Clara Marian Wagner | |
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Born | St Paul, Ramsay County, Minnesota | November 11, 1891
Died | December 30, 1961 Cathedral City, Riverside County, California | (aged 70)
Known for | Pioneer female motorcyclist and racer |
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.
In 1907, Wagner, 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 Wagner 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]