplace, 1907 saw the completion of Brooklands the – first purpose-built, privately owned, continuous motor-racing circuit in the world. As with most early motor-racing, Brooklands took its initial rules from those based on horse racing, such as coloured silks for the drivers, until it was realised numbers on cars were more easily visible. Furthermore, Brooklands Automobile Racing Club [BARC] officials pointed out ‘the that, as the Jockey Club didn’t allow women jockeys, they saw no reason why they should allow women drivers’. Brooklands helped establish male dominance and exclusivity over early aspects of motorsport and, despite attempts to establish networks and organisations for women racers such as the Ladies’ Automobile Club in the early-1900s, the BARC officials were about the effect women drivers might have on the macho image of ‘worried racing they wanted to create’. For example, Lowerson claims that the 325 members of the Ladies’ Automobile Club essentially motor tourists; racing was usually regarded as ‘were distinctly unladylike’. However, one article reporting from the Brighton Motor Week, where women had won some of the events against men, claimed ladies invaded the domain of the sterner ‘the sex, and not without success’. Before Brooklands was built and barely a decade after the first recorded races when women had competed against men, the dominant gender discourse of the time was evident with motor-racing deemed by the reporter as a male domain. Although it would be another twenty years before women raced against men at Brooklands, in 1908 it was reported that there was a single race staged for women only. Bullock explains ‘novelty’ that although growing spectator numbers were races and the women a ‘enjoying’ ‘giving
driver’s seat was seen as a naturally male position’. The beliefs held by males in powerful societal positions transitioned into control of a new form of dangerous, exotic technology and worked to limit the involvement of early female drivers, including racers. To allow for the sport to occur in the UK, but to bypass public roads where accidents and fatalities were increasingly commonplace, 1907 saw the completion of Brooklands – the first purpose-built, privately owned, continuous motor-racing circuit in the world. As with most early motor-racing, Brooklands took its initial rules from those based on horse racing, such as coloured silks for the drivers, until it was realised numbers on cars were more easily visible. Furthermore, ‘the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club [BARC] officials pointed out that, as the Jockey Club didn’t allow women jockeys, they saw no reason why they should allow women drivers’. Brooklands helped establish male dominance and exclusivity over early aspects of motorsport and, despite attempts to establish networks and organisations for women racers such as the Ladies’ Automobile Club in the early-1900s, the BARC officials were ‘worried about the effect women drivers might have on the macho image of they wanted to create’. For example, Lowerson claims that the 325 members of the Ladies’ Automobile Club ‘were essentially motor tourists; racing was usually regarded as distinctly unladylike’. However, one article reporting from the Brighton Motor Week, where women had won some of the events against men, claimed ‘the ladies invaded the domain of the sterner sex, and not without success’. Before Brooklands was built and barely a decade after the first recorded races when women had competed against men, the dominant gender discourse of the time was evident with motor-racing deemed by the reporter as a male domain. Although it would be another twenty years before women raced against men at Brooklands, in 1908 it was reported that there was a single ‘novelty’ race staged for women only. Bullock explains that although growing spectator numbers were ‘enjoying’ races and ‘giving the women a racing