'Girls out there: you can do this': 'LandSpeed Louise' drives to inspire female racers

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Marquette University played host Monday night to a legend in the field of land speed racing. Now, "LandSpeed Louise" wants to inspire the next generation of female racers.

"It's something when you're watching something go 3, 400 miles per hour that starts out as this little, tiny spec over here on your peripheral vision and it goes eeeee," said LandSpeed Louise Noeth, Author of Bonneville's Women of LandSpeed Racing.

At the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, Noeth earned the nickname "LandSpeed Louise" working on Team Vesco which still owns the wheel-driven car record at 458 mph.

"We're not a bunch of crazy speed demons, these are calculated risks. You know what you have. That's why we have helmets. That's why we have fireproof clothing," said Noeth.

Years later, Noeth is guest speaker, sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, which pushes hard to get more students interested in the profession.

"Right now, in the mobility sector of engineering, there's not enough passionate people and we need more to hit the sustainability requirements for the future," said Dan Lentsh, President, Society of Automotive Engineers Milwaukee Section.

DeltaHawk Engines Inc. works with Racine Unified Schools to provide student internships.

"This year we've got five of our eight are actually females that are very interested in engineering careers. I think that's a change over the last several years where it being very male dominated," said David Gill, Director of Engineering at DeltaHawk Engines Inc. in Racine.

Noeth says over the years, she's seen a change. Women are becoming more accepted at the Salt Flats, but years ago…

"Since 1972, when they had to fight for the right to put on the helmet and the fireproof underwear, because the boys didn't want to race against a girl because they didn't want to be beaten by a girl," said Noeth.

Nights like these are meant to inspire the next generation of automotive engineers, especially women.

"The whole point is to lay down a welcome mat, to say to the women out there, the girls out there: you can do this," said Noeth.