Female Drivers in Saloons and Touring Cars: Spain, Andorra and Portugal

Catalina Bruguera and Oliver Campos

There are many women from the Iberian peninsula who have raced saloon cars in recent years, both in one-make and open championships. Below are some short profiles. Alba Cano has her own profile. 

Ana Alvarez – raced in the Spanish SEAT Leon Supercopa, in 2006 and 2007 at least. In her first season, she did fifteen races, managing to score points once. She was 29^th in the championship. Her second season was only three races, and she was unable to challenge for honours. In between, in 2007, she raced the Leon in the Barcelona 24 Hours, and was tenth, as part of a four-driver team. She may well have entered the championship again in 2008, but the results are not forthcoming. She was certainly part of the Spanish endurance championship that year, and scored at least one third place.

Ana Barreras - races small cars in Spain and took part in the 2021 G Series ice racing championship in Andorra. She has been competing on circuits since 2017, mainly in one-make series and mostly in the Toyota Aygo Cup. She had a best finish of fourth at Jarama in 2020 and also came fourth in the non-championship Christmas Trophy, driving alongside her mother, former rally co-driver Ana Barbero. The two are racing in the Spanish Mini Challenge together in 2021. Although both of her parents competed in off-road events, Ana’s first attempt off-road was the 2021 G Series, driving a Ford Focus for Sandoval Racing. 

Catalina Burguera - competes in the Copa Racer championship in Spain. She has been active in the series since at least 2023, when she entered the Mini Cooper class. In 2024, she and Paloma Escobar won the Mini class in the first round at Valencia. Catalina was sixth overall. In 2025, she moved up to the main GT class, driving a BMW M2 with Oliver Campos. They won two rounds at Estoril and Navarra outright. She is from a motorsport family and other Burgueras also compete in Copa Racer. 

Paloma Escobar - raced in Copa Racer in 2024. She was third in the Touring class for Mini Coopers, sharing her car with Catalina Burguera for part of the season. They won one of the first races of the season at Valencia together. She drove solo at Estoril, finishing fourth in one race. In 2023, she shared her car with Joanna Gruau, and they were twelfth in the championship, with a best finish of sixth at Valencia. This was her third season in the championship, beginning with a short campaign in 2021.

Zihara Esteban - Spanish driver who began her senior career in the Spanish Clio Cup in 2011, after several years as a successful karter, both on the domestic and international scene. Her first season was rather up-and-down, with a lot of DNFs, but she managed one tenth place, at Catalunya, and was 24th overall, third in the Ladies’ standings. In 2012, she spent much of the year in karting again, but she also tried out the Euro Racecar NASCAR series, recently licensed from the States. She ran at the Loire and Valencia rounds, with a best finish of thirteenth, at Valencia. 2013 continued in the same way: karting, with four races in the Euro Racecar championship, at the beginning of the season. This time, she had two top-ten finishes, tenths at Nogaro and Dijon. In 2014, she did not do much circuit racing; she took part in the Maxi Endurance 32 Hour race at the Algarve track, and third in a SEAT Leon, and fourth in a Renault Clio, driving in two teams. Her main focus was rallying, in a Ford Fiesta R2. She did seven rallies, and her best result was 15th, in the Rallye del Bierzo. That year, she did her first WRC Rally, the Catalunya event. She was 46th. In 2015, she rallied a Peugeot 208 in Spain. Her only major rally was the Comunidad de Madrid RACE Rally, which she did not finish. She came back to the Spanish rally championship in 2017, driving a Peugeot 208. She was tenth in the Ciutat de Valls Rally. A break from competition followed, then she switched to circuit racing again, doing the Valencia rounds of the NASCAR Whelen Euroseries for DF1 Racing. In 2021, she travelled to Mexico and did her first truck races in the Mikel's Trucks series. She did the first five rounds of the championship and was never out of the top ten. Her best finish was third at San Luis Potosi and she was twelfth in the championship. Staying in Mexico, she contested the 2022 Copa TC2000, driving a Ford. She was second in her first race at Queretaro and scored several more top-ten finishes. Only DNFs dropped her to twelfth in the championship. Another TC2000 season in 2023 was more successful and she won three times, on the way to championship second. She did another season in TC2000 in 2024, but only appears to have raced a couple of times.

Raquel Morera Ibanez - has competed in the Renault Clio Cup in Spain since 2010. In 2010, she was eighth in the championship. The following year, she was only fifteenth, with a best finish of eighth at Catalunya, and two further tenth places. She also drove in eight rounds of the Renault Clio Eurocup around Europe, with a best finish of thirteenth, also at Catalunya. In 2012, she only seems to have managed two Clio Cup races, at Catalunya. She entered four Eurocup races in 2013, with a best finish of thirteenth again, at Catalunya. 

Ana Sainero - races in the Copa Racer championship. She first competed in the series in 2024, driving a BMW M2 in the GT class with her brother, Antonio. They won the championship in their first year, with five outright wins. Their team withdrew early in the 2025 championship after a crash in the first race of the year, but reappeared later at Navarra, where they were second twice. Ana also joined the sister car of Juan Catelan for the second race of the season, finishing fourth. Previously, Ana raced in the Spanish Endurance Championship from 2019, proving herself capable of podium finishes.

Mari Santonja - races touring cars in the Spanish championship. She drove a Honda Civic Type R and was tenth in the 2019 championship. Her best finish was seventh at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo. This was her first season of racing, although she has been working as a motorsport mechanic for longer and has also competed in rallies as a navigator.

Lydia Sempere - competes in the Spanish Touring Car championship, a TCR series. Her car in 2021 was a Renault Megane and she did the whole season, apart from the final rounds at Barcelona which she missed, due to a DNF in the first race of the weekend. Her best result was a tenth place at Aragon and she often struggled for pace. In 2022 and 2023, she raced in the Clio Cup in Spain. Previously, she was active in karting as a junior and a senior. Lydia is profoundly deaf and races with visual aids in her car which help her understand the car’s performance and when she needs to change gear.

Marta Suria - Spanish racer who has recently been active in several one-make series. In 2008, she was eighth in the Spanish Renault Clio Cup. This was her fourth season in the Cup, and her best finish. She returned to the Clio Cup in 2011, although she was less successful, only managing 23rd overall after some DNFs. In between, she was second in the Spanish Mini Challenge in 2010, with one win and several podiums. In 2012, she raced in the Clio Cup again, and was thirteenth overall after car trouble limited her participation. She also drove in two rounds of the German MINI Trophy. In 2013, she only seems to have entered two Clio Cup rounds, at Motorland in Spain. After a long break, she did four Clio Cup rounds in 2018, scoring a best finish of seventh at Catalunya and Valencia. In 2019, she entered a couple of rounds of the Spanish TCR championship. 
Marta began racing historics in 2002, and drove an Alfa Romeo GTAm for some time. In 2004, she also won a Valencia regional speed eventing championship. She also competes in rallies, both of the stage and cross-country variety.   

Amalia Vinyes - Andorran driver who competed in the 2010 SEAT Leon Supercopa, in Spain and Europe. She was thirteenth in the Spanish championship, and only completed two rounds of the European series. Previously, in 2009, she raced in the Catalunya round of the International GT Open Championship, in a Ferrari F430 GTS. She was driving with her brother, Joan, for their family team, Baporo Motorsport. At some point earlier than this, Amalia did some ice racing. For 2011, she switched to rallying, in a Suzuki Swift, and was 22nd in the Rallye de Ferrol and twelfth in the Rallye Villajoyosa. She competed in the SEAT Leon Supercopa in 2014, and finished in the top ten four times. Her best finish was fifth, at Monza, and she was 15th overall. She did half of the Supercopa in 2015, finishing four of her six races. Her best finish was eleventh, at Paul Ricard, and she was 27th overall. She raced in the Spanish Endurance championship in the SEAT in 2016, and was fifth in the TCR class, with one win. As well as this, she did a couple of rounds of the Eurocup. Sticking with SEAT and TCR, she did part-seasons in the Spanish, Portuguese and Iberico touring car championships. In 2018, she switched to off-road events, winning at least one in Spain. It was back to TCR in 2019, and she was one of the leading drivers in the Spanish series, finishing third in the TCR class with two wins. Her car was a SEAT Cupra. In 2021 she took part in the Spanish Endurance Championship, driving a Cupra. She won at least one race at Navarra. A part-season in TCR Spain in 2023 led to sixth at Estoril and eighth at Jerez, from pole. In a similar car, she did two races in the 2024 season, at Jarama, finishing eighth and tenth.

(Image from autohebdosport.com)

Nadia Cutro

Nadia Cutro is and Argentine driver who usually competed alongside her navigating sister, Florencia (Flor), in the early part of her career. 

They have been rallying since at least 2005, when Nadia was 19 and Flor was old enough to participate. Previously, Nadia had co-driven for other drivers, including her father Oscar. To begin with, the sisters had a road-spec Volkswagen Gol which they used for local events.

The Gol served them for another few seasons, the highlight of which was the yearly Rally de Entre Rios. Their best finish in that car was a 26th place in 2008.

Their first attack on the Argentine championship came in 2010. The Gol had been replaced by a more powerful Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII, run by Marcos Ligato's Tango team. Nadia was a top-twenty contender right from the start on the rough gravel stages. She was 17th in the Rally de Los Alerces de Esquel y Trevelin. then tenth in the Rally de Tucuman a couple of months later. Later in the season, she was eleventh in the San Luis Rally. 

Nadia's first international rally was in 2010. She entered Rally Argentina, then a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. It was a rally with a very long list of retirements, but the sisters finished in 31st place.

They were selected for the Pirelli Stars driver development programme in 2011, and initially continued with the satellite Tango team, in a Lancer Evo IX. They retired from their first rally, but were eighth overall in the Rally del Surubi-Goya. Later, they switched to a Fiat Punto, and were 17th in the Rally Pagos del Tuyu. 

In 2012, their car was a Fiat Palio. It was not a brilliant year, with only three finishes out of nine. The best of these was 16th in the Rally Ciudad de Goya. 

They carried on rallying the Palio in 2013, in the Junior class, supported by Fiat. They did better, finishing four out of eight rallies, with a fourteenth (third Junior team) in the Rally des Misiones, and fifteenth in the Rally de Cordoba. They were fourth overall in the Junior standings. 

The Fiat team withdrew their support for the rally programme after 2013, and Nadia acquired a Ford Fiesta for the 2014 season. Her season was much shorter this year, with one finish, in the Rally de Entre Rios. She was 17th, fourth in class. 

Nadia rallied the Fiesta again in 2015, but spent most of the season without Flor on the maps. Her best finish was ninth, in the Gran Premio de Villa Carlos Paz Rally, and she also won her class in the Entre Rios Rally, finishing fourteenth overall. 

In 2016, she took her first rally win, driving the Fiesta on the Rally de la Naranja. Her co-driver was Luciano Bombaci, who had first sat alongside her 2015. The event was their final one of the year and a fantastic end to a season that was plagued with non-finishes.

The pair continued to work together in 2017. Nadia's new car was a Toyota Etios. It was not as quick as the Fiesta; her best finish was eleventh, achieved in the Tucuman and Cruz del Eje rallies. 

The Etios won her three RC3 classes in Argentine rallies in 2018, including a seventh place overall in the Homenaje a Jorge Recalde Rally. 

The same car and crew competed in the 2019 Argentine championship. Nadia's best finish was eleventh, on the National section of Rally Argentina. Eleventh was her best result in 2020 too, achieved on the Rally de Balarce, driving a new Toyota Yaris. This was her only finish of the year. 

2021 was much better, with eight finishes from ten rallies, five of which resulted in a top-ten finish. The best of these was a fifth place in the Tucuman Rally. 

In 2022, she carried on with the Yaris, recording a best finish of ninth in the Rally de la Rioja. She had entered the FIA Codasur rally championship, but only competed in Argentina and was 63rd overall. She was also tenth in her class in the Argentine championship.

There were three more ninth places for her and the Yaris in 2023, one including a class win in the Rally de Villa Dolores. The Rioja event was another one where she got into the top ten, repeating her 2022 performance.

Another year in the Yaris followed in 2024: her best finish was seventh, in the Rally de Misiones. She was fourth in her class in the Argentine championship. In 2025, she tackled the Argentine series again and at the time of writing, has secured two more top-ten finishes. This year, she got a new co-driver in Miguel Recalt, as Luciano Bombaci had decided to retire from active competition.

As well as rallying, Nadia has made various guest appearances on the circuits in Argentina, starting with the Volkswagen Bora Cup in 2015 and 2016. The same year, 2016, she scored some points in the Top Race series, driving a Chevrolet. Moving up in power, she tried the Pro Am class of the Porsche GT3 Cup in Argentina.

(Image copyright Luca Martinez)