The W Series

(For a more detailed discussion of Speedqueens’ stance on W Series and a review of the TV show, click here.)

The inaugural W Series championship ran in the summer of 2019. It was billed as the first-ever all-female single-seater championship. (The Esso All-Ladies Formula Ford race in 1985 was actually the first.)

Eighteen drivers were chosen to race Formula 3 Regional cars, with two “reserve” drivers who were intended to deputise for injured colleagues and only took part in a few actual races.

There were six championship races of roughly half an hour each, plus one non-championship race which ran using a reverse-grid format. The series acted as one of the supports for the DTM in Europe.

W Series was launched with a huge media drive, with former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard acting as one of its public figureheads. He was also one of the judges for the initial driver selection events. Lyn St. James, who had previously been pivotal in the similar Women’s Global GT Series, was another. 60 racers from all round the world were assessed; through a combination of elimination and voluntary dropping-out, this was whittled down to 20. All 20 selected drivers would have all of their expenses paid for the summer racing season and would receive a share of the $2m prize pot.

There is nothing especially innovative about an all-female racing series but W Series did introduce some relatively novel concepts, including the no-cost nature of entry. Drivers were made to swap cars after every race and worked with a different team of mechanics every day. This was ostensibly to prevent the more mechanically-minded among them from gaining an advantage. Prohibitions were also placed on testing and competing in F3 cars during the W season. No driver was permitted to take part in an F3 race on any of the six circuits the series visited, unless she was fully signed up for that championship. Testing was not allowed. Drivers were allowed limited sessions on a simulator to prepare prior to a race weekend. There were no competing teams; all cars were run centrally by Hitech Grand Prix on behalf of W Series itself.

Many were critical of the whole idea, chiefly Indycar driver Pippa Mann and European F3 racer Sophia Floersch. Both drivers, along with others, considered it a step towards sex segregation in motorsport and believed that the money involved would have been better spent supporting female racers in existing championships. Some of this criticism died down but a few concerns arose during the season about safety and standards of car preparation. Jamie Chadwick, Alice Powell and others experienced difficulty downshifting under full steering lock in some of the Tatuus FRegional cars, for example. 

Early indications were that W Series was intended as a reality TV-style competition. The first set of driver assessments took place in the unlikely setting of a frozen track and used road cars, not a situation likely to arise in an F3 championship. Announcements of who had made the cut and who would have to “fight for their place” had a distinctly X Factor flavour. However, the races themselves proved popular with spectators as a sporting contest and W became more of a serious competition than when it started. The organisers attempted to mix things up a little by dropping a struggling Megan Gilkes to reserve status after a free practice session where she had been relatively quick, but this proved highly unpopular and was not repeated.

Jamie Chadwick was the first champion, winning two of the six races. This was not unexpected as she was the entrant with the most notable and recent successes on her CV. BMW junior driver Beitske Visser was second. Alice Powell, winner of the final round at Brands Hatch, was third although she could have finished higher had she not encountered a series of car problems. The other races were won by Marta Garcia and Emma Kimilainen. Megan Gilkes won the reverse-grid non-championship race from pole.

2019 Standings

1. Jamie Chadwick
2. Beitske Visser
3. Alice Powell
4. Marta Garcia
5. Emma Kimilianen
6. Fabienne Wohlwend
7. Miki Koyama
8. Sarah Moore
9. Vicky Piria
10. Tasmin Pepper
11. Jessica Hawkins
12. Sabre Cook
13. Caitlin Wood
14. Gosia Rdest
15. Esmee Hawkey
16. Naomi Schiff
17. Vivien Keszthelyi (Reserve)
18. Shea Holbrook
19. Sarah Bovy (Reserve)
20. Megan Gilkes

The top twelve 2019 drivers were automatically invited back for the 2020 season. Any of the eight additional 2019 intake were permitted to reapply for 2020, alongside 15 new drivers. The season was cancelled due to coronavirus.

The 2021 championship was won again by Jamie Chadwick. Eighteen cars started each race, with a rotating series of reserve drivers sharing one of them. The series was now on the F1 support bill and ran for eighth races.

1. Jamie Chadwick

2. Alice Powell

3. Emma Kimilainen

4. Nerea Marti

5. Sarah Moore

6. Fabienne Wohlwend

7. Abbi Pulling

8. Beitske Visser

9. Irina Sidorkova

10. Belen Garcia

11. Jessica Hawkins

12. Marta Garcia

13. Abbie Eaton

14. Miki Koyama

15. Bruna Tomaselli

16. Caitlin Wood

17. Ayla Agren

18. Gosia Rdest

19. Vicky Piria

20. Sabre Cook

The third W Series season was intended to be a ten-round championship, with double-header rounds at the US and Mexican grands prix. A planned race at Suzuka was substituted for Singapore. In an unusual move, the usual W Formula Regional cars were not transported to Catalunya and the similar cars from the Toyota Racing Series were used instead. This was repeated at Singapore. The Singapore race ended up as the least of the season, as money problems meant that the last three races were cancelled.

A team system of sorts was introduced. All cars were run centrally, but pairs of cars carried branded liveries.

Jamie Chadwick dominated once more, with Alice Powell and Beitske Visser picking up one win apiece.

1. Jamie Chadwick (Jenner Racing)

2. Beitske Visser (Sirin Racing)

3. Alice Powell (Click2Drive Bristol Street Racing)

4. Abbi Pulling (Racing X)

5. Belen Garcia (Quantfury W Series Team)

6. Marta Garcia (CortDAO W Series Team)

7. Nerea Marti (Quantfury W Series Team)

8. Emma Kimilainen (Puma W Series Team)

9. Jessica Hawkins (Click2Drive Bristol Street Racing)

10. Fabienne Wohlwend (CortDAO W Series Team)

11. Sarah Moore (Scuderia W)

12. Bruna Tomaselli (Racing X)

13. Abbie Eaton (Scuderia W)

14. Juju Noda (W Series Academy)

15. Bianca Bustamante (W Series Academy)

16. Chloe Chambers (Jenner Racing)

17. Emely de Heus (Sirin Racing)

18. Tereza Babickova (Puma W Series Team)

19. Ayla Agren* (Puma W Series Team)

*Ayla Agren stood in for Tereza Babickova at Singapore after she injured her back in a Formula Regional Europe race.

This proved to be the last W Sseries season, as the championship ran into serious financial difficulties and went into administration.

(Image copyright Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Natalie Goodwin

Natalie in the Lotus 7/20

Natalie Goodwin is most famous for racing in Formula 3 in the 1960s. The British Women Racing Drivers’ Club’s annual racing trophy is named after her.

Natalie was from a background that was both privileged and sporty. Her mother, Marjorie, was a member of the Cussons family, and the Marketing Director of the Cussons toiletry firm in the 1970s. She played hockey for England. Natalie’s cousin, Nick Cussons, started racing GT cars in 1959. However, her initial first love was music; she played piano to concert standard, and performed in a jazz band with her brother. After losing a fingertip in an accident involving a door, she had to stop playing professionally and seek other things to do.

She bought her first racing car in 1961, when she was twenty-one years old. It was a boyfriend, rather than any of her relatives, that stirred her interest in motorsport. Her racing career started very badly, reversing into a pit wall at Silverstone, but she carried on and finished the race, not even in last place. Among her first cars were a Mini Cooper, Mini Marcos and an Austin-Healey 3000. Soon, she was winning club races.

For the first few years of her racing career, she often drove Lotus cars. The 7, initially painted black, carried her through her many of her early days in British club racing. Between 1962 and 1964, she raced the car both as a self-entry, and as part of the Ashley Smithy Garage team, which necessitated a change of paintwork to a McLaren-esque orange. The three drivers used custom number plates for racing, reading “NAT1” (Natalie), NIT1 and NUT1. As well as racing for Ashley Smithy, she worked for them, handling paperwork.

In 1964, she bought a Lotus 7/20, one of only two built, although at least four replicas were produced. It was a Lotus 7 with independent rear suspension and the brakes from a Lotus 20 Formula Junior.  Hers had previously been owned and raced by Colin Chapman, David Porter and Wendy Hamblin. She sold her original 7 to the team, and kept the 7/20 for three seasons, before selling it to an American collector.

1965 was the year that she switched her attention to single-seater racing, acquiring the first of her Brabham Formula 3 cars. Not stopping there, she purchased two more, and set up her own three-driver team to take on the European Formula 3 circuit, along with her brother. John Cardwell and Dave Rees were her other drivers. Managing the paperwork at Ashley Smithy had proved to be useful training.

Her first outing on the European stage appears to have been the Pau Grand Prix, which she entered in a Brabham BT15, but did not qualify for. Her first Formula 3 finish was at Magny-Cours, where she was twelfth. The best of the Goodwin Racing Brabhams was driven by John Cardwell, who was third. Goodwin Racing then took three cars to Zolder, and Dave Rees was third, in a BT9. Natalie had planned to race, but did not. The team had its best race of the year at Chimay, the Grand Prix des Frontières: John Cardwell won, Natalie was seventh and Dave Rees, ninth. At Caserta, John Cardwell was second. Natalie did not finish, despite coming third in her heat. It was a similar story at Monza, although Natalie did not qualify this time. None of the Goodwin cars finished at Rouen, and the team then pulled out of the Ville Nevers Grand Prix, at Magny Cours. A few more entries for John Cardwell followed, but Natalie did not race herself.

As well as its European forays, the team competed on and off in F3 in Britain. Natalie’s best finishes were a pair of second places, at Oulton Park and Aintree, which she earned in 750MC and BARC races. She was also seventh in a BARC event at Aintree.

Goodwin Racing went even more international in 1966, starting the year with a race in Buenos Aires for John Cardwell. He contested the Argentine F3 series in a BT15, with some top-five finishes. After this, he parted ways with Natalie and her team.

At Pau, a Brabham BT18, driven by Charles Crichton-Stuart, was added to the team. He had moved over from Stirling Moss’s SMART team. Natalie, driving a similar car, made her first appearance at the Barcelona GP, but did not finish. Monza in May was a similar scenario. Natalie’s first finish of the year was at Chimay again, where she was thirteenth. She did not qualify at La Châtre, after not finishing her heat, and lost out at Vallelunga, too. At Caserta, Charles Crichton-Stuart broke into the top ten, but Natalie struggled again. Neither BT18 qualified at Monza in June. Driving solo, Natalie entered the 1900 F3 championship in France, and finished fifteenth at Rouen. After another couple of DNQs, she was tenth at Hockenheim, in the Touring Car Grand Prix support race. After another couple of disappointments, Natalie earned another finish at Zolder, a fifteenth place. This was during a spell of competition in Belgium with Charles Crichton-Stuart, and it was her last finish of the year.

As well as the European calendar, Goodwin Racing was a semi-regular presence in British Formula 3, with either Natalie or Charles Crichton-Stuart as driver. Natalie’s British season did not really get going until late on, and she managed a best result of fifth, in the Louth Trophy at Cadwell Park. She was also eighth at Silverstone and Mallory Park.

The following year, she proved she could cut it as a driver as well as a team owner, and apparently won her first major F3 race. Unfortunately, the details of where this win happened are proving hard to find.

In the UK, Goodwin Racing was mostly represented by Natalie, as a single-car entry. She was particularly effective at the more northerly circuits, such as Oulton Park and Rufforth, close to her Cheshire home, and particularly after she swapped the BT18 for a newer BT21. Her best result was third, at Oulton Park.

In Europe, she dismissed the BT18 and made her debut in May, at her favoured circuit of Chimay, in her new car. She was fourteenth overall. At the Prix de Paris at Montlhéry, she was third in the “B” race, which left her classified 21^st in the main standings. A fifth followed at La Châtre, at the beginning of June. A run in the Coupe de Paris gave her an eleventh place in September.

After running a car in the Argentine championship the previous year, Natalie got to drive there herself in 1967. Her best result was seventh, at Mar del Plata.

The same year, she tried her hand at endurance racing, and entered the Spa 24 Hours. She drove a Goodwin Racing Ford Lotus Cortina with Cyril Williams. They finished, but were unclassified. A second Goodwin Racing Lotus Cortina did not get to the end.

In 1968, she had another go at endurance racing, sharing Jean Denton’s MGB at the Nürburgring 1000km. They did not finish. Jean and Natalie had previously raced against each other in Formula 3, in 1965.

For much of the year, she was still campaigning the BT21 for Goodwin Racing. In the UK, they entered the MCD Lombank Championship, with principal driver, Cyd Williams. Williams served the team well, winning some races, but Natalie was no slouch behind the wheel either, earning herself a second and third at Oulton Park, her favourite British circuit, and a fourth at Rufforth.

During the early part of the season, she raced in Spain, but struggled to qualify or finish her races there. In April, accepting a drive from the Paul Watson Racing Organisation, she was fourth in the Sprite Cup, at Jyllandsring. She was also eleventh at Roskilde, driving a BT21 for Tony Birchenough’s team. As a Goodwin Racing entry, she was eighth and seventh in the Prix de Paris races at Montlhéry. A couple of weeks later, she was fourth again at Jyllandsring. At the start of June, she was sixth at Chimay, another circuit at which she usually ran well. During the year, she also raced in Portugal and Finland, although she did not do as well there.

Natalie and Cyd Williams continued as a two-car Goodwin team for the 1969 season. Driving the BT21, Natalie was ninth at Barcelona in May. Later in the month, Chimay gave her a seventh place, and she was ninth at Reims in June. She did enter more races, in France and Sweden, but either did not finish, or did not qualify. That year, she competed at Monaco, and was almost prevented from starting by police, who refused to believe she was a genuine driver. Graham Hill ended up vouching for her.

British F3 was not her major priority in 1969, although her team remained a regular presence. A Chevron had been added to the Goodwin stable, which was driven by Alan Rollinson, among others. Natalie declined to race herself for most of the season, although she put in an appearance at the Oulton Park BARC race, and was sixth overall.

1969 was her last season of active competition. During her time in F3, she had raced against the likes of Piers Courage, François Cevert, Patrick Depailler and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, sometimes getting the better of them.

Between 1964 and 1967, she was Britain’s highest-performing female driver, and won many awards from the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club, of which she was a founder member, alongside Mary Wheeler. In recognition of her success, the BWRDC awarded their original racing trophy to her in perpetuity. Natalie responded by donating three silver trophies to the club, which are still named the Goodwin Trophies, and are awarded to this day. She was also a Vice-Chairman of the club for many years.

Natalie died suddenly in August 2019.

(Image copyright Ferret Fotografics)

Female Drivers in Truck Racing

Minna Kuoppala in 1995

Women drivers have enjoyed some success in truck racing, both in Europe, especially France, and in the Brazilian Formula Truck series. Aliyyah Koloc now has her own profile. Heather Baillie, Divina Galica, Ellen Lohr and Stephanie Halm have all also competed in truck racing, in Europe.

Marcia Arcade – Brazilian driver who was the first woman to race in Formula Truck, in 1998. Her truck was a Scania, and she was not initially among the front-runners. She contested six races in 1998 and 1999. In 2001, she entered three more races, in a Ford truck, but again, did not challenge for wins. She was nicknamed “Furaçao”, or “Hurricane”.

Reinhilde Braun – German driver who raced in the European championships in the mid-1990s. Her first major season was 1994, and she was fifth in the Truck class. In 1995, driving a Mercedes, she finished eighth in the championship. In 1996, she ran her own racing team, with Sisu trucks and Minna Kuoppala as driver, with some success. Further details about Reinhilde’s career are proving hard to find. She may have also been involved in the haulage trade.

Jennifer Janiec – French driver who raced trucks in Europe between 2009 and 2011. In 2009 and 2010, she finished tenth in the French truck racing championship. In 2011, she took part in the European championship round at the Nürburgring, in a MAN. Her best finish was 16^th. Her first European outing was one of her first major truck races, in 2008. She was 17^th overall at Barcelona. In 2012, she was down as a reserve driver for the Le Mans truck race, but it is unclear whether she got to drive. She had raced at the event the year before. Previously, she raced single-seaters and small sportscars in France, including four seasons of Formula Renault, from 2007. After a long time out of the driving seat, she returned to the French and European championships in 2019, driving a Man. She raced at Paul Ricard in the French series and the Nurburgring in the European. In 2020, she made a guest appearance in the French championship at Nogaro, finishing seventh and tenth. This expanded to seven races from the twelve-race 2021 season, narrowly missing out on a top-ten finish at Albi. She improved as a driver in 2022 and did almost the whole season. Her best finishes were seventh places at Charade and the Nurburgring and she was twelfth in the championship. Another full season in 2023 gave her thirteenth place, with a best finish of seventh at Charade. This was one of several top tens she achieved during the year. In 2024, she concentrated on the French championship, finishing 18th overall. Her best race finish was eleventh at Paul Ricard. She is from a family of truck racers, and her brother, Jean-Pierre, remains active in the sport.

Minna Kuoppala – Finnish driver active in truck racing in the 1990s. She raced in the European championships between 1994 and 1998. Her first season gave her eighth in the SuperTruck class. In 1995, she was ninth in the Super-Truck class. In 1996, she drove for Reinhilde Braun’s Mercedes team, finishing sixth in the Truck class.  After a lull in competition, she was seventh in the Truck class in 1998. In 1993, she had won her class in the British championship, and was fourth in class B in the European series. Her trucks were usually Finnish-built Sisus. Earlier in her career, she raced single-seaters in Finland. In 1989, she was fifth in the Finnish Formula Ford 1600 championship. Even earlier, she competed in karting, against Mika Häkkinen and Taru Rinne.

Celine Miral - races trucks in France. She began racing in 2022, driving a Renault and a DAF in the French championship for the Bejuit team. She was 29th in the championship after a part-season and her best finish was fifteenth at Le Castellet. She had been involved in truck racing for a while as part of the Bejuit team, which is staffed by engineering students, but only took the wheel herself at the age of 45. Her first experience of driving the truck at speed was during the Paul Ricard qualifying. She did another part-season in 2023, driving the DAF, and was 31st overall. She raced a DAF again in 2024 and was 31st again after a part-season.

Laurine Orsini – races trucks in France. 2015 was her debut season, driving for her family’s team (both her father and brother are ex-truck racers). Her truck is a Mercedes Axor. Coming into the French championship with no prior motorsport experience, she was not one of the front-runners, and finished in 16^th place, with four points. Previously, she competed in eventing on her horse. She did another season in the French championship in 2016, in the same truck. Her final position was fourteenth, having scored points in two of her three races. She planned to race in 2020, but had to pull out due to problems stemming from the coronavirus epidemic. In 2021, she did the Nogaro round of the French series, finishing three of her four races.

Aline Rambeau – French driver who raced trucks in the 2000s. In 2005, she took part in the European championship, in the Supertruck class, driving a MAN race truck. She was relatively competitive, and a regular visitor to the top ten. The best moment of her season was a win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Camions. Her final championship position is not currently forthcoming. Her first season of truck racing seems to have been in 2002, when she also raced a MAN in the Coupe de France, and was third in the championship. As well as racing trucks on circuits, she also took part in rally raids, in the Truck class. She entered the 2004 Dakar in a Mercedes, and also did some other cross-country rallies. Her co-driver was Jo Adua.  

Débora Rodrigues - truck racer from Brazil. She has been competing in Formula Truck since 1998, and in recent years, has driven in rounds of  the Brazilian and South American championships. So far, she is the only woman to do so. Her best championship finish has been sixth, in 2006. She was tenth in the 2011 South American series. In recent years, her best race finish has been fifth, at Cascavel in 2012. In 2013, she managed another tenth in the South American championship, after running in both the Brazilian and SudAm series. Her race truck is always a Volkswagen. Away from truck racing, she is a TV presenter and former model. She also branched out into cars in 2013, entering two rounds of the Mitsubishi Lancer Cup. She returned to trucks in 2014, in a MAN, and raced in both championships. Her best finish in Formula Truck was a seventh place, in Buenos Aires. She was 16th in the championship. In 2015, she was twelfth in Formula Truck, driving a MAN. She mostly finished in the lower half of the top ten. This improved to ninth in 2016, with a best finish of fourth, at Campo Grande. She had a dramatic crash during her 2016 season and does not appear to have raced in 2017. In 2018 she raced in Copa Truck, finishing twelfth. She was third in the 2019 championship after picking up three third places. 

Lenka Vlachova – Czech driver who did a season of European truck racing in 2000. Her truck was a Sisu, run by Martin Koloc’s team. Although she was not one of the front-runners in the championship, she managed to score a few points, and was fourteenth in the final standings. Lenka may have done some truck racing in the Czech Republic previously, but further information is proving hard to track down.

(Image from http://www.kauppalehti.fi/)

Female Rally Drivers after 1950: the Czech Republic

Martina Daňhelová, right, with her navigator, Martina Zikmundová

This particular corner of Eastern Europe seems to have a growing number of women participating in rallying. The Czech Women Talent driving competition, held in 2013, seems to be adding to this number.

Hana Bad’urová – Czech driver who competes in her home country in a variety of cars. She first appears in major Czech rallies in 2009, in a Skoda Fabia. In 2011, she drove a Felicia, but was excluded from the Partr Rally Vsetín. Between 2012 and 2014, she switched between a Skoda Favorit and a Honda Civic, and actually had her best finish in the Skoda: 16^th overall in the Agrotec Petronas Syntium Rally Hustopeče. In 2015, she rallied a Honda Civic again, and was 61st overall in the Czech Rally Zlín. The same car and event combination followed in 2016, and she was 71st overall. She was third in that year's Czech ladies' championship. 

Lucie Červenková - winner of the Citroen-sponsored “Czech Women Talent” rally driver search in 2013. She took part in five Czech rallies, mostly sprint events, in a Citroen DS3 R1, and was second in the ladies' class of the Czech Sprintrally championship. Her best overall finish was 58th, in the Rally Jeseníky. Lucie’s prize was a season in the Czech junior championship, supported by Citroen. However, she did not take it up, having decided against a professional motorsport career. The prize went to Barbora Holická. Lucie does not appear to have competed at all since 2013. 

Miloslava Chomínová - driver from the former Czechoslovakia, active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. She drove a Skoda 110 R exclusively; Eastern Bloc drivers were restricted to Soviet cars. Her finishing record in local Czech events was good, with few retirements. Her best result came in 1980, when she was 16th in the Rallye Jičín. Her usual navigator was Anna Slavíková. After 1981, she disappears from the entry lists. A co-driver by the name of Miroslava Chomínová continues to rally until 1992. It is possible that these two women are the same person.

Barbora Holická - active in European competition since 2013. She was part of the Czech Women Talent rallying contest, using a Citroen DS3, and appears to have been the runner-up in the competition. Her first rally was actually in Germany - the Thüringen Rally, in which she drove a Dacia Logan to 48th place, eighth in class. After that, she concentrated on the Czech Sprintrally championship, usually in the Dacia, although she did use a Skoda Fabia in one event. She won class 10 twice, at the Ferrodo Matrix Rally Kostelec nad Orlicí and the Rally Jeseníky. Her best overall result was 44th, in the Rally Slušovice, a round of the main Czech championship. In 2014, she carried on rallying the Citroen in Czech rallies, including the Barum and Hustopeče events. Her best result was 35th, in the Rallye Český Krumlov. Another season in the Czech championship in 2015, driving the DS3, gave her a best finish of 44th, in the Šumava Klatovy Rally. She was the 2016 Czech ladies' champion, although gearbox troubles affected her DS3 mid-season. Her best overall finish was 57th, in the Krumlov Rally. She retained her Czech Ladies' title in 2017, in the DS3. Her best event was the Bohemia Rally, in which she was 45th and first in class. In 2018, she lost her Czech Ladies' crown to Sandra Pokorna. She drove the DS3 in three events, with a best finish of 63rd in the Inveit Rally Pacejov. In 2019, she continued with the DS3 and was a stronger driver, usually inside the top 50. Her best finish was 41st in the Rally Bohemia. A shorter season in the DS3 beckoned in 2020. Her best event was the Rally Pacejov. She was 52nd and third in class. The DS3 came out again for three rallies in 2021, including Rally Bohemia and the Barum Czech Rally Zlin. In 2023, she had switched to rally raids and she entered the Dakar in a 1979 Citroen 2CV. This followed a run in the Rallye Berounka Revival at home. She finished the event. She did the Revival again in 2024, in the 2CV, but as the course car. 

Olga Lounová - active in Czech rallies since 2011. From then until 2013, her car was a Renault Clio. She mainly competes in sprint rallies, but has also attempted some major events, including the Barum Czech Rally Zlín, in which she was 64th, in 2012. This was her best result of that season. In 2013, her best finish was 31st in the Rally Bohemia, another European event. This was a highlight in a year plagued by mechanical issues. In 2014, exchanged the Clio for a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, and drove in Czech and Slovak rallies, mostly rallysprints. Her best result was 32nd, in the Pražský Rallysprint. In 2015, she rallied this car, and a Subaru Impreza, in Czech events. She won her class in the Rally Bohemia, and was 42nd overall. Her 2016 car was the Lancer, which she drove in rallysprints, with varying results. The most impressive of these was an eleventh place in a round of the GPD Rallydrive series. In 2017, she rallied the Lancer and a Renault Clio, but did not finish any of her events. The Barum Czech Rally Zlín was her only major event of 2018 and she was 76th in the Lancer. Away from the rally stages, she is better known as a singer and musical theatre performer in the Czech Republic.

Michaela Maňovská – active since 2001 in the Czech championship, although she has been involved with rallying since the late 1980s. In 2002, she mostly took part in the Czech Sprintrally championship, usually in a VW Polo, although she did also rally in Slovakia and Spain. In 2003 and 2004, she used the Civic and a Skoda Fabia, driving in the Sprintrally championship, and some bigger events. Both of those seasons, she took part in the Barum Rally Zlín, with a best finish of 62^nd in 2005, in the Civic. A break from competition followed, but she returned in 2011, driving a Ford Fiesta in the Czech Rallye Cup. The following year, she acquired a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI, in which she achieved her first top-ten finishes. The best of these was a ninth place in the Rallye Svetlá nad Sázavou. In 2013, she managed another ninth place, in the Rallye České Středoří, but her season was affected by a lack of finances. After this, she concentrated on drifting, and historic rallies, in a number of cars.

Sandra Pokorna - 2019 Czech ladies’ rally champion. She has been active since 2011, on and off, mostly in a series of Subaru Imprezas, including a very early GT model. It was in 2016 that she began to compete more regularly, in a Group N Impreza STi. In her first full year, she was eleventh in the Most Rally and then ninth in the 2017 Rally Horovice, her next event. Her best result in her Coupe des Dames-winning year was a 29th place overall in Rally Bohemia, fourth in class. She was sixth overall in her championship class. 2020 was a shorter season for her in the Impreza. Her best finish from her three rallies was a 17th place in the Mogul Test Rally Sosnova. In 2021, she did one rally, the Rallye Sumava Klatovy, but the Impreza's clutch broke. The clutch repaired, she did three more rallies in the Impreza in 2022, finishing 34th from 82 in the Invlet Rally Pacejov.

Pávlina Tydlačková - Czech driver who has been active since 2011. She initially got into motorsport through her husband. Her first car was an unreliable Suzuki Swift, and she only finished three of her seven rallies. One was in a Skoda Fabia; the Uherský Brod Rally Show. She was 33rd. In 2012, she mainly used this car in the Czech Sprintrally Championship, although the Ignis also came out for some action. She was third in Class Seven, with a best overall finish of 70th, in the Rally Vrchovina. In 2013, she moved back to the Ignis, which was now more trustworthy. Her best result was 37th in the Valašská Rally, and winning class seven. She was seventh overall in the Class Seven Sprintrally championship. She also took part in the Czech Women Talent rallying contest, in a Citroen DS3, but was not one of the winners, despite winning one of the challenges. In 2014, she drove a Skoda Fabia in rallysprints in the Czech Republic. Despite a shaky start to her season, with two retirements, she won her class in the Czech Sprintrally championship. Her best finish was 58th, in the Barum Rally and the Rally Vyškov. In 2015, she won her class in the Czech Rallysprint series, driving the Fabia. She won her class three times, and had a best overall finish of 51st, in the Rally Vyškov. For stage rallies in 2016, she continued to drive the Fabia, scoring four class wins in Czech sprint rallies, and winning the national Class 10 title. She also entered some of the GPD Rallydrive sprint series in a Subaru Impreza, and had a best finish of twelfth. Her car for 2017 was a Renault Clio, which was not completely reliable. She was third in the Czech ladies' championship and did best in the Orava Rallyshow event in Slovakia, where she was 34th. In 2018, she mostly rallied the Clio, with a best finish of 54th (third in class) in the Sumava Klatovy Rally. She also drove an Alfa Romeo 147 in the Hustopece Rally. The Clio was prone to driveshaft problems in 2019, but she managed to finish three rallies in it. The best of these was the Hustopece event, where she was 48th. This was not the case in 2020; she retired from the ValMex Rally with engine trouble and went out of Rally Bohemia with more mechanical issues. In 2021, she won the Czech ladies' title, with a best finish of 48th in the Rallye Cesky Krumlov. She did just one rally in 2022, the Valasska Rally ValMez, but crashed out. 

Eva Vykydalová - has rallied extensively in the Czech Republic, and occasionally elsewhere, since 2003. She usually competes in sprint rallies. Her first car was a Honda Civic, which she used between 2003 and 2005, when she upgraded it to a Renault Clio. This car gave her her first top twenty finish, twelfth in the 2005 Rally of Bratislava. In 2007, she managed two more top-twenty positions, 16th in the Rally Hořovice and 18th in the Rally Kralovice. In 2008, she scored her first top ten: sixth in the Erzetka Lážovice. In more recent years, her finishes have been in the lower half of midfield, still in the Clio. In 2012, she did her first rally raid, the Dubai Desert Challenge, and in 2013, attempted to enter the Silk Way Rally. 

(Picture from http://www.ewrc.cz/ewrc/show.php?id=12225)

Female Drivers in Touring Cars in Europe, 1950 to present day

Ksenya Niks, Andrina Gugger and Ulrike Krafft, at the start of the 2013 ETCC season

Apologies for what will be a lengthy post.
Women have competed in touring car championships at all levels in Europe, from the upper levels of club racing to the European championships. Interestingly, there seem to be fewer female drivers in the ETCC (now WTCC) now than there were in the 1960s.
Below is a selection of female drivers who have driven in touring car championships across Europe. Belgian drivers are likely to be found in the "Belcar" post, Italian drivers in the "Italian Drivers" post, and those who have taken part in one-make championships have their own pages. Dutch drivers, Swedish drivers, German drivers and British drivers now also have their own post. Mette Kruuse can now be found here, Nicole Drought here and Jenny van Hilten here.

Anna Alexandrova - Belarussian driver who raced in the National section of the Russian Circuit Championship in 2016, driving a Ford Fiesta. She took part in the first two races at Smolensk, but then left the series after a DNF at Nishni Novgorod. She was thirteenth and fifteenth in her two races. She also did three rounds of her home championship, in the same car, with a best finish of seventeenth, also at Smolensk. In 2015, she raced a VW Polo, taking in a couple of rounds of the Belarussian Touring Car Championship at Smolensk and finishing eleventh and twelfth. She used the same car in the Russian Endurance Challenge at Moscow, and finished fourth in the 4-hour race, sharing with Sergei Koronatov.

Johanna Amann - Austrian driver who raced a Renault Clio in the 2015 German Touring Car Cup. She has since gone on to race the same car in the ESET V4 championships. Her best result in 2016 was an eighteenth place overall at the Red Bull Ring. In 2017, she enrolled in the CEZ Touring Car Trophy, part of the ESET package. She was twelfth and fourteenth at the Red Bull Ring. Her 2018 programme in the series was the same. Prior to 2015, she was active on the slalom scene in Austria. In 2019, she competed in hillclimbs in Central Europe.

Christine Bourcier – raced in the French Super Production championship in 2000 and 2001. Her car in 2000 was a Citroen Saxo, and she used a Peugeot 106 and a Ford RS2000 in 2001. Both times, she drove for the Guerreiro Sport team. She does not appear to have raced again since then.

Margot Carvalhido - races a Peugeot 208 in the French Touring Car championship, competing in the TC Light class. She shares the car with Frederic Rondeau. In 2022, they were the leading TC Light drivers with several class wins, and held on for the class championship. She raced in Trophee Tourisme Endurance in 2023, sharing a 208 with two other drivers. In 2024, she was still active in the 208, in the TC France series. Margot appears to have begun racing on the circuits at the end of 2021, in the TTE Endurance series, alongside her younger brother Enzo. She got into motorsport through sim racing, having been part of the Simulateur Academie Racing programme and winning its female driver spot.

Carla Debard - races a BMW M2 in the French Touring Car championship. She began in 2021 after several years of competitive horse riding. In her first season, she was fourteenth in the championship, with a best finish of seventh, which she achieved three times. In 2022, she emerged a much stronger driver, earning her first podium, a third place at Magny-Cours. Staying with BMW, she moved up to the FFSA GT championship in 2023, in the GT4 Am class. She was third in class with two podiums. Another FFSA GT season followed in 2024, this time in the Pro-Am class. She was seventh overall, with two podium finishes, partnered by Simon Gachet. She is from a racing family and had practised for some time before her first race. She has also competed in the Fun Cup with her father.

Tatiana Dobrynina - member of the Volkswagen Junior Academy in Russia. She races in the Russian Touring Car Championship, in the National class. Her car is a Volkswagen Polo. 2017 seems to be her first year in the series. Her best result was a thirteenth place at Kazan and she was 33rd in the championship. In 2018 she did the first two rounds of the National championship, driving a Kia Rio. Her best result was 16th at Smolensk. She has been active in Russian motorsport since 2015, when she took part in some Time Attack events in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo XI. In 2021, she raced a Shortcut prototype in the Russian Circuit Racing Series, scoring one class win at NRing. The car came out again for 2023 and 2024, when she did most of the season.

Karen Gaillard - Swiss driver who races in TCR in Germany. 2019 was her first season in cars and she made her TCR debut at the Nurburgring, having finished in the top three of the Cupra Young Driver Challenge in her home country. Unfortunately, she spun on the first lap and picked up two penalties. She did better in the second race, finishing ninth. Her car was a Cupra TCR. She returned to the circuits in 2020 for the Monza 12 Hour race, again driving for the Topcar Sport team. She and her two team-mates were thirteenth in the first section of the race and twelfth in the second. The team was then third in class, fifth overall in the 16 Hours of Hockenheim. In 2021 she continued to race in the 24H series, driving a Vortex prototype in the GTX class. Paired with Lionel Amrouche, she was second in class at Dubai and third in both Mugello races. She was fifth in her class championship. In 2022, she raced in the Mitjet Trophy in France, finishing 18th overall. Her best finish was sixth in an away round at Catalunya. 2023 was better and she was second in the Endurance Prototype section of the Ultimate Cup in Europe, driving a Nova Proto with Gregory de Sybourg. They were seventh in the overall championship, with a best finsh of fourth at Estoril. For 2024, she was signed by the Iron Dames team for the Le Mans Cup, alongside Celia Martin. Driving a Lamborghini Huracan, they were sixth in the GT3 class, with one podium finish. Her time as an Iron Dame continued in 2025, as a member of their IMSA squad and driving solo in the Carrera Cup France. The latter came after winning a young driver shootout.

Natalia Goltsova - long-time competitor in Russian touring cars, always in a Lada. Despite having raced karts since the age of five, she was 28 when she really announced herself on the Russian scene, racing in the Lada Kalina Cup and scoring a second place at Moscow. That year, she also raced a Lada Samara on ice. In 2010, she raced in the Light category of the Russian Touring Car Championship, in the Kalina, usually finishing mid-field. This continued, and she had a best finish of tenth in 2011. On the ice, she was second in the Ladies’ championship, at Cherepovets. She continued to improve in 2012, with a best finish of fifth. In 2013, she was back to midfield, with grids strong this year, although she did manage two third places in Mitjet Cup races. After an incident involving her hair becoming caught in her helmet straps, causing her to lose concentration and crash, she did not return to ice racing in 2013, although she made some guest appearances in 2014. Most of 2014 was spent in the RTCC. This year, she scored some more top tens, including a fifth at Smolensk. She raced in the RTCC again in 2015, in a Lada run by her own family team. Her best result was fourth, at the NRING circuit, and she was ninth in the championship, one above her team-mate. As well as circuit racing, Natalia has also competed in rallycross, in a Lada, with some success. She raced her VAZ in the RTCC in 2016, with mixed results. She finished as high as fourth at Smolensk, but could not always match that pace, and was disqualified from the last round, finishing 18th in the championship. She was back in a Lada Kalina in 2017, in Russian Touring Cars. Her season highlights were two ninth places, at Smolensk and Moscow. She did better in ice-racing, scoring two top-three finishes in the VAZ. She now races historics. Her father is Vladimir Goltsov, a Soviet-era racer who also participated in the Dakar.

Nanna Gøtsche – Danish driver who races a SEAT Leon Supercopa car in endurance events. She has been racing cars since 2012, after many years of karting. Her first racing car was a Renault Clio, which she used in the Point S Silkeborg Clio Cup, achieving two third places and eighth in the championship. She continued to race Clios, sometimes for the Sally Racing team, for the next couple of seasons. In 2015, she raced in the Hankook Tyres 24H Series, usually in class A3T, for Zest Racecar Engineering. Her best result was in the Paul Ricard race, where she and her team-mates were 35^th, sixth in class. Nanna was sixth in the series' Ladies’ Cup, which was quite competitive, having completed four of the six races. In 2016, this improved to second, even with a part-season. She was driving for the Artthea Sport team, who also won the SPX class. Her car was a Porsche. In 2017, she continued in the SPX (special car) class, driving for Vortex Racing. Their GC10 V8 proved unreliable and did not finish three of the four races it entered. Nanna and her team-mates in the Danish-French team were third in class at Mugello. As well as endurance racing, she also competes in historic cars from time to time, including a Volvo Amazon.

Yvonne Gregoire - rather obscure driver of the 1970s. She occasionally appears in the French Touring Car Championship entry lists. In 1974, she drove a Simca Rally 2 in an FTCC race at Croix-en-Ternois, coming tenth in Class 2. In 1978, she reappears, in a Simca Rallye 3. She finished in 17th place in the Production 1600 class at Montlhéry. At some point, she was involved in an all-female Simca racing championship, and was apparently the runner-up, behind another mysterious driver called Catherine Bozio. This seems to have taken place in 1974.

Chantal Grimard - former Olympic swimmer who raced in Belgium in the mid-1980s. She first appears in the Belgian Touring Car Championship in 1985, driving a VW Golf GT. The full results for this championship are not available, but Chantal was not among the front-runners. In 1986, she drove in the championship again, which ran under Group N regulations. Her car was a Toyota MR2. This year, she was second in a heat of the Trophée de la Mer du Nord, but did not finish the main race. She was also 25th in the Spa 24 Hours, driving a Toyota Corolla with Anny-Charlotte Verney and Henny Hemmes. In 1987, she took part in some rounds of the French Formula Three championship, with the Belgian Sport Auto Racing team. After this, her racing career seems to peter out.

Petra Krajnyák – Hungarian driver who competes in the Hankook Racer Cup. Her car is a Suzuki Swift, and she drives for the OXXO Energy team, alongside Anett György. In 2016, her best result was eighth place, achieved twice in the middle of the season. This took her up to 11^th place in the championship, after missing a round. 2016 appears to be her first season of senior competition. In 2017, she raced a Kia Lotos in a one-make series in Hungary. Her best finish was eleventh at the Slovakiaring.  In 2018, she tried rallying, driving a Kia Picanto in the Nyiregyhaza Rally. She was 23rd overall. On the circuits, she competed in the Kia Platinum Cup. She rallied the Picanto in 2019 and managed a best finish of 17th on the Baranya Kupa Rallye. She also did her first ERC rally, the Rally of Hungary, in a Ford Fiesta, winning her class and finishing 51st. She was the Picanto rally champion at the end of the year. In 2020 she continued to rally the Fiesta in the Hungarian championship. Her best finish was twelfth in the Palhaza Rally. Another season in the Fiesta had her repeating this in the Orfu Rally, as well as picking up two further top-twenty finishes. She also tried off-road rallying in a Can-Am Maverick. She did three rallies in Hungary in the Fiesta in 2022, with a best finish of 21st in the Orfu Rally. 

Sabine Kukute – Latvian driver who raced a Nissan 350Z in the Speedest 1000 Euro Race series. Later, in 2008, she took part in the Baltic Touring Car Championship, driving a BMW 320. Her best finish was eighth, at Riga, and she was 21^st overall. The same year, she appeared on reality TV in Latvia, for which she is best known.

Marina Mise – raced in the Croatian Touring Car Championship in 2007. Her car was a Skoda Felicia. She did not race for the whole season, but had a reasonably competitive sixth place at Dugopolje as her best finish. Although she did not do much circuit racing, she was quite active in hillclimbs in Croatia, competing in her national championship in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, she also used a Yugo, and in 2010, she was still on the hills, in a Fiat Cinquecento.

Eva Mondou - French driver who graduated from karts to cars in 2021. She competes in the French Touring Car championship, driving a Renault Clio. She first raced in the Spa round, sharing the car with Bastien Girard. They were eleventh in the first race and tenth in the next two. The pair first raced together with Perftech in 2021, taking on the Le Mans round of the Trophee Tourisme Endurance in the Clio. Eva’s father William was one of their co-drivers. Eva was 16 years old at the time. She was fifth in the TCA-2 class in 2022, driving the Clio.

Michaela Peškova – raced a Ferrari 430 in Slovakia in 2010. Her best finish in the Slovakian racing championship was fifth, at the Slovakiaring. She also shared a Renault Megane with Karolina Czapka-Lampel in a two-hour enduro at the same meeting, finishing seventh. In 2009, she shared a BMW M3 with Matej Kotrba for the endurance races of the Czech Touring Car Championship. She does not appear to have raced since 2010.

Danielle Plomteux - Belgian touring car driver who specialised in long-distance events. In 1969, she raced an Opel Rallye Kadett in the Grand National at Zolder, a multi-heat endurance event. She was 61st. The following year, she was part of a team driving a tiny Honda S800 in the Nürburgring 36 Hours. She won her class, with team-mates Charles de Meutter and Serge Trosch, also Belgian. The same year, she returned to the Nürburgring for the Marathon de la Route, in a much bigger Opel Commodore. The race was 84 hours long, and ran over three-and-a-half days. Danielle and her team-mates, “Clyde” and a Y. Errolean, were twelfth, and second in the 2500cc class.

Irina Protasova - Ukrainian driver who has raced in multiple categories, always driving for Ukrainian teams. She was part of the Bevz Konstantyn set-up in 2010 for the S2000 European Touring Car Cup, driving a BMW 320i E46 in the first two rounds, after which the team pulled out. She scored two twelfths in Braga, and a ninth and a DNF at Salzburg. In 2012, driving a similar car, she took part in two races in the Dutch Supercar Challenge, for Chayka Racing. In 2007, she also tried rallying, driving a Subaru Impreza to tenth place in the Prime Yalta Rally in Ukraine. 

Kate Rafanelli - finished fourth in the 1996 Spa 24 Hours, driving a BMW with Florence Duez and Yolanda Surer. She returned to Spa in 1997, this time with Vanina Ickx and Florence Duez, in another BMW, but did not finish after an off. The same result transpired from her 1994 efforts with Benoit Galand and Didier Stassart, in a 325i this time. As well as her 24-hour racing, Kate also competed in the Andros Trophy on at least one occasion. Her family ran a BMW preparation company, so it is likely that she raced BMWs elsewhere in smaller events.

Angélique Sadalian - began racing in French national events in 2014, aged eighteen. She was the women’s champion on the 2014 VTR Tour, a simulator racing series, and this led to a drive in a Mitjet enduro race at Magny-Cours, as part of a three-driver team. She did some more Mitjet racing in 2015, based at Magny-Cours, then moved on to the Peugeot 208 Racing Cup in 2016. She was driving for No Limit Racing, with Guillaume Plubel. In 2018, she did the Fun Cup enduro at KLe Mans in May.

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.

Julia Schayer - raced in the Polish Endurance championship in 2020 and won the D4 class, driving a Kia Picanto. She was 31st in the series overall and had one class win with her team-mate Jakub Szablewski. Individually, she was fifth in the Kia class. 2020 appears to be her first season of circuit racing, although she had previously done some Time Attack events in the Kia. In 2021 she raced a Suzuki Swift in the ESET 1600 TCR championship, winning her class twice at the Hungaroring. This followed several seasons of karting.

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.

Sandra Sutter – Swiss driver who races in ADAC Procar in Germany. After some time spent in karting, she did her first Procar races in 2008, when she was 18 years old. She drove a Ford Fiesta for the Vizethum team at Oschersleben, and was eighth in one race. In 2009, she joined the NK Racing team, still in a Fiesta. She did five races for the team, almost half a season. Oschersleben was her best circuit, and she was sixth twice there. Her final position in Division II was eleventh. After a break, during which she returned to karting, she did another part-season in Procar in the Fiesta in 2011, supported by Glatzel Racing. She was fourteenth overall, after four races, at Lausitz and Assen. Her best finish was eleventh, at Lausitz. 

Emilie Tapy - raced in French Supertouring between 1999 and 2005. She was 29th in 1999, driving a BMW M3 E30, after only a few races. Her 2005 return yielded an eleventh place, in another BMW. In between, she had another drive in a BMW in 2000, and was fourteenth. In 2006, she competed in an Opel Astra Coupe in GT races. She was 20th and 25th at Pau in a joint French/British GT race meeting. Her team-mate was Anne-Sophie Nourry. She drove the same car with Audrey Roche at Val de Vienne, scoring a 21st and 27th place with two class wins. She was also linked to a Larbre Competition Dodge Viper drive, but this did not occur.

Marie-Rose Tibesar (“Miss Timaro”) - competed in European Touring Cars in 1962 and 1963. In 1962, she drove in the Brands Hatch and Nürburgring 6-Hour races, in her own BMW 700. She was 20th at the Nürburgring with Ulrich Therstappen, and 19th at Brands Hatch with Rona Pearson. Both times she was fifth in class. The following year, she entered the Brands Hatch 3 Hours with Peter Galliford, but they did not finish. She did not enter any more major races. “Miss Timaro” was from Luxembourg.

Isabel van de Velde - drove in the Belgian touring car championship in the mid-1980s. Full information about this championship is hard to come by, so it is difficult to know the extent of her racing activities. She first appears in the entry list for the 1985 EG Trophy support race, driving a VW Polo for the Belgian VW Club team. It is unclear whether or not she finished. In 1985, she drove a Toyota Starlet in the Trophée de la Mer du Nord. She qualified for the final, but her results in the heats, as well as her actual final position, are not forthcoming. She may well have taken part in other races during those two seasons.

Isabella (Bella) Walkoun - Austrian driver who races a Mini in central Europe. In 2013, she competed in the ESET Championship, and was among the leading Austrian drivers. Her best overall finish was sixth, at the Red Bull Ring. She entered the same championship in 2014, using the Mini and a Mitubishi Colt. Her best finish has been fifth, at Salzburg. 2013 seems to have been her first season of racing.

(Image from http://www.automobilsport.com)