Clara Wagner

Clara Marian Wagner (11 November 1891 – 30 December 1961) was one of the first documented woman motorcyclists, who became notable as an endurance racer and was sponsored by the Eclipse Machine Co., a bicycle company, for using its braking products.

Wagner motorcycle, 1911 model
Clara Marian Wagner
Born(1891-11-11)November 11, 1891
St Paul, Ramsay County, Minnesota
DiedDecember 30, 1961(1961-12-30) (aged 70)
Cathedral City, Riverside County, California
Known forPioneer female motorcyclist and racer

In 1907, Clara, aged 15 years old and the daughter of the Wagner Motorcycle Company (1901-1914 )[1] owner George Wagner from Saint Paul, Minnesota, became a member of the American Federation of Motorcyclists (FAM).[2][3]

Clara put the company's motorcycles on the map by achieving a perfect score in a FAM 360 mile endurance race from Chicago to Indianapolis in 1910, aged 18,[4][5] but was denied the trophy because she was female.[6] She won several such events.[7]

At the time, Wagner was celebrated on a series of postcards as "The most successful and experienced lady motorcyclist"[8] and rode one of the first motorcycles designed specifically for women.[9]

References
  1. STANDARD CATALOG OF AMERICAN MOTORCYCLES 1898-1981 by JERRY HATFIELD ISBN 0873499492, 2006
  2. The Perfect Vehicle: What It Is About Motorcycles by Melissa Holbrook Pierson. W.W. Norton & Company, 17 May 1998
  3. Motorcycle. Steven E. Alford, Suzanne Ferriss. Reaktion Books, 3 Jan 2008
  4. Bikerlady: Living & Riding Free. Sasha Mullins. Citadel, 1 Aug 2003
  5. Making Her Mark: Firsts and Milestones in Women's Sports. Ernestine G. Miller. McGraw-Hill Professional, 29 May 2002
  6. The Chrome Cowgirl Guide to the Motorcycle Life. Sasha Mullins. MotorBooks International, 24 Sep 2008
  7. 26th Annual Trailblazers' Banquet, American Motorcyclist May 1963. P. 28
  8. True Pioneers, American Motorcyclist, June 2006
  9. The American Motorcycle Girls: 1900 to 1950. A Photographic History of Early Women Motorcyclists. Cristine Sommer Simmons, Karen Davidson. Parker House, 15 Apr 2009


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