Milka Duno recently transferred to indycars after a successful spell in sports cars. She will be hoping for a change of luck at the 2008 Indy 500.
In the build up to this year’s Indianapolis 500 much of the press attention will be focused on Danica Patrick, who recently became the first female driver to win an IndyCar Series race. Milka Duno will also be competing at Indianapolis and the Venezuelan holds some impressive records of her own.
Duno was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on April 22nd, 1972. She shares her birthday with another well-known open-wheel racer, the late Greg Moore, who born in 1975. Duno did not begin racing until relatively late. In her early years she excelled as an academic, completing four degrees in Naval Engineering.
Although she competed in a variety of different cars early in her career it was in sports car racing that she began to attract attention. In 2000 she finished third in class at the season-ending round of the ALMS (American Le Mans Series). The following year, driving in the LMP 675 class, she became vice-champion, scoring four victories in the course. One oh her wins came at the well known Petit Le Mans event, held at Road Atlanta. That year also gave Duno her first experience of competing in the 24 hour endurance classics at Daytona and Le Mans.
While racing in the ALMS Duno was also gaining single-seater experience in the World Series by Nissan. Her reputation was boosted further by an appearance at the 2003 Spanish Grand Prix, driving a VIP car in the Porsche Supercup support race.
From 2004 Duno competed in the Rolex sports car series, finishing fifth overall that year with two wins to her credit. Her win at the Homestead Miami Speedway made her the first woman to claim victory in an international sports car race in North America. 2005 was not quite as good, as Duno finished eighth in the series with one win. At Daytona in 2007 she finished second, the best ever finish for a female driver.
A major change of direction came in 2007 when Duno signed for the SAMAX IRL (Indy Racing League) team. In May of that year she qualified for the Indianapolis 500 but crashed out during the race. Duno competed in selected races before signing with the Dreyer and Reinbold team for 2008, driving in the unified IndyCar Series. To date the 2008 season has brought a retirement and a 16th place finish. She will be hoping for an improvement at Indianapolis. Duno is one of two Venezuelan drivers at the speedway this year, with Ernesto Viso also entered.
