Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky

Mikaela in 2015

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky is a Swedish driver who has raced in international one-make series for Volkswagen and Audi.

She began karting at the age of twelve, and spent five years in various championships. In 2009, she was fourth in the Swedish Rotax Max championship.

Her first full season of senior competition was in 2012. Instead of learning the ropes in a Swedish national championship, she jumped straight into the VW Scirocco-R Cup, based in Germany, having passed its selection procedure. It was not the easiest of years, with two thirteenths at Oschersleben her best finishes. She was 19^th in the championship. As well as other up and coming young drivers, she raced against guests such as Damon Hill and WRC champion Sébastien Ogier. At the end of the season, she secured an invite to the FIA Women In Motorsport commission’s Scirocco-R Shootout, a competition for female drivers with a funded season in the 2012 Cup as its prize. Mikaela was second, behind Michelle Gatting.

As well as tin-tops, she tried her hand at GT racing, taking part in some rounds of the Scandinavian Porsche Carrera Cup. Her best finish was eighth, at Solvalla, one of three top-tens she achieved in five races. She was twelfth in the championship.

A second season in the Scirocco-R Cup saw a more assured Mikaela. Towards the middle of the season, she broke into the top five for the first time, finishing fourth at the Norisring. She followed this up with a second at the Nürburgring, her best race of the season. She was eighth in the championship.

In a somewhat backwards move, she spent some time in 2013 in Sweden, racing in the Clio Cup, which ran as the Swedish Junior Touring Car Championship. She was twelfth in that championship, too, after a part-season. Her best finish was sixth, at Kinnekulle.

She had her best season yet in the Scirocco-R Cup in 2014, and was the strongest of the female entrants. She won one race, at the Norisring, the first female driver to do so. Despite five more top-tens, four of those being top fives, some poor finishes at Oschersleben and Hockenheim let her down.  She was ninth in the championship.

That year, she also took part in rallycross, racing an RX Lites Ford Fiesta. She raced in the Swedish and Turkish rounds, and performed best in Sweden; she was fifth in the final. In Turkey, she got as far as the semi-final. At the end of the season, she was fourteenth in the championship. She had a similar experience during her part-season in the Swedish Supercar Lites championship: fifth in on final at Höljesbanan, and eighth overall in the championship.

In 2015, she entered the Audi Sport TT Cup, the successor to the now-defunct Scirocco series. A series of non-finishes, including a crash at Oschersleben, dropped her down the leaderboard to fifteenth. However, her race results were quite good, and included a third place, at the Norisring. When she made the finish, she was almost always in the top ten.

For 2016, she remained with the Audi marque, but took a step up into sportscar racing, in an R8 LMS. She raced in the ADAC GT Masters in Germany, for Aust Motorsport, as a team-mate to Marco Bonanomi. It was a steep learning curve for both of them, and Mikaela had a best finish of tenth, at Oschersleben. She was just out of the top ten on two more occasions, and was 52nd overall. Her 2017 plans had to be adjusted, as she broke her leg at the end of 2016.

2017 was another Audi-based year. She took part in the Swedish Touring Car Championship, which was run to TCR regulations. Her car was an Audi RS3 LMS. The season was slow to get going, with two DNFs in the first two races. Her best finish was an eighth place at Solvalla, one of two top-tens she scored during the year. She was 20th overall.

She was in the R8 again for the ADAC GT Masters. Neither she nor any of her Audi Sport Racing Academy team-mates fared particularly well. Mikaela's best finish was fourteenth, at Zandvoort.

In 2018, she concentrated on the STCC and was tenth overall, posting a historic first win at Karlskoga in August. This was one of five top-ten finishes for her.

Her 2019 season got off to an excellent start with a win at Knutstorp. It was her first race in the rebranded STCC, now running under TCR regulations and known as Scandinavian TCR. Her car was a SEAT Cupra as she did in 2018. She was sixth in the championship after a second place at the Drivecenter Arena and thirds at Falkenberg, Karlskoga and Mantorp.

Away from actual competition, she was named as an official tyre tester for the forthcoming Extreme E electric SUV championship. She undertook testing and PR duties for the Alejandro Agag-run enterprise. She was initially not down to race in 2021, having not been selected by a team, but she was selected late on by Jenson Button's JBXE squad.

Another STCC season in a Cupra for PWR was relatively successful. She was ninth in the championship with her best finishes being two thirds at Mantorp. Again, she was slightly inconsistent, although her two DNFs in the first and last races of the year did not help her final leaderboard position.

In 2021 she ran parallel seasons in Extreme E and in the STCC and enjoyed success in both. She partnered Kevin Hansen at JBXE and although they did not manage to win any of the off-road sprints, they scored podium finishes in Senegal, Greenland and Sardinia and were in with a chance of a championship podium until the closing round in the UK. They were second in that race, but had to settle for fourth, just a point behind Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen who had won a race.

Cupra were her rivals in Extreme E, but she drove for their team in Scandinavian TCR. Her season started very strongly with a second and third place at Ljungbyhed and she was one of the leading drivers from then on. A win eluded her until October, when she scored her first at Mantorp and followed it up with another at Knutstorp. She was unable to catch her team-mate Robert Dahlgren, who was the runaway championship winner, but was a secure second.

She concentrated on Extreme E in 2022, driving for Rosberg X Racing this year with Johan Kristofferson. The pair won two races in Saudi and Sardinia and were the only team to score more than one win, but the better reliability and consistency of Team X44 meant that they were the champions, with Rosberg X Racing in second place.

Rosberg Racing was the 2023 championship-winning team, with Mikaela and Johan still at the wheel together. They won both Sardinian races, one from pole, and another race in Chile, sandwiched between second places in Sardinia and Chile. Their improved consistency, thanks to two thirds in Saudi, meant that they stayed ahead of Acciona Sainz and Veloce.

Driving solo but staying with one-make electric racing, Mikaela raced in the RX2e category of the European Rallycross championship, for the Swedish-run Team E. A third in Norway and second in Belgium was enough to give her third in the championship. 

Circuit racing had not been abandoned either; she made guest appearances in the Scandinavian Porsche Carrera Cup towards the end of the year.

Mikaela and Johan's final season in Extreme E together - the championship ended after 2024 to make way for Extreme H - began with a win in Saudi. They were then fourth in their other three races, leaving them third in the standings. She also did a full European Rallycross season with Team Yellow in RX2e. Again, her first race was her best, ending in a second place in Sweden. She was fourth overall. 

She is the daughter of rally driver Susanne Kottulinsky, and granddaughter of Freddy Kottulinsky, another rally driver. Although she grew up in a motorsport family, she had no interest in it whatsoever until she was a teenager, preferring dance and gymnastics.

Mikaela’s profile rose due to her being romantically linked to Max Verstappen. However, she remained focused on her own racing career and moved on quickly. 

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

Charlotte Berton

Charlotte (right) and Sabrina de Castelli with the Porsche 997 in 2015

Charlotte Berton has been French ladies’ rally champion four times, between 2010 and 2012, and in 2014.

Her rally career began in earnest in 2005, when she was one of the winning young drivers selected for the Rally Jeunes competition, alongside Sebastien Ogier. The following year, she was supported by the Peugeot factory, and competed in the Volant Peugeot one-make cup. Her car was a 206. It was a tough year for the whole Volant Peugeot field, as that season was marred by a series of accidents, involving both participants and spectators. It proved a steep learning curve for Charlotte, who was 26^th in the Volant Peugeot standings. Her best result was thirteenth in class, in the Antibes-Azur National Rally. She was 30^th overall, which was another personal best. Away from the championship, she had the honour of driving her Peugeot as a course car, in her “home” event, the Rouergue-Aveyron Rally.

A second season in the Volant Peugeot series seemed to suggest that the 206 did not really suit Charlotte. She could only manage a class fifteenth in the Le Touquet-Pas de Calais event, and 40^th overall, as her best result. She was 30^th in the championship.

A final year in the 206, in 2008, gave her a fifth in class in the Critérium des Cévennes, but she was only 97^th overall. Her second attempt at her home rally sadly ended in a crash. She was not registered for Volant Peugeot points this year.

It was time for a change in 2009. She took a sideways step into the Suzuki Rally Cup, driving a Swift. Her new regular navigator was Cécile Pagès, the beginning of a partnership that still occasionally competes together. It was a decent debut in the Swift, and Charlotte improved steadily as the season progressed. Her best Cup finish was fifth, in the Rallye Le Touquet-Pas de Calais. She was 53^rd overall. Her best rally, in terms of outright results, was her home event of Rouergue-Aveyron. She was 43^rd, and sixth in class. At the end of the season, she was eighth in the Suzuki series.

2010 continued in a similar fashion, with Charlotte continuing to inch her way up the Suzuki standings. This year, at the Critérium des Cévennes, she scored her first Suzuki podium, finishing third. Her overall position was 45^th. She also managed three more fifth places, and was fourth in the championship. This was enough to secure the first of her French Ladies’ titles.

In 2011, she mainly competed in the French Tarmac championship, mostly in the Swift and the Suzuki Cup, although she switched to a Ford Fiesta later in the season. This year, she won her first Cup rally, the Lyon-Charbonnières. She was 73^rd overall. Two more Suzuki podiums gave her second in the championship. One of these was a third in the Rallye Antibes Côte d’Azur, in which she was also 23^rd in the combined standings. She used the Fiesta in the Rallye du Var, and was 43^rd.

At the start of 2012, she entered her first WRC round: Monte Carlo. She was 48th, ninth in class, in the Swift. That year, Charlotte moved away from one-make competition, although she continued to rally the Swift. In it, she won her class in the Rouergue-Aveyron Rally, and was 56^th overall. Her other car this year was a Peugeot 207, which she did not get to drive much, although she finished the Lyon-Charbonnières Rally in it, in 57^th place. She won a third Ladies’ title, and was 19^th in the French Tarmac Championship.

A works drive beckoned for her in 2013, albeit not for one of the championship teams. GM were  using their new Opel Adam model to promote environmentally sound rallying, and picked Charlotte as one of their faces of eco-motorsport.. Her first outing was running as course car in the Rallye Le Touquet, but she was soon in action at the Lyon-Charbonnières. Her best overall finish was 27th in the Criterium des Cévennes, and she was also 28^th in the Rallye National de la Plaine. Her new regular co-driver was Charlène Gallier. During the winter, she was also a guest driver in the Andros Trophy.

In 2014, she carried on rallying the Adam, and regained her French Ladies' championship, from Charlotte Dalmasso. Her best overall result was 35th, in the Limousin Regional Rally, and she was in the top twenty French Tarmac championship drivers on two more occasions. Her final position was fifteenth in the French Tarmac series.

The end of 2014 was something of a turning point in Charlotte’s career. She was becoming increasingly frustrated with one-make championships, and driving cars that had absolutely no chance of challenging for the top positions. Her Ladies’ titles were a consolation, but as her only real rival in 2014 was Charlotte Dalmasso, it was only a small one. The second factor that influenced her change of direction was one over which she had little control; a communications company pulled the plug on her sponsorship for 2015, and left her seriously lacking in funds, as well as some of her own money. Her deal with Opel France also ended abruptly.

For much of 2015, she did not rally at all, but the Yacco 2B team gave her a chance in September, offering her a seat in their Porsche 997 for the Mont Blanc-Morzine Rally. GT rallying in France was still quite new, but growing, and she relished the opportunity to drive a powerful car. In between, as preparation, she entered the Rouergue-Aveyron Rally in May. Her car was a Renault Clio. Although she liked the car, a mechanical problem meant that she could not finish the rally. She had set at least one top-ten stage time.

The Mont Blanc Rally was a worthwhile exercise. It was overshadowed by the death of a driver, but was allowed to finish. Charlotte won the GT10 class from six other drivers. She picked up another Coupe des Dames for her collection, and was 31^st overall.

The Porsche drive did not lead to any more rally entries, but in October, Charlotte went back to the Clio. She was also reunited with Cécile Pagès as co-driver. The Clio suited Charlotte’s driving style, and she was 25^th in the Criterium des Cévennes, seventh in class. At the end of the season, she was 30^th in the Amateur Trophy, and 38^th in the French Tarmac championship.

Since then, she seems to have made a move into the world of rally raids. In November 2015, she travelled to Qatar to take part in the FIA Women in Motorsport Cross Country Selection. The winner would receive a supported drive in the 2016 Sealine Cross-Country Rally. Initially, she was not one of the three winners, but Molly Taylor dropped out, and Charlotte will take her place, co-driven by Yasmeen Elmajed. She also plans to do some French tarmac rallies, and make her annual appearance in the Rouergue-Aveyron Rally.

She returned to that event in 2016, driving the Clio, and won the Coupe des Dames. She was sixteenth overall. 

In 2017, she did just one major event, the Terre des Causses Rally. She drove a Citroen Saxo and was 59th overall. In 2018, she drove two different cars in competition, a Ford Fiesta and a Clio R3T, earning one finish in each. Her best was a 61st place in the Rallye du Var, tenth in class, driving the Clio.

She also drove an Alpine-Renault A110 on the Lyon-Charbonnieres Historic Rally, but as the course car.

Her schedule was more full in 2019, with four rallies, three of which she finished in the Clio. The best of these was a 30th place in the Rallye Aveyron Rouergue-Occitanie, her only Ladies' win of the year.

(Image copyright DDM)

The FIA World Rally Championship Ladies' Cup

Twice winner Isolde Holderied, with her Toyota Corolla WRC

In 1990, the FIA created a Coupe des Dames for the World Rally Championship. To be eligible for the prize, drivers had to enter seven rounds of the WRC, including at least one outside Europe. Points were then awarded for finishing positions within each rally. This prevented local specialists from winning the Cup with a single good performance, and was meant to reward consistency. In practice, however, it meant that some entrants only made an effort with rallies that suited them, as eligibility was based on starting, rather than finishing, rallies. The phenomenon of a driver retiring from a rally early on, for no obvious reason, did draw criticism from some quarters, although the FIA Group N championship of the time ran in a similar manner, and attracted some of the same gamesmanship.

The Ladies’ championship attracted some good drivers, a couple of whom went on to challenge at the highest level of the sport. There were never great numbers of female competitors, and this seems to have been one of the factors in the decision to shelve the award after 1995.

Winners

1990 - Louise Aitken-Walker

1991 - Minna Sillankorva

1992 - Eija Jurvanen

1993 - Christine Driano

1994 - Isolde Holderied

1995 - Isolde Holderied

(Image from http://www.autozeitung.de/faszination-auto/isolde-holderied-im-toyota-corolla-wrc/Bild/n257057/5)