From Fashion to the Field: Three Female-Owned Businesses Fueling the Future of Motorsport

There are plenty of business opportunities to be had in the motorsport industry, and we at Females in Motorsport wanted to highlight just a few of the women taking advantage of a booming industry. From close-up career shadowing experiences to stunning fashion choices, here are three outstanding female-owned businesses!

PATH TO THE PITS | Vicky Martinez Muela

Credit: Griffin Riley

Founded in 2022 by Vicky Martinez Muela, Path to the Pits is an organisation centred around helping young individuals break into the world of motorsport. The idea came to Vicky at the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Long Beach Grand Prix in 2021, where she met Mark Myers – then Director of Partnerships at Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team – and observed a limited number of women working in the paddock.

IndyCar returned to Long Beach a year later, and Vicky pitched her idea of a programme to help young individuals from underrepresented communities get into motorsport to the team at Arrow McLaren, and thus Path to the Pits was born. Beginning by launching two pilot programmes in St. Louis and Laguna Seca in 2022, Vicky and Path to the Pits are now hosting events at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Soniso Grand Prix, Bommarito Automotive Group 500, and the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey – and in 2023, Path to the Pits became McLaren Racing Engage’s first North American charitable partner.

Now, Path to the Pits is led by Vicky and a diverse team of young professionals all working towards careers in motorsport.

Credit: Griffin Riley

“Through their passion and dedication, and thanks to our friends at Arrow McLaren, we have provided hundreds of young adults nationwide a behind the scenes look at careers in motorsport.” Vicky tells Females in Motorsport. “Throughout the paddock, our signature green circular logo with intertwined P’s, is recognised by many as an organisation who represents ‘#RacingForAll’”

In 2024, Vicky was recognised as the Women in Motorsports North America SHEro for her work with Path to the Pits. Now, she leads the Southern California Chapter of WIMNA and is looking forward to broadening the impactful work of Path to the Pits in the 2025 season.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND PATH TO THE PITS:

Website: https://www.path2pits.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/path2pits/#  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@path2pits0 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/path2pits/posts/?feedView=all 

THE GRANDSTAND PROJECT | Sherry Ma

Credit: Metyen Oyebade

The Grandstand Project is the first fan-driven motorsport clothing brand for women, founded by Sherry Ma in 2023 after she attended the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. 

Sherry was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and was heavily influenced by the local car culture. As the idea for The Grandstand Project was blooming, Sherry enrolled at a local community college studying fashion design. Her fashion studies combined with her experience in public relations, marketing, business, and non-profit work allowed Sherry to build The Grandstand Project into the successful business that it is today, and also earned her a spot in the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

The Grandstand Project launched its first collection – The Las Vegas Collection – just eight months ago and has already experienced great success. Since then, they’ve hosted pop-up shops at two races and released two collections; a sold-out collection in collaboration with Stadium Super Truck driver Zoey Edenholm and the GP Basics collection, which includes a jacket worn by American F1 Academy driver Courtney Crone during this year's Miami race weekend.

Credit: Elaine Tantra

“The Grandstand Project was created by and for the female racing community,” CEO Sherry Ma tells Females in Motorsport. “All of our models are real car and racing loving girls and every single team member supports the brand mission… Overall, everything we do is built on empowerment and inclusion. We believe racing culture belongs to everyone, and we’re here to support it in any way we can.”

Sherry is currently working on planning pop-up shops at a multitude of races, and she hopes to provide a safe space for women in motorsport to connect. The Grandstand Project donates three percent of all sales to Women in Motorsports North America as part of its commitment to supporting women in motorsport. Eventually, Sherry hopes to sponsor and support female drivers and aspiring motorsport professionals through scholarships and networking opportunities, with an ultimate goal of empowering and attracting as many women in motorsport as possible.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND THE GRANDSTAND PROJECT: Website: https://thegrandstandproject.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grandstandproject/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@grandstandproject  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@grandstandproject

RACE TIPS | Katie Hornsby

Credit: Katie Hornsby

Race Tips was founded by Katie Hornsby after she attended the 2022 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Katie discovered F1 during a visit to Monaco while studying abroad in Milan. An entrepreneur from a young age, Katie studied retail merchandising and business management in university which helped her develop and successfully launch Race Tips. Wanting to create a product based in F1 that nobody else was doing, Katie found inspiration in her love for fun and colorful manicures.

Katie runs the whole show on her own from sourcing manufacturers, designing the nails, and developing the website, she has worked to build her own brand. Race Tips offers a multitude of designs in the form of both press-on nails and nail stickers. Currently focusing on Formula 1, Race Tips is looking to expand into other motorsport series and introduce even more types of products, as well as introducing designs for other sports and non-sports.

Credit: Katie Hornsby

“The core of Race Tips is really the core of [myself],” Katie tells Females in Motorsport. “Life should be fun, full of color and self expression. Wear whatever you want! Be whoever you want to be! Love whatever you want to love! You are the universe perceiving itself and you have the power to do anything you want!”

Race Tips is centered around community, with Katie often looking to her followers to see what specific products or designs they are looking for. Prioritising inclusivity, she also looks to make designs that can be worn and enjoyed by all genders. The desire for F1 manicures that could be shared with all other nail-enjoying fans has developed into a successful, unique, and thriving female-owned business.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND RACE TIPS: Website: https://shopracetips.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shop.racetips/ 

At Females in Motorsport, we love supporting women-owned and operated businesses across all of motorsport – let us know some of your favorites!