January 25, 2019
As a Neohio Region member since 1976, Kat Kizer is the only woman in the history of SCCA awarded the highest honor given to Club Racing drivers, the President’s Cup. Kat is proud to share this honor with the likes of Dave Weitzenhof, Al Beasley Sr., Roger Penske, Bobby Rahal, Paul Newman and a host of other big names. In 1979, her second year in national competition, Kat drove the #2 Red Roof Inns MG Midget to four HP wins in six starts to qualify for the Runoffs as the Central Division H Production Champion. Recognition along the way included being the first woman to win a race and set a class lap record at Mid-Ohio. The HP field included four drivers that cumulatively held six National Championships. Kat took the lead on lap 4 after starting eighth. She beat two-time champ Randy Canfield to the checker by 0.162 seconds to become the first woman to win a Runoffs Championship, an accomplishment subsequently equaled by only one other woman. In 1980 she finished on the podium in third place. She shared a victory with the winning Fred Baker team at the 1981 Longest Day. She went on to be a factory driver for the Renault team where she contributed to them winning the championship in the IMSA RS Series. She also drove for Volkswagen in the IMSA RS Series.
