Though Lime Rock Park was established in 1957, it would take nearly five decades before a female driver claimed a professional race victory at the historic circuit.

That milestone was achieved by Simona de Silvestro, a former Formula One development driver whose career has spanned multiple top-level racing series including Australian Supercars, Formula E, IMSA and IndyCar. De Silvestro has started six Indianapolis 500s, earned 2010 IndyCar Rookie of the Year honors and most recently launched a campaign to compete on the Swiss national bobsleigh team for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The 33-year-old Swiss-Italian first made history at Lime Rock Park through two standout victories in open-wheel competition.

In 2006, at just 18 years old, de Silvestro started on the front row of the IMSA Formula BMW race at Lime Rock Park. She moved into the lead on lap four and never relinquished the position, controlling the field for the final 21 laps to secure her first victory in the series and become the first woman to win a professional race at Lime Rock Park.

She returned to The Park three years later in 2009 competing in the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. Starting from pole position, de Silvestro led every lap en route to a commanding 10.004-second victory. The win marked her fourth career Atlantic triumph and cemented her status as the winningest female driver in series history. She went on to finish third in the championship standings that season.

De Silvestro advanced to IndyCar competition in 2010, racing full-time through 2014. Her career-best result came in 2013 with a second-place finish at Houston, placing her alongside Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher as the only women to earn podium finishes in IndyCar history. She later competed in Formula E with Andretti Autosport during the 2015–16 seasons, recording a best finish of ninth at Long Beach.

She also made history at the Indianapolis 500 as a driver for Paretta Autosport, the first all-female IndyCar team, founded by motorsports executive Beth Paretta as part of IndyCar’s Race for Equality and Change initiative.

During her time as a Porsche factory GT3 driver, de Silvestro began training as an Olympic athlete, pursuing a new competitive challenge alongside her motorsport career. After years of preparation, she committed to bobsleigh, transitioning from open-wheel and sports car racing to one of winter sport’s most demanding disciplines.

That ambition has now become reality, as de Silvestro will represent Italy in bobsleigh at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina.