Ana Beatriz "Bia" Figueiredo

As “Ana Beatriz”, Brazilian driver Ana Beatriz Caselato Gomes de Figueiredo began racing in the Indy Racing League for the Dreyer & Reinbold team in 2010. Initially, she drove in the São Paulo and Indianapolis rounds. She was thirteenth in Brazil, and retired from the Indy 500, after becoming involved in a serious accident to her team-mate, Mike Conway. However, since the crash happened on the last lap, she was still classified 21st. Later, she entered the Chicagoland and Homestead races, but retired from both.

Prior to this, she had mostly raced in South America, using the name Bia Figueiredo. Her American adventure began when she competed in Indy Lights in 2008. She was third in the championship, with one win at Nashville and five more podium places. This won her the Tony Renna Award, and a strong following.

The next year, she stayed in Indy Lights, still with the Sam Schmidt Motorsport team. She managed another win, at Iowa, and a third at Kentucky, alongside a string of other top five places. She was eighth this time, after missing the last round due to a lack of finances, and sitting out one race earlier in the season after a car-destroying accident.

Her South American racing experience began in 2003, when she entered her first Formula Renault championship in Brazil. It was here that she began working with the Césario team. She was a decent eleventh in her first season, with three podium places. In addition to this, she was voted Rookie of the Year.

In 2004, she combined Formula Renault with a few outings in Sudam Formula 3. A more experienced Bia visited the top three on nine occasions, and finished the Formula Renault season in fifth. On the F3 side, she did not disgrace herself, and was runner-up in the Light class.

Her first win came in 2005, in Formula Renault. It was one of three she achieved that year, alongside twelve podium places. This gave her third overall in a competitive championship. It was now time to move on to higher things.

In 2006, still driving for Césario, she was fifth overall in Sudam Formula Three, with four second places and one third. It was a good full debut season.

Between then and her move to the States, she was linked with an A1 GP drive for her native Brazil, although she never actually drove the car in anger. Her quiet 2007 season included some A1 GP testing, and this was continued in 2009.

In 2011, she was retained by Dreyer & Reinbold for almost the whole Indy season. She was not one of the fastest on the grid, and had a best finish of eleventh, at Toronto, but she generally avoided the spectacular accidents with which she had become associated. Sadly, she did not finish her home race at São Paulo, but she got to the end of the Indy 500, in 21st position. She was 21st in the championship.


In 2012, she raced again in Indycars. Andretti Racing offered her a part-season, which consisted of São Paulo and Indianapolis. She was 20th in São Paulo and 23rd in the Indy 500.

Driving for Dale Coyne's team in 2013, she had a bigger racing schedule, seven races this time, in the first half of the season. The first two ended in DNFs. These were followed by fourteenth at Long Beach, her best result. Unfortuantely, she did not finish at São Paulo either, although she came back at the Indianapolis 500 and was 15th, from 29th on the grid. Her other races, later on, at Milwaukee and Iowa, gave her a 19th and another DNF. She was 29th overall.  

There was no Indy racing for her in 2014. She moved back to Brazil, and got herself a deal to race in Stock Car, with the Pro GP team. Her car was a Chevrolet Sonic. This was a tough year for Ana Beatriz, who had not driven a saloon or stock car before. The rest of the grid was very impressive, including former Formula One drivers, Rubens Barrichello, Ricardo Zonta and Luciano Burti. Ana's finishing record was quite good, but she did not break into the top ten, having a best finish of eleventh, at Gioânia. Mostly, she managed to get into the lower reaches of the top twenty. She was 32nd overall, five places below her Pro GP team-mate, Rafael Suzuki. 

A second season in Stock Car in 2015 gave her a first top ten finish, a tenth place at Curitiba. Her season was affected by a high rate of non-finishes, and she was 32nd overall. Her car was a Peugeot 408. She also drove a Toyota Corolla in one round of the Copa de Marcas, at Interlagos, and was thirteenth. 

She raced the Peugeot again in the 2016 Stock Car series, and overcame some of her difficulties from 2015. Her finishing result was much improved, and she achieved her first top ten finish, a sixth place at Tarumã. This was one of two; she was tenth later in the season, at Curvelo, and was 25th in the championship.

She endured a terrible start to her 2017 Stock Car season, failing to finish her first five races. Her Chevrolet Cruze was off the pace and her best finish was another sixth, at Santa Cruz. She was 29th in the championship.

She also did three races in the Porsche GT3 Cup in Brazil.

Unfortunately, 2018 also began with a series of DNFs at Sao Paulo and Curitiba. Her best result was sixth at Campo Grande, but she had too many non-finishes to challenge for honours.

At the start of 2019, she joined up with Christina Nielsen, Katherine Legge and Simona de Silvestro to race an Acura NSX for MSR/Jackie Heinricher Racing at the Daytona 24 Hours. They were 12th in the GTD class after the car was damaged. Bia joined the team again at Sebring, Road Atlanta, Road America, Watkins Glen and Mosport, earning a best finish of fourth in class at the Glen. She was due to join her 2019 colleagues for the 2020 Daytona 24 Hours, but had to drop out due to pregnancy.

Mid-2020, her husband and father-in-law were arrested for embezzling money from a Brazilian government department. Bia was not directly implicated herself but she kept a low profile, aided by her impending motherhood.

Despite this, she made a couple of appearances in 2021. She joined Christina Nielsen and Katherine Legge for the Sebring 12 Hours, driving a Porsche 911 GT3 for Earl Bamber's team. They were fifth in the GTD class. Later in the year, she had a guest spot in the Porsche Endurance Series at Interlagos. She finished twelfth.

Most of 2022 was spent in South American TCR championship, driving for two different teams in an Audi RS3 and a Honda Civic. She was 17th in the championship after being a regular top ten finisher. Her best finish was a seventh place at Goiania. 

In December, she made a guest apperance in the Porsche Carrera Cup Endurance series, finishing 19th at Interlagos. This was good preparation for the Mil Milhas do Brazil in January 2023, where she drove a Sigma protoype with Sergio Jimenez and Beto Monteiro. They were 31st overall. 

She then announced that she would be racing trucks for the rest of the year in the Copa Truck. This proved a good move and she was third in the Super class, tied on points with Evandro Camargo who took second place only after dropped scores. Both won twice during the year.

Bia was also voted president of Brazil's women's motorsport association.

(Image from http://lucyvanderblog.blogspot.co.uk/2010_08_01_archive.html)