Who was the first woman to score points in Grand Prix motorcycle racing?

Taru Rinne was the first woman to score points in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

The Finnish rider earned her historic points in the 125cc class during the 1988 season. She competed in an era when women were rare in the world championship paddock, making her results especially notable. Rinne ultimately scored 25 Grand Prix points across the 1988 and 1989 seasons, all in the 125cc category.

Rinne’s most famous qualifying performance came at the 1989 German Grand Prix, where she placed her Honda second on the grid. She led part of the race before finishing seventh, which remained her best Grand Prix result. Her career included 22 starts between 1987 and 1991, and she became known not merely for participating but for competing near the front of a highly competitive class.

The wording matters: Rinne was the first woman to score points in Grand Prix motorcycle racing overall, not the first woman to win a world championship race. Later riders such as Tomoko Igata also scored points, while Ana Carrasco became the first woman to win a Grand Prix race in the modern Moto3 era, in 2017.