Violeta Pernice

Violeta Pernice races touring cars in her homeland, Argentina. Most of her career has been spent in the Top Race tin-top series.

Her first steps in senior motorsport were, initially, down the path of single-seaters. Her first races were in 2007, in a Formula Renault car. She entered Formula Renault Metropolitana in 2008, also known as Formula 4. It was a promising debut, driving for the Crespi Junior Team. Towards the end of the year, she was second and third at Buenos Aires, and she was sixth overall in the championship.

Despite having a year of Formula Renault experience under her belt already, Violeta Pernice was still one of her country's youngest drivers when she first took part in the Top Race Junior saloon series in 2009, only sixteen years old. Her best finish in her first season was seventh, at Comodoro Rivadavia, driving a Chevrolet Vectra. This was by far her best result, in a season containing too many DNFs. She had begun the year in Formula Renault, and was not doing too badly when she decided to change track. At La Plata, she had been ninth.

A seventh, this time at Interlagos, was the highlight of her 2010 season also, which was marred by a string of DNFs and non-starts. Her car was an Alfa Romeo 156. Most of the time, she was just out of the top ten. Her Junior campaign was a part-season, leading to 30^th place in the championship, but the combined 2010-2011 Top Race championship gave her 25^th. She did not manage another top ten, but did finish thirteenth on four occasions.

In 2012, she switched to a Fiat Linea for the Top Race Junior series. This gave her her first Top Race podium, a second at Alta Gracia. After nine rounds from eleven, she was fifteenth overall. In addition to her second place, she was eighth twice, at Rosario and Oberá.

In 2013, her main car in Top Race was a Mercedes. Her best result was eighth, at Chaco, and she was 19th overall. Her season was disrupted by her contract with her regular team, Motorola, ending about half-way through. However, in the Top Race NOA event at Rio Hondo, she was second, after starting on pole. Her car was a Chevrolet Vectra.

The following year, she changed her car for a Chevrolet Cruze, and entered Top Race again. The championship had gone through one of its semi-regular restructurings, and she was now in the top V6 class. She posted three top-ten finishes: seventh at Rosario and Mar de Ajó, and ninth at San Luis. Again, she suffered some DNFs, and this seems to have put her out of one race completely, but this season was a little more assured than before. Her final position was fifteenth. She also travelled to Uruguay, to make a guest appearance in the Sonic Racing Cup Damas, a women-only series for the Chevrolet Sonic.

In 2015, she drove the Cruze again in Top Race, and was the winner of the Ladies' Cup, ahead of five other female drivers. Her season began with a Ladies’ Cup win on International Women’s Day. She was twelfth overall, with a best finish of fourth, at Parana, and nine other top-ten finishes, including a fifth at Concepción. This was a great season for more reasons than one: this year, Violeta was driving for her own team, VP Racing.

At the beginning of 2016, it was all-change again. Violeta started her first season in the Argentine Touring Car (TN) Championship, driving a new car, a Peugeot 207, in Class Two. She was racing for the Percaz team. This proved to be a very difficult year for her, with too many non-finishes and a lack of pace. Her best finish was ninth, at Posadas, but she was only 38th in the championship. 

Violeta is known in Argentine racing circles for her distinctive pink-liveried cars, and has earned several nicknames, including “Penelope Glamour”.

(Image from https://twitter.com/violetapernice)