Kattlyn Magno

 

Kattlyn Magno, known as Kaká, is a Brazilian driver who has raced in multiple disciplines, in Brazil and Europe.

She began her senior career in 2012 in Formula Premium Light, a single-seater series. She also tried out the Veloce sports prototype championship. It was quite a late start in cars for her; she was 24 and had been karting since she was 16. 

In 2013, she mostly seems to have competed in kart races, but she did do some dirt-track racing in aid of a breast cancer charity. At the end of 2013, she was chosen as Brazil’s candidate for the FIA Women in Motorsport VW Scirocco-R Shootout, competing for a Scirocco prize-drive in 2014. This was her first racing trip to Europe. A key supporter in this adventure was Emerson Fittipaldi, who met Kaká through Bia Figueiredo.

She did not win the championship spot, although she performed well in the event. A move to race in a Lotus-based championship, possibly the Ladies’ Cup, also did not come off.

Back in Brazil, she made some appearances in the 2014 Mercedes Benz Challenge C250 Cup. She was second at San Pablo, a highlight of her career that showed what she was capable of. 

She raced in the Mercedes one-make series again in 2015, but was not among the front-runners. 

In 2016, she changed direction again, and entered Formula Inter, a junior single-seater series in Brazil. She scored at least one second place. 

She moved on to SudAm Formula 4 in 2017, having sold raffle tickets to be able to afford the fees and pay her mechanic. 

After a single season in F4, she then raced Superkarts in 2018. 

In 2021, she did some rounds of the Italian prototype championship, sharing a Wolf sportscar. This was a second attempt at a move to Italy; she had planned to race in the Griiip G1 single-seater championship in 2020 before the global coronavirus crisis intervened. Instead, she made do with a Griiip sim racing series.

Sadly, her Prototype challenge ended after the Monza races, which she did not even start.

In a switch of disciplines, she competed in the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games in the Slalom category. She and Bruno Pierozan were 17th overall. She contested the Stock Car series in Brazil in 2023, competing in its second-tier championship. From her earliest media interviews, she has always claimed this was her goal. She did another season of the second-level Stock series in 2024, finishing twelfth in the championship, with a best finish of seventh at Goiania.

She was 19th in the 2025 championship, after doing four of its six rounds.

Image copyright Acervo Pessoal

Lucile Cypriano

Lucile on the podium in 2015

Lucile is a French driver who races saloons. She was the winner of the 2013 FIA Women in Motorsport Scirocco-R Shootout.

Prior to her burgeoning senior career, she raced karts from the age of twelve, winning her first race at seven years old, and finishing in the top ten of several French championships. During her time in karting, she was scouted by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission as a future talent.

Her first step into senior motorsport was in 2013, in the French F4 championship. She was still not quite seventeen. Her best finish was eighth, at Le Mans, at the start of the season. It was not the most consistent of years for her, and she was troubled by non-finishes later on, but this was a learning period. She was 21st overall in the championship.

At the end of 2013, she was selected for the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission’s Scirocco-R Shootout. She was one of twelve young drivers who got through to the final stage, and she beat the likes of Naomi Schiff and Gosia Rdest to the award. Her prize was a funded season in the Volkswagen Scirocco-R Championship in 2014.

In 2014, she took her prize drive in the VW Scirocco-R Championship. She held her own on track, and finished all ten rounds. Her best overall finish was eighth, achieved at the Norisring and Oschersleben. She also finished in the top ten on three more occasions: two ninths and a tenth. She was twelfth overall, second out of the championship’s four female regulars.

In 2015, the Scirocco Cup was shelved, to be replaced by the Audi TT Cup. Lucile was set to make a double-pronged attack on the Audi TT one-make series, and the SEAT Leon Eurocup. After quietly dropping out of the TT Cup, her main focus became the SEAT series, and it was a good move. Lucile scored her first senior win at Catalunya, in the last round of the season, having managed two previous thirds, at Estoril and Monza. She was ninth in the championship. 

She also had her first taste of full international competition, making a guest appearance in the Spanish rounds of the TCR International Series, driving a SEAT Leon. Out of two races at Valencia, she scored one twelfth place.

The SEAT Leon Eurocup was her chosen destination for 2016, building on her 2015 success. Her best finishes were a second place at Estoril and a third at Paul Ricard. Despite only completing just under half of the season, she was seventh overall. 

In 2017, she tried something more powerful, in the shape of the French Porsche Carrera Cup. She was thirteenth in the championship for the Racing Technology team. Her best finish was seventh, at Paul Ricard. Her season included a run in the Le Mans Carrera Cup support race, in which she was twelfth out of 21 starters.

She switched to rallying in 2018, entering two French events in a Citroen DS3. Her best finish was 22nd in the Rallye Pays du Fayence. As part of a more extensive programme in 2019, she drove the DS3 in the Pays du Fayence again and was ninth.

She spent the rest of the season in an R2-spec Peugeot 208 which was not quite as fast, but she still ended the year runner-up in the French ladies' championship. Her best finish was a 22nd place in the Rallye Coeur de France. 

In 2021 she got back in a rally car, albeit for one event. She drove the Peugeot in the Rallye d'Antibes Cote d'Azur and was 54th overall.

It was a quiet year for Lucile in 2022, but she announced her return to the circuits for 2023. She was chosen as a member of the all-female Volant Matmut Akkodis ASP team alongside Gabriela Jilkova. They raced a Toyota Supra GT4 in the FFSA France GT championship. Lucile was fifth in the Pro-Am championship with five thirds and one second place in class. 

(Image copyright Lucile Cypriano)

Women Drivers in One-Make Series: Sweden

Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky

Female drivers have competed in many of Sweden's one-make series, both past and present. In the 1980s, the Lady Racing Club's women-only events provided several "graduates" to one-make championships.

Eva Bornebusch - mostly raced in one-make series in Sweden and Finland, in the 1980s and 1990s. She began in the Lancia Lady Cup in 1986, where she was eighth. In 1988, she raced a Rover Vitesse, including a run in the Kemora 500km endurance race in Finland. She was seventh, with Janina Österholm and Catta Lindgren. With Karlson and Bokaj, she also made a rare visit to France, for the Nogaro ETCC race, but did not finish. In 1990, she was fourth in the Kemora 500, with her father, Kaj Bornebusch, driving a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. Both the Rover and the Sierra had originally belonged to him, and Eva apparently raced both of them around Sweden during this time. In 1992, she took part in the Renault Clio Cup of Scandianvia, and was eighth. She returned to the series in 1993, but was fifteenth this time.

Lottie Halvards-Mattsson - one of the early members of Sweden’s Lady Racing Club. She took part in the Mini Lady Cup in at least 1980 and 1981, and possibly before. She was sixth in 1980 and second in 1981. Later, she did some races in the Lancia Lady Cup. In between, she raced in mixed competition in the SSK Trophy and the Vredestein Cup, in an Opel Kadett. She was sixth in the Vredestein Cup in 1982. Lottie was involved with the Magnum Racing team, like the Lindgren sisters, throughout the early 1980s.

Siri Hokfelt - Swedish driver who races a Mini in the all-electric NXT Gen Cup. She won the final round of the 2025 championship at the Sachsenring, in the last race of the year. This was her best finish by far and she was eighth in the championship. She was ninth in the 2024 championship, with a best finish of seventh at the Sachsenring. In 2023, Despite only being 16 years old when she made her NXT Gen debut, she has been racing since 2020. In 2020 and 2021, she took part in the Swedish Renault Junior Cup, finishing sixth and fourteenth respectively in her Clio. She also tried out an Aquila Formula 1000 single-seater in 2021.

Eva Kjellkvist-Pulls - long-term member of the Swedish Lady Racing Club, who participated in all of the editions of the Lancia Lady Cup, and some of its Mini-based predecessors, in 1979 and 1980.  Her best overall finish was second in the Lancia version, in 1984. After the end of the Lancia Lady Cup, she carried on racing in the Camaro Cup in Sweden, using a Chevrolet Camaro left over from a British racing series. In 1989, her first season, she was thirteenth. Her best finish was eighth, in 1996, which seems to have been her last season.

Helena Larsson - competed in one-make series in both touring and sports cars. After some years in karting, she started her career in 1999, in the Volvo S40 Junior Touring Car Cup. She was thirteenth in her first year. By 2001, she was seventh, having achieved three podiums. In 2002, she bought a Volvo S60 for the STCC-supporting Volvo S60 Challenge. In this series, she was 16th in 2002 and 20th in 2003, running as the only female driver. After that, she made some appearances in the Swedish Radical Championship in 2005 and 2006, before disappearing from the scene. She was in a relationship with fellow driver, Fredrik Hager, whom she beat in the 1999 Junior Touring Cup. 

Louise Larsson - raced in the electric NXT Gen Cup in northern Europe in 2023. She was 17th in the championship, with a best finish of tenth at Falkenberg, early in the season. The Mini-based NXT Gen Cup took over as Sweden’s junior championship in 2023 and Louise did three seasons in its predecessor, the Renault Junior Cup. 2021 was her best year and she was sixth overall, although she did manage a podium finish in 2022, finishing third at Karlskoga. In 2023, she also tried out single-seaters, entering a round of the Swedish Aquila Formula 1000 series. She switched to Aquila Formula 1000 in 2024, finishing tenth in the Swedish championship, and also raced a Volvo in the Volvo Original one-make series. She continued in single-seaters in 2025, racing in Formula Nordic. Her best rtrack was Jyllandsringen and she was second there. After missing some rounds, her final championship position was sixth.

Catta Lindgren - winner of the Lady Opel Cup in Sweden in 1990. Previously, in 1986, she raced in the Lancia Lady Cup, and was sixth overall, with one podium finish. In the 1988 Lady Cup, she was third. In between, she seems to have done some mixed-gender racing, too, including the 1988 Kemora 500 Midnight Sun race in Finland, in which she was seventh, as part of an all-female team with Eva Bornebusch and Janina Österholm, in a Rover Vitesse. She may also have raced in Sweden, in other series of the time. Catta is the sister of Nettan Lindgren.

Emelie Moe – races a Renault Clio in her native Sweden. She started in 2012, in the Junior Clio Cup championship (JTCC). This followed some years as a junior karter, from the age of fourteen to twenty. Her first races ended in two twelfth places, at Östersund, her home track. In 2013, she was fifteenth in the JTCC, with a best finish of sixth, at Östersund. In 2014, she graduated to the senior Clio Cup, and was eleventh, sixth as her best finish again, this time at Göteborg. The following year, she was also eleventh in the championship, but she achieved her first podium, at Skövde, a second place. She continued to race in the Clio Cup in 2016, and was eleventh again. She was a consistent top-ten finisher, but did not repeat her podium finishes of 2015, with a sixth place at Knutstorp her best finish. 

Laila Riis-Pedersen - a regular in the Camaro Cup in Sweden for many years. She entered at least eight times, between 1992 and 2002. Her best season was 2001, when she was fifth overall. She was also sixth in 1996, and in the top ten three more times. As well as the main Camaro Cup, she also raced her Chevy in other, one-off events, and was sixth in the Solvalla 500 endurance race in 1996.

Sophie West - one-make specialist from Sweden. She began in the Scandinavian Porsche Carrera Cup in 2008, which she described as “too fast”, and then spent two years in the JTCC saloon series, which she described as “too slow”. Her car was a Toyota Auris, and her best finish was sixth, in the first round of the 2010 championship. She was 18th in 2009 and 16th in 2010, after a few top tens and in 2010, several missed rounds and DNFs. In 2011, she began racing in the Scandinavian Trofeo Abarth 500, where she found more form. After her first season, she was eleventh, with a best finish of seventh at Anderstorp, and six further top ten places. In 2012, she only contested five rounds of the Swedish series, with a best finish of fifth at Karlskoga, but was ninth overall. She also entered some European Trofeo Abarth rounds, but information about these is not forthcoming. 

(Image from www.redakt.se)

Female Drivers in Touring Cars: Finland

Karoliina Leppihalme

In the past two or three years, a number of Finnish drivers have appeared in their domestic touring car series. Their numbers seem to be on the increase, and some are reaching out further into international motorsport.

Martina Backfält – races in the V1600 series in Finland. Her car is a Honda Civic. It looks as if 2015 was her debut season on the circuits, and she was not yet quite on the pace. Her best result in 2015 was an eighth place, at Kemora, and this scored her her first championship points. She was eighteenth in the championship. In 2017, she was tenth in V1600. Her best finish was fifth, achieved twice, at Botniaring and Kemora. She earned another fifth place in 2018, on the way to championship ninth. She was ninth again in 2019, and her best result was fifth at Kemora. Her championship result improved to eighth in 2020, and third in 2021, driving a Mini. She won a race at Botniaring in 2022. In 2023, she was on the podium again, finishing third in the championship. Still with the Mini, she won at least three races in 2024. In 2025, she continued to race the Mini, and carried on winning. As well as the Finnish Racing Championship, she drove her old Civic in a six-hour enduro at Jurva. She ended her season slightly early due to pregnancy. Martina’s family is involved in the automotive trade in Finland. 

Suvi Jyrkiäinen - first raced in the Finnish Touring Car Championship (V1600) in 2017. Her car was a Mazda2. She was seventh in the championship, with one podium finish at Kemora, a third place. Her second season in 2018 was only a part-season, but she managed another third place in the first round at Ahvenisto. She did another part-season in 2019, managing three fifth places. In 2015 and 2016, she raced a Honda Civic in the V1600 touring class, but in a different championship. After a single attempt in 2019, she switched to rallying in 2022, driving a Ford Fiesta. Three solid seasons culminated in her first WRC round in 2024, the Central European Rally in Germany. This was the final stage of her WRC Beyond Rally assessment, to find a female driver to support to the highest level. She did not finish due to cooling issues with the Rally3 Fiesta. She is the daughter of Minna Sillankorva.

Noora Lähteenmäki – races in the V1600 championship in Finland. Her car is a Honda Civic. 2015 appears to have been her first year of competition. It looks to have been a steep learning curve; she was not among the leading drivers in the series, and has already endured at least one crash. Her best result was eleventh, achieved at Vauhtiajot. She returned to V1600 in 2016, driving a Civic again, a much improved driver. She was second in the championship, with two wins each at Alastaro and Ahvenisto. In 2017, she was pushed back to third. She scored one win at Kemora, and three second places. In 2018, she was the best of the female entrants again but not as competitive as previously. She earned two third places at Ahvenisto and was fourth in the championship. 2019 ran similarly for her; she was seventh overall and first woman home. Her best circuit was Ahvenisto, where she picked up a third and fourth place. 2020 was not quite as successful . She was third in the ladies' standings and tenth overall, although she was the quickest member of her team. In 2022, she did at least the Botniaring rounds of the championship. She is not to be confused with a Finnish actress of the same name.

Karoliina Leppihalme - races touring cars in Finland, in the Finrace 1600cc Cup. She first raced in the series in 2012, joining for the second part of the season. She was a solid finisher, not quite on the pace, but with a best finish of twelfth, at Motopark. Her car was a Honda Civic, which she raced again in 2013. This time, she was on the pace immediately, with a fourth and eighth place at Motopark. She had another good round at Kemora, finishing sixth, and she was eighth overall. At the end of 2013, she was chosen for the FIA Women in Motorsport Comission’s VW Scirocco-R Shootout, and attempted to win a season’s Scirocco racing, but she was not among the leaders. In 2014, she raced a VW Polo in Finrace 1600. She had rather an up-and-down season, but managed some good finishes, including a second place at Kemora. She was ninth in the championship. In 2015, her car for the Finrace series was a SEAT Ibiza. She was twelfth in the championship, with a best finish of sixth, at Vauhtiajot. As well as circuit racing, Karoliina also took part in rallycross, racing in the Super 1600 class of the World Rallycross Championship. Her car was a Renault Twingo, and raced in Portugal, Spain and France. She concentrated on rallycross in 2016 and 2017, driving a Toyota MR2.

Nea Liikamaa - raced in the V1600 championship in 2016. She did half a season, entering the first and last two rounds, driving a Honda Civic. Her best result was a sixth, which she earned in the first race, at Botniaring. She won an award from her motor club for her performance in the series that year.

Emmy Lindholm - raced in the Finrace 1600cc Cup in Finland in 2013, as a team-mate to Karoliina Leppihalme. This seems to have been her first season of motorsport, and she drove a Honda Civic, like her team-mates. She showed some speed, finishing eighth in her first race at Motopark and tenth at Ahvenisto, but she could not find the consistency to challenge at every meeting, and suffered too many DNFs towards the end. Her final position in the championship was thirteenth. She is the daughter of former international rally driver, Sebastian Lindholm, and therefore a cousin of Marcus Gronholm.

Sari Luoto – raced in Finrace in 2014, in the V1600 series. Her car was a Honda Civic. She was not among the frontrunners, and had a best finish of fifteenth, at Ahvenisto. She scored another point for her 16^th place in the second Ahvenisto race. 2014 seems to have been her first racing season. She appears to come from a motorsport family, and may have been racing alongside a brother. In 2015, she took part in some Folkrace competitions.

Emma Mäkinen – competed in Finland’s V1600 touring car series in 2014, aged 16, following some testing. Her car was a Honda Civic. Her best finish was a fifth place at Alastaro, and she was sixth in the other round at that track, making it her best circuit. Her other results were not quite so impressive, and she was fifteenth in the championship. 2014 was her first season of racing. In 2015, she had an up-and-down season, driving a Mini in the V1600 series. She repeated her fifth place, at the Botniaring this time, and finished in the top ten on three more occasions. She was fifteenth overall again. In 2016, she drove the Mini again, and took her first series win, at Kemora. This helped her to sixth in the championship. It was only a part-season for her in 2017, still in the Mini. She picked up a third and fourth place at Botniaring. She and her team-mates at Mad-Croc Racing won the Finnish Endurance Cup in 2018, driving a Honda Civic. After a break, she took up truck racing at the start of 2022, driving for the Schwabentruck team in the European championship. In 2025, she was back to the Finnish Racing Championship, sharing a BMW E36 with Juho Siekkinen in a one-make series. They were second overall, with four wins. Emma also joined an all-female team for the Alastaro endurance race, and finished second. Her car was a BMW 325 and her team-mates were Linda Vekka, Enni Malkonen and Milla Makela. Emma is from a motorsport family; her father is a racer, but she is no relation to rally driver Tommi Mäkinen.

Mirella Nurminen - races in the Finrace 1600cc touring car championship in Finland. Her car is a Honda Civic. In 2012, she was eleventh overall, although she achieved at least two top-ten finishes, with a best of seventh, at Häminleena. In 2013, she drove for the Uusimaa Car Athletes team. Again, her best finish was seventh, at Motopark, but too many DNFs and lower placings meant that she was thirteenth overall. In 2014, she did some rounds of the championship, but it was a difficult year for her. Her best finish was twelfth, at Pärnu, and she was unable to start all the races she entered. She ran a full season in the Civic in 2015, but had too many non-finishes to make an impact. Her best finish was eleventh, at Alastaro, and she was 20th overall. In 2016, she raced the Civic again, but only did a part-season. This meant she was not eligible for championship points, although she drove well, and had a third place at Alastaro as her best finish. She is the daughter of Jari Nurminen, who raced in Formula 3000.

Janina Österholm - switched to cars in 1987, after a successful karting career that saw her as a regular rival to Mika Häkkinen. She was fifth in the Nordic Formula Ford Championship in 1987, behind Häkkinen and Mika Salo. After that, she raced more in touring cars and saloons, including three top-ten finishes in the Kemora 500 Midnight Sun race. In 1988, she was seventh, in a Bornebusch Racing Rover Vitesse, with Eva Bornebusch and Catta Lindgren. In 1989, she was tenth, in a Lasse Lehtinen’s Volvo 240 Turbo, with Lehtinen and Robert Koistinen. In 1990, she was sixth in a BMW M3, with Esa Salonen and Peter Elgaard. That year, she also raced the M3 in the Finnish Touring Car Championship, where she was third in Group A (over 2000cc). Despite having a reasonably high media profile at times, and family support, she disappears from the entry lists after this.

Jemina Paavola - races in the Finnish V1600 touring car series, driving a Suzuki Swift. She did a part-season in the championship, entering the Botniaring and Kemora rounds. Kemora proved the better track for her and she earned two tenth places there, her best of the season. 2019 appears to be her first season in cars. She did another season in the Swift in 2020 but did not do all the rounds, finishing 16th in the championship. She was previously active in karting and won some races in the X30 Junior category in 2017.

Linda Vekka - raced in most of the 2015 Finnish V1600 championship. Her car was an Alfa Romeo 147, and she had a best finish of sixteenth, at Pärnu. She was unplaced in the championship. The following year, she returned with the Alfa, and ran for the whole championship. She was sixth overall, with two fourth places as her best results. The Alfa was sold at the end of 2016, but seems to have been replaced for the 2017 season. Linda was back in V1600 and was twelfth in the championship. She drove a Toyota Yaris in 2018 and was fourth once at Seinajoki, on her way to tenth overall. In 2025, she was part of an all-female team that came second in the Alastaro Six Hours, driving a BMW 325. Her team-mates were Emma Makinen, Enni Malkonen and Milla Makela.

Veera Virtanen - had her first season of senior motorsport in 2008, when she competed in most of the Finnish Formula Ford Zetec championship. Her best finish was sixth, at Ahvenisto, and she was ninth overall. After a long time-out, she returned to the circuits in 2013, in the Finrace series. Her car was a Honda Civic. She entered the Botniaring and Alastaro rounds, and had a best finish of eighth, at Botniaring. In 2014, she contested the Finrace series in a BMW Mini, running strongly. When she finished, she was mostly in the top ten, and she had three podium places, including a second at Pärnu. Her less-than-perfect finishing record dropped her to seventh in the championship. In 2015, she was tenth in the V1600 championship, probably due to missing some of the rounds. She was most successful at Pärnu, her favourite track, where she was second and third. Her car was a Volkswagen Lupo. She has also done promotional work for the Mini in Finland. In 2016, she took a new sporting direction, and started racing snowmobiles. She returned to V1600 temporarily in 2017, driving a Toyota Yaris, but only made a couple of appearances. She continued in snowmobiling in 2018.

(Image from http://www.l-sport.fi/uutiset.html)