Josefina Vigo

Josefina Vigo races touring cars, mainly competing in Argentina’s Top Race series where she is one of its most prolific female drivers. 

Although she is known for racing saloons, her first senior events and the first few years of her career were spent in sportscars. Between 2012 and 2015, she raced in GT2000 in Argentina straight out of karting, driving an ADA prototype for Jonas Lodeiro’s team. She was on the pace, or very near to it, straight away, finishing fourth in her first race at La Plata.

From eighth overall in 2012 to fifth in 2013, Josefina made rapid progress in the ADA, powered by either a Ford or Honda production engine. She scored her first podium, a second place at La Plata, and only finished outside the top ten once. The following year, she drove a Honda-engined car for Jotam Racing and doubled her podium tally with thirds at La Plata and her home track of Olavarria. 

Her first Top Race car in 2015 was a Chevrolet Cruze, and she was 21st in the championship after completing the second half of the season. Her best finish was seventh at Rio Hondo. Switching from a prototype to a touring car was a steep learning curve. 

Josefina described 2015 as a learning year, and hoped to be more competitive in 2016. 2016 turned out to be an up and down season in the Cruze; she was disqualified from the first round, then managed a sixth place a few weeks later at her lucky circuit of Rio Hondo. She was 20th in the championship. 

In 2017, she drove a Mercedes for ABH Sport, having moved from the SDE Competitcion team that had run her for two seasons. She had a similar midfield year and her best finish came at San Juan, where she was ninth. She was also tenth twice, but this was countered by four non-finishes, including one that put her out of the next race. Budget was also a problem.

She switched back to a Chevrolet for the 2018 Top Race season, with another new team in the shape of Olivieri Racing.  She did not manage a top-ten finish. This was another inconsistent season not helped by missing some races. The last event of the season ended in an ankle injury that had still not healed by the time the 2019 season came around, forcing her out of the first round.

For 2019, she continued to race a Chevrolet in Top Race, returning for the second round where she was eleventh. It was not one of her best seasons, with too many DNFs and disqualifications for her to make an impact on the leaderboard, although she did earn a fourth place late in the season at Concordia. She was also seventh at Buenos Aires.

Prior to her senior debut in 2012, she raced karts, and was Sudam Atlantic champion in 2011.

(Image copyright Prensa Pro)

Delfina Frers

Delfina and Marily Schwander

Delfina Frers is an Argentine former actress and model, who has raced saloons extensively in South America.

She has been racing since the mid-1990s, starting out, as many Argentine female drivers did, in the Copa de Damas women-only series. She won her first Copa de Damas race in 1994, during her first season in the competition. Her car was a Nissan Sentra. She took part in the Copa for the next couple of seasons.

Her first major experience of mixed-sex motorsport was the 1997 TC2000 championship, in an Audi-engined Ford Escort XR3. She was not normally among the frontrunners, although she claimed at least one second place in the Light category, at San Juan. After her second TC2000 season, in 1998, she was 21st, in a different Ford Escort, with a more standard Zetec engine.

Later on, in 2000, she made some guest appearances in TC2000 in a Honda Civic, but this was the end of her involvement. She entered 42 TC2000 races over four years, picking up a few points in 1998. Over four years, she picked up twelve class podium finishes. Unfortunately, she is more remembered for some spectacular crashes, including a multiple roll at San Juan in 1997. She was never seriously injured.

After that, she went back to Ford power for the 2001 Fiesta Ladies’ Championship, in Brazil, finishing sixth overall. This championship was organised by Maria Helena Fittipaldi for AMPACOM, the Brazilian women’s motorsport association. Delfina does not appear to have been quite at the level of Suzane Carvalho and Maria Cristina Rosito, but she was on the pace, and scored at least a couple of fourth places. Interestingly, she shared a background in showbusiness with Suzane, and they both got into motor racing quite late. They had shared an Aldee for the 1997 Mil Milhas in Brazil, finishing eighth overall. This was their second attempt at the event, having gone out in 1996, in a team with Marisa Panagopoulo.

A break followed, but she came back in 2004, driving in one round of the Top Race series, in Argentina. She took part in the Mar del Plata race, in a Chrysler Neon, as the first woman to enter the series. At this time, she was already a grandmother.

In 2008, she also guested in the TC NOA series, although details of this are hazy - she only did a part-season, and it is not clear which car she used.

In 2010, she got back behind the wheel again, in the Fiat Linea Cup. She was 22nd in the Alta Gracia race.

After that, she seems to have switched to rallying for a few years, navigated by Marily Schwander. The pair drove an Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI in the 2010 Argentine Historic Grand Prix, a historic long-distance rally. The following year, Delfina did some modern rallies in a Subaru, including the San Antonio Areco Rally.

After her retirement from motor racing, she remained involved in sport, and was the director of the cycling Tour Femenino de San Luis, after taking a competitive interest in cycling and triathlon. In 2016, she managed the Xirayas women’s international cycling team.

(Image from http://www.rectaprincipal.com.ar)

Julia Ballario

Julia in Star Mazda

Julia Ballario is an Argentine driver who competes in both single-seaters and touring cars, at home and in the USA.

She was born in 1992, in Marcos Juárez near Cordoba. Her father was a racing driver who had competed in Formula Renault. Taking advantage of rules allowing very young drivers to race as seniors, he got her start in senior motorsport in Formula Renault in Argentina, in 2007, competing in the Plus series. This followed six years of karting.

2007 was a learning year, and although she was not among the frontrunners, she was nominated for a driver award. Detailed results for Julia in 2007 are not widely available. The Formula Renault season itself was shortened that year, due to the death of a competitor.

It was another learning year on the tracks in 2008, but she got on the leaderboard, finishing thirteenth. She was driving for the Baypal Scuderia team. They kept her on for 2009, and she was thirteenth again.

In 2010, she entered both the Plus and secondary Interprovencial series, finishing fourteenth in both.  Judging by her points tally in both, her performances were roughly equivalent. Detailed results are no longer readily available, as before.

2011 started with Formula Renault, driving for the Baypal Scuderia again. She took part in the first four rounds of the Argentine championship, with a best finish of fifth, at Alta Gracia. After that, she took her first steps in saloon racing, driving a Renault Clio in Class 2 of the Argentine National Touring Car Championship. This was somewhat of a baptism of fire for Julia, who finished two of her four races, and had a best finish of 19^th at Posadas. Undeterred, she signed up for the last three Buenos Aires rounds of the Turismo Carretera Pista Mouras series, in a Chevrolet. Her finishes were slightly better, with a fifteenth her highlight. At about the same time, she rejoined Formula Renault for the last two races of the season, adding another top-ten to her tally, a sixth at Marcos Juárez, her home track.

Julia’s career was now at something of a turning point. She chose to pursue tin-tops further in 2012, and was signed by the HRC Pro-Team for the TC2000 championship in Argentina. This was only the second time a female driver had raced in the series, after Delfina Frers in 2000. In an interview, she admitted that she might not be able to progress beyond Formula 3 if she persevered with single-seaters. This was a move which paid off, as she was on the pace very quickly in her Peugeot 307, describing it as easy to drive. Her second race, at Rosario, led to a fourth place, and although the season was marred somewhat by DNFs and one disqualification, she was a regular top-ten finisher, and managed her first podium at Salta, in third place. She was fifth in the championship.

Although she had proved a success in touring cars, she still harboured hopes of a single-seater career, perhaps outside Argentina. Her season began in the popular Top Race tin-top series, driving a Ford Mondeo for Schick Racing. Again, it was a steep learning curve, and she managed a thirteenth place at Junin as her best result, from five races. Mid-season, she travelled to the USA to compete in Formula Star Mazda, the entry-level series for the “Road to Indy”. She was driving for the Juncos Racing team, who were running three cars that year. This followed a series of tests in late 2012, in which she performed well. Julia’s four races showed promise, with three top-tens: a seventh at Trois Rivières, and ninths at Trois Rivières and Mid-Ohio.

Her second series of Star Mazda, in 2014, led to better results, the best of these being a fourth place, at Houston, on a wet track. Still with the Juncos team, she had eight top-ten finishes, and was eleventh in the championship. There were three female drivers in the series that year, and Julia was the best of them.

She returned to Argentina for the Top Race series in 2015, and was second in the Copa Damas, just behind Violeta Pernice. Her car was a Chevrolet Cruze, and she was thirteenth in the overall championship. If it had not been for a few DNFs mid-season, she would have been higher up the rankings; she scored three podium positions, including a second place at Río Cuarto.

She also did some TC2000 races in a VW Vento, making guest appearances at Buenos Aires in May. She was fourteenth and seventeenth.

In 2016, she raced a Mercedes for the 3M Racing team, in Top Race. It was something of a topsy-turvy year for her. She won two races, at Chaco and Rio Cuarto, the first of these from pole. At Rio Cuarto, she recorded the fastest lap. However, for the rest of the season, a fourth place at Concordia notwithstanding, she struggled for pace, and did not reach the top ten. Still, she was eighth overall in a competitive series.   

Her 2017 Top Race season was a disappointment. She ran in the V6 class with the GT Racing team, driving a Chevrolet Cruze. Her best finish was a tenth place at San Juan, her seventh race of the season, but this was her last event of the year. She pulled out due to a lack of sponsorship.

She attempted to get her career back on track in 2018, entering the first five Top Race rounds in a Volkswagen. Sadly, she only finished two, both in 15th place. In a different car, a Chevrolet, she made a guest appearance in Argentine Turismo Carretera, at Buenos Aires. In another car again, a Ford, she did the Olavarria round of the TC Pista Mouras series, finishing in sixth place.

She managed two Top Race events in 2019, driving a Mercedes. Her results were a twelfth at Rio Negro and fourteenth at San Nicolas. 

(Image from http://www.losandes.com.ar/)

Female Single-Seater Drivers Around the World: Argentina

Maria Jose Lorenzati in 2013

In the past ten years, a number of female drivers have come through the junior single-seater ranks in Argentina. Some remain in open-wheel racing, whilst others moved into saloon-based competition. This post consists mainly of material split from the Single-Seater Drivers of the Americas post. Julia Ballario now has her own post.

Maria Abbate - Argentine driver who started in motorsport in 2007, at the age of 27. She contested two races of the Argentine Formula 4 (Formula Renault) championship. In 2008, she entered more races with the Casalins team, and was 17th in the final standings. The following year, she continued with Formula 4, driving for Scuderia Ramini, but could only manage 28th after a disastrous season with one finish. She also guested in the GT2000 Championship, driving a Scorpion, and scored her first career podium, a second at Olavarria. For 2010, she switched to saloon competition in the Top Race Junior series, and scored a best finish of twelfth at Salta, in her Ford Mondeo. She returned to GT2000 in 2011, in a Honda, but only appears to have driven a part-season, scoring no points. Her activities since 2010 have been curtailed by an injury she picked up during the Top Race season, and she has apparently retired.

Lucila Diaz – races in Formula Renault in Argentina. She made her debut in the Formula Renault Plus series in 2015, making two guest appearances at Río Cuarto. Her best finish was a thirteenth place. This seems to have been her first season of racing as a senior; from at least 2012, when she was sixteen, she was active in karting in Argentina. In 2016, she was 31st in the Formula Renault championship, after contesting six races. The best of these was at Cordoba, where she was eighth. She earned praise in 2016 for her improvement. She returned to karting in 2017.

Dahiana Jaciura - Argentine driver who appears to have started her major career racing in the 2017 Formula 4 Nueva Generacion championship. She entered the La Plata rounds and had a best finish of 23rd. She did not do any more races for personal reasons until 2018, when she returned to the APAC 1.4 Series, a Renault-powered prototype series she had raced in since at least 2014. More recently, she has been working as an engineer for the Vitarti Girls all-female team in Top Race.

Maria Jose Lorenzati - Argentine driver who has competed in Formula Renault since 2008. She began in the Interprovencial series, and was thirteenth overall, after some visits to the top ten. In 2009, she improved her finishing position to sixth. She maintained this position for the 2010 season, as well as stepping up to the more competitive Formula Renault Plus. In this championship, she was eighth. In 2011, she only managed to enter five races, and her final position suffered badly. She switched to touring cars in 2012, driving in the Argentine Turismo Nacional series in a Renault Clio. After six races, she was 32nd in the championship, with a best finish of fourteenth. As well as this, she had one guest run in Formula Renault Plus, although she did not finish. In 2013, she ran a limited schedule, with two races in TC2000 in a Peugeot 308. She also took part in one Mini Cooper Challenge race. The following year, she returned to TC2000, in a Fiat Linea. Her best finish was ninth, at Parana, and she was 24th overall. In 2015, she raced a Renault Fluence in TC2000, for a part-season, and was 28th overall. She was recently described as Argentina's most successful female driver. Language barriers have prevented more detailed investigation of her career. 

Ana Paula Morales – raced in Formula 4 in Argentina in 2011, when she was eighteen. She took part in eight rounds of the series, and had a best finish of thirteenth, at La Plata, towards the end of the season. She was 41^st in the championship, the first woman to race in Formula 4. Since then, she does not appear to have competed in circuit racing, although she may have done some karting.

Maria Jimena Oviedo – raced in Formula Renault in Argentina, in 2013 and 2014. Both times, she did part-seasons, driving for the Barovero Racing Team. Out of both seasons, her best finish was eleventh, in 2013, at Cordoba. In 2014, she managed a best of fourteenth, at La Rioja, and was 29^th in the championship. She started karting in 2006, and did some saloon racing in a Fiat 128 before moving into single-seaters, in 2013.

(Image from http://www.diaadia.com.ar/)

Manuela Vasquez

Manuela Vasquez is a Colombian driver who mostly races in Europe.

She started relatively late in karting, at 23, and first travelled to Europe as a karter in 2008, as part of an Italian team, for some international races. She had previously been quite successful in senior Rotax karting in Colombia. When she finally made it onto the track, it was the realisation of a long-term ambition; she had been interested in cars from early childhood, despite having no history of motorsport in her family. Her mother has blamed this on cravings she had for the smell of petrol during her pregnancy!

In 2010, she made the switch to cars, whilst still based in Europe. Driving for Monolite Racing, she entered eight rounds of the Italian Clio Cup, and was 24th overall. Her best finish was eighth, at Mugello. This happened right at the end of the season; she started as a backmarker. Back home, she did five TC2000 races in Colombia, in a Mazda 626. She shared the car with Mario Andres Rojas, and was 32^nd in the championship.

Her programme was similar in 2011, although she was now with Rangoni Corse in Europe. The season began in Italy, for the start of the Clio Cup. The season began inauspiciously with a DNF, but picked up again. Later, she managed and eighth at Red Bull Ring and a tenth at Mugello. Towards the end of the season, she flew back to Colombia for two TC2000 races in a Chevrolet, at Bogotá, finishing fifth and eleventh, then it was back to Italy, where she scored her season’s-best: two fifth places at Varano. She was thirteenth overall. Her season was rounded out by a run in a Dacia Logan in the Bogotá  6 Hours, in which she was third in class. It was her second attempt at the race.

The Clio Cup was initially her principal focus for 2012, but initially in Spain rather than Italy, taking in some Eurocup rounds. She was fifteenth in the championship, and top female driver, after at least two top-ten finishes, ninths at Navarra and Aragon. Another part-season in Italy yielded some great results, the best of these being a second place at Varano in the Super Touring class, having started from pole.

In 2013, she moved back to Italy and entered the Ginetta G50 Cup, still with Rangoni Corse. It was her first experience of GT racing. She scored a ninth place, in her first race at Misano, and her best finishes seem to have been fourth, at Salzburg, and fifth at the Red Bull Ring. She was tenth overall.

She also did some karting, as part of a Colombian team. 

Her 2014 season does not seem to have gone to plan. She was set to contest the European GT4 Cup in the Ginetta, but this did not happen. Instead, she took part in some Top Race events in Argentina, and scored a fifth place at Rio Hondo. Her car was a Volvo.

In 2015, she did another part-season in Top Race, scoring one top-ten finish, a tenth place at Parana. This time, she was driving a Chevrolet.

In interviews, Manuela has said that her future aims include the British and World Touring Car Championships. However, despite having some strong sponsors on board, her racing career has not taken off in the way that it might have done. For the last couple of years, she has been doing media work, including a desert adventure reality TV series in Colombia, in 2014.

(Image copyright Gerardo Gómez)

Violeta Pernice

Violeta Pernice races touring cars in her homeland, Argentina. Most of her career has been spent in the Top Race tin-top series.

Her first steps in senior motorsport were, initially, down the path of single-seaters. Her first races were in 2007, in a Formula Renault car. She entered Formula Renault Metropolitana in 2008, also known as Formula 4. It was a promising debut, driving for the Crespi Junior Team. Towards the end of the year, she was second and third at Buenos Aires, and she was sixth overall in the championship.

Despite having a year of Formula Renault experience under her belt already, Violeta Pernice was still one of her country's youngest drivers when she first took part in the Top Race Junior saloon series in 2009, only sixteen years old. Her best finish in her first season was seventh, at Comodoro Rivadavia, driving a Chevrolet Vectra. This was by far her best result, in a season containing too many DNFs. She had begun the year in Formula Renault, and was not doing too badly when she decided to change track. At La Plata, she had been ninth.

A seventh, this time at Interlagos, was the highlight of her 2010 season also, which was marred by a string of DNFs and non-starts. Her car was an Alfa Romeo 156. Most of the time, she was just out of the top ten. Her Junior campaign was a part-season, leading to 30^th place in the championship, but the combined 2010-2011 Top Race championship gave her 25^th. She did not manage another top ten, but did finish thirteenth on four occasions.

In 2012, she switched to a Fiat Linea for the Top Race Junior series. This gave her her first Top Race podium, a second at Alta Gracia. After nine rounds from eleven, she was fifteenth overall. In addition to her second place, she was eighth twice, at Rosario and Oberá.

In 2013, her main car in Top Race was a Mercedes. Her best result was eighth, at Chaco, and she was 19th overall. Her season was disrupted by her contract with her regular team, Motorola, ending about half-way through. However, in the Top Race NOA event at Rio Hondo, she was second, after starting on pole. Her car was a Chevrolet Vectra.

The following year, she changed her car for a Chevrolet Cruze, and entered Top Race again. The championship had gone through one of its semi-regular restructurings, and she was now in the top V6 class. She posted three top-ten finishes: seventh at Rosario and Mar de Ajó, and ninth at San Luis. Again, she suffered some DNFs, and this seems to have put her out of one race completely, but this season was a little more assured than before. Her final position was fifteenth. She also travelled to Uruguay, to make a guest appearance in the Sonic Racing Cup Damas, a women-only series for the Chevrolet Sonic.

In 2015, she drove the Cruze again in Top Race, and was the winner of the Ladies' Cup, ahead of five other female drivers. Her season began with a Ladies’ Cup win on International Women’s Day. She was twelfth overall, with a best finish of fourth, at Parana, and nine other top-ten finishes, including a fifth at Concepción. This was a great season for more reasons than one: this year, Violeta was driving for her own team, VP Racing.

At the beginning of 2016, it was all-change again. Violeta started her first season in the Argentine Touring Car (TN) Championship, driving a new car, a Peugeot 207, in Class Two. She was racing for the Percaz team. This proved to be a very difficult year for her, with too many non-finishes and a lack of pace. Her best finish was ninth, at Posadas, but she was only 38th in the championship. 

Violeta is known in Argentine racing circles for her distinctive pink-liveried cars, and has earned several nicknames, including “Penelope Glamour”.

(Image from https://twitter.com/violetapernice)

Female Drivers in Touring Cars in the Rest of the World

Shea Holbrook

This post works in the same way as the last one, only it features female touring car drivers from places other than Europe. Australian drivers now have their own post, as do American drivers, Canadian drivers and drivers in TC2000. Violeta Pernice now has her own post, as do Delia Borges, Samantha Tan, Delfina Frers, Dora Bavio, Valerie Chiasson, Josefina Vigo and Laleh Seddigh.

Paula Calderón - races in touring cars in Colombia, her home country. Her first major race was the 6 Hours of Bogota in 2009, driving a Kia Picanto. With her team-mates Nelson Gutierrez, Pavel Russi and Alejandro Torres, she won the ST2 class. After a break, she returned to the circuits in 2012, in the ST2 class of the Colombian touring car championship. Driving a Kia Turbo this time, she was second overall, alongside Daniel Alvarado. In the same car, she was 22nd in the Bogota 6 Hours, racing against her sister, Tatiana Calderón. In 2014, the Calderón sisters planned to race together in New Zealand, but this did not happen. Paula does not seem to have raced at all. 

Maria Stephanie Devoto - raced in Turismo Libre in her home country of Uruguay in 2012. Her car was a Volkswagen Gol which she shared with Rossina Longardi. She was not among the front-runners and did not score any points in the championship. Her best finish seems to have been a 15th place at the AUVO circuit. She got into motorsport through Rossina, who was her neighbour and convinced her to race with her. She was 21 at the time.

Pamela Esquivel – races touring cars in Mexico. In 2013, she won her first major race, a round of the Mexican Endurance Touring Car championship. Her car was a Ford Ka, and she was sixth in the championship. The same year, driving the same car, she was fourth in the Pony 1600 championship, with three third places. After that, she raced in Super Touring, still in Mexico, and was eighth in the 2014 Light championship, driving a Ford Focus. After another season in that category in 2015, she moved up to Super Touring 1 in 2016, driving a Renault Clio. Her best result was a fourteenth place at Mexico City. Super Touring 2 was a more successful hunting ground for her, and she took one race win on her way to third in the championship. She started her motorsport career as a rally co-driver, and her first circuit race was a 24-hour race in Mexico City, which her brother also entered. At the end of 2017, she came third in the same race, in her Ford Ka, "Katarina". Her co-drivers were her brother Jose, Elias Mussi and Luis Rossell. She and Katarina raced in Super Touring 1 Light in 2018, finishing 15th in the championship with a best finish of ninth, at Pachuca. In 2019, she switched to a Renault Clio for the same championship but did not do as well, with a best finish of eleventh and 20th overall. Her 2020 season consisted of two Super Touring races and some endurance events. She won a GT championship in 2021.

Aixa Franke - competed in Top Race in Argentina, driving a Mercedes for SDE Inbest Racing. Her best result has been sixth at Buenos Aires. 2021 was her first season in a major championship, although she has been active in club-level motorsport since 2019, including runs in a prototype in the GT2000 championship. She was encouraged into Top Race by fellow driver Hernan Sala, having put together a deal. In 2024, she a Chevrolet in the TC Pista Mouras Argentina series. As well as touring cars, she has raced single-seaters in Formula Nacional Argentina since 2022. She is one of the founders of Racing Girls, an organisation for Argentine women in motorsport.

Valentina Funes - raced in Argentina’s Top Race championship in 2021 and 2022, competing in the Junior category. She was part of an all-female team, Vitarti Girls Racing, driving a Chevrolet. The first round of the championship at Concepcion in Uruguay was her motorsport debut, aged 20; she had trouble with her car in practice but managed one sixth place. This was her best result of a part-season, although she was a regular top-ten finisher. From 2022, she has concentrated more on single-seaters, taking part in Formula Nacional Argentina. She was thirteenth in the 2023 championship, then improved to eighth in 2024. Her best finish was fourth, at Concepcion in Uruguay. A part-season in 2025 led to 20th place, with two top-tens including a ninth at General Roca. She was previously active in karting and sim racing.

Silvina Genjo – winner of the Copa Corsa womens’ one-make series in Argentina in 1998. The same year, she also tried single-seater racing, in Formula Renault. Also in 1998, she did some races in Turismo Nacional, like many of her women-only series colleagues. Her car was a VW Polo. In 2000, she appeared in the TN series again, driving a VW Gol. Between 1998 and 2001, she also seems to have raced in a Kia one-make series in Argentina.

María de los Angeles Hanhcik – Argentine driver active since the early 1980s, although she only really came to prominence about ten years later. She did two seasons in the Copa de Damas, driving a Nissan Sentra, and was the series runner-up in 1995. In 1997 and 1998, she took part in Formula Hyundai Femenina, finishing fourth in 1998. That was the year that she moved into mixed motorsport, in the Turismo Nacional championship.  For the next ten years, she combined drives in this series, in cars including a Renault 19, with one-make racing in a Kia and a Ford Fiesta, and Formula Tico. During this time, she was second in one TC race, although it is not clear which year. Since 2007, she has continued to race, on and off, and makes guest appearances in the TC series most years. She is also a performance driving instructor for BMW.

Seda Kacan - Turkish driver who races touring cars in her home country. She won the first round of the Turkish Track Championship in 2023, driving an Audi TT, becoming the first woman to do so. It was only her second season in cars and her third in any kind of motorsport. This led to her being asked by the Turkish Bitci team to drive one their Audi RS3s in the last round of the 2023 Italian TCR series. She finished both races in 18th and 19th place. In 2024, she raced in the European TCR Endurance championship, in another Audi. Her co-driver was Ibrahim Okyay and they were third in the championship. Another run in the Italian series in 2025 was limited to three rounds of the DSG class, in an Audi. She only began racing at the age of 27.

Sharima Khan – represents Guyana in the Caribbean championship. She began racing in 2012, at seventeen, when she raced alongside her father in endurance events. Since then, she has raced at her local South Dakota circuit in Guyana, and made some history in 2015 when she finished second there, driving her Honda CRX. She raced a little at the start of 2016, and then represented Guyana again in the CMRC in November, in the Honda. In 2017, she had a new Honda, and seems to have entered the CMRC meet again. In 2018, she moved up to Group 1 of the CMRC for the first time.

Agustina Mattio - Argentine driver who currently competes in the Junior category of Top Race, driving a Chevrolet for Vitarti Girls Team. Her best result in the series has been twelfth, at Buenos Aires. Previously she raced single-seaters, starting in Formula Renault in 2016. She did four seasons in Formula Metropolitana between then and the 2020-21 winter season. Her best year was 2019, when she scored two top-ten finishes at La Plata and finished 18th overall. She also tried Formula 4 in 2017.

Veronica Peyon - race-winning driver in the Peruvian touring car (TC2000) championship. Her most successful season was 2017, when she won two races at Chutana and picked up four additional podiums, driving a Honda Civic. She had been racing in the championship on and off since 2012. She first won a race in 2014, in the eighth round of the series. In 2018, she continued in the Civic, run by the Etna team, and won her second 200km of Lima race, with Rodrigo Pflucker. This was her second win of the year, one of three. She was third in the championship, despite missing one round due to illness.

MaJo Rodriguez – raced trucks in 2016, in her homeland of Mexico, in the Super Copa Telcel series. Her truck was a Freightliner. Previously, since 2013, she competed in the Mexican national touring car championship, winning the T6 category twice in 2013 and 2014. Both years, she won the 24 Hours of Monterry, in the T5 and T6 categories. In 2015, she was runner-up in the Super Touring Light series, driving a Chevrolet, after taking three wins. She quit truck racing part-way through the 2016 season in order to concentrate on touring cars, driving a Ford in the Super Touring 1 championship. In the 2017 Super Touring series, she achieved three second and three third places. This was combined with almost a full season of truck racing in a Freightliner. She was eighth in the Freightliner one-make series and fourteenth in the Mikels Trucks championship. 2018 was another year of trucks and tin-tops, with Super Touring 1 Light being her best series. She won twice at Amozoc and Puebla and was second at Queretaro, driving a Chevrolet. In addition to this, she was still competitive in her Freightliner, picking up one third place at Mexico City in the Mikel's Trucks series. She continued in Trucks in 2019, running best in the Freightliner series where she was seventh overall. Mid-season, she did a part-season in Mexican TC2000, driving a Ford. Her best finish was thirteenth at Mexico City. Most of 2020 was spent in her Freightliner truck and she repeated her third palce at Leon this time. She only did one Super Touring meeting, driving a SEAT and partnering Valeria Aranda. 2021 was a busy year for her, with a complete year in the GTM Gran Turismo Mexico series as her main focus. She won one race at Guadalajara and was second at Leon, leading to sixth place in the championship. A part-season in the Copa TC2000 championship, driving a Ford, gave her four eighth places and she was eighth overall in the Freightliner championship, with one second place. Finally, she made one appearance in the Mexican Formula 5 championship, a single-seater series, finishing seventh at Puebla. She did another TC2000 season in 2023, driving a Ford. This time, she was 18th overall, starting from pole once at Puebla and picking up a series of top-ten finishes. She also found time for four Super Touring 1 races in an Audi. In 2024, she continued to race both trucks and cars in the Super Copa. She moved into NASCAR in 2025, competing part-time in the NASCAR Mexico series in a Chevrolet. In the Challenge series, she scored one tenth place at Aguascalientes. 

Ana Gabriela Rubio – Mexican driver who races touring cars. She began with the local championship held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, after growing up around motorsport, and watching her father comepete. In 2013, she was eighth in the Pony 1600 championship, in a Chevrolet. She moved up to Mexican Super Touring in 2014, competing in the Light 2 category, in another Chevrolet. She was fifth overall.  2014 seems to have been her last year of active competition. 

Dana Ruz - races in the Mexican TC2000 series. In 2023 and 2024, she competed in the Copa 1.8 class. She first raced in the series in 2022, alongside Gisela Ponce. Her car in 2024 was an Audi and she was twelfth in the championship. Her best finish was sixth at Pachuca and she won a "Hard Charger" award for most places gained at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. She raced again in 2025, in an Audi, improving her results and earning a fifth place at Mexico City. Her given name is also spelled "Danae".

María Luz Salvucci – races in the Argentine Touring Car Championship. She had her first season in 2015, in Class 2 of the National series. Her car was a Ford Fiesta. It was not a full season, and she managed a best finish of 21^st, at Viedma. In 2016, she drove the same car for the same DG Motorsport team, still in Class 2. Previously, she was active in karting in Argentina and the USA. Her brother, Ignacio, also races in the Turismo Nacional series.

Gisela Segade Sanchez – races touring cars in Argentina. In 2015, she took part in the Top Race series, driving a Chevrolet Vectra. Her best result was a sixth place, at Concepción in Uruguay. It was a tough season, with crash damage meaning she sat out a race, and later complained about the number of collisions in the series. She was 19^th in the championship, and third in the Ladies’ Cup. She did most rounds of the Top Race championship in 2016, driving a Volkswagen, but had a poor finishing record and was 26th in the points, with only three finishes from nine races. In 2017, she had a bad patch in the middle of the Top Race season, with DNFs, disqualifications and a few missed rounds. Her best finish was eleventh at Obera, and she was 26th overall. Between 2010 and 2013, she did part-seasons of varying length in the Turismo Pista touring car championship, driving a Dodge and a Fiat.

Laura Sanz - 2020 Mexican Super Touring 1 Light champion. She has been racing in the series since 2018, driving a Chevrolet run by her family team. She was fourth in her first season, with her first win at Amozoc and two further podium positions. She did not repeat her win in 2019 but was much more consistent and was third in the championship. Her winning season included five wins from ten races, only two of which she finished off the podium. She moved up to the Copa 1.8 class of the championship in 2021, finishing fourth. Her best finishes were three third places. She earned her first win in the series in 2022. In 2023, she only did a part-season in a SEAT and did not manage to win, although she finished on the podium twice. In 2024, she was fourth in the Copa Notiauto Mexico, driving a Chevrolet, and she was second at Mexico City. A stronger field in 2025 meant that another win, at Pachuca this time, was not enough to get her on to the overall podium, although she scored three more podium finishes in her SEAT. She was fifth overall.

Pat Sonnenschein - South African driver who raced in the 1960s. She competed in the Kyalami 9 Hours in a Mini, in 1964 and 1965, finishing sixth and 15th respectively. Her team-mate was George Armstrong. Later, in 1969, she drove with Christine Beckers, in an Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina. They were 18th overall. She raced between 1963 and 1969, and among her other cars was a Ford Zodiac, the first of its kind to be raced at all.

Martha Tapia - races Super Touring cars in her native Mexico. She made her debut in the category at the end of 2015, driving a Ford Ka with Cynthia Jaramillo. She was ninth and seventh in her first two races. In 2016, she was third in the Super Touring 2 Light championship, in the same car. She improved this to a runner-up spot in 2017, not far off winner Cesar Ortega. For the first time, she tried Super Touring 1, but only made a guest appearance. In 2023, she made another guest appearance after six years, racing a Mini at Mexico City in Super Touring 1. She appears to have done some more races in the series in 2024.

Clare Vale - has competed in V8 Supercars in her native South Africa since 2007. In recent years, she has alternated between this and drifting. Between 2008 and 2010, she ran full seasons in Supercars, and her best overall finish was tenth, in 2010. She rose to prominence the year before, when she achieved a pole position, and went on to lead a race in her Ford Mustang. In 2012, she only did a part season, before returning to drifting. Prior to Supercars, she did two seasons in the Shelby Can-Am championship, in 2005 and 2006, finishing twelfth and eleventh respectively. She had also raced a Subaru in production car events, a Porsche 917 GT car and a classic Chevron in historic races.

Sandra Villaruel – Argentine actress who has done some motor racing. In 2012, she made a guest appearance in the Buenos Aires round of the Argentine Mini Cooper Challenge, and was eleventh. In 2014, she was set to compete in Class Two of the Turismo International championship, as part of Top Race in Argentina. During the second race, at Santa Fe, she crashed her Ford Fiesta heavily and briefly lost consciousness. She has not raced since. 

(Image copyright K&N Filters)