The first woman to race at the Indianapolis 500, Guthrie, who was already 39, couldn't sustain a lasting career away from Indy. Worked as a pilot, flying instructor and aerospace development engineer but now lives, retired, in Aspen, with her husband, where she enjoys dabbling in arts and gardening. Released a book on her historic career and also keeps close links with fellow woman racer, Sarah Fisher. Janet was the daughter of an airline operative and graduated with a degree in physics. As flight was - and arguably still is - her first love, she initially trained to be an astronaut before taking up racing in 1962 in sportscars.

Biography last updated 14 Dec 2015