Olympic Speedqueens

 

Divina Galica (left) and Ann Moore

Many Speedqueens have achieved success in other sports. Here are five of the best-known Olympian female racing drivers. This is in no way an exhaustive list.

Divina Galica was a downhill skier who competed in four winter Olympics between 1964 and 1992, in the downhill and slalom skiing events and later, speed skiing, a demonstration discipline. She attempted to qualify for three grands prix between 1976 and 1978 and enjoyed success in Group 8 single-seaters, truck racing and sportscars. Her introduction to motorsport came through a Shellsport celebrity race for sportspeople.

Showjumper Ann Moore also got into motor racing through the Shellsport organisation and its celebrity events. As an equestrian, she won a silver medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics, riding her horse Psalm. Her racing career was short, beginning with one ladies' race in 1975 and six further outings in a Formula Ford 2000.

Belgian swimmer Chantal Grimard made a surprise switch to touring cars in the 1980s. She first raced in the Belgian championship in 1985, driving a VW Golf, before appearing in the 1986 Spa 24 Hours in a Toyota Corolla. This was part of an all-female team. She also did some rounds of the French F3 championship in 1987 before retiring. As a swimmer, she had entered four events at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

Swiss sportscar racer Lilian Bryner was another equestrian, competing at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. As a racing driver, she was the first woman to win the Spa 24 Hours in 2004, driving a Ferrari 550. She had won the GT class the year before, finishing second. She has raced multiple times at Le Mans and has World Sportscar Championship wins in a Ferrari 333 prototype.

Carole Montillet of France won a gold medal in downhill skiing and also had a decent career in rally raids after her retirement. She won the all-female Rallye Aicha des Gazelles rally raid in 2011 and 2012, after class wins in the quad class in 2004 and 2005. In 2007, she took part in the Dakar, driving a Nissan, but did not finish.

Elyane Imbert

Elyane, left, in 1953

 Elyane Imbert was a French driver who raced sportscars in the mid-1950s. 

A rather elusive figure, she first appears on the circuit entry lists in 1952, racing a Porsche in the Coupe d’Automne, held at Montlhery. The same year, she drove a Simca Sport in the Rallye Maroc.

In 1953, she and Simone des Forest drove a Porsche 356 Super 1500 together, starting with the Monte Carlo Rally. Elyane drove with Simone as navigator and they were 281st overall, from 346 crews that finished. This was Simone’s last major rally.

On the circuits, they competed in two World Sportscar Championship races: the Spa 24 Hours and Nürburgring 1000km. They were disqualified both times, once for receiving assistance. Driving solo, Elyane was fourth in the Rouen GP. The car appears to have been the same one each time and it belonged to Elyane. The pair were photographed together at both the Nürburgring and Monte Carlo.

In 1954, she returned to Morocco and was third in the Marrakesh Grand Prix. She was then third in the Circuit de Bressuire race for cars of more than 1100cc. 

She did not enter any more World Championship races. The retirement of her usual co-driver Simone may have been a factor. She did, however, do some more rallies in France that year, including the Rallye Sable Solesmes, driving for a team called “Ecurie des ecureuils”, or “Team Squirrel”. She had joined the team in February, alongside Gilberte Thirion. After 1954, she disappears completely from the entry lists.

(Image copyright Mike Copperthite)

Kaori Okamoto

 

Kaori Okamoto is a Japanese driver and former actress who raced touring cars both in Japan and internationally in the 1980s and 1990s. 

She was strongly associated with Toyota cars, and often drove for the TOMS team from the very beginning of her career.

Her first season was in 1986, she drove a Toyota Corolla in the All-Japan Touring Car Championship. She was 23 years old and still acting at this point. Her car was sponsored by Wacoal, a Japanese bra manufacturer, and she initially shared with different European drivers. Eje Elgh and Beppe Gabbiani. Teaming up with Elgh again later in the season, she had her best finish alongside him, a twelfth place at Sugo. Her early experiences led to a decision to concentrate on motorsport and work only on Japanese TV projects.

By 1987, she was competing in the World Touring Car Championship for TOMS, in a Corolla, with Hideshi Matsuda. They did not finish the Spa 24 Hours, but were 30th in the Fuji 500km. For the Japanese championship, she was sponsored by Leyton House. Her co-driver was Hideshi Matsuda and they were eighth in their first race together at Sugo. This was their best finish in a disappointing season plagued by DNFs.

In 1988, she raced  a similar car in some European and Asia-Pacific championship events. A second attempt at the Spa 24 Hours led to another DNF, as did most of her entries in the All-Japan Championship, usually with Morio Nitta as her team-mate. 1989 was another indifferent year, with her best result an 18th place at Tsukuba.

The Spa 24 Hours became one of her favourite events and she was entered seven times between 1988 and 1994. For the first few editions, she drove a Corolla, and it was in this car that she scored her highest finish: twelfth in 1989. An MR2 in 1992 and 1993 was not quite as successful and only got her as high as 24th in 1992. Her final attempt was in a Carina and she did not finish. Her most frequent co-drivers were Keiichi Suzuki and Morio Nitta. 

Other than that, she mainly concentrated on the Japanese touring car championship, completing most of the season in 1990 and 1991, driving a Corolla for the TOMS/Fujitsu Ten team, and later the FET team. By this time, the Corolla was not the most competitive and could not get anywhere near the dominant Nissan Skylines. Her best result during this period was a fourteenth place in the 1991 Suzuka 500km. 1991 was her last season in the championship.

In 1991, she also entered the Dakar Rally, in a Toyota. She became the first Japanese woman to finish the event when she crossed the line in 49th place. A return to the dunes in 1992, in another Toyota Landcruiser, gave her a 71st spot.

A cancer scare caused her to turn away from motorsport in 1994. This was the second in a few years and she did require treatment this time.

For more information on Kaori: https://japanesenostalgiccar.com/motorsport-kaori-okamoto-actor-businesswoman-race-car-driver/

(Image copyright TOMS)

Junko Mihara

Junko Mihara is Japanese actress and media personality who had quite a successful racing career in the 1990s, both in Japan and further afield. 

She started in touring cars in 1990 and drove in some races of the Japanese championship then and in 1991 in a TOMS Toyota Corolla. Both times, she shared a car with Masahiro Matsunaga, who was her husband. He taught her to drive a racing car earlier in their relationship. Her achievements in her first seasons were mostly finishing rather than scoring points; in 1990 her finishing record was patchy, but this improved in 1991. 

In 1992, she changed teams, driving for the Kawasho set-up, but her car was the same. Although she scored a few points, she did not enter enough races to make an impact on the championship. Her best finish was 17th at Tsukuba. 

Between 1992 and 1995, she also raced a little in Europe, entering the Spa 24 Hours each year. She was always in a Toyota, either an MR2 or a Corolla, and usually with Matsunaga. She was 16th in 1994 and 19th in 1995, and did not finish the other races. For the latter race, she was part of an all-female team with Michiko Okuyama and Kumi Sato. 

In 1996 and 1997, she raced sportscars in Japan alongside Matsunaga, in an MR2. She was not among the front-runners, although the Japanese Super GT championship at the time was very competitive. Her best finish was 20th at the Fuji Special GT Cup in 1996. Again, her finishing record was good in 1997, although she was never in contention for wins.

In 1998, she made one appearance at the Fuji GT round in a Toyota Cavalier, but was unclassified. The car was a rebadged Vauxhall and was unusual, if not particularly fast. That year, she also raced in the USA, taking part in the Toyota Long Beach Pro-Celebrity race as a pro with Kumi Sato. She was 16th.

She does not appear to have raced since then. Her 1999 divorce from Matsunaga was probably a contributing factor.

After leaving both motorsport and showbusiness behind and also recovering from cervical cancer, Junko entered politics. She stood for election for Japan’s ruling Liberal party.

(Image from /www.jiaponline.org/)

Martine Renier

Martine Renier is a rather enigmatic driver who competed in both circuit racing and rallying in and around France in the 1970s.

She was probably a more prolific rally driver, but she showed considerable skill on the track and was trusted in major endurance races.

She entered Le Mans twice, in 1974 and 1976, driving a Porsche both times. She was thirteenth in 1974, driving with Anny-Charlotte Verney and Pierre Mauroy. Her second attempt gave her an 18th place, fourth in class, with Thierry Perrier and Guy de Saint-Pierre. 

In 1973, 1974 and 1975, she piloted an Alfa Romeo on the Tour de France. Her car in 1973 was a 2000 GTV. Despite it being a rather underpowered Group 1 model, she was 32nd overall and second in the Ladies’ standings. Earlier in her career, she had won the Coupe des Dames on the Tour, driving an Alpine in 1971. 

Her association with the Alfa marque was quite a long one and encompassed circuit racing as well as rallying. In 1974, she drove in two separate 2000 GTVs in the Spa 24 Hours, finishing fourteenth with Eric Mandron and Edgar Gillessen, and seventh with Guy Deschamps and Jeannot Sauvage. Both cars were run by Promoteam. She raced the same car in a round of the 1974 French touring car series at La Chatre, finishing fourth in Group 2.

Her rallying career is harder to follow, mainly because she did not often enter under her own name. Throughout her career, she used the nickname “Tintin”, a moniker she still uses when posting online about her experiences. Her regular co-driver Marie-Dominique Cousin went by “Marie Do”. “Tintin” also appeared on the circuits and it is under that name that her 1974 Spa achievements are recorded.

Alfa Romeo features in her rallying history but her first car seems to have been a Renault 8 Gordini, which she used in 1970. She and Joelle Godart were 16th in that year’s Chauny National rally.

In 1974, “Tintin” and “Marie Do” finished the Criterium International Saint-Amand-les-Eaux in a familiar Alfa. They were 35th overall.  This was far from their only rally together.

The following year, Martine made a rare foray outside France for the Morocco Rally, driving an equally unfamiliar car: an Opel Ascona. She and co-driver G Nault did not finish.

Unusually for a French female driver of the time, she never seems to have driven for Team Aseptogyl, although Marie-Dominique Cousin certainly did later.

Although quite a prolific driver, a lot of Martine’s rally experience came from the navigation side. She finished the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally with Jean-Claude Lagniez, driving another Alfa GTV, having already sat alongside him in an Alpine-Renault for French rallies. Her first experience of the Ascona came as a co-driver to Bernard Vautrin on the 1973 Le Touquet Rally. In 1976, she was hired by Ford France to sit alongside Anny-Charlotte Verney in an Escort, and they did the 1000 Lakes Rally together. Her last major stage event seems to have been the 1976 Bandama Rally, which she failed to finish in a Toyota Trueno with Alain Cerf driving.

Towards the end of her international career, she entered the 1974 Paris-St. Raphael women’s rally, finishing ninth in an Alfa 2000 GTV with Marie-Madeleine Fouquet, driving as herself for a change. 

Her last attempt at a big international race was Le Mans in 1978. She attempted to qualify in a Lola T296/7 with Pascale Guerie and Anna Cambiaghi. This would have been her first race in a prototype, but they were only on the reserve list and did not actually race. Only Anna Cambiaghi drove the car.

She also competed in early runnings of the Paris-Dakar rally, as a motorcyclist and driver. Her experience in Morocco and the Ivory Coast would have helped her, although her first attempt in 1979, riding for the Moto Guzzi team, ended in a crash.

She co-drove for Catherine Dufresne the following year in a Range Rover, again not finishing. Back in the driving seat, she piloted a VW-engined Sunhill buggy in 1983, navigated by Babette Schily. Neither of the two Sunhill buggies finished that year. 

(Image from motor.rocabal.com)

Jenny van Hilten

Jenny van Hilten is most famous for racing a Group B-spec Ford RS200 in Europe in the late 1980s. She is from Luxembourg, and did most of her racing in the Netherlands.

Jenny and her husband Bram bought the RS200 in 1987. It had been used as a pace car by the factory previously.  

One of her most memorable races was at Zandvoort in 1988, when she entered the NTK (Dutch Touring Car) round there. After making the most of her four-wheel-drive in the wet in the Group A Super Touring race, she was fourth overall. This was her only NTK race of the year.

That year, she also drove  an RS500 in the Spa 24 Hours, with Evert Bolderheij and Bernard Winderickx. They did not finish.

She did another 24-hour race in 1988, driving a Honda Civic at the Nürburgring 24h as part of a Luxembourgish team. Her co-drivers were Carlo Gillen and “Lou”.  

Jenny, driving with her husband Bram van Hilten this time, and a driver called Phillips, returned to Spa in 1989, in the Honda Civic. They were 38th overall.  

That year, she made another appearance in Dutch touring cars, driving a Ford Fiesta XR2. Bram had made some appearances in the car earlier in the season and Jenny ran in the final round at Zandvoort. She was second in class in the Group A race, behind Bram in another XR2.

In 1990, she competed in the Citroen AX GTI Cup, and managed some top-five positions. She was noted for her pace in qualifying. Mid-season, she was third in the overall standings, second in the Ladies’.

The following year, she opted for another one-make series: the Ford Fiesta Mixed Cup, which was based in Germany. She was already familiar with the XR2s used by the series. Her male team-mate was Thomas Wirtz, a German driver. The series that year was dominated by Sabine Schmitz/Thomas Marschall and Claudia Hürtgen/Michael Funke. As a pair, Jenny and Thomas were not among the front-runners, although Jenny was sixth in the women’s points table.

The van Hilten/Wirtz pairing did another Mixed Cup season in 1992. Again, Sabine Schmitz and Thomas Marschall were runaway winners, but Jenny and Thomas had a decent season, and were fifth in the team standings. Jenny was second in the ladies’ championship.

Alongside her circuit racing career, Jenny became an adept hillclimb driver. In 1988, she won her class in the Lorentzweiler climb in the RS200. She repeated this in 1989. The Lorentzweiler course is the closest thing that Jenny had to a home circuit, being situated in Luxembourg.

(Image from http://fordrs200.altervista.org/curiosi.htm)

Gabriel Konig

Gabriel with her Modsports MG

Gabriel Konig (not Gabrielle) was a much-travelled Irish driver who competed off and on from 1962. She was most successful in MG Midgets and a Chevrolet Camaro, winning 18 races in different series, at club and National level mostly.

Living at her mother’s Beaulieu House near Drogheda, she learned to drive very young; at ten, she was able to drive a tractor. She was a regular spectator at motor races with her mother, attending events at Dundrod and Curragh. She earned her driving license at seventeen, then four years later, began racing. By this time, she was married to Mark Konig, another racing driver and car builder, and living in London. Her first racing car was a Lotus Elite. A Lotus Elan soon followed. She rarely raced in her home country, but was a regular face on the scene in England, and also in continental Europe. In 1964, she was twelfth in the Tourist Trophy at Goodwood, in the Elan. The following year, she shared the Elan with Mark for the Nürburgring 1000km, driving for the WJ Moss team. They did not finish due to gearbox problems. That year, 1965, she entered the Autosport Championship in the Elan. Later in the year, she raced a much more powerful Ferrari 250 GTO at Silverstone, but crashed out.

In 1966, she took her first race win, driving a Hillman Imp. This was a National-level race at Mallory Park. This year, she returned to smaller cars, and was rewarded with results that went with her level of experience.

After a quiet 1967, during which she may have raced an Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite, she was taken on by John Brittan’s team in 1968. The car she was given was an MG Midget, and she raced in the Modsports series. This style of competition suited her well, and she ended the year with fifteen class wins. One of her best overall results was fourth at Mallory Park, with a win in the 1150cc class. The year before, she had been a member of the Ring Free Oil “Motor Maids” team in the USA, and had travelled to America for the Daytona and Sebring sportscar races. However, she seems to have been a reserve driver, and did not get to race. Her winning year in 1968 must have gone some way to making up for that.

Her first international win came in 1969. She was first at Fassberg in Germany, driving an Austin-Healey Sprite. The Brittan MG was still competitive, and she travelled to Italy to race in the Mugello Grand Prix, with Garo Nigogosian. They were 31^st, fifth in class, from 65 finishers. Also in Italy, Gabriel and Mark did the Targa Florio together, in the Nomad MkII. This car had been designed and built by Mark, and was powered by a BRM F1 engine. Sadly, an accident caused by a puncture put them out of the event on their third lap.

1970 was another year affected by accidents. Gabriel did not do much racing at all this year, as she suffered broken vertebrae in an accident in Brazil. She had been driving in a Formula Ford race at Sao Paulo, and crashed when the steering on her car failed. She was not permanently injured, but had to take almost a year out to recover.

Early in the following year, she returned to UK club racing as part of the “Carmen Curls”, an all-female team who raced a Royale in Formula F100. They were sponsored by Carmen hairstyling products, and Tina Lanfranchi was the team manager. Formula F100 was a poorly-supported series which folded at the end of the year and the Carmen Curls disappeared with it.

In 1972 her career went international again, with her first attempt at the Spa 24 Hours. She drove a Chevrolet Camaro with Marie-Claude Beaumont, a driver with considerable experience of both Chevrolet power and endurance racing. Sadly, they did not finish, due to a loss of oil pressure.

Despite her experience, Gabriel liked the car, and bought it to race for the 1972 season. She competed in the Irish Group 2 championship, now that motor racing had grown in her home country. At the end of 1972, she had it shipped to Guyana, where she would live and race for the next twenty years.

One of her first sporting appointments was joining the BOAC Speedbird team, which took British-based racers to the Caribbean, in partnership with the Guyana Motor Racing Club. Gordon Spice was one of her team-mates. She won at least two races in the Camaro at the South Dakota track in Guyana, and was second at Bushy Park in Barbados.

Among the cars that she raced during her Caribbean years was a Byldenstein Vauxhall Viva, built as a sister car to Gerry Marshall’s famous “Old Nail”. In this car, she won at least one race at Waller Field in Trinidad, in 1976.

During her time in Guyana, she raced again in Barbados. She was part of the group of enthusiasts initially responsible for bringing UK-based drivers to Barbados for its annual rally, something which continues to this day.

Gabriel was one of the founder members of the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club, one of the first group of drivers to be invited to join. In 1968 and 1972, she received awards from the BWRDC for being the highest-achieving female driver in the British Isles.

She also rallied in the UK more recently, doing some classic events in a Ford Escort, among other cars, including a Hillman Imp and an Austin A40. In 1997, she entered the Tour Auto in France, driving a Vauxhall GT. Latterly, she owned her own motor museum at Beaulieu, based around a collection of her own racing cars.

She died in January 2013.

(Image from http://www.backroads.ie/forums)

Sarah Bovy

Sarah (left) on the BRCC podium in 2012

Sarah Bovy is a Belgian driver who competes in Europe, and is based in Belgium.

She started her senior motorsport career in 2004, in the Formula Renault Academy. She was just fifteen years old, and reached the final on her first attempt. The following year, she joined the Belgian Formula Renault 1.6 championship, and scored two podiums. She was driving for Thierry Boutsen’s team. Sadly, her funding ran out after only three races.

Although she had showed promise in single-seaters, it was saloon cars that she initially gravitated towards. Her first Spa 12 Hours was in 2006, and she was 18th in a Renault Clio. She also took part in the 10h Zolder race and the BTCS 25 Hours in the Clio, as part of a multi-driver team. For the 12 Hour event, she was a guest driver in the Speed Action team. This was after another guest spot in the Belgian Legends championship, which gave Sarah a win. At the end of the season, she was named as the Belgian female driver of the year.   

In 2007, she took a step up, and moved into international sportscar competition. She drove a Gillet Vertigo Streiff for Belgian Racing. Sharing with the experienced Renaud Kuppens, she was 34^th in the Spa 12 Hours. The pair were joined by Bas Leinders for the Spa 24 Hours, but did not finish. Sarah was 18 years old, and one of the youngest people to have driven a sportscar on the Spa circuit. She had also only just passed her road driving test.

For the next two seasons, she undertook testing and development work in a variety of different cars, supported by Gravity Sport Management. She did not do any competitive racing.

At the start of 2010, Sarah was back in a sportscar, driving a Porsche 996 in the first round of the Belcar championship, at Zolder. She and her team-mate, “Brody”, were 26^th. She tried to qualify the Porsche for the Spa 24 Hours, but could not manage. Later, she returned to the Belgian Touring Car Championship (BTCS) and drove a Mitsubishi Lancer for the first time. She did two races with Jean-Pierre de Wauwer, and was 18^th in the championship after one podium finish. Her BTCS programme included the Spa 12 Hours, and she was seventh. Round-the-clock enduros were something of a theme for 2010, as she also raced in the VW Fun Cup 25 Hours, held at Spa.

In 2011, she was meant to race a Ginetta for JHR Developments in the British GT Championship, but the deal fell through. Instead, she carried on with development work for Formula 3. For the past couple of seasons, she had spent time helping to develop a number of cars. For a change, she competed in the Rally Televie in a Porsche Cayman, and towards the end of the year, she was one of the finalists for the FIA Women in Motorsport Scirocco-R Shootout. She did not win the Scirocco Cup prize drive.

In 2012, it was back to sportscars, and she drove a McLaren MP4-12C in the Spa 24 Hours with Boutson Ginion Racing. The team consisted of Sarah, Marlène Broggi, Jérôme Thiry and Massimo Vignali. They did not finish. For the rest of the year, she was involved in the BRCC series, in a GC10 V8 BMW. She was second in her class of the Long Races championship, as part of a rotating squad of drivers for the GC team.  

In 2013, she raced the GC10 in the Dutch GT championship, finishing eighth in one race at Spa and fifth in another. She was twelfth overall in the BRCC Long Race category, with two class wins, and won the Silhouette ProEvo class. She also became the first woman to race an Aston Martin Vantage GT3, in the Spa 24 Hours, but she did not finish.

In 2014, the Long Race series was dropped, and she did not take part in the BRCC.  

2015 was mostly spent in the Renault Sport Trophy. She drove a Renault RS in some races at Spa. She was third in a Prestige (sprint) race, and fourth in an Endurance race. Her team-mate was Michela Cerruti. Away from Renault, she drove a works-supported Peugeot 208 in the Hankook 24h Series, for Team Altran. She raced at Mugello and Brno. The Brno 12 Hours gave her a class win, and 14^th overall, driving in a team of three. A different team, including Sarah, did not quite get to the end of the Mugello race.

She did some more endurance racing in a Peugeot 208 in 2016. At the start of the season, she contested the Dubai 24 Hours, but did not finish due to mechanical issues. She had more luck in the Silverstone 24 Hours, where she was fourth overall, with a class win. Her team was Altran Peugeot, and she was part of a five-driver squad. 

Most of her season was spent racing a Lamborghini Huracan in the European Lamborghini Super Trofeo. She was fourteenth in the Pro-Am class, and her best race result was thirteenth, at Spa.  

She raced the Huracan again in 2017, entering the Spa 24 Hours, which ran as a round of the Blancpain GT Series. She was sixth in the Amateur class. 

The Huracan came out again for the 2018 Spa 2 Hours. Sarah and her three team-mates were second in the Group N class, 47th overall. 

In 2019, she is part of a revolving cast of female drivers in an R24-run Ligier LMP3 in the Asian Le Mans Series. She and Stephane Kox were seventh at Shanghai in January.

The 2019 summer season was spent as part of the all-female W Series. Sarah was chosen as a driver but only as a reserve, so she only made two starts. She was meant to start her home Zolder race as it was her birthday, but her car caught fire on the startline. She was dropped from W Series in 2020. Later, she confessed that she did not fit particularly well in a single-seater due to her height. 

Motor racing as a whole was affected by the coronavirus crisis in 2020. Sarah announced towards the end of the year that she was going truck racing with the Lion Truck team in 2021. She did one race at Nogaro to try out the MAN truck.

As well as putting together her truck deal, she did five races in the French Ligier JS Cup for spec sportscars. She shared the MT Racing car with Thierry Petit. They were 25th in the championship. 

Returning to sportscar racing proved a wise move. Sarah was asked to join the all-female Iron Dames team for 2022, racing their Ferrari 488 in the WEC and other championships. 

She was one of the main squad for that year's WEC and made her debut at Le Mans, finishing ninth in the LMGTE Am class and 36th overall with Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting. The same trio tackled the Monza and Bahrain rounds with a best class finish of eighth.

Alongside Manuela Gostner and Doriane Pin, she also piloted the Ferrari in the first three rounds of the Michelin Le Mans Cup GT3 championship, although a practice crash meant that she was unable to start at Catalunya. She was second at Monza and third at Paul Ricard.

In addition to this schedule, she and the Iron Dames found time to make guest appearances in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe and the Italian GT Championship, in the Ferrari, plus rejoining Rahel and Michelle for two rounds of the ELMS. They earned two third places at Spa and Portimao in the ELMS.

She was a main driver for the Iron Dames in 2022, doing five of the six WEC rounds in the Ferrari. The WEC season started slowly, with tenth in LMGTE at Sebring and then a slightly disappointing twelfth at Le Mans, but three LMGTE Am-class podiums followed at Monza, Fuji and Bahrain, taking them up to fifth in the class championship.

The same team picked up even more podiums in the Fanatec GT World Challenge, winning their class at Spa after finishing second at Paul Ricard on the way to championship second. Another win followed in the ELMS, the final race of the season at Portimao, following a second at Spa. They were third in their class championship.

Sarah stayed a core member of the team for 2023. They had two new cars: a Porsche 911 for WEC and a Lamborghini Huracan for IMSA and the Fanatec GT World Challenge. WEC and the Porsche proved to be the most effective, winning the LMGTE Am class at the season-ending Bahrain race. A third at Portimao earlier and some solid fourth places helped them to second in the class championship, in what was the final season of LMGTE competition. They were fourth in class at Le Mans after running much higher for much of the race but losing ground in the last few hours.

The Dames's IMSA season was limited to four rounds and Sarah only did two of them. Michelle and Rahel were 18th in the Daytona 24 Hours and eleventh at Sebring. They also raced at Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta, in common with many other GTD teams who did not run the full season. Sebring remained their best finish. 

Their GT Wold Challenge season was affected by an early retirement from the Spa 24 Hours, which counted for three of the six point-scoring rounds. Their best result was 28th place overall at Monza, the first race of the season.

Sarah's fourth Le Mans was in a new class, LMGT3, and in a new car, a Lamborghini Huracan. She and her Iron Dames team-mates Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting were fifth in class and 32nd overall. 

She raced the same car in that year's WEC and finished eighth in the LMGT3 championship. As well as their Le Mans result, they were fifth at Spa and Fuji. Across the Atlantic, the Dames entered five IMSA rounds in the Lamborghini, helped by Doriane Pin for the season-opening Daytona 24 Hours. They were sixth in class in that race, 25th overall. Sarah then got a puncture in qualifying for the Sebring 12 Hours, meaning she did not set a time, but the Dames got on the grid, only to retire with accident damage. After a break, they rejoined the championship for Watkins Glen, Indianapolis and Petit Le Mans.

Sarah's best results came in the European Le Mans Series, driving a Porsche 911 with Rahel and Michelle. They won the LMGT3 class at Imola and were second at Portimao, with Sarah setting the pole time for their class on four occasions. They were fourth overall.

2024 was Sarah's last season in WEC with the Dames, as her FIA driver classification changed and she became ineligible to compete at the same level as the other Dames. She was moved to the Asian Le Mans series squad for 2025, driving a Porsche with Michelle and Celia Martin.

Before joining the Iron Dames, Sarah had planned a season in the French truck racing championship. She does not appear to have taken part.

She is the daughter of Quirin Bovy, who raced touring cars in Europe in the 1970s and 1980s.

(Image copyright letihon.be) 

Henny Hemmes

Henny as a champion, in 1987

Henny Hemmes raced saloon cars in Europe from the 1970s to the 1990s. She entered the Spa 24 Hours fourteen times, and had a best finish of sixth.

Like many other Speedqueens, Henny got into motor racing through her husband, Peter, but initially, she was not a competitor. Roelof Wunderink was a friend of Peter’s, and he and Henny acted as pit crew for him during his rise through the racing ranks.

Henny had always been sporty and competitive, and wanted to have a go herself. In 1975, encouraged by Peter and Roelof, she entered a racing talent contest organised by André Pilette, based around Formula Vee. She was the winner, out of eighty entrants.

After proving that she had the basic talent needed, she jumped straight into the Dutch Touring Car Championship, wasting no time at all. Her car was a Toyota Celica GT which she had bought herself, run by the Eumig Film Racing Team. She was a steady finisher in all of her races, and featured well in the 1600cc class, with a best finish of third, in the final race of the season at Zandvoort. She was fourth in class at the end of the year.  

In her second year of racing, she entered her first Spa 24 Hours. As well as her first major endurance race of many, it was the start of a racing partnership with members of the Vermeulen family, who would be her regular Spa team-mates in the future. Henny and Loek Vermeulen shared her Toyota in 1976, driving for the Dutch National Team. They were 21^st overall, second in class. Henny, as the leading female driver, was awarded a diamond ring.

Driving solo, she competed in some rounds of the DTCC (NTK), in the Toyota, but was not able to put together a strong challenge.

For the next two seasons, she continued to be sponsored by Eumig Film, but swapped the Celica for a Chevrolet Camaro. She used this car in the 1977 NTK, for some rounds, finishing fourth overall, and in the Spa 24 Hours. In 1977, she was sixth in the Francorchamps enduro, from pole, with Loek and Huub Vermeulen. She set a new closed-wheel lap record in the process. The following year, she did not finish. Her co-drivers were Loek Vemeulen and Hans Deen. Elsewhere, she raced the Camaro in the Belgian rounds of the Benelux and German touring car championships, finishing sixth in one German round at Zandvoort. She scored her first big win at Zandvoort, in the 2-Hour race.

In 1979, she continued in the Camaro, now sponsored by ADP and the newspaper for which she wrote. She had “Journal Tintin” on her car, a reference to the Belgian boy reporter. It was an eventful year in the Dutch championship, with a couple of crashes and subsequent accusations by rivals, but Henny also put in some good performances, the best of these being two second places. She and Loek Vermeulen were 18^th in the Spa 24 Hours.

1980 panned out in a similar way. Henny drove the Camaro in the NTK, and was involved in some rather robust driving which ruffled a few feathers. Her best finish was second, in the season finale at Zandvoort. She was behind last year’s team-mate, Loek Vermeulen, who had tangled with her earlier in the season. The Spa 24 Hours was rather disappointing, as Henny did not finish. As a consolation, she won her third non-championship Diners Trophy race at Zandvoort.

In 1981, she was fourth in her class in the NTK, in the Camaro. She mostly steered clear of accidents, and was a consistent top-five finisher, with some class pole positions as well. Her final championship position was third, after two second places, one from pole. Another season in the Camaro gave her the NTK win she had been waiting for, in the Trophy of the Dunes, and she was second in the ADAC Nordsee Cup, both at Zandvoort. Due to her not completing the whole season, she was second in the championship. After two non-finishes, she managed to get to the end of another Spa 24 Hours in 1983, driving a Mazda RX-7 rather than the Camaro. She was 17^th overall, with Hans van der Beek and Fred Frankenhout.

After her race win in 1983, she got her championship in 1984, winning the over 2500cc class of the NTK in the Camaro. It was a dominant performance, with four wins from eight races, including an outright victory against faster cars in the season finale. Driving a BMW in the Spa 24 Hours, she was eleventh, with Břetislav Enge.

1985 began well, with a second place, but for much of the season, Henny struggled or was absent from the NTK. She also sat out the Spa 24 Hours for the first time in several years. The following year, she did not appear in the NTK, although she had been due to drive a BMW. Instead, she raced trucks for DAF and Liaz. She returned to touring cars for the Spa 24 Hours, driving a Toyota Corolla as part of an all-female team, with Anny-Charlotte Verney and Chantal Grimard. They were 25^th.

A return to the NTK in 1987 was very successful. Henny had moved on from the ageing Camaro, and raced a Ford Sierra Cosworth, sponsored by Blaupunkt. She was the Division One champion, with one win and two second places.  

She was second in Division One in 1988, although it was a fighting performance in the Sierra, with three wins. Only Ger van Krimpen’s second-place tally put him ahead. She drove a Toyota Corolla in the Spa 24 Hours, but did not finish.

A new three-door Sierra arrived for her in 1989, and she proved herself still a force to be reckoned with at the Colmar Berg round of the NTK, in Luxembourg. She won both Production heats, and the final. At the Clubraces in April, she was a hard-fighting second. These results gave her fourth in the championship.

After a year’s gap, Henny returned to the Spa 24 Hours in 1990. She was driving a Honda Civic for Team Seikel, and won her class. She and her team-mates, Peter Seikel and Stanislao de Angelis, were 19^th overall. Her other activities this year included the European Community Challenge, a road rally through twelve EC states, in a Ford Sierra. Her second run in the Challenge, with a team of fellow woman journalists in 1991, brought a sixth place, and a record for the best female result, and the best result for a media team. A second Spa 24 Hours for Team Seikel ended in another class win, after Henny, Dagmar Suster and Lothar Schörg were 21^st.

1992 saw her last participation in the Spa 24 Hours. It was a third outing in the Seikel Honda Civic, and she was 23^rd, with another class win. Her co-drivers were Astrid Hild and Thomas Müller.

Her full-time professional racing career ends here, although she continued to be active for a while longer. She was named as a third driver for the Seikel team in the ADAC GT Championship in Germany, in a Honda NSX, but was a reserve only. In 1994, she was sixth in the Neon Challenge support race for the Detroit Grand Prix.

After that, she stopped racing wheel-to-wheel, but continued testing cars, as part of her job as a motoring journalist, and broke some speed records. In 1996, she drove a Saab 900 at Talladega Speedway, and set a new one-hour world record. In 2007, she drove a Saleen in a speed shootout in California. She won a “Hot Shoe Award” for her speed.

Henny continued to write about motoring and test cars for a number of publications, including AutoWeek. She worked as a motoring writer from 1979 onwards and was also a member of the FIA's Women in Motorsport Commission.

She died in April 2019, aged 70.

(Image copyright Gerrie Hoekstra)

Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, 2001-present

A victorious Lilian Bryner and her Care Racing team-mates in 2004

After 2000, the Spa 24 Hours became a race for sports and GT cars. It was part of the FIA GT Championship from 2001 until the series' demise in 2009. After one year as part of the FIA GT2 European Cup, it was picked up by the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Women drivers have continued to play an important role, none more so than Lilian Bryner, who became the first female winner in 2004. In recent years, the number of female entrants has declined, but this may change in the future. Parts 1 and 2 of this list are here.

2001

Vanina Ickx/Xavier Pompidou/Christophe Tinseau/Tim Verbergt (Porsche 996 GT3-RS) – DNF

2002

Sylvie Delcour/Philippe Tollenaire/Loic Deman (Porsche 996 GT3-Cup) – 21^st

Fanny Duchateau/Jean-François Hemroulle/Jeffrey van Hooydonk (Vertigo Streiff) – 26^th

Vanina Ickx/Renaud Kuppens/David Saelens (Gillet Vertigo Streiff) – DNF

Lilian Bryner/Marco Zadra/Andrea Piccini/Jean-Denis Déletraz (Ferrari 550 Maranello) – disqualified

2003

Lilian Bryner/Enzo Calderari/Fabrizio Gollin/Luca Capellari (Ferrari 550 Maranello) – 2^nd (1^st in GT class)

Sylvie Delcour/Loic Deman/Peter Scharmarch/Christian Land (Porsche 996 GT3 Cup) – 12^th (1^st in Class G3)

Vanina Ickx/Jean-Luc Blanchemain/Stefano Zonca/Pertti Kuismanen (Chrysler Viper GTS-R) – DNF

Paula Cook/Jacques Laffite/Neil Cunningham (Morgan Aero 8) – DNF

2004

Lilian Bryner/Enzo Calderari/Luca Capellari/Fabrizio Gollin (Ferrari 550 Maranello) – 1^st

Vanina Ickx/ Jean-François Hemroulle/Peter Wyss (Porsche 996 GT3 Cup) – 10^th

Liz Halliday/Moreno Soli/Franco Groppi/Luigi Moccia (Porsche 996 GT3 Cup RSR) – 14^th

Sylvie Delcour/Lino Pecoraro/Philippe Ménage/José Close (Lotus Elise) – N/C

Fanny Duchateau/Loic Deman/Marc Duez/Stéphane Lémeret (Chrysler Viper GTS-R) – DNF

2005

Lilian Bryner/Enzo Calderari/Steve Zacchia/Frédéric Bouvy (Ferrari 550 Maranello GTS) – 4^th

Vanina Ickx/ Jean-François Hemroulle/Heinz-Josef Bermes/Helmut Reis (Porsche 911 GT3) – DNF

Liz Halliday/Justin Keen/Bobby Verdon-Roe/Jens Møller (Lister Storm GT) – DNF

Sylvie Delcour/Jérôme d’Ambrosio/Renaud Kuppens/Bas Leinders (Gillet Vertigo Streiff) – DNF

2007

Sarah Bovy/Bas Leinders/Renaud Kuppens (Giller Vertigo Streiff) – DNF

2008

Catherine Dèsbrueres/Daniel Dèsbrueres/Eric Hélary/Vincent Radermecker (Ferrari F430) – DNF

2011

Claudia Hürtgen/Edward Sandström/Dirk Werner (BMW Z4 GT3) – 2^nd

2012

Michela Cerruti/Tom Coronel/Stefano Colombo/Edoardo Liberati (BMW Z4 GT3) – DNF

Sarah Bovy/Marlène Broggi/ Jérôme Thiry/Massimo Vagliani (McLaren MP4-12C) – DNF

2013

Rahel Frey/Matt Halliday/Nikolaus Mayr-Meinhof (Audi R8 LMS) – DNF

Sarah Bovy/Michael Schmetz/Pierre Grivegnée/Bert Redant (Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3) – DNF

Michela Cerruti/Stefano Comandini/Luca Rangoni (BMW Z4 GT3) – DNF

Marlène Broggi/Christophe de Fierlant/Karim Ojjeh/Laurent Pasquali (McLarenMP4-12C) – DNF

2014

Michela Cerruti/Stefano Comandini/Stefano Colombo/Eugenio Amos (BMW Z4 GT3) – 35^th

Marlène Broggi/Pierre Hirschi/Philippe Richard/Philippe Bourgeois (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) – 39^th

2016
Michela Cerruti/Loris Spinelli/Cedric Sbirazuolli/Gilles Vannelet (Lamborghini Huracan GT3) - 28th

2017
Sarah Bovy/Giorgio Maggi/Jurgen Krebs/Clement Mateau (Lamborghini Huracan GT3) - 31st

2018
Sarah Bovy/Beniamino Caccia/Andrew Haryanto/Andres Josephsohn (Lamborghini Huracan GT3) - 47th

2019
Christina Nielsen/Richard Heistand/David Fumanelli/Jack Hawksworth (Mercedes-AMG GT3) - 32nd
Angelique Detavernier/Loic Deman/Stephane Lemeret/Marc Duez (Porsche Cup MR) - N/C

2022

Rahel Frey/Michelle Gatting/Sarah Bovy/Doriane Pin (Ferrari 488) - 18th (Gold class win)

Reema Juffali/Tim Muller/George Kurtz/Valentin Pierburg (Mercedes-AMG GT3) - 34th (Bronze class win)

Samantha Tan/Maxime Oosten/Nick Wittmer/Harry Gottsacker (BMW M4 GT3) - 36th

2023

Lilou Wadoux/Louis Machiels/Jef Machiels/Andrea Bertolini (Ferrari 488) - 26th

Reema Juffali/Ralf Aron/Yannick Mettler/Alain Valente (Mercedes-AMG GT3) - DNF

Samantha Tan/Jon Miller/Isaac Tutumlu Lopez/Leonard Weiss (Ferrari 296 GT3) - DNF

Rahel Frey/Michelle Gatting/Sarah Bovy/Doriane Pin (Lamborghini Huracan) - DNF

2024

Lilou Wadoux/Eddie Cheever III/Chris Froggatt/Jonathan Hui (Ferrari F163CE) - 16th

(Image from http://talkingxena.yuku.com/)

Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, 1974-2000

Henny Hemmes and Huub Vermeulen

The Spa 24 Hours ran continuously throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. From 1974 to 1981, it was part of the Trophée de l'Avenir, with one "guest spot" as an ETCC race in 1976. In 1981, it was also included in the World Endurance Championship, before switching back to an ETCC event in 1982. From 1989 to 2000, it was still a touring car race, but not part of a major championship. During this time, female drivers featured in every race, and scored many good finishes. Henny Hemmes was the queen of Spa at this time, racing in the 24 hours fourteen times, with a best finish of second. The first part of this list can be found here. 

1974

Martine Renier ("Tintin")/Guy Deschamps/Jeannot Sauvage (Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV) - 7th
Martine Renier ("Tintin")/Eric Mandron/Edgar Gillessen (Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV) - 14th
Yvette Fontaine/Claude Bourgoignie (Ford Capri II) – DNF

1975

Yvette Fontaine/”Pedro” (BMW 3.0 CSi) – 2^nd

Christine Beckers/Jenny Birrell/Marianne Hoepfner (Triumph Dolomite) – 24^th

1976

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen (Toyota Celica GT) – 21^st

Yvette Fontaine/Stuart Graham/Reine Wisell (Chevrolet Camaro) – DNF

1977

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen/Huub Vermeulen (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – 6^th

1978

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen/Hans Deen (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – DNF

Christine Beckers/Daniel Rombaut/Huub Nijsten (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV) – DNF

Lella Lombardi/Thierry Boutsen/Marc Duez (Toyota Sprinter Tueno) – DNF

1979

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – 18^th

Christine Beckers/Pascal Witmeur/Jean-Paul Libert (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – N/C

Anny-Charlotte Verney/Jean-Pierre Delaunay/Cyril Grandet (Ford Escort II RS 2000) – DNF

1980

Christine Beckers/Heinz-Jürgen Hoffknecht/Marc Piessens (VW Scirocco GTi) – DNF

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen/Huub Vermeulen (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – DNF

1981

Marianne Hoepfner/Derek Bell/Alain Cudini/Jean-Louis Trintigant (BMW 530i) – 7^th

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – DNF

Anny-Charlotte Verney/Jean-Louis Schlesser/Alain Ferté (Ford Capri III) – DNF

Kathy Rude/Quirin Bovy/Jean-Claude Lagniez (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – DNF

1982

Lella Lombardi/Tony Palma/Marcello Gallo (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6) – 12^th

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen/Huub Vermeulen (Chevrolet Camaro) – DNF

1983

Henny Hemmes/Fred Frankenhout/Hans van der Beek (Mazda RX-7) – 14^th

Lella Lombardi/Roberto Marazzi/Giancarlo Naddeo (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6) – DNF

1984

Henny Hemmes/Břetislav Enge (BMW 635 CSi) – 11^th

Lella Lombardi/Giorgio Francia/”Tango” (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6) – 16^th (1^st in Division 2)

1985

Lella Lombardi/Rinaldo Drovandi/”Spiffero” (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6) – DNF

Annette Meeuvissen/Arno Wester/Jörg van Ommen (Ford Escort RS 1600i) – result unknown

1986

Lella Lombardi/Rinaldo Drovandi/Roberto Castagna (Alfa Romeo 75) – 8^th

Anny-Charlotte Verney/Chantal Grimard/Henny Hemmes (Toyota Corolla GT) – 25^th

1987

Annette Meeuvissen/Mercedes Stermitz/Gerrit van Kouwen (BMW M3) – 7^th

1988

Ellen Lohr/Frank Schmickler/Michael Bartels (BMW M3) – 7^th

Patricia Bertapelle/Valentin Bertapelle/Freddy Fruhauf (BMW 635 CSi) – 24^th

Kaori Okamoto/Kaoru Hoshino/Keiichi Suzuki (Toyota Corolla GTi) – N/C

Jenny van Hilten/Evert Bolderheij/ Bernard Winderickx (Ford Sierra RS 500) – DNF

Henny Hemmes/Claude Holvoet/Eddy van Esch (Toyota Corolla GTi) – DNF

1989

Kaori Okamoto/Morio Nitta/Hideshi Matsuda (Toyota Corolla GT) – 12^th

Jenny van Hilten/Bram van Hilten/Philips (Honda Civic) – 34^th

1990

Ellen Lohr/Altfrid Heger/Patrick Slaus/Franz Engstler (BMW M3) – 5^th

Anny-Charlotte Verney/Hideo Fukuyama/Naoki Hattori (Nissan Skyline GT-R) – 12^th

Henny Hemmes/Peter Seikel/Stanislao de Angelis (Honda Civic V-Tec) – 19^th (1^st in Class N2)

Kaori Okamoto/Morio Nitta/Patrick Snijers (Toyota Corolla GT) – DNF

1991

Kaori Okamoto/Naoki Nagasaka/Phil Dowsett (Toyota Corolla GT) – 20^th

Henny Hemmes/Dagmar Suster/Lothar Schörg (Honda Civic V-Tec) – 21^st

Giovanna Amati/Patrick de Radigues/François Turco (Peugeot 309 GTi) – DNF

1992

Annette Meeuvissen/Marc Gindorf/Heiner Weis (BMW M3) – 17^th

Henny Hemmes/Astrid Hild/Thomas Müller (Honda Civic V-Tec) – 23^rd (1^st in Class NB1.6)

Kaori Okamoto/Morio Nitta/Suzuki (Toyota MR-2) – 24^th

Jutta Kleinschmidt/André Carlier/D. Phillips (BMW M5) – N/C

Junko Mihara/Masahiro Matsunaga/Hideo Uehara (Toyota MR-2) – DNF

1993

Lilian Bryner/Enzo Calderari/Luigino Pagotto (Porsche 911 Carrera RS) – 9^th

Kaori Okamoto/Morio Nitta/Keiichi Suzuki (Toyota MR-2) – DNF

1994

Kumi Sato/Daniel Brillat/Patrick Bastiaens (Honda Civic V-Tec) – 13^th

Junko Mihara/Satoshi Yamaguchi/Masahiro Matsunaga (Toyota Corolla) – 16^th

Florence Duez/Blaton/Alain Thiebaut (Renault Clio) – 18^th

Kaori Okamoto/Morio Nitta/Keiichi Suzuki (Toyota Carina E) – DNF

Kate Rafanelli/Didier Stassart/Benoit Galand (BMW 325i) – DNF

1995

Florence Duez/Paul Grutman/Michel Schmitz (Renault Clio) – 18^th

Junko Mihara/Michiko Okuyama/Kumi Sato (Toyota Corolla) – 19^th

Katja Müller/Dietmar Konopka/Torsten Neuenbölen (Renault Clio) – DNF

1996

Kate Rafanelli/Yolanda Surer/Florence Duez (BMW M3) – 4^th (1^st in Spa 3.0 class)

Isolde Holderied/Freddy Loix/Renaud Verreydt (Toyota Carina GTi) – 8^th

Vanina Ickx/Christian Jupsin/Pascal Tillekaerts (Honda Civic VTi) – 16^th

Sylvie Delcour/Michel Lambermont/Bernard Dethier (Nissan Sunny GTi) – DNF

Heather Spurle/B. Lawrence/Luff (Peugeot 306 16S) – DNF

1997

Tamara Vidali/Yvan Muller/Brad Jones (Volkswagen Golf TDi) – 12th

Sylvie Delcour/Michel Lambermont/Frédéric Baugnée (Renault Clio Williams) – 25^th

Vanina Ickx/Kate Rafanelli/Florence Duez (BMW M3) – DNF

Paula Cook/Luca Canni-Ferrari/Nicola Bertolucci (BMW M3) – DNF

1998

Sylvie Delcour/Mathias Viaene/Frédéric Baugnée (BMW 320i) – 14^th

Florence Duez/Alain Courmont/Hervé Lelong (Suzuki Baleno) – 26^th

Vanina Ickx/Jacky Ickx (Renault Mégane) – DNF

1999

Vanina Ickx/Mathias Viaene/Martial Chouvel (Renault Mégane) – 5^th

Sylvie Delcour/Damien Chaballe/Etienne Baugnée (BMW 320i) – 7^th

2000

Vanina Ickx/Anthony Beltoise/Thierry van Dalen (Peugeot 306 GTi) – 3^rd

Fanny Duchateau/Jean-François Hemroulle/Tim Verbergt (VW Bora TDi) – 6^th (1^st in SPD class)

Sylvie Delcour/Eric Jamar/Frédéric Baugnée (BMW 320i) – DNF

Catherine Liegeois/Michel Wilders/Alexandre Leens (Honda Integra Type R) – DNF

(Image from www.racehstorie.nl)