“A Gentleman on the Track”: the days as a driver of Caitlyn Jenner, the most controversial woman of the Kardashian clan

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Fame, splendor, and fun are what the Kardashians deliver on every broadcast of their reality show. Kendall, Kylie, Khloé, Kourtney and Kim have already surpassed 15 seasons of total exposure on surrounding television and networks. In addition to the sisters and mom Kris, another figure grabs the public’s attention: Caitlin Jenner. At 73, he escapes two-dimensionality and has a life of his own off screen.

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Image from the series “I AM CAIT”. (Photo by: Jeff Lipsky/E! Entertainment)

Since 2015, when she finished her gender reassignment process, she is a trans icon. Long ago he knew he was “the best athlete in the world”, with a gold medal at the Olympic Games. He signed contracts for millions and was almost Superman. He later shared a party with Donald Trump and ran for governor of California. Versatile, he has also reserved a chapter for motorsport. Because Caitlyn was a race car driver in the 80s, just as she was trying to escape the “darkest” period of her life.

“Call me Catlyn.” Her appearance on the cover of Vanity Fair in June 2015 confirmed the end of her gender transition, a process she revealed just two months earlier on TV. Behind him was Bruce, his previous identity, with whom he won – with a world record – the men’s decathlon in Montreal 1976.

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Bruce Jenner won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Bruce Jenner won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Under that name he got behind the wheel in the United States, on more than 50 raids. He picked up a win and earned praise from his teammates: “A gentleman on the track”. While he may not have achieved the stature of actor Paul Newman, who finished second in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans, he has become one of the most famous celebrities to make the leap into motor sport.

He has driven for Ford, Porsche, Chevrolet, BMW, Mercury and Mazda. Months before Newman excelled at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France, he made his debut alongside other jet-setting stars in the prelude to Formula 1 in California. Amateurism – the standard of Olympism at that time – was in the past.

Bruce Jenner (R) with NFL player Dick Butkus and actress Pamela Sue Martin, in 1985. REUTERS/Bob Riha Jr.

Bruce Jenner (R) with NFL player Dick Butkus and actress Pamela Sue Martin, in 1985. REUTERS/Bob Riha Jr.

It was almost an entire decade devoted to motorsports, one of the few reasons that got her out of confinement in Malibu. Much later, in the midst of her transgender activism and a hiatus from the Kardashians’ 24×7 reality show, she returned to the business to give women’s motorsports a boost. She already had her name.

From track to track: how Caitlyn Jenner got into motorsports in the USA

Caitlyn – then known as Bruce – grit her teeth and accelerated into the final corner of the Olympic stadium in Montreal, Canada. She was just behind the Soviet Leonid Lytvynenko in the last round of the ten that make up the decathlon. She couldn’t reach her rival, but everyone knew that only a tragedy could get him the gold.

With the number 935 he completed the 1,500 meters in second place, so much so that he signed an exceptional performance: Olympic and world record. On the verge of passing out, she received a small American flag. He waved to her as she continued to run down the track and lightning bathed her silhouette. It has become an American symbol.

In the Cold War the comparison rose to the sky with the aerospace race and on Earth it was resolved – largely – in the sports field. Upon returning from Canada, his schedule was overflowing with commitments. “The best athlete in the world until the end of the Moscow Olympics,” declared a newspaper in his home state of New York.

Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of the prestigious Vanity Fair.  AFP extension

Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of the prestigious Vanity Fair. AFP extension

To the interviews he already gave from his tenth position in Munich 1972, appearances on the screen and contracts with companies were added. Even today, boxes of Wheaties cereal with his face in front sell for around $300 on eBay. The brand was looking for the best to enhance its image linked to sport. At that level played Jenner, who was also close to being a superhero.

At the beginning of her state of grace, she received an unexpected call. He had to show up in Rome for some exams. The temptation was great. For a week he traded the gold medal for the red cape and fought Lex Luthor. Finally, the first Superman movie came out in 1978 with the lead role of Christopher Reeve.

“It was too much for me. I would have been the most macho of them all, and I’m not,” he recalled recently. In those days he also had a selection in the NBA draft, as part of a publicity move by the owners of the Kansas City Kings (now the Sacramento Kings).

A “tanned Adonis”, as the press said, was part of films and series of the caliber of CHiPs. But what shone outside, inside he carried intimate conflicts that grew bigger and bigger. While Reeve saved the country and the Seattle Supersonics shot for the basketball title, Caitlyn Jenner took refuge in another realm.

57 races, one victory and the applause of rivals

In line with his media status, his motorsport debut took place in one of those raids that bring together the rich and famous to cheer up the anticipation of big events. He was on the eve of the Long Beach F1 Grand Prix in April 1979, in a short race in which he finished in first place, ahead of Clint Eastwood, another crazy enthusiast.

The adaptation was fast: ten months after a professional test in California, he participated in the traditional 24 Hours of Daytona. That Sunday, February 3, 1980, his team’s BMW March M1 finished 56th. He was able to recover, since another 55 meetings followed with speed, with a happiness that mitigated his personal problems. “Yes, it’s much easier for me to get good equipment. It is for my reputation and for the media coverage that I bring to the brand ”, he recognized its leap in quality and the advantages it has enjoyed.

Cait with Kris: formerly a couple now friends.

Cait with Kris: formerly a couple now friends.

The best numbers came in the middle of the decade, with Ford. She finished eighth in the Michigan 500 in a Thunderbird in September 1984. The following year, she earned two podium finishes: Alongside Lyn St. James, a pioneer of women’s racing, she finished third in the Michigan 300. Mid-Ohio and repeated solo gap at Columbus.

He drove a Mustang in the IMSA Gran Turismo championship, the same category, albeit in different classes, in which Juan Manuel Fangio II, grandson of Chueco, would later become champion. Another Argentine regular at those tracks was Oscar Larrauri.

In the 1986 and 1987 seasons he was fully active. He has totaled 34 races, between that category and the endurance tests. On February 2 ’86 he obtained his best result at Daytona, a fifth place. And on 27 July he rediscovered the euphoria experienced ten years earlier in Montreal: in the company of Scott Pruett – later winner of the individual title – he won the 300 km of Portland.

“Bruce was a gentleman. He was polite, respectful and respected on the track,” Randy Lanier, 1984 IMSA championship champion, assured years ago. At that time, his personal concerns were growing.

Life after Bruce, from reality to the overwhelming rhythms of female motorsport

By the end of the decade she was trying to recover from her second divorce. “Those were the darkest years,” she recalled. He was famous. He had plenty of money and time to do what he liked. “Who am I?”, he wondered though, during the days of isolation in his Malibu villa.

At 39 he decided: would change gender before age 40. He started hormone treatments, but then his life took a turn and everything was suspended. Kris appeared, exiting her marriage to Robert Kardashian. They were married in 1991 and have two daughters. Kendall and Kylie joined Khloé, Kourtney and Kim. Together they starred in a reality show that dazzled audiences for 15 seasons – Keeping up with the Kardashians.

Controversy and superficiality characterized the program. Caitlyn Jenner has escaped the mold. That’s why she had her own reality show I am Cait, which showcased her life after the transition. Besides activism, you have played a political role. Even today she is linked to the Republican Party, the same one that brought Trump to the presidency.

Caitlyn Jenner currently has her own team.

Caitlyn Jenner currently has her own team.

For that slot, she ran as a candidate for governor of California in 2021. She wanted to be the first trans leader. He barely garnered 1% of the vote.. From there he returned to a safe place: motorsport.

He has focused heavily on the W Series, the single-seater category with cars similar to those of Formula 3 that precedes F1 on some calendar dates. He played it safe: he hired Jamie Chadwick, who had won in 2019 and 2021. In the midst of general bankruptcy (the organizers had to cancel the latest presentations due to financial problems and the category was suspended), the “Jenner Racing” team it has been successful.

Caitlyn Jenner with one of her pilots.

Caitlyn Jenner with one of her pilots.

With Caitlyn’s financial and technical backing, the Brit concluded her most impressive campaign yet: she triumphed in the first five rounds, finished second in the next and retired in the last one. Thus, she got a new crown. If her fame had allowed her to jump steps in her days behind her wheel, in her new stage Caitlyn empowered herself with her money and reached the possibility of other drivers.

“She will always be a celebrity, she can’t escape that. Paul Newman will always be Paul Newman and Bruce Jenner will always be Bruce Jenner. But being a celebrity doesn’t make you go any faster. You have to earn your place on the track,” his teammate and rival St. James said nearly four decades ago. The statement is equal parts true and wrong. Bruce is Caitlyn Jenner. And now, as before, you’ve earned her place.

Source: Clarin

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