The motorsport world is full of fantastic and particular experiences, but there is one driver's life story that has always particularly fascinated me — that of Roberta Cowell.

See, Cowell was a fighter pilot, a prisoner of war, and a racing driver, which alone would have been enough to build up an impressive resumé. However, she was also the first documented person to receive gender affirming surgery in the United Kingdom, making her the first known trans woman to compete in motorsport. Today, we're discussing her life and her experiences in an era where her mere existence was criminalized.

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Episode Bibliography:

Roberta Cowell's Story: An Autobiography by Roberta Cowell

Roberta Cowell by Queer as Fact https://open.spotify.com/episode/0uz4EG1xkR1VFsrPXmmDAf?si=be4060a1bf7a4158

https://www.lizhodgkinson.com/journalismArticle/interview_with_transsexual_roberta_betty_cowell

https://blog.bham.ac.uk/historybham/lgbtqia-history-month-trans-pioneers-michael-dillon-roberta-cowell/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/it-s-easier-to-change-a-body-than-to-change-a-mind-the-extraordinary-life-and-lonely-death-of-roberta-cowell-8899823.html

https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2022/06/13/roberta-cowell-in-our-newspapers/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/05/obituaries/roberta-cowell-overlooked.html

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, or FIA, is one of the most powerful sanctioning bodies in all of motorsport — but its control has rarely included racing in the United States. Why, then, did the FIA step in to kill the Chaparral 2J, a car that raced OUTSIDE of its jurisdiction?

Today on DPTJ, we're covering the story of Jim Hall, one of motorsport's most innovative minds, and his Chaparral 2J, the car so quick that the FIA stepped in to kill it — which, by proxy, killed America's greatest racing series, the Canadian-American Challenge Cup.

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Episode Bibliography:

Texas Legend: Jim Hall and His Chaparrals by George Levy

Can-Am by Pete Lyons

Can-Am 50th Anniversary: Flat Out With North America's Greatest Race Series by George Levy

https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a32350/jim-hall-chaparral-2j-history/

https://www.magnetomagazine.com/legendary-racer-and-constructor-jim-hall-on-his-chaparrals-at-american-speed-festival/

At the 1977 Firecracker 400, NASCAR invited two of Europe's most exceptional female racers — Christine Beckers and Lella Lombardi — to make their Cup Series debut… but its goals may not have been particularly noble. Janet Guthrie, who was also competing in that race, felt that NASCAR was attempting to end her career by paying foreign talent to take her down. Today on "Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys," we're delving into those accusations, and the drama surrounding the race.

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Episode Bibliography:

A Life at Full Throttle by Janet Guthrie

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/trailblazing-racer-lella-lombardi-remembered-30-years-on-from-her-death.6zz9pupcxc97yy5SEL1kkR

https://www.reed.edu/reed-magazine/in-memoriam/obituaries/2018/rolla-vollstedt-1940.html

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-24-sp-2407-story.html

https://www.newspapers.com/image/303640537/?match=3&terms=guthrie%2C%20firecracker

https://www.newspapers.com/image/319067010/?match=1&terms=guthrie%2C%20firecracker

https://www.newspapers.com/image/224846339/?match=1&terms=guthrie%2C%20firecracker

https://www.newspapers.com/image/111800501/?match=1&terms=guthrie%2C%20firecracker

https://www.newspapers.com/image/54071698/?match=1&terms=guthrie%2C%20firecracker

https://www.newspapers.com/image/622854875/?match=1&terms=guthrie%2C%20firecracker

https://www.newspapers.com/image/398599913/?match=1&terms=guthrie%2C%20firecracker

https://www.newspapers.com/image/398599913/?match=1&terms=guthrie%2C%20firecracker

https://www.newspapers.com/image/233364880/?terms=guthrie%2C%20firecracker

https://www.newspapers.com/image/284009301/?match=1&terms=guthrie%2C%20firecracker

On June 11, 1955, Pierre Levegh's Mercedes-Benz 300SLR launched off the back of Lance Macklin's Austin Healey and into a crowd of spectators gathered for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Over 80 people were killed, with an additional 120 injured. It was a tragedy, and it was one that instantly transformed the racing world.

Today on "Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys," we're delving into the complex aftermath of this horrific event in order to better understand how the global racing world changed.

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Episode Bibliography:

Cars at Speed by Robert Daley,

Le Mans 100: A Century at the World's Greatest Endurance Race by Glen Smale

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1007192672/?match=1&terms=%22le%20mans%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/844754210/?match=1&terms=%22le%20mans%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/784186964/?match=1&terms=%22le%20mans%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/784183293/?match=1&terms=%22le%20mans%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/789197818/?match=1&terms=%22le%20mans%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/987448431/?match=1&terms=%22le%20mans%22

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/40254005/

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2013/04/27/le-mans-1955-a-lawyers-view.html

https://www.racingcircuits.info/europe/france/le-mans.html

We all know motorsport is dangerous, but for many years, one profession was more dangerous than the rest: Riding mechanics. These men were effectively passengers tasked with making repairs on the fly, keeping an eye on traffic, and even feeding the drivers. Unfortunately, riding mechanics had very little protection, making them especially prone to brutal injuries and deaths in big events like the Indianapolis 500. This is the history of that short-lived — and often fatal — role.

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Episode Bibliography:

The Last Lap: The Mysterious Demise of Pete Kreis at the Indy 500 by William Walker

Blood and Smoke: A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and the Birth of the Indianapolis 500 by Charles Leerhsen

https://www.newspapers.com/image/55385261/?match=1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/700800591/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1017829515/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/37471607/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/107036405/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/274760126/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/951652355/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1020578881/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/74286307/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/83155869/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/689241114/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/888534259/?match=1&terms=%22race%2C%22%20%22riding%20mechanic%22

In 1907, one Paris newspaper challenged drivers and automakers to a seemingly impossible challenge: Be the first car to race from Peking, China to Paris, France. Five different teams took on the 8,000-mile adventure across brutal terrain, including the Gobi Desert and the Ural Mountains. This week on DPTJ, we're delving into the scandals, lies, cheats, and near-death experiences that comprised this race — and we're also talking to Kassia St. Clair, author of "The Race to the Future: 8,000 Miles to Paris - The Adventure That Accelerated the Twentieth Century," a new book that demolishes the Peking-to-Paris myths of the past!

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Episode Bibliography:

The Race to the Future: 8,000 Miles to Paris - The Adventure That Accelerated the Twentieth Century by Kassia St. Clair

https://www.amazon.com/Race-Future-Paris_The-Adventure-Accelerated/dp/1324094915

The Indianapolis 500 is a race that stands alone, outside the pantheon of championship-directed open-wheel racing in America — and it's one of the most coveted events for a sanctioning body to organize. In 1996, the Indy car realm had blown to pieces over access to the iconic event, and dissatisfied teams attempted to set up their own version of the 500. This is the story of the short-lived rivalry between the Indianapolis 500 and the U.S. 500.

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Episode Bibliography:

Indy Split: The Big-Money Battle That Nearly Destroyed Indy Racing by John Oreovicz

The IndyCar Wars: The 30-Year Fight for Control of American Open-Wheel Racing by Sigur E. Whitaker

Blood and Smoke: A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and the Birth of the Indy 500 by Charles Leerhsen

https://web.archive.org/web/20100813130152/http://www.automobilemag.com/features/racing/0906_indianapolis_motor_speedway_birthplace_of_speed/index.html

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/138159883/

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/us-scene/indycar/remembering-the-split-that-nearly-sunk-indycar-racing/

Sanctioning bodies don't just set the rules for a race series — they also determine the culture and ideologies of the series they represent. In post-war America, the two biggest sanctioning bodies of sports car racing were the SCCA and the AAA Contest Board, and they both had very distinct ideas about what should constitute a series. One faction was determined to embrace an international focus; the other wanted to keep racing strictly regional and strictly amateur. The battle between them almost KILLED motorsport in America.

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Episode Bibliography:

Watkins Glen, The Street Years 1948-1952: Glory, Drama, and the Birth of American Road Racing by Philippe Defechereaux

https://www.racingarchives.org/blogpost/road-racing-wars-the-fight-for-control-of-post-war-sports-car-racing-in-america-part-one/

https://www.racingarchives.org/blogpost/road-racing-wars-the-fight-for-control-of-post-war-sports-car-racing-in-america-part-two/

https://www.scca.com/articles/2000732-sportscar-feature-game-changer

https://www.historicracing.com/driverDetail.cfm?driverID=5106

https://openpaddock.net/2014/01/13/indycar-how-did-we-get-here-pt-1-when-did-we-start/