Liz Lehmann, BSM ’08, is hoisted onto the shoulders of her teammates after winning the 50th Purdue Grand Prix in April. Driving for the Purdue Motorsports Association, Lehmann is the first female driver to win the 50-mile race. (Purdue News Service photo by Mike Willis)
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Lehmann takes historic checkered flag at Grand Prix
As a rookie her freshman year, Krannert’s Liz Lehmann raised eyebrows by earning the outside pole position in the 2005 Purdue Grand Prix. Although mechanical problems resulted in a disappointing finish, she held fast to her goal of becoming the first female to win the race.
Placing fourth in a repeat attempt as a sophomore, Lehmann made the third time a charm with a historic victory at the 50th annual running of the event in April.
“It was more surreal than anything,” the management major says of her win. “When I made a pit stop at lap three, I noticed I was in the top five. The next time I looked at the board, which I try not to do because it makes me lose my focus, I noticed that my kart was in the lead. I couldn’t believe it.”
Lehmann, now a senior, says her strategy was to take the 160-lap, 50-mile race slow and steady. After taking the lead around the 87th lap, she held off challengers until the checkered flag.
A go-karting veteran, the Fort Wayne-native has been racing competitively for more than 14 years. Having participated in a male-dominated sport for so long hasn’t changed Lehmann’s outlook on the race. “I’ve never felt special because I’m a female,” she says. “As for winning the Grand Prix, I couldn’t be more happy or proud. It’s a great honor.”
— Kim Medaris
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