Milka Duno

Milka Duno
Nationality	Venezuelan
Born	(1972-04-22) April 22, 1972 (age 40) Caracas, Venezuela
2012 ARCA Racing Series
Debut season	2010
Current team	Eddie Sharp Racing
Car no.	33
Former teams	Stringer Motorsports Sheltra Motorsports
Starts	13
Wins	0
Poles	0
Best finish	18th in 2011
Previous series
2007-2010 2004-2007 2004 2003 2001-2002 2002 2000 1999 1998	IndyCar Series Rolex Sports Car Series American Le Mans Series World Series Light World Series by Nissan Formula Nissan 2000 Barber Dodge Pro Series Women's Global GT Series Venezuelan Porsche Supercup

Milka Duno (born April 22, 1972 in Caracas) is a Venezuelan race car driver who competed in the IndyCar Series, and competes in the ARCA Racing Series. She is best known for holding the record of highest finish for a female driver in the 24 Hours of Daytona.^[1]

Duno is a former model and has thus attracted much attention.^[2] Her racing career is unusual because of her late start. She was introduced to the sport when she was invited to a driving clinic by a car club in Venezuela^[3] and did not start racing until she was 24.^[4] Prior to racing her background was primarily academic. Duno holds master's degrees in Organizational Development, Naval Architecture, Maritime Business, and Marine Biology,^[4] and she has prior experience working as a naval engineer.^[5]

Biography

Early life & career

She began her career as a driver in Venezuela in 1996, finishing 2nd in the Venezuelan GT Championship. In 1998, Duno placed 4th in the Venezuelan Porsche Supercup Championship. In 1999, she moved to the United States and attended advanced racing schools and drove in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 2000. Milka was the first woman in history to win a Ferrari Challenge Race in the USA and also she won her first Series Championship - The Panoz GT Series.^[6]

Later in 2000, Duno made her American Le Mans Series debut, she was the first woman to finish in a class podium on this championship. She made her 24 Hours of Daytona debut the next year and her 24 Hours of Le Mans debut a year later. In 2001 and 2003, Duno also competed in the World Series by Nissan open-wheel series in Europe, she became the first woman to score points in this Championship. Also in 2001, She was crowned Vice-Champion Driver in the LMP 675 Class of the American Le Mans Series, she scored an impressive four wins in this class - including the prestigious 10 hour Petit Le Mans - becoming the first woman to score a class win in this major international sportscar competition. In 2004 She scored yet another LMP 675 class win in Petit Le Mans.^[6]

Beginning in 2004, Duno competed full time in the Rolex Grand-Am series driving a Pontiac-Riley Daytona Prototype for the Howard-Boss Motorsports team. Duno joined the SAMAX Motorsport team in 2006. For the 2007 24 Hours of Daytona, Duno teamed up with Ryan Dalziel, Darren Manning, and her regular driving partner, Patrick Carpentier; with a second place finish, Duno became the highest-finishing female in the history of the prestigious race and highest placing Venezuelan driver, eclipsing Ernesto Soto's 5th place finish in 1982.^[6] In the Rolex Sports Car Series Milka scored three impressive and historical overall wins - twice at Homestead-Miami Speedway and once at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Quebec: With her first Rolex Series won at Miami she became the first woman in history to win overall a major international sportscar race in North America, Milka was also the first woman to pilot the fastest cars in the series - the Daytona Prototype. During her time competing in the Rolex Series Milka earned three overall wins, seven podium appearances, ten top five finishes and eighteen top ten finishes.

Indy Racing League

Milka Duno testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2008.

2007

On December 14, 2006, car owner Larry Cahill announced that he had signed Duno to drive for his team in the Indy Racing League IndyCar series for 2007. However, the team did not ultimately enter the series, and consequently, on March 23, 2007, Duno and her Grand Am Series team, SAMAX Motorsport, sponsored by Citgo (a Venezuelan state-owned oil company), announced that they acquired the equipment to run a 10 race IndyCar series schedule in 2007, including the Indianapolis 500.^[7] It was also announced that Duno will no longer run a full schedule in the Grand Am series.

On April 26, 2007, Duno successfully passed her IRL rookie test at Kansas Speedway. When Duno made the field for the Kansas Lottery Indy 300 (also held at Kansas Speedway) on April 29, 2007, it marked the first time in North American open wheel history that three women (Duno, Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher) ran in the same race. Duno stayed out of trouble after qualifying last in the 21-car field and finished 14th.

On May 6, 2007, Duno successfully completed her rookie test for the Indianapolis 500 race.^[8] This 91st running of the "Indy 500" was the first where three women were included in the 33-car field. Duno qualified on May 19, and her speed held through Bump Day, although second slowest. Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher qualified on May 12 and 13 respectively. Duno was one of two rookie drivers competing in the Race.^[9] She crashed out of the race on lap 65 and finished 31st.

2008

SAMAX chose not to return to the IndyCar Series in 2008. Duno signed with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for another partial season schedule (11 races) also sponsored by Citgo. While practicing and racing alongside veteran teammate and former Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, throughout the season, Duno began to show a bit of improvement. Townsend Bell was signed as the driver of the Dreyer & Reinbold #23 during the seven races Milka was not scheduled to drive it.

Milka Duno at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 12, 2007.

Milka qualified for her second Indianapolis 500 on the second weekend (due to the second day of qualifications being rained out) and finished 19th. She was the highest finishing female, as Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher placed 22nd and 24th, respectively. Although all three women were involved in accidents during the race, Milka was able to reenter the race after her car was moved to the pits, thus making her the only woman running at the end.^[10]

2009

Duno returned to Dreyer & Reinbold for the 2009 season driving another part–time schedule (9 races) after driving in the Indy Racing League's pre–season open test at Homestead-Miami Speedway for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. Darren Manning, Tomas Scheckter, and Roger Yasukawa also drove the #23 car when Duno was not racing. She had a best finish of 16th and finished 24th in points.

Duno was also among a record number of nine women to participate in ARCA testing in December 2009 at Daytona International Speedway, which most notably included IndyCar rival Danica Patrick.^[11]

2010 & Challenges

On March 4, 2010, it was announced that Duno would return to the IRL IndyCar Series driving for Dale Coyne Racing full–time for the 2010 season.

Duno subsequently failed to qualify for the 2010 Indianapolis 500^[12] and was put on probation by the Indy Racing League for failing to meet minimum performance standards after the Honda Indy Edmonton race in July.^[13] Peer criticism for Duno's performance has focused on the questions of her speeds being too slow for safety and of her failure to adhere to the usual practice of allowing faster racers to pass when she was a lap down.^[14][15][16] During the summer, at Watkins Glen, she became the most experienced driver in IndyCar history (35th career start) with no career Top 10 finishes, succeeding her team owner Dale Coyne for the record.^[17] However, that record does not take into account that Coyne also failed to qualify for an additional 34 races, mostly due to the bumping by speed that took place at each Indy Car race in the early 1980's. In the IRL Milka raced in, speed bumping in qualifying only took place at the Indianapolis 500.

On Saturday, August 28, 2010, for the first time in history, Duno (along with Danica Patrick, Simona de Silvestro, Ana Beatriz and Sarah Fisher) qualified and ran in an IndyCar Series race that included five women.^[18] Duno qualified 26th and finished running in 19th place, three laps down.

ARCA Racing Series

2010

Duno made her stock car debut in the ARCA Racing Series' season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway driving the #90 Stringer Motorsports Toyota. She started in 41st place and had picked up 10 positions before being swept up in a 14-car accident on lap 6, ending her day.^[19]

2011

With her IndyCar ride for 2011 uncertain,^[20] Duno signed with Sheltra Motorsports to race in the ARCA Racing Series' season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway.^[21][22] Assigned to the #63 Dodge, the announcement was the culmination of several months' work by the team to sign Duno to race in the event.^[23]

In winter testing at Daytona in January, she was seventh fastest in the first morning of testing, and fifth fastest that afternoon,^[24] finishing sixth-fastest overall after the first day's test.^[25] For the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona one month later, Duno qualified 23rd. She had moved up to 12th place with only 16 laps to go when Duno was caught up in a 9-car crash that ended her day and relegated her to 31st place.^[26]

It was announced on April 14, 2011 that Duno would run the entire 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season for Sheltra Motorsports.^[27] Over the first five races of the season, Duno had a best starting position of 8th (Talladega) and a best finishing position of 15th (Toledo) with two DNF's. Duno was originally awarded the pole position due to qualifying being rained out for the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway. Unfortunately, she had to start that race (which ended up being her best ARCA finish to date) at the back of the field in her backup car due to crashing in the final practice.

Duno's season was then cut short when her car was officially pulled from the entry list eight minutes before the June 3 practice session for the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 150 at Chicagoland Speedway due to Sheltra Motorsports's decision to abruptly cease operations.^[28][29] Milka and Sheltra Motorsports resumed ARCA Series competition with the July 16 Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway. Despite missing seven races, Duno finished 18th in driver points.

In preparation for the 2012 ARCA Series presented by Menards, Duno tested the #63 Citgo Lubricants Sheltra Motorsports Ford during the annual ARCA Daytona International Speedway open test from December 16-18, 2011. In the six test sessions held, Duno was the only driver fastest in two of the sessions and was second in a third session.^[30]

2012

On February 7, 2012, Duno's entry for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 was officially changed from the #63 of Sheltra Motorsports to the #33 of Eddie Sharp Racing.^[31] An official announcement of the switch is pending.^[32]

Off–track activities

Through the Milka Way Foundation that Duno founded in 2004, she is engaged in programs such as visits to schools in many of the cities she races in to encourage youth of all races to achieve more academically.^[33] In 2008, Duno became a movie actress and a published author. Milka played the role of Kellie "Gearbox", a race car driver, in the live action from animated Warner Brothers movie Speed Racer. Duno's bilingual kids book, "Go, Milka, Go!", depicted her as a cartoon character teaching the importance of education to children of all ages.^[6]

Motorsports career results

Complete American Le Mans Series results

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Class	No	Tyres	Car	Team	Co-Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2001	LMP675	37	G	Reynard 01Q-LM Judd GV675 3.4L V8	Dick Barbour Racing	John Graham David Murry	4	DNF	DNF
2002	LMP900	19	A	Panoz LMP07 Mugen MF408S 4.0L V8	MBD Sportscar Team	Didier de Radiguès John Graham	259	DNF	DNF

American open wheel racing results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

IndyCar

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Rank	Points
2007	SAMAX Motorsport	HMS	STP	MOT	KAN 14	INDY 31	MIL	TXS 11	IOW 18	RIR 19	WGL	NSH	MDO	MIS 19	KTY	SNM	DET	CHI 15			20th	96
2008	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	HMS 20	STP	MOT1	LBH1	KAN 16	INDY 19	MIL	TXS 17	IOW 24	RIR	WGL 20	NSH 17	MDO 23	EDM	KTY 21	SNM	DET 23	CHI 14	SRF2	25th	140
2009	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	STP	LBH	KAN 16	INDY 20	MIL	TXS 23	IOW	RIR	WGL 17	TOR	EDM	KTY 20	MDO 21	SNM 17	CHI 21	MOT	HMS 17			24th	113
2010	Dale Coyne Racing	BRA 21	STP 24	ALA 24	LBH 25	KAN 24	INDY DNQ	TXS 23	IOW 23	WGL 23	TOR 26	EDM 25	MDO 23	SNM 22	CHI 19	KTY 19	MOT 19	HMS 24			23rd	184

¹ Run on same day.

² Non-points paying, exhibition race.

Indy 500 results

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Milka Duno

• Official website
• Milka Duno at Racing Reference