Natasha Tundo

Natasha co-driving for her father, Frank

Natasha Tundo is a Kenyan rally driver whose usual car is a Subaru Impreza. She is from a rallying family; her father Frank and brother Karl are also rally drivers. Her first experience in a rally car was at the age of three, when her father drove her around part of the Safari Rally course in his own car.

She started driving in rallies in 2015, after several years of co-driving, often for Frank. She and Carl won the 2012 Guru Nanak Rally together in 2011, with Carl driving the family Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.

She and Chantal Young drove a Subaru Impreza STi in the 2015 Kenyan championship, under the team name “Rally Chix”. Natasha’s best finish was 19th, in the Nakuru Rally. She had entered the Safari Rally earlier in the year, but had to retire; this was her only non-finish of the year. She was 32nd in the Kenyan championship, tied with Rob Hellier and George Njoroge. 

In 2016, she did a full season in the Kenyan championship, in the Impreza. Her best result was an eleventh place in the Safari Rally. This was one of four top-twenty finishes she achieved that year.

Another season in the Kenyan series followed in 2017. Her best finish was twelfth, in the Fly540 RSC Rally. She was also fourteenth in the Eldoret Rally. This was her last time in the driver's seat for a while. Her attentions turned to co-driving for her father again, making trips to New Zealand, Bulgaria and the UK, in this case the 2021 Roger Albert Clark historic rally. Their usual car was a Triumph TR7, but they used a Ford Escort RS1800 for the Silver Fern Rally in New Zealand.

Her comeback as a driver was in 2022, when she was second in the 2022 Lioness Rally with Chantal, in the Impreza. This was an all-female event In Kenya, won by Maxine Wahome in a similar car. Chantal had sat beside Maxine in the previous year's Safari.

In 2023, she was eighth in the Safari Rally, her best result in a mixed event. She does not appear to have competed in 2024.

(Image from monitor.co.ug)

Maxine Wahome

 Maxine Wahome is the leading female rally driver currently active in Africa.

She competes in rallies and autocross in her home country, as well as being a major figure in Kenya’s Women in Motorsport association. 

Her car for 2021 was a Subaru Impreza, which she used in the African championship, finishing tenth. Her best finish was fifth in the KCB Thika Rally, although she also featured strongly in the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally, finishing sixth and winning Group N. She was tenth in both the Kenyan and African championships and third in the African Junior championship.

She was the first woman for several years to finish the Safari Rally in 2022. The event was running as part of the World Championship after a long hiatus. Two female drivers had entered, but Danish Lisa Christoffersen’s car failed scrutineering. Driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3 for the first time on gravel, Maxine was one of a large proportion of the competitors who had to finish under SuperRally rules, earning a 17th place and a WRC3 class win. 

This was her second Safari, although she only entered the national event in 2021.

This followed a win in the Lioness Rally, the first all-female event held in Kenya. She drove the Impreza this time.

Maxine has rallied across East Africa. In 2022, she competed in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda in addition to Kenya. Her best event was a home one, the Bamba Rally Mombasa, in which she was fifth.

Originally she was a motocross rider and was one of the top three fastest in Kenya. She switched to autocross in 2020, then rallying in 2021.

(Image copyright FIA)

Ann Taieth

 

Ann Taieth is a highly successful rally driver in Africa who competed between 1972 and 2011. 

She was born in Norway but lived in Kenya, where she did almost all of her rallying. 

She became the first female driver to win a Kenyan rally in 1984, when she was the victor in both the Guru Nanak and Raymond rallies. Her car was an Opel Ascona and she was second in the Kenyan championship after a second place in the Kenya Sanyo 2000 Rally, behind Shekhar Mehta. 

She did enter the Safari Rally at least seven times (in 1972, 1973, 1974, 1980, 1982 and 1984) but did not always get to the finish. Her first attempt was in a Datsun 1600 and she was 18th from 18 finishers, although 67 others did not complete the event. She had received penalties for exceeding speed limits on the road sections, which prompted some newspaper writers to express surprise that she worked as a driving instructor away from the stages.

In 1973 she drove a Datsun and was sponsored by a cosmetics company called ”Lady Gay”, finshing fourteenth. The same combination of car, driver and co-driver Silvia King did not finish the 1974 edition and they were absent from the scene for some time. Ann and Silvia did not finish the 1977 Safari in a Datsun 120Y and then retreated from the scene again. 

Ann paired up with the experienced Yvonne Mehta for the 1980 Safari, although further information is hard to find. It is likely that their car was a Datsun, as both were associated with the make at the time. A final run in a Datsun in the 1982 event ended in another DNF and it was only when she switched Japanese power for German that she really started to get the results.

Her first podium finish was in the 1983 Sanyo 2000 Rally, held around Lake Nakuru. Her car was now an Opel Ascona 400. She and Silvia were third. At the end of the year, they were seventh in the Cholaco Jamhuri Rally. Ann then teamed up with Quentin Thomson and was fourth in the Firestone Coast 600 Rally. 

Her winning season followed in the Ascona and she was second in the Kenyan championship before retiring for many years.

After a long break, she returned to the Kenyan stages in 2010, driving a Volkswagen in the S&L Mortgages Rally. At 61, she was the oldest driver to ever tackle the event. She came back in 2011 for the KCB Bankika Rally in the same car. 

She has been involved in dog breeding in East Africa in recent years.

(Image copyright Robin Hutton)

Megan Verlaque

Megan Verlaque competes in the South African rally championship. She began her own successful driving career after navigating for her sister, Lola.

The Verlaques are a rallying family. Sisters Megan and Lola have been a fixture on the African rallying scene since 2002, with Megan normally the co-driver of the pair to start with. The sisters’ father Edward and brother Oliver also drive and the four have competed together in various combinations.

The two sisters started rallying together in 2002, driving a Hyundai Coupe in the Total Rally South Africa. Megan was eighteen, Lola is older. They acquired a Subaru Impreza the following season and did a complete South African rally championship in 2005. This was the first of three seasons in the Impreza, followed by runs in the African championship using a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX and a Volkswagen Polo in 2009.

Megan’s first turn behind the wheel was in 2009. That October, she won her class in the Toyota Dealer Gauteng Rally, the eighth round of the South African championship. She was 13th overall, driving a Toyota Run-X (Corolla) with Gerhard Snyman.  

In 2010, she had several more outings in South Africa as a driver. Her programme took in the whole SA championship. Despite retiring four times, she won her class in three rallies: the Rally of South Africa, Osram Rally and Cape Swartland Rally. Her best overall finish was 15th, in the Rally of South Africa. Her car was a Toyota Run-X and her co-driver was her brother, Oliver Verlaque.

Part-way through the season, she also travelled to neighbouring Zimbabwe for the Toyota Zimbabwe Challenge, but did not finish.

In 2011, she started a partnership with Volkswagen in South Africa and rallied a Polo, running in the S1400 class as a young development driver. Again, she won the class four times, out of five finishes. Appropriately, her best event was the Volkswagen Rally in which she was fourteenth, with a class win. The other class wins were achieved in the Total Tour Natal, Toyota Dealer Gauteng and Garden Route rallies. Her usual navigator was Lirene du Plessis, but she was replaced by Hilton Auffray for the last three events of the year. Despite taking some time to adjust to a new car and co-driver, Megan was the S1400 champion.

In 2012, she had a shorter rally season, and moved into the S1600 class in which she was fifth. She finished all of her four rallies, all in the top twenty. Her best finish was also her most frequent: she was 17th in the Garden Route and Polokwane rallies and the Rally of South Africa itself. She was fifth in the S1600 class overall. The car was an upgraded version of last year’s 1400cc model.

In 2013, she continued in the same vein, with five top-twenty finishes in South African rallies, the best of these being 15th in the Total Rally. She was eighth in the S1600 class. She continued to drive a Polo, but was now running as a private entry. Her VW contract had been a two-year development designed to guide young drivers towards their own, sponsored programmes. Megan was reunited with Oliver Verlaque for most of her season.

After one season as a privateer, Megan did not reappear on the South African rally scene for a while. The other members of the Verlaque family also took a break in 2014.

Megan did some navigation for Jose de Gouveia in 2015 and 2016, in the South African championship.

In 2017, she got back to driving, normally with Oliver Verlaque as her co-driver. She only finished one of her eight rallies, scoring a fifth place in the Sam 100 Rally. Her car was an R2-spec Polo, which she drove for the last four rallies of her year. Earlier in the season, she used a Mk3 Golf, which ran as a Classic entry. All four competing members of the Verlaque family ran as a two-car team with two Golfs.

Megan was less active again in 2018. She entered the Top Fry 100 Classic Safari Rally in Kenya, in the Golf, finishing 19th overall and winning her class. The rally was dominated my much more powerful Porsches and Datsuns. Lola and Edward also entered the sister car.

She also co-drove for Jose de Gouveia in his Toyota Corolla.

Both Verlaque sisters entered the 2019 Top Fry Classic event, Megan in the Golf and Lola in a Mk1 Escort. Megan was 18th, one place behind her sister.

After a break, Megan will enter the Golf into the 2022 East African Classic Safari.

(Image from http://www.sarallying.co.za)

Lucette Pointet

Lucette (right) with Jacqueline Fougeray and the DS, after their 1966 Monte Coupe des Dames

Lucette Pointet was a French rally driver and co-driver, who often drove a Citroen DS.

Born in 1936, she started rallying at a young age, acting as a navigator to a family friend, Nicole Pizot, the daughter of Paul Pizot, another rally driver. Nicole’s rally car was a DB Panhard, which was an unusual choice, but seemed reliable enough. Some sources say that the duo began their automotive adventures in 1954 or 1955, with Lucette’s parents arranging her entry for the 1955 Monte Carlo Rally, but her name does not appear on the 1955 Monte entry list. They were definitely competing together early in 1959, when Nicole, with Lucette on the maps, was second in the Paris-St. Raphaël women’s rally. They first appear in the Monte in 1960, in the DB, starting at Paris, but are missing from the final classification. Apparently, their first event together was the Rally of Beaujolais, but the date of this is uncertain. Other sources state that Nicole Pizot only started rallying in 1958, which fits in with the Monte start lists.

Early in her career, she apparently drove karts as well as rally cars, but no information about this is forthcoming.

In 1961, she drove a Renault Dauphine 1093 in hillclimbs, running particularly well on snow and ice. This was her first experience of driving herself. As well as the climbs, she did some stage rallying, and proved a very capable driver, finishing third in the Neige et Glace Rally with Simone Petit. Navigation had not been forgotten, and this year, she sat beside drivers including Gérard Larrousse. The following year, she drove a Volvo in rallies and hillclimbs. The results are not forthcoming.

For the 1963 season, she became involved with the Paris-Île de France Citroen team, having met its manager, René Cotton, the previous year. This was her first time with a fully funded car, with her own recce vehicle and service crew. The car was a DS19; the DS was a model that would become almost synonymous with Lucette as a rally driver. She repaid Cotton’s confidence in her by winning the Paris-St. Raphaël Rally, despite a small crash and an attempt by another team to get her disqualified. They claimed that the loss of some bodywork in the accident left Lucette’s car underweight, but this was thrown out.

The rest of the 1963 season was spent as a navigator to Claudine Bouchet in another DS19. The pair figured strongly in Coupes des Dames, and Claudine was sixth overall in the Tour de Corse. After Claudine moved to the Lancia team for the 1964 season, Lucette took over as the team’s main Coupe des Dames hopeful.

Her 1964 co-driver was usually Françoise Houillon. The pair tackled the Monte Carlo and Acropolis rallies together, although it is not clear whether or not they finished. The Acropolis was a difficult event for them, as Lucette was struggling with illness, and had quite a severe crash at one point. As well as driving herself, navigation still remained part of her rallying life. She read the maps for Jean-Claude Ogier on the Alpine Rally.

The Paris-Île de France operation took over the running of the works Citroen team in 1965, taking Lucette with them. She continued in her dual role, utilising both the familiar DS19 and the newer DS21. She drove the latter on that year’s Monte, and was a respectable 25^th overall, third in the Coupe des Dames rankings. She reverted to the DS19 as part of a ten-car Citroen attack on the East African Safari, and was fourteenth, third of the DS19s and winner of the Coupe des Dames. As it often was, the 1965 Safari was a real car-breaker, and the fact she finished at all is a testament to Lucette’s driving skill.

In 1966, Lucette and her new co-driver, Jackie Fougeray, finally won a Coupe des Dames on the Monte. Later in the year, in September, she added another Coupe to her collection, in the Alpine Rally, finishing in thirteenth. In between, she took part in the Geneva Rally, and was an excellent tenth. This was a privateer outing in a Panhard 24CT; Jean-Claude Ogier was third in a similar car. At the end of the season, she tackled the Rallye des Routes du Nord in a Citroen, but crashed out heavily at Reims, and had to be airlifted to hospital.

In addition to her international rallying activities, Lucette was a regular fixture in the French championship, usually in a Citroen. She won the French ladies’ championship in 1967. One of that year’s best results was an eighth overall in the Mont Blanc Rally. Her international outings that year were limited to a run in the Monte Carlo Rally, in which she was 33^rd, behind Sylvia Österberg for the Coupe des Dames.

In 1968, she was runner-up in the French rally championship. On the international stages, she achieved a twelfth place in the Rally of Portugal, driving a DS21 with her new co-driver, Michèle Veron. Her two other world outings were the two classic French rallies, the Monte and the Tour de Corse, but she did not finish either. As a navigator, she was once again paired up with her partner, Jean-Claude Ogier, and helped him to win the Safari Calédonien Rally. Her brother lived on the island of New Caledonia, and the pair only entered after deciding to visit him, and being persuaded by a Citroen team.

Away from Citroen, Lucette also acted as a navigator to Rosemary Smith in the London-Sydney Marathon, in a Ford Lotus Cortina. They finished the gruelling event in 48^th place. Rosemary had been tipped to win the Coupe des Dames, but a series of problems, including a cylinder failing on the car, having to drive backwards up the Khyber Pass, and almost becoming the victims of a highway robbery, dropped her and Lucette down to third. Communication difficulties between the pair did not help matters.

A much quieter year followed in 1969. Lucette, having travelled the world with Rosemary Smith in 1968, only did one major international rally, the Rally of Portugal. She drove a DS21, but did not finish. As a navigator, she helped Jean-Claude Ogier to another win in the Safari Calédonien Rally.

Lucette and Jean-Claude married in 1970, and continued to rally Citroens as a couple, with Lucette using the name Pointet-Ogier. Breaking one long-term relationship as she cemented another, she did some rallies in France as a driver, using a Ford Capri and Escort prepared by Ford France. Among the rallies she entered in the Escort was the Tour de Corse, which she did not finish. She was sixteenth in the Critérium Alpin and 24^th in the Rallye Neige et Glace.

1971 was her last active season as a regular competitor. She navigated for Jean-Claude Vinatier in an Alpine-Renault, in France and also in the Rally of Jamaica.

Along with her husband, she came out of retirement for one event in 1982, to drive a Citroen Visa in the Acropolis Rally, which had been one of her first major rallies. Sadly, they did not get to the end. After that, she worked on the organising committee for French rallies, including the Tour de Corse and the Monte.

During her career, she was twice French ladies’ rally champion, although the dates are proving hard to track down. She was (and remains) quite a private person and not as much has been written about her as about some of her contemporaries, such as Claudine Trautmann. Relatively few photographs of her have been published.

Her daughter, Catherine Ogier-Falzon, has competed in rallies, and in recent years, has navigated for her father in historic events. Her son, Jean-Francois Pointet-Ogier, played ice hockey internationally prior to his untimely death in 2009.

Female Rally Drivers After 1950: Kenya

Stella Macharia and Helen Shiri

Kenya has a long history of motorsport, compared with most other African countries, although rallying is becoming more popular every year in many of them.
The Kenyan championship has a very healthy number of female competitors, most of whom have appeared in the last three years or so. However, even during the days of the first Coronation Safari Rally, female drivers have been a fixture on the scene. Then, they mostly came from colonial backgrounds. Now, most of them are from "local" Kenyan families. Their numbers are still growing. Ann Taieth, Natasha Tundo and Maxine Wahome have their own profiles.

Lucille Cardwell - Kenyan-based driver of the 1950s and 1960s. She specialised in African rallies, as a navigator and driver. As a navigator, she was third in Class E of the 1961 Safari, partnering Anne Hall. They competed again together in 1965. Lucille also co-drove for her husband on occasion. As a driver, she was fourth overall in 1964, driving a Mercedes with Jill Lead. She was also seventh in 1968, driving a Datsun. Lucille also won some ladies' track championships in Kenya in the late 1950s.

Caroline Gatimu - has been rallying in Kenya since 2012. For her first season, she drove a VW Golf, navigated by Linet Ayuko, but did not finish either of her events. Her first rally, the KCB Advantage Baking Rally, ended in her car getting stuck in mud. In 2013, she acquired a Toyota Levin, and together with Margaret Mungai, her new navigator, became “The Divas On Wheels”. She drove in four Kenyan events, with a best finish of 27th, in the Kajiado Rally. She was also 38th in the Nyeri Rally. The Divas entered the KCB Machackos Rally in 2014, in the Levin, and were 26th overall. They also drove in the Kiambu Rally, but the result is proving hard to track down. Caroline persevered with the Levin in 2015, and was 40th in the Guru Nanak Rally. Her co-driver this time was Saima Khan. She is now involved in administration of the Kenyan rally championship, but she was back out on the stages in 2022, driving a Toyota Levin to third in the all-female Lioness Rally and finishing the East African Mini Classic Rally in 22nd, in a Datsun 1600.

Stella Macharia - Kenyan driver active in the Kenyan and African championships. In 2012, she drove a Subaru Impreza in three rounds of the Kenyan series, co-driven by Helen Shiri. She finished two of her events, and her best finish was 35th in the KCB Asset Finance Rally. She was registered to compete in the 2013 championship, but had to miss the first round for unstated reasons. Her best result seems to have been 34th, in the KCB Nyeri Rally. Stella and Helen were supported by a cosmetics company.  

Joan Nesbitt - has been rallying in Africa, mainly Kenya, since 2011. Her navigator is Tamara Jones, and they are known as the “Haraka Mamas”. Joan drives a Toyota Tercel. Their first event was the 2011 Safari Rally, which they did not finish. They also ran in that year’s Guru Nanak Rally and the S&L Mortgages Rally. In 2012, they made a second attempt at the Safari Rally, although it is unclear whether or not they finished. The story is the same for the Eldoret Rally and the Mtaani Rally, which they did enter. In 2013, they made a concerted effort at the Kenyan Championship, running in the 2WD class, despite being a self-funded team and not being able to complete all of the rounds. They were 36th in the Safari Rally, and had their best result in the Kilifi Rally, a 30th place. The Njeri Rally and the Kajiado Rally were not as fruitful, although they did finish the Njeri Rally in 35th.  The “Mamas” carried on in 2014, and completed one training rally, the Sikh Union Clubman Rally, at the beginning of the season. They were active in the Formule Club Series, and finished eighth in the second round, at Migaa Estate. Later, they were 29th in the KCB M-Benki Nanyuki Rally. 

Helen Shiri - erstwhile navigator, now driving in Kenyan rallies. She spent most of 2012 navigating for fellow Kenyan woman, Stella Macharia. At the beginning of 2013, they were still “together”, and took part in the Kajiado and Nyeri Rallies. Later in the year, Helen swapped seats, driving a Subaru Impreza in at least two rallies: the Pearl of Africa event in Uganda, and the Mountain Gorilla Rally in Rwanda. She does not appear to have finished the Mountain Gorilla Rally, but she was 18th overall in the Pearl of Africa, navigated by Tuta Mionki. In 2015, she entered the Safari Rally, in an Impreza, but did not finish. Her given name is also sometimes spelled “Hellen”. She is now a senior adminstrator within African rallying. 

Meschell (Michelle) Van Tongeren - Kenyan driver who competed from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, initially in circuit racing. She has contested the Safari Rally five times, between 1999 and 2003. Her best finish was eighth in 2003, although the event was no longer a part of the WRC. Her car has been a Subaru Impreza on all occasions. From 1999 onwards, she finished in the top five of the Kenyan, Ugandan and Tanzanian rally championships, as well as recording top-five finishes in FIA African Championship rallies. After a long break, she returned to the stages in 2012. Using a Subaru Impreza, she was fourteenth in the Safari Rally. 

Phyllis Wambui - 2013 Kenyan Ladies’ champion. Her first event was the Eldoret (KCB Asset Finance) Rally in 2012, in which she drove a Toyota Levin. She was 37th. She also may have driven in the Guru Nanak Rally, but the result is not forthcoming. In 2013, she did seven rounds of the Kenyan championship, starting off in the Toyota, but upgrading to a Subaru Impreza for the second round, the Nyeri Rally. Sadly, she did not finish. After that, however, she got to the end of the rest of her events. Her best result was 19th, in the Kisumu Rally. She also entered the Safari Rally that year, finishing 35th. This was her first competition with her new navigator, Linet Ayujo. Phyllis also appeared at some motor shows, doing driving exhibitions. She was set to contest the Kenyan championship again in 2014, but does not appear to have competed. Her given name is also sometimes spelled “Phylis” or “Philis”.

(Picture from http://www.michezoafrika.com/commentary/warembo-bila-makeup-confident-ahead-of-kisumu-cruise/5861.aspx)

Female Rally Drivers After 1950: Africa

Stefanie Botha and Angela Shields

Women have featured in African rallies since they first appeared in the 1950s. Below are some short profiles. This post only covers stage rallying; rally raids such as the Dakar have their own page.
Susan Muwonge's profile is located in the Rally Winners post. Viviane Evina has her own post.
Kenyan drivers have their own post, here.

Irene “Leila” Blick (Mayanja) - Ugandan driver who came to prominence in 2013, after navigating for her husband, Omar Mayanja, since at least 2005. In 2013, she was tenth in her first event of the year, the Mbarara Rally, and won her class. Her car was a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo II, and her navigator was Faridah Ndagire. She retired from her next three rallies, including the Pearl of Africa event, but her fortunes changed when she switched to Toyota power. She was fifth in the Mukwano Independence Rally, driving a Run-X, and seventh in the Oilybia Mount Elgon Rally, in an Allex. The last event also gave her a class win. She competed quite extensively in Uganda in 2014, in the Allex. She finished in the top ten on three occasions: eighth in the Mbarara Rally, fourth in the Source of the Nile Rally, and sixth in the SMC Challenge Rally. She also entered the Milles Collines event in Rwanda, which was cancelled due to a fatal accident. She had another season in the Allex in 2015, and her best rally was the Mountains of the Moon event, in which she was twelfth. She was quite busy in 2016, in the Allex, rallying in both Uganda and Rwanda, although her finishing record was not brilliant. Her best result was an eleventh place in the Gorillas in the Mist Rally. She returned to the stages in a Subaru Impreza in 2018, with a best finish of fourteenth in the Jinja Challenge Rally. Irene is from a motorsport family: her parents both rallied as a team.

Stefanie Botha - second generation rally driver, originally from Namibia. She co-drove for her father Willem Hugo from the age of 15, then switched to driving at 18 in 2007, with Willem as navigator. In 2008, she drove in her regional championship in South Africa, using cars including a Subaru Impreza. For 2010, she was part of the RallyStar driving academy and moved up to the SA championship, scoring two class wins. Team Total signed her for 2011, driving a Toyota RunX in the SA championship. With Angela Shields, she ran well, although mechanical troubles caused many retirements. The situation has been the same in 2012. In 2013, she really stepped up, and was second in the Band Windhoek Azurite Tsumeb Rally. She also achieved thirds in the Total Tara and Walvis Bay rallies, in South Africa and Namibia. In 2014, she rallied a Subaru Impreza and a Toyota Corolla in Namibia, but did not finish any of her events. She tried again in the Subaru in 2015, in the Namibian championship, but still did not finish any of her events. After a long break, she came back to the Namibian championship in 2024, in an Impreza. She finished one rally, the Tara Rally, in seventh place. Away from rallying, Stefanie also competes in dirt-track circuit races.

Madeleine Britz - rallies a Volkswagen Golf in her native South Africa. She seems to have done her first major rallies in 2017, when she finished four of her seven events. The best of these for her was the Volkswagen Regional Rally, in which she was twelfth. In 2018, she did even better, scoring her first top-ten finish in the Trade Brand Natal Rally, the first round of the South African championship. She was tenth overall. 2019 was not quite as successful in the Polo, but she did manage one top-twenty finish, a 19th place in the Fountains Mall Rally. Her usual navigator is Maryka Britz or Wendy Mitchell.

Michelle Fortmann - Zimbabwean driver who has been rallying on and off since 2007. She was eleventh in her first event, the Dunlop Zimbabwe Challenge, in a Ford Escort. Her best result seems to have been eighth in the 2010 Zimbabwe Challenge Rally, in a Toyota Corolla. She has also driven a Subaru Impreza. Away from active competition, she works as a motorsport photographer.

Natasha Fourie - rallied a Toyota Tazz in South Africa in 2017. Her best event was the Bapsfontein Rally, in which she was seventh. She was also tenth in the Secunda Regional Rally. These were two of her six finishes that year. Her 2018 season included five rallies. She only finished one, the Sam 100 Rally, in eleventh place. In 2018, she also seemed to be co-driving for Johann Fourie, in another Toyota Tazz. She returned to driving in 2021, entering the Toyota Delmas Rally in the Tazz. She rolled. “Natasha Fourie” is a common name in South Africa, which does not help efforts to find out more about this one.

Megan Heine - South African driver, active since at least 2013. She usually drives Volkswagen cars. Between 2013 and 2015, she was a regular on South African rallies, particularly the Volkswagen Rally, which seems to be her local event. She was 18th in the 2013 Ocean Basket Rally in a Volkswagen Golf. Apart from driving, Megan co-drives occasionally, and in 2015, she piloted the support helicopter for some rounds of the South African championship.

Melissa Heyman - rallies Volkswagens in her native South Africa. Her first season looks to have been 2013, when she used a Golf. She scored her first top ten, a ninth place in the Peotr Club Rally. She entered club and national rallies, including the Volkswagen Rally which she did not finish. In 2014, she entered this event again and was fifteenth. The following year, she improved her best finish to sixth in the Algoa Steel Rally. A break from competition ensued after 2015, but she returned in 2017. The Golf was exchanged for a Polo. She was tenth in the Valley Bash and Fountains Mail Rallies. She continued with the Polo in 2018 and had a best finish of eleventh in the Stu Davidson & Sons Rally.

Queen Kalimpinya - Rwandan driver and co-driver who became the first Rwandan woman to finish a national rally. She first attempted the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally in 2022, driving a Subaru Impreza, but did not finish. In 2023, she drove a GC8 model Impreza and finished third overall in the Huye Rally. The driver she sat beside in 2022, Fabrice Nyiridandi Yoto, did not finish. Together, they were second in the 2022 Nyirangarama Sprint Rally. In 2024, she was third in the Huye Rally, in an Impreza.

Sandra Labuscagne - rallied a Toyota Tazz in her native South Africa in 2017. She was co-driven by Jaco Jonk. During the season, she scored one top-ten finish, an eighth place in the Witklip Fram Bronkhorstspruit Rally. She was also eleventh in the Sam 100 Rally. In 2016, she tried her hand at cross-country rallying; as a navigator, she was selected by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission for the Qatar Sealine Rally, with Cristina Gutierrez-Herrero as her driver. They were 24th. Sandra competes regularly in South African off-road rallies with her father, Coetzee.

Janine Lourens – rallies in South Africa, often sharing a car with her twin sister, Michelle. Rather unusually, the sisters share driving duties, alternating every season. In 2012, Janine took the wheel, and was 19^th in the Polokwane Rally. Her car was a Toyota Conquest. She also rallied in her regional championship, finishing thirteenth in the SA Earthworks All Tar Rally and seventh in the SAHRA Night Rally. She began her career at 17, in 2009, driving in rallysprints with her sister, navigated by their father. In 2010, she alternated driving duties with Michelle in regional rallies. Janine also navigates for Craig Trott. 2015 had her take the wheel again, with Michelle on the maps. She was sixth and seventh in the two-part Secunda Regional Rally, and sixth in the Motomid Rally. 

Michelle Lourens - South African driver who competes as part of a family team. Her twin sister, Janine, is her current navigator, and the pair have swapped seats several times in the past. They began rallying together, in 2009, at 17, in rallysprints. They did the Northern regional championship in South Africa in 2010, and took turns driving. After a quiet year, without significant sponsorship, in 2011, Janine took the wheel in 2012, again, contesting their regional championship. In 2013, with Michelle driving, they moved up to the South African championship, driving a Toyota Conquest, mainly. Her best result was fifth, in the East Rand Rally, and she also won her class in the Ford Dealer Rally, finishing 25th overall. In 2014, Michelle continued to drive in the South African championship, in an S2000-spec Toyota Tazz. She was seventh in the Hallspeed Rally, in South Africa. In 2015, she filled in as both driver and co-driver, to Janine. She drove a Toyota Run-X in the South African championship, but did not finish any of her events. Back in the driving seat in 2017, she entered the Sam 100 Rally, and was thirteenth overall.

Rose Lwakataka - Ugandan driver who has been rallying on and off since around 2008. She is the wife of former Ugandan champion Ponsiano Lwakataka, and shares his car, a Subaru Impreza, on occasion. She was seventh in the Pearl Rally in Uganda in 2008. As well as stage rallies, she competes in rallysprint events in Africa, and is promoted as a great rival to Susan Muwonge.

Laureen Marufu - Zimbabwean driver who has been competing since 2010. She was ninth in her first event, the Toyota Challenge Rally. The following year, she was sixth in the same event. The same year, she was also eighth in the Zambia International Rally, again driving a Toyota  Corolla. In 2012, she entered the Zimbabwe event again, but could not finish, driving the Toyota. She intends to contest more African rallies in the future.

Bianca Njeneza - Burundian driver who competes in her home rally championship. In 2018, she rallied a Peugeot 205 and a Toyota Curen. She retired from her first event, the Rally Ngozi, but was third in her second, the Burundi Rally. She was using the Toyota this time. In 2021 she entered the Rallye de l'Imbo in a Toyota Avensis, although it is not clear whether she finished. Bianca is Burundi’s first female rally driver, after being offered a car by a friend.

Britney du Piesanie - rallies a Volkswagen Golf in South Africa. She competes in the Algoa Rally Club championship and has been active since 2017. In March 2018, she scored her career-best result in the first round of this series, finishing thirteenth overall in the Stu Davidson & Sons Rally. Britney’s Golf is provided by the school where she is a sixth former. The car was donated to Daniel Pienaar School and it is the only school in the country that runs its own motorsport team.

Magriet Potgieter - competes in South Africa in a Ford Fiesta. 2021 was her first season in a car, having supported her husband but never done any co-driving or other motorsport before. Her first event was the NTT Toyota Delmas Rally, which took place on and around her own farmland. She was eleventh on the first day and tenth on the second, from 17 entrants. She also finished the Rallystar National Rally in eleventh place. A second season in the Fiesta gave her a string of top-ten finishes, the best of these being sixth in the TRAC and Lake Umuzi National Rallies.In 2023, she rallied the Fiesta again and suffered a lot of retirements, but she was also fifth in the TRAC National Rally. 2024 was better from a finishing point of view; she finished three rallies, the best of these being a fourth place in the TRAC Rally.

Andrea Raaths - rallies a Volkswagen Golf in South Africa. She has been active in the Womza National championship and the African Regional Rally Organisation series since 2017. Her first top-ten finish was a ninth place in the 2018 Zane Rencken Tribute Rally, co-driven by Mauritz Britz. She picked up six top-tens in 2018, the best of these being a fifth in the Secunda Rally. At the end of the season, she was unofficially named as South Africa’s fastest female driver. After a year off, she returned to the Northern Regions championship, picking up a best finish of ninth in the Rallystar National Day 2 event. She rallied a Toyota Run-X in 2022 and competed extensively in the Northern Regions championship, but she suffered multiple car problems and only finished three events. A switch to an Auris gave her a thirteenth place in the 2023 Bronx National Rally.

Riane Rautenbach - rallies a Volkswagen Polo in South Africa. She competes in the Algoa Rally club series and is co-driven by Stephno Pieterse. Her best result so far has been twelfth place in the 2019 Baywest Regional Rally, third in class. She has also been second in class in the Stu Davidson & Sons Rally. The Polo came out again in 2020 and she was ninth in an ARC Rally Club sprint. Her two rallies in 2021 gave her a ninth and tenth place. A longer schedule followed in 2022, including a seventh place in the SCC Fountains Night Rally. Although she appears to have been involved in rallying for several years, she only began competing at the start of 2019.

Sonika Rautenbach - rallied a Toyota Yaris in Algoa Rally Club events in South Africa. Her best finish was an eleventh place in the Heinesport Night Rally. 2020 appears to have been her first season in a rally car, although she did do some oval racing in 2018 and 2019, in a Beginners’ class. She also took part in a women’s oval championship in 2018. In 2021 she rallied the Yaris again, earning a best finish of eleventh in the Fountains Mall Rally. This improved to a seventh place in the Triple L Pant Despatch Rally in 2022.

Carole Roinet - Ivorian driver who has competed in Cote d’Ivoire since 2022. Her first car was a Dacia Logan, which she used for the first half of the 2022 season. She then switched to a Peugeot 207 RC and came away with three class wins from the four rallies she entered in it. The best of these was a fifth place in the Top Chrono de Cocody event. In 2023, she was eighth in the Bandama Rally, after retiring in 2022. She and co-driver Adjoua Yarene Kouassi-Lenoir won their class. She rallied quite extensively in 2024, picking up fourth places in the Rallye de Tafire and the Rallye RCAA, both in the 207.

Luné Snyman - South African driver who rallies a Toyota Tazz in her home championship. In 2017, her best result has been an eighth place in the York Regional Rally. 2017 was only her second year of rallying, after buying her car in 2016 and entering one event in Heidleberg. She was ninth in the 2018 Natal Rally, driving the Tazz. She is co-driven by her father, Edward Strydom. In 2019, she entered Rally South Africa in a Subaru Impreza, but did not finish.

Bianca Theunissen - South African driver who started driving herself in 2017, after several years of navigating for Nick Theunissen. Her car is an Opel Corsa, which she first started using in 2017. Her best result in her first year was a sixteenth place in the Tzaneen Midas Rally. She continued to compete in 2018 and her first event was the York Rally. She did not finish. The Tzaneen Midas Rally was her best result again: she was ninth. In 2020 she entered one major rally, the TRACN4 National event, but the car's head gasket blew. She was tenth in the 2021 Lowveld 100 Rally and thirteenth in the Tzaneen Rally, driving the Corsa. In 2022, she only did one rally in the Corsa, finishing eleventh in the TRAC National Rally. Her co-driver is Yvonne Theunissen.

Lola Verlaque - South African driver who competes in the African championship, often with her sister Megan as her co-driver. In 2008, they were third in the Rally of Tanzania, driving a Subaru Impreza. They were eleventh in the same event in 2009, driving a VW Polo S2000 this time. They also competed in the revived Safari Rally in 2007 and 2009, but retired both times. Their cars were the Impreza and the Polo. In 2008, Lola drove a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 and was sixth in the African championship. Her best overall result was her Tanzanian third, although she was also fifth in Zambia. In 2007 they were third in the championship, with a best result of second in Zambia. After a break from competition, which included a couple of events where Megan did not navigate for her sister (in 2010), they returned to action in 2011, driving a VW Golf in the East African Safari Classic Rally. In 2015, she rallied both a VW Golf and a Toyota Corolla in the South African championship, with a best finish of ninth, in the Classic Rally South Africa. Her car was the Golf, and her co-driver was Edward Verlaque. The same pairing tackled the Top Fry Rift 1000 Classic Rally in 2016, in the Golf. They finished in 24th place. The Verlaque duo tackled four rallies in 2017, finishing two. Lola was eleventh in the Caledon Rally and 16th in the HMC Electrothread Rally. She entered the Classic Safari in 2018 in the Golf and was 29th overall, ten places below her sister. In 2019, she ran the Golf in the Cape Overberg Grand Prix but did not finish, then drove a Mk1 Ford Escort in the Top Fry Rally in Kenya. She was 17th, one place ahead of her sister this time. After a break, she netered the 2022 East African Mini Classic Rally in the Golf, finishing 23rd. She was 43rd in the same event in 2023, having finished under SuperRally rules. In 2024, she used a historic Datsun, entering the Jim Heather-Hayes Memorial Rally.

Michelle Yorke - Zimbabwean driver who has been competing in Africa since at least 2008. She has driven in three Zimbabwe Rally Challenge events, in 2008, 2011 and 2012. For the first two rallies, she used a Toyota Corolla. In 2012, this was replaced by a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV. She has finished the event once, in 2008, when she was tenth. 

(Image from http://www.timeslive.co.za/)

Anne Hall

Anne rallying a Ford Anglia, 1962

Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Anne Hall (or Anne Newton in the early days) was one of Britain's best known rally drivers, and certainly one of the leading ladies. She too up the sport just after purchasing her first sports car in 1951, a Jaguar XK120. Everyone was surprised when Anne and her sister came seventh overall and won the Ladies' award in the Open class of the RAC Rally. The Jaguar became Anne's car of choice for the next few years as she rallied around Britain, gaining experience and some good finishes, such as a repeat of her Ladies' Open victory in the 1952 RAC event. Another highlight was a ninth place in the competitive Rally of the Tests in 1953.

In 1952 she switched seats and took up navigating, after she was talent-spotted by the Rootes team and their established lady star, Sheila van Damm. Sheila and her new co-driver rallied a Sunbeam Talbot all over Europe and became European Ladies' Rally Champions. One of their best finishes was a tenth in Monte Carlo that helped Rootes to the team prize. They parted in 1956, as Sheila was winding down her career. Anne sat beside another British lady star, Nancy Mitchell, that year, and joined her in several impressive finishes, including strong placings in class in the Lyon-Charbonnieres and Alpine Rallies. During this time, Anne continued to drive in selected rallies herself. She drove a Ford in the 1956 Alpine Rally, her first major outing for that marque.

For 1957 she returned to the driving seat with the works Ford team, driving the Zephyr. She won the Coupe des Dames in the Tulip Rally. In 1958, she drove another Zephyr at Monte Carlo, but suffered an accident. Anne was an enthusiastic participant in the Monte Carlo Rally, which led to her being nicknamed "The Queen of Monte Carlo". She was the first British woman to win the Coupe des Dames since 1932 and had a best finish of tenth, as a navigator. In 1958, she was 78th in the Zephyr, assisted by Nancy Mitchell and Lola Grounds. That year, she drove the Anglia on the RAC Rally as well.

It was in this car that she was 36th in the 1960 Monte. She and Val Domleo crashed out of the Alpine Rally. In 1961, the same pairing added a Coupe des Dames from Monte Carlo to their collection. One of the biggest achievements that Anne is remembered for also happened this year: her third place on the arduous East African Safari. Ford team bosses had urged her to slow down and make sure that she finished, so that they could win the Ladies' trophy, but she was having none of it and wanted to push for the win. Driving a Zephyr again, she was seventh in the RAC Rally later in the year.

She went back to the Anglia in 1962 for the RAC, Monte and Alpine events, but with less success.

In 1963, she sampled the Ford Falcon rally special. Her first outing was inauspicious: an OTL on the Monte. A switch to the Cortina for the rest of the season brought better results, the best being 16th on the RAC Rally. A return to the Falcon gave her another finish on the 1964 Monte, but after that, she moved to the Rover team, driving different models in the Acropolis, Spa-Sofia-Liege, Alpine and RAC events. Her navigator for much of the season was Denise McCluggage.

1965 was her last season as an international driver, and it was an adventurous one. Anne and Lucille Cardwell rolled their Mercedes 300SE on the Safari Rally and were unable to continue, and Anne, in a Rover, also crashed out of the Acropolis Rally. She managed to finish the RAC and Alpine Rallies, but not as competitively as she might have liked.

Back home, in domestic events, she drove in the Targa Rusticana road rally at least once, and finished eighth in the Rally of the Tests in 1961. 1961 also saw Anne's first major win, on the Morecambe Rally, partnered by Val Domleo and driving a Ford Zephyr. It was the first win for a ladies' team on a British national event.

Although Anne made a comeback and was still competing in historic events as late as 1993, she had not been well for a long while before her death in 2003. Perhaps fittingly, she died on the eve of that year's Monte Carlo Rally.

(Image copyright Ilkley Motor Club)