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Smokey Drolet (in car) with Donna Mae Mims

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Female Rally Drivers After 1950: Italy in the 21st Century

Federica Lio

This post discusses the large number of Italian rally drivers who have begun their careers since 2000. For earlier Italian rally drivers, look here. Tamara Molinaro has her own post.

Sara Baldacci - started her career as a co-driver in 2004, and still navigates as well as driving herself. Her first rally as a driver was the Rallysprint Monteregio in 2006. driving a Peugeot 106. She returned to Monteregio in an MG ZR in 2011, to take part in the Ronde del Monteregio, and was 61st. In 2013, she had a bigger programme of events as a driver. One highlight was a class win on the Rally del Friuli Venezia Giulia. She was 42nd overall. That year, she used both a Citroen C2 and a Citroen Saxo, both running in class A6. In 2014, she spent most of the year in the co-driver's seat, but made at least two starts in Italian rallies. She came 49th in the Rally del Ciocchetto and the Rally Alta Val di Cecina, using a Clio and a Saxo respectively. In 2015, she rallied a Peugeot 208, and had a best finish of 35th in the Alta Val di Cecina. For 2016, she returned to the co-driver's seat. In 2021 she made a small comeback as a driver, rallying a Peugeot 208 and an MG ZR in Italian national events. She revisited the Ciocchetto rally in 2022, driving the 208, but did not finish. She finished it in 2023, coming 58th. Another visit in 2024, driving a Rally5 Clio, gave her 60th place. 

Luciana Bandini – active in Italian rallies since at least 2001. Her first car was a Peugeot 205, but for most of her career, she has driven a Renault Clio. Her career best finish is 21^st, in the 2015 Coppa Città di Lucca. That season, she went back to rallying a 205. In the same car, she achieved a class win in the Reggello e Valdarno Fiorentino Rally, and was 24^th overall.  Among the co-drivers she worked with in 2015 was fellow driver, Susanna Mazzetti.  She was competing against Barbara Lencioni for the Italian women’s title. In 2016, she rallied a Renault Clio Williams, and scored three top-twenty finishes. The best of these was a seventeenth place in the Rally Alta Val di Cecina. She continued to be competitive in 2017 in the Clio, and was 16th in the Rally di Reggello. 2018 started badly with a run of DNFs but she improved later on, picking up a best finish of 17th in the Rally di Casciana Terme. Casciana Terme was her best event in 2019 also: she was 24th. She later won her class in the Rally Il Ciocco e Valle del Serchio. 2020 was very similar for her, with a best finish of 30th in the Casciana Terme Rally, one of her usual scheduled events. She was 26th in the 2021 Rally di Casciana Terme, from 70 finishers, in the Clio. This was one of six rallies she did that year. The Clio came out again in 2022 for three events, including a 29th place (from 54) in the Rally degli Abeti e dell'Abetone. She did not finish her two rallies in the Clio in 2023. After a gap, she came back for the 2025 Rally delle Colline Metallifere e Pomerance, finishing 23rd in the Clio and winning her class.

Alice Binello - rallies a Renault in Italian asphalt events. She began in 2019, driving a Twingo. Her best result was a 51st place in the Rally Nazionale Il Grappolo. Her co-driver was her younger sister Alessia. In 2020, she drove a Clio, supported by Turismotors. She has entered two WRC rallies, the Alba events in 2019 and 2020, finishing both times and with a best finish of 105th. The Alba Rally was relegated to national status again in 2021 and Alice managed to roll her car, although she returned to the stages later in the year. Her year in 2022 was similar, including an accident on the Rally Trofeo delle Merende. She did two rallies in the 208 in 2023, finishing both. A couple more followed in 2024, still in the 208, and she came back from a crash mid-season. Her three-rally calendar was the same in 2025. She is from a rallying family; her and Alessia’s father Claudio also rallied in the 1990s and 2000s.

Monica Burigo - Italian Ladies’ rally champion in 2007, and winner of ladies’ prizes in Italian rallying since 1995. She has been involved in the major national scene since 2000, when she drove a Renault Clio in the Italian championship. After that, she switched to a Fiat Seicento, followed by another Clio, an Astra, a Subaru Impreza, a Saxo and another Clio. Her best result, 16th, came on the Rally Apennino Ligure in 2000. In 2008, she drove a Clio in European events, including the Mille Miglia rally, as well as doing some circuit racing in a BMW 1-series in Italy. In 2009, she moved away from stage rallying to compete in drifting in Japan, and in 2010, she combined drifting, appearances at car shows and a few rallies, some in a camera car. Since then, she seems to have concentrated on drifting, snow racing and record-breaking. 

Michela Campostrini - rallies Peugeot cars in Italy. She has been active since at least 2016. Her first car was a Peugeot 106, which she drove on and off between 2016 and 2021, along with three other 106s, usually run by Best Racing Team. The best result she achieved in a 106 was probably a 59th place in the 2019 Rally dei Colli Scaligeri, from 71 finishers. In 2022, she moved on to a Peugeot 208 in Rally4 spec. Her best result in it so far has been a 50th place in Rally della Valpolicella. In 2025, she did one rally, the Rally del Brunello, driving a Renault Clio. She was 68th.

Monica Caramellino - active in Italian national rallies since at least 2014. Her car since 2016 was a Peugeot 208. Her best result in this car has been a 15th place in the 2017 Il Grappolo Rally Day. She continued to rally this car in 2018 but was not as successful. She fared bettwe in 2019 and had a best finish of 26th in the Rally Team 971 event. In 2014 and 2015, she rallied a BMW Mini Cooper, initially for the GO FAST Rally Team. She was less successful in this car, although she did many rallies in it. Her first WRC rally was in 2020: the Alba Rally, which was an emergency addition to the calendar. She finished in 85th position. Ealier in the year, she had finished sixth on the women-only Grande Sfida Trofeo R2 Lady, an event for Peugeot 208s. Her best finish in 2021 was a 33rd place in the Rally delle Palme, driving the Peugeot. In 2022, she did one rally each in the Peugeot and a Skoda Fabia R5. She used the Peugeot exclusively in 2023 and was second in the Grande Sfida Trofeo Lady. In 2024, she did three more rallies in it, finishing the Rally di Castiglione Torinese. She favours sealed-surface events.

Sara Carra - winner of the 2025 Italian women's rally title. She has been competing in the Italian championship in a Skoda Fabia since 2024, and her best result in it has been eleventh in the 2026 Ronde del Canavese. This has always been a good event for her; she was 19th in 2025. Prior to that, she switched between a Renault Clio and a Peugeot 208 from 2021, as well as trying other cars. She first rallied in 2018, in a Peugeot 106, when she was just 16. She co-drives occasionally, sometimes for her brother Matteo.

Arianna Doriguzzi Breatta - competes mainly in Italy, winning two Italian International Rally Cup women's titles in 2025 and 2026. She has driven a number of small cars, including a Rally5 Renault Clio in 2025 and 2026, a Skoda Fabia Rally2 in 2024 and a Rally4-spec Peugeot 208 in 2023. She began her career in a Renault Twingo in 2015. Her best result in recent seasons has probably been 29th in the 2023 Rally Piancavallo, driving the Peugeot. She competed in the Rally STAR championship in 2026, as well as the International Rally cup. Her most frequent co-driver is Elena Sica.

Anna Dusi – co-driver and driver active since 2001. As a driver, she has mainly competed in historic rallies in Italy. In 2014, she rallied a Fiat Ritmo and won her class twice, including a ninth place overall in the Rally Città di Modena Storico. In 2015, she tried out some more modern machinery, and was 26^th in the Rally Bianco-Azzurro in San Marino. The car was a Renault Clio. She tried out more small cars in 2016, a Peugeot 106 and a Citroen Saxo. Her best finish was a 38th place in the Rallye Due Valli, driving the Peugeot. In 2017, she only did one major event, the Rally della Romagna. She was 39th overall in the 106. As a co-driver, she has been part of a rally-winning team with Stefano Ciresola, in both historic and modern rallies. 

Corinne Federighi – young driver who rallies small cars in Italy. Her career began in 2014, in a Fiat 600, which was exchanged part-way through the year for a Renault Twingo, which she continues to use. That year, she concentrated on tarmac events. In 2015, she entered the Twingo R2 Trophy, and registered for the Italian ladies’ championship. After winning four Coupes des Dames, she was awarded the Italian Ladies' championship. The Targa Florio was one of the best rallies of her year, with fourth in the Junior class for drivers under 25, and 24^th overall, but she did even better in the Roma Capitale Rally, finishing fourteenth, and winning the Ladies' and Junior awards. She was third in both the Junior and Twingo championships. In 2016, she won the Coppa ACI Ladies' championship, driving a Renault Clio. Her best overall result was 22nd, in the Rally del Friuli Venezia Giulia. She was second in class. In 2017, she won the women's class of the Italian International Rally Cup. She earned one top-twenty overall finish, a 16th place in the Il Ciochetto Rally. In 2018, she was ladies' champion in the Coppa ACI rally series and also won the R3 class in the Clio. Her best finish was 23rd in the Due Valli event. She only did a couple of rallies in 2019 and unfortunately had to retire from both. 

Paola Fedi - a regular in Italian rallies between 2001 and 2004, and 2009 to the present day. She did not start rallying seriously until she was 30. Her car is always a Renault Clio of some description. At first, she used a Clio Williams, and was fourteenth in the 2001 Rally Salento. Later, her seasons were affected by various problems, and she did not often finish. In 2012, she drove two different Clios, a S1600 model and an R3, and had a good season, with one 17th-place finish in the Rally degli Abeti e Dell’Abetone, and two just outside the top 20, in the Monteregio and Maremma events. In 2014, in a S1600 Clio, she scored her first top ten: ninth in the Rally Elba Nazionale, with a class win. She came close again on the Rally del Casentino, in which she was twelfth. That year, she also drove a Renault Twingo in some rallies. In 2015, she was less active, driving the Clio in two Italian national events. She made a small comeback in 2020, driving the Clio in the Rally Day di Pomerance event. In 2021 and 2022, she drove the Clio and a Rally4-spec Peugeot 208 in a few Italian rallies. In 2023 she kept rallying the Peugeot, picking up two ladies' class wins. She used it for half of 2024, picking up her best finish of the season: thirteenth in the Rally Tuscany, with a class win. It was replaced by a Skoda Fabia R5. She was back in a Clio for 2025 and had a best finish of 21st in the Rallye Montecatini Terme e Valdinievole.

Barbara Lencioni - has been rallying in Italy since 2007, always driving a Renault Clio. In 2009, she put herself on the map and won the National and International Ladies’ cups for Italy. In 2010, she did not do as well, and was plagued by retirements, and she missed most of 2011, due to pregnancy. However, she came back in 2012. In 2013, she was more competitive in the overall standings, achieving a top-twenty position (19th) in the Rally di Valdinievole. She was second in the S1600 class, and finished quite strongly in class on other rallies that year. In 2014, she rallied a Jolly Racing Team Clio, in the S1600 class. Her best finish was 27th , in the Rally Casciana Terme. She made a small comeback in 2018 in the Coppa Citta di Lucca Rally, but did not finish. As ever, she was co-driven by Alessandra Benedetti. 

Federica Lio - erstwhile co-driver who switched to the driving seat full-time. She drove a Fiat 600 Abarth in Italian and European rallies in 2010, including the IRC-counting Rallye Sanremo, in which she was 37th. She also competed in the car in 2009, and was 60th in the Sanremo rally. Previously, she only drove occasionally, and navigated for a series of drivers in both historic and modern machinery. Her normal co-driver is Serena Giuliano. They were 44th overall in the 2011 Rallye Sanremo, in the Fiat. In 2012, they competed in the Fiat Sei 100 Cup, rallying mainly in Italy. She was second in the championship. She continued rallying the 600 in Italy in 2013. Her best finish was 33rd, in the Rallye Sanremo. In 2014, she achieved her first top-ten finish, a fifth place in the National section of the Sanremo Rally. Her other results were solid, but less spectacular. In 2015, she was third in the Italian womens' championship, winning the Coupe des Dames in Sanremo. She was 36th overall, and also won her class. Her best result was 29th, in the Valli del Giarolo Rally. Her car was again a Fiat Seicento. In 2016, she did some rallies in France, in a Fiat Seicento. Her best finish was 33rd, in the Jean Behra National Rally, and she also won her class in the Escarene National Rally. Her programme was the same in 2017, although it was the Jean Behra event in which she won her class this time. She did one event in 2019 in the Seicento, the Ronde della Val Merula, finishing 76th. The Seicento came out again for the 2020 Sanremo Rally, but the event was stopped. 

Michela Lorigiola - started rallying in 2019, usually driving for the Hawk Racing Club team. She normally competes in the Raceday Ronde Terra series and her first rally was the Rally delle Marche in November 2019, driving a Ford Fiesta R2. At the start of 2020, she continued with the Fiesta, but when rallying recommenced after the coronavirus outbreak, she had upgraded it to a Skoda Fabia R5. This gave her a first top ten, eighth place in the After Corona Rally Party in Croatia. Her co-driver is Carlo Covi, who sometimes drives the car while Michela navigates.

(Maria) Gabriella Mainiero - Italian driver who appears to have begun her career in the navigator’s seat, in 1998. More recently, she has driven Mitsubishi Lancers and a Renault Clio in the Italian championship. In 2005, she had a best result of 30th in the Rally Internationale Oltrepo, and that year, she was frequently in the top five of her class. In 2007, she took part in the Italian rounds of the IRC, with a best finish of 40th in Sanremo,driving a Lancer Evo 9. In 2008 and 2009, she repeated this programme, taking in the revived Targa Florio, Mille Miglia and Costa Smeralda rallies. She was the Italian Ladies’ champion in 2005, 2008 and 2009. Using a Lancer Evo IX, she drove in major rallies in 2011, including the Mile Miglia and Rally del Friuli de delle Alpe Orientali. 

Susanna Mazzetti - regular navigator to Alessio Santini since 2010, who now competes as a driver in her own right. She began in 2013, driving a Renault Clio S1600. Her best result was 29th, in the Rally degli Abeti d Dell’Abetone, and she also won the S1600 class. That year, she was also her local ladies’ champion. In 2014, she continued in the same car, driving mostly in Italy Rallyday events, with Rita Ferrari as co-driver. She had one finish, a 50th place in the Rally del Carnevale. This is in addition to her navigation duties, which included a win with Alessio Santini. She continued to rally the Clio in 2016, and earned a second in class in the Rally Terra Sarda, finishing 28th overall. In the same car, she earned her first top-twenty finish in 2017, coming 18th in the Rally Alta Val di Cecina. She was 24th in this event in 2018. In 2019, she was twelfth in the same rally in the Clio, one of two top-20 finishes that year. The other was a 17th place in the Abeti e dell'Abetone event. Her programme for 2020 featured three rallies but she only finished one, the Rally Day di Pomerance. She was 33rd. Her main car for 2021 was a Skoda Fabia R5, although she used three different versions. She was 19th in the Rally Casciana Terme. She rallied the Skoda exclusively in 2022 and was 20th in the Rally delle Abete e dell'Abetone. She scored another top 20 in the Skoda in 2023, finsihing 18th in the Rallye di Reggello - Citta di Firenze event. She just missed out on a top-20 in the same event in 2024, finishing 21st. Her programme was the same in 2025, but she did not better her results.

Rebecca Mei - driver and co-driver active since 2013. For her first season, she used a Fiat 600 Sporting in some Italian rallies, co-driven by Giulia Antongiovanni. Her best finish was 33rd, in the Rally Ronde dei Colli Luni. In 2014, she initially continued with the Fiat and scored her first top-twenty finish - 17th in the Rally il Ciocco e Valle del Serchio. She then started rallying a Renault Clio Williams, and was fourteenth, second in class, in the National Elba Rally. This was her best result of the year. She also drove a Citroen Saxo in 2014, but it was not as successful. As a navigator, she usually sits alongside either Simone Mei, her father, or Lorenzo Bonuccelli, in a variety of smaller cars.

Silvia Micheletti – mainly a co-driver, active since 2001, although she has driven some rallies of her own, between 2003 and 2008. One of her first rally cars was a Lancia Delta HF Integrale, but she has had better results in more modern machinery. In 2004, she did a full season of rallying in Italy, in a Peugeot 206. Her best finish was 29^th, in the Rally Tutta Terra Toscana. After that, she competed only sporadically, although she continued to navigate for different drivers. Her last rally as a driver was the 2008 Mille Miglia, in a Fiat Punto. She did not finish.

Alice Poggio - member of a rallying family in Italy who has been active since 2022. Her first major event was the women-only Automoto  Racing - La Grand Sfida Trofeo Lady, in which she was third in a Peugeot 208. In 2022 and 2023, she normally drove either a Suzuki Swift or a Suzuki Baleno for the Alma Racing team, mainly in asphalt rallies. In 2024, she started rallying a Suzuki Swift 1000 Turbo for New Racing, with a best finish of 55th in the Rally Lana. Both her mother and sister, as well as her father, are rally drivers.

Vanessa Polonia – began rallying at the age of 18, and having done a few rallies in a Peugeot 106, jumped straight into the Monte Carlo Rally, a few months later, in 2009. She was 29^th, third in class, in a Suzuki Swift. After that, she returned to Italian rallies, and the Peugeot 106, a car she still used in 2015. For several seasons, she rallied around Italy, often in the Alpe Adria Rally Cup. In 2014, she had a best result of 30^th overall, in the Rally di Majano, second in class. In 2015, she was one of the leading drivers in the Italian women’s championship, after a Coupe des Dames in the Rally Il Ciocco e Valli del Serchio. Her best overall finish was 23^rd, in the Rally Day Cittá di Maniago. She was fifth in the womens' championship. 

Lorella Rinna - active in Italian rallies since at least 2015. Her normal car is a Renault Clio and she has used several different versions of this vehicle since 2015. Her best season in it was 2017, when she had a best result of 20th in the Rallye di Roma Capitale. She also won her class in the Rally Due Valli. In 2018, she rallied a Mini Cooper, finishing fourth in the Italian R1 Cup with class wins in the Sperlonga and Palladio events. She returned to rallying a Clio in 2020.

Silvia Rocchi - driver and co-driver active since 2010. She has sat beside a number of Italian and Swiss drivers, and earned top-ten finishes. As a driver, she has mostly used a Renault Clio, sticking to asphalt rallies in the Lombardy region, which stretches into Switzerland. 2016 was her best year, and she was partnered by the experienced Swiss navigator, Tania Canton. Her best result was a 40th place in the Ronde Gomitolo di Lana, and she was third in class. She won that year’s Lombardy Ronde Women’s Cup. In 2017, she only did one major event, in the Clio. She and Tania retired from the Coppa Valtellina. Her only outing in 2020 was the women-only Grande Sfida Trofeo R2 Lady, which she won in a Peugeot 208.

Giovanna (Jenny) Rubini – has rallied on and off, in and around Italy, since 2000. Her first car seems to have been a Renault Clio. Since her first major rallies in 2000, she has driven a Subaru Impreza, Autobianchi A112 Abarth, Ford Fiesta and SEAT Ibiza, among others. The SEAT is her most recent car. In 2014 and 2015, she has rallied it in San Marino, and she was 27^th in the 2015 Rally Bianco-Azzurro. Her best overall results have been two 21^st places, achieved in 2014. One was in the Impreza, at an Imola rally event, and the other was in the San Marino Rallylegend event, in a VW Golf. As well as driving, she has also done some navigating in modern and historic rallies. 

Silvia Spinetta - driver and co-driver, active since at least 2011. As a driver, her usual car is a Peugeot 106, and since 2015, this has often been run by the Scuderia Monferrato. Silvia’s best events are the shorter rallies, and her best overall result was a 42nd place in the 2015 Rally del Colli del Luni. As a navigator, she has helped Simone Miele to at least two wins, as well as sitting alongside Elisa Spinetta, presumably her sister, who has also co-driven for her on occasion.

Giulia de Toni – winner of the Italy Rally Talent contest in 2014, despite having never done any rallying before. That year, she participated in four rallies in Italy, using a Peugeot 106, a Renault Clio and a Peugeot 208. She was third in the Rally Talent section of the Bologna Motor Show. Her prize in 2015 was a supported drive in a Peugeot 208. Her best finish has been 37^th, in the Rally Il Ciocco e Valli del Serchio, and she was also 40^th in the Rallye Sanremo. She was second in the Italian womens' championship. Her usual co-driver was Sofia Peruzzi. In 2022, she made a comeback in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, finishing 44th in the Targa Florio Rally. More rallies in Italy's International Rally Cup followed in 2023.

Sabrina Tumolo - active in Italy since at least 2002, when she drove a Renault Clio Williams in events including the Rally Cittá de Schio. She continued with this car in 2003. In 2010, she was still using this car in Italian national rallies, as well as a Peugeot 205, although it is not clear whether she has competed continuously. In 2007, she is also recorded as rallying a Citroen C2. In 2011, she was very active in the Italian championship again, and was named Italy’s top female driver. She remained active between 2013 and 2015, driving the Clio still. Her best finish was 23rd, in the Rally Cittá di Modena. In 2016, she rallied three different cars: a Mini Cooper, a Clio and a Peugeot 106. She was ninth in the Rally Day della Romagna in the Clio. 2017 was quite similar for her; she drove both cars again, and was most successful in the Clio. She won her class in the Rally della Romagna and Rally Ronde Colli del Monferrato e del Moscato. For 2018, she stuck with the Clio. She won her class on the Benacus Rally and was 16th overall. She continued with the same car in 2019 and won the Ladies' award on the Citta di Modena Rally. Away from rallying, she is also involved in the business side of motorsport. In 2020 she only did one rally, the Rally Due Valli in October. She did not finish. Back in the 208 in 2021, she competed in three events, earning a best result of 41st in the Rally del Bardolino. In 2024, she did the Rally di Salsomaggiore Terme in a Peugeot 106, finishing 60th. In a 208 this time, she was 52nd in the 2025 event.

Lucia Zambiasi – active as a driver in Italian rallying, between 2000 and 2006. She switched between three cars: a SEAT Ibiza for the 2001 season, Opel Astras, and a Renault Clio Williams. She was probably most successful in the Astra, which she used at the beginning and the end of her career. Her best overall result was 26^th, in the Rally di Cagliari in 2000. She was driving the Astra, and was fourth in class N3. During her career, she also scored top thirty finishes in the Piancavallo and Targa Florio rallies, among others. After retiring from the driving seat in 2001, she stayed involved in rallying as a navigator. This was something she had always done on and off, but she now competes almost full-time in the Italian historic championship.

(Image from http://www.formulaitalia.info)

Female Single-Seater Drivers Around the World: Austria

Corinna Kamper

There are now enough Austrian single-seater drivers to warrant their own post. Most of the drivers here have been split off from Female Single-Seater Drivers Around the World: Germany, Austria & Switzerland. Claudia Steffek, Bianca Steiner and Osmunde Dolischka have their own profiles.

Jorden Dolischka - Austrian former karter who races a Formula Renault in Europe. She has been most active in the Drexler AFR Pokal. In 2021, she scored three class victories at the REd Bull Ring and Salzburg, finishing fifth in the championship. Later, she tested an F4 car in the USA for W Series, but was not selected. Her Formula Renault debut was in 2020, when she was third at Brno. In 2022 and 2023, she raced karts as a senior, before entering the TCR Eastern Europe championship in 2024. Her car was a Honda Civic. It was a challenging season, and her best finish was an eighth place at Salzburg. She was thirteenth in the championship. In 2025, she did some racing in Europe in a Radical, in its one-make series in the UK. She is the daughter of 1990s single-seater racer Osmunde Dolischka.

Corinna Kamper - Austrian racer who began her senior career in 2011, after some years of karting. That year, she used a Formula BMW in two different series: the Intersteps Championship in the UK, and Formula Lista Junior in continental Europe. She did best in Formula Lista, scoring a win in her maiden season, at Monza. She was sixth overall. Her best Intersteps finish was fourth, at Brands Hatch. She was tenth in that championship. In 2012, she moved up to the Northern Europe Formula Renault series, hoping to finish in the top third of the drivers’ table. It proved much harder going. Although she had a good finishing record, her best result was only a twelfth place, at Oschersleben. She was 41st overall. She continued in the series in 2013, driving for Fortec. Her best finishes were fourteenth places, at Spa and Zandvoort. She was 34th overall. In 2014, she raced in Formula Masters in Germany, at two of the meetings, at the Red Bull Ring and Oschersleben. Her best result was ninth, at the Red Bull Ring, which is her home track. She was 16th in the championship, driving in a single-driver team (HS Engineering). She announced her retirement from the track in 2015, but attempted a comeback via W Series in 2022. She was not selected.

Claudia Kreuzsaler - Austrian Formula Three driver in the 1990s. She entered the German, Austrian and French championships between 1991 and 1995, driving different cars for different teams. During this time, she did not manage a complete season with one team, perhaps due to sponsorship issues. Her best finish was third at Salzburg, in an Austrian race. She was less successful in Germany and France. Her highest overall position was twelfth, in the 1993 German series, although she had only driven in two races.

Clara Stiebleichinger - began her single-seater career in 2025, aged 20. She entered the Indian F4 championship with the Kichcha Kings Bengalaru team, having spent some of the previous season testing F4 cars in France. Her first race was at Kari Motor Speedway and she was ninth, then sixth in Race 2. At the next meeting, at Madras, she scored her season's best finish of fourth. At the time of writing, she is eleventh in the championship, the highest of the three female regulars.


(Image from http://www.adac-motorsport.de/)

Lauren Gray

Lauren came to prominence as a frontrunner in the Australian Formula Three Trophy in 2006. In 2010, she made headlines, as part of the first father-daughter team to finish the Bathurst 12 Hour.

Her first major racing car was not a single-seater, but a Toyota Corolla, which she used in Improved Production races at State and National level, in 2003. That year, she made her first appearance in the Australian Production Car Championship, taking a guest spot in a smaller Proton Satria.

In 2004, she raced in the APCC, in the Satria again, finishing fourth in Class D after twelve races. This was in addition to some more club racing in the Corolla.

The following season, she took her first steps into single-seater racing. Bravely, she bypassed Formula Ford and Formula Vee, and jumped straight into the B class of the Australian Formula 3 championship. Despite her lack of open-wheel experience, she was fifth in the class, driving for the dominant Scud Racing team.

As well as a ten-race F3 schedule, Lauren was very busy in 2005, with a full programme of Production Car racing in a Toyota Echo Sportivo. She was third in Class C, and tenth overall.

2006 was another very full season. Lauren moved into the Trophy class of Australian F3, still with Scud Racing. She was one of the leading drivers, with two wins, nine additional podiums and an overall runner-up spot. Her F3 programme also took in the two Australian Grand Prix support races.

Touring cars had certainly not been forgotten. She returned to Class C of the APCC, and the Toyota Echo, and was third in class, fifteenth overall. This year, the Toyota was running under the “Lauren Gray Motorsport” banner. The team ran two cars, one for Lauren and one for Amber Anderson. As well as the APCC, Lauren Gray Motorsport made appearances in other production saloon racing series, and picked up points everywhere.  

She moved up to the National class of Australian F3 in 2007, and was second, driving a 2001-spec car. Another season in the APCC gave her a fifth in Class C, although the Echo was not really powerful enough to compete in the overall standings. She was 24^th in the championship.

In January, Lauren had been part of an all-female team for the Bathurst 12 Hours, with Leanne Tander, Samantha Reid and Christina Orr. They drove a Holden Astra, but did not finish.

Despite her obvious skill in a single-seater, she returned to saloon competition full-time for 2008, in the Australian Manufacturers' Championship. Her car was still the Toyota Echo and she won her class overall. During the season, she scored many class wins and even a few top ten overall finishes, despite having one of the smallest and least powerful cars in the field.

In 2009, she drove again at Bathurst for 12 Hour race, and recorded her first finish. Driving a BMW 130i with John deVeth and Rob Thomson, she was second in class and 19th overall. Unfortunately, this was her only big race of the season, although she did make some appearances in the Victorian State Improved Production Car series, driving a Toyota Corolla.

She contested the 2010 Australian Production Car Championship in a Toyota Corolla Sportivo, driving for her own team, and was tenth overall, although she only contested six rounds. At Phillip Island, her sister Maddison drove with her. Her father, Michael, was another team-mate to her, and the family theme continued at the Bathurst 12 Hours. The Lauren Gray Motorsport Corolla was fourth in class D. This was the first time that a father-daughter team had started the race, after Tania Gulson failed to qualify with her own family team. Tony Head was the Grays’ third driver. They were 19^th overall.

As well as the APRC, she did a few races in V8 Utes, driving a Holden Commodore pickup.

2011 was somewhat of a disjointed season, with some Production races in the Corolla, but not really enough to make a dent in the standings. She was sixth in Class D. The rest of the season was spent in a Holden Torana, in Sports Sedan races, at State and National level.

In 2012, she was set to contest the Aussie Racing Cars series, in a Holden Commodore, with the LaFemme Racing Academy team. This did not happen, and she spent the season hopping between Aussie Racing Cars and the Australian Production Championship, in a Commodore and a Toyota Echo respectively. She was driving for her own team, alongside her sister Maddison and Samantha Bennett. Lauren was third in Class E, just above Maddison. She did less well in Aussie Racing Cars, finishing 33^rd overall after a part-season.

2013 was spent mostly on “maternity leave”, but she returned to the circuits in 2014, again hopping between championships. Jumping back into a single-seater, she scored a few points in the Victorian State Formula Vee Championship, and did a part-season in the Manufacturers' Championship. Her car was a Ford Falcon, and her best result was an eleventh place in class, at Phillip Island. She was running in Class B, for Production cars. A part-season in the APCC, running the same car in Class C, gave her a fifteenth place overall. She was driving for the Australian Auto Wreckers team.

2015 was a quiet one for Lauren, on the competition front anyway. She has been following the US Rally Championship in America, with the FY Racing team. It seems that her future plans may lie in this direction.

In 2016, she did not race competitively, but Lauren Gray Motorsport ran cars for Ellexandra Best and Liam Thompson in the APC. She continued to run cars for Ellexandra and Michael Gray in 2017. She continued as a team owner and manager in 2018 and 2019.

(Image from http://www.amchamp.com.au/)

Jennifer Jo Cobb

Jennifer in 2013

Jennifer is an experienced stock car racer and now, team owner, who has competed extensively in the NASCAR Truck series.

She began racing in local NASCAR-sanctioned stock car events in 1991, in her home state of Kansas. Her interest in motorsports began young; since she was eight, she wanted to be a professional racing driver. When she was 18, she started racing in the Pony Stock division at her local track. Between 1991 and 1996, she won five feature races.

For the next three seasons, she raced in the Charger Division of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, at the Lakeside circuit in Kansas, and the I-70 track in Missouri. She picked up three more outright wins, before moving up to Late Models, and winning four more feature races in 2000 and 2001.

In 2002, she made the upward and somewhat sideways move in to ARCA stock car racing, which is separate, although similar, to the NASCAR family. After some training and some promising tests at Daytona, she took part in her first ARCA race, at the Kansas circuit. Her car was a Chevrolet, and she was 16th.

2003 was a much quieter year, with much of it given over to working as a driving instructor, which allowed Jennifer to learn other tracks. She had a go at the Kansas ARCA race again, but could not finish, despite making her way to midfield from the very back.

ARCA was a happier hunting ground in 2004. She managed three top-ten finishes, at Kansas, Nashville and Chicagoland, the best of these being a seventh at Nashville. At the end of the season, she made her debut in the NASCAR Busch Series, at Homestead-Miami, but did not finish.

Although she carried on as a performance driving instructor, the next two seasons did not feature much in the way of racing. She qualified for the Kansas Busch Series race in 2006, but was taken out by another driver. The following year, she did one ARCA race at the circuit, and was 25^th, in a Chevrolet.

At about this time, Jennifer launched her own line of motorsport-themed clothing for women, Driver Boutique. Driver Boutique’s proceeds helped her to get back into big-league racing, and acted as her major sponsor.

2008 saw another debut. Jennifer took part in her first NASCAR Craftsman Truck race, finishing 33^rd after a blown engine at Kansas. Later in the season, she was 27^th, at Kentucky. In between, she made guest appearances in ARCA and the Nationwide Series, once driving for Derrike Cope’s team.

The next season was similar in terms of scheduling, although Jennifer did not finish either of her Craftsman Truck races, one of those being at Talladega. She did not finish the Kansas ARCA round, either.

After several years of one-off drives in the Busch Series and ARCA, she put together a deal for a large proportion of the Camping World Truck series in 2010, driving a Ford for her own team. Her best finishes were two fourteenth places, and she was 17th overall. Driving for other team owners, she made some appearances in ARCA and the Nationwide Series, scoring a 17^th place in ARCA, at Daytona.

The following year, she made a double attack on the Truck and Nationwide series, with a better record in the Nationwide championship, where she was 29^th, and a contender for Rookie of the Year. Her car was a Rick Ware Racing Ford. However, her best overall finish was sixth, in the first round of the Truck series, at Daytona. This was a highest-ever finish for a female driver at the time, in any major NASCAR series. Her twelve races yielded another three top-twenty finishes, near the end of the season.

In 2012, she concentrated on the Truck series again, and was 27th. Her best finish was 16^th, at Kentucky. As well as this, she ran two cars for her own team in Trucks, for herself and either Jake Crum or Tim J. Bell.  

She did 16 races in 2013, in which she had a best finish of 17th, at Kansas. Unfortunately, her finishing record this year was not good, and her season was further compromised by a legal battle with former business partners and her ex-boyfriend, over team property. Her final finishing position was 25^th. She was also 26th in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kansas, in one of her regular guest appearances in the championship.

Her schedule in 2014 was similar, with most of the year spent in Trucks. Her finishing record was much improved, and she had a best finish of thirteenth, at Kansas. This, and her two other top-twenty positions, gave her 16^th in the championship. Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing remained a two-car team, with the other seats taken by Caleb Roark, Matt Tifft and Willie Allen, at different parts of the season.

Her guest appearance in the Nationwide Series, also at Kansas, yielded a 24th place. 

In 2015, she continued to race in the Camping World Truck Series, and achieved six top-twenty finishes. The best of these was an 18th place, in her first race of the season, at Daytona. She was 17th in the championship. This was despite being put on probation for protesting after a crash at Dover.

She equalled her 2015 highest finish in the 2016 Truck championship with a seventeenth at Michigan. Overall, her season had more disruption than previously, with more DNFs and a few non-starts. She was 30th in the championship. In October, she made a guest appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity series at Kansas, in a Rick Ware Chevrolet Camaro. She was 29th overall.

She had rather a forgettable season in Trucks in 2017. She only finished seven out of her eighteen races, due to a variety of mechanical and technical problems. Her best finishes were two eighteenth places, at Pocono and Las Vegas.

In 2018, she made one appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving for JP Motorsports. She finished 29th at Talladega from second-last on the grid. Earlier in the season, she had competed in Spain in the Elite 2 class of the Whelen Euro NASCAR Series, finishing 17th and 19th in a Chevrolet.

She did most of the Trucks series in 2019, in a Chevrolet. Her best finish was 18th at Fort Worth, from the back of the grid. She also travelled to Europe for the Euro NASCAR series again, this time competing in Elite 1 at Brands Hatch for Alex Caffi Motorsport. She was 27th in both her races.

The 2020 Truck season started in round three for Jennifer, at Charlotte, as she had not qualified for the first two races. She was 26th, only one lap down. The next round at Atlanta was a disaster and she was pulled off track for not keeping up with the field. Homestead was better and she was 27th overall. This was her second-best result of the season, the best being a 24th place at Fort Worth. 

She continued in Trucks in 2021, running for almost a full season. She did not qualify for the Austin or Phoenix races and withdrew from Nashville. The Daytona opener was her best race: she qualified 16th and finished 18th. Knoxville was also a positive race. She finished 25th, having started right at the back in 40th.

A planned part-season in Trucks for 2022 was not the biggest success: after not qualifying at Daytona or Nashville, Jennifer got on to the grid at Talladega, only for the clutch to go at about three-quarters distance. She did not qualify at Talladega again in 2023, but was recorded as a finisher at Kansas, in 34th place.

Jennifer uses her media profile to support a number of good causes, including her own organisation, Driven2Honor. This charity champions American servicewomen.

(Image from http://americancarsamericangirls.com)

Dorothy Stanley-Turner

Dorothy at Shelsley Walsh in 1939

Dorothy was one of the later female racing stars at Brooklands, and was particularly associated with the MG marque.

She started racing at quite a young age, and she was guided from the beginning by other female motorsport enthusiasts. Joan Chetwynd taught her to drive, and her earliest competition experiences were alongside Mrs Kimber in an MG, in trials. Her father, a Forces officer, was a friend of Mrs Kimber’s husband, Cecil, who was a director of the MG Group.

She began circuit racing in 1937, and her first major race was the First Easter Mountain Handicap at Brooklands. Her car was an MG special. In the same car, she also raced in the Fourth Easter Mountain Handicap, at the same meeting. She finished both races, but was not among the leaders.

Not that long afterwards, with only some hillclimbs, and one race, in between in which to hone her skills, Dorothy raced at Le Mans for the first time. She shared George Eyston’s MG PB with Enid Riddell, and they were 16^th overall, a respectable finish for a debutante, and notwithstanding a problem with the fuel filler cap, which was solved by Dorothy, using an orange as a plug. She used her powers of persuasion, and her charm, to convince the track official that this was not in contravention of any rules.

She was lucky to get to the start at Le Mans at all, as the previous week, she suffered an eye injury during the Nuffield Trophy at Donington Park, driving her own MG. A stone from the track flew up and hit her in the eye. After receiving first aid and an eye patch, she attempted to rejoin the race, but was wisely prevented from doing so.

As well as high-speed action, Dorothy also tried rallying. She drove her MG in the RAC Rally early in the year, with Kathleen Taylor as her navigator. She also travelled to France for the Paris-St. Raphaël Rally.

Her racing season in 1938 was curtailed by a bout of diphtheria, which she fortunately survived without ongoing problems. Her MG PB, which had been accepted for Le Mans, was driven by Charles Dobson and Elsie Wisdom, who did not finish.

Before her unfortunate illness, which occurred on the way to Le Mans itself, Dorothy’s performances at Brooklands were really improving. She scored her first outright win in the Second Easter Road Handicap, driving her new Q-Type MG. Even diphtheria could not keep her out of action for long, and she was back in the driving seat at Brooklands in August, finishing third in the First August Road Handicap. This, along with her attempts at one-eyed driving at Donington, was typical of her determination and spirit, which were often praised in contemporary accounts. Her strong personality, with a tendency towards cheekiness and humour, and a crafty willingness to play dumb in order to get the advice or physical help she needed, really seems to have endeared to the likes of SCH Davis, who writes very fondly of her in Atalanta.

Earlier in the year, she raced in Ireland, taking part in one of the support races for the Cork Grand Prix in her MG. Few of the Brooklands “set”, particularly the ladies, ventured over there, although Fay Taylour (an Irishwoman herself) had some success there.

In 1939, she entered the RAC Rally in an Alvis, and took the Shelsley Walsh Ladies' record in an Alta. Her first appearance at Brooklands was for the JCC Members’ Day, in her MG, in March. At the August meeting, she unwittingly became the last lady driver to win a Brooklands race, when she took the First August Mountain Handicap, again in the Q-Type.

When the war broke out, Dorothy followed the tradition of her family and enlisted in the WAAF. She rose through the officer ranks, initially in a barrage balloon unit, then later as a Flying Officer. She stayed in the Forces after the war ended, only returning to civilian life in 1959. 

After the war, she competed a little in hillclimbs, under the name Dryden, having married Peter Dryden in 1946. Her car was an Alta. In the 1950s, she took up rallying again, driving an Alvis in the 1951 Monte Carlo Rally. Opportunities for motor racing had decreased due to the war, and those of the Brooklands ladies who returned to motorsport, gravitated towards rallies.

She died in 1995, aged 78.

(Image from http://motorsporthistory.ru/)

The Spanish Women's Rally Championship

"Marisol", a competitor in the 1971 Costa del Sol Rally, driving a Fiat 124

In the early 1970s, the famous Paris-St.Raphaël women’s rally, in France, was in decline. Over the border in Spain, it was a very different story. The Spanish rally scene of the time had not just one women-only event, but a whole series of them, and a championship was awarded every year, from 1971 to 1975.

Women-only rallies had an even longer history in Spain: the Rallye Femenino San Isidro, later known as the SIASA Rally, began in 1967, and the Rallye Femina, based around Barcelona, ran from at least 1962.

The first ladies’ championship appears to have been held in 1969, but it only covered Catalonia. Nuria Viñas was the winner.

A full programme of five “rallyes femeninos” ran in 1970, but these were stand-alone events, with no championship awarded.

Winners

1971 Milagros Ortega/Yolanda Maruri (Renault R8 TS)

1972 Nuria Viñas/Maria Angeles Pujol (BMW 2002 Ti)

1973 Nuria Viñas/Ana Maria Garreta (BMW 2002 Ti)

1974 “Yolanda” (Simonetta Garih)/M. Robledo (Mini Cooper)

1975 Marisol Rodriguez Mesa/Maria Teresa Rodriguez Mesa (SEAT 124)

Numbers of entries for each rally varied, with 40 drivers finishing the 1971 Rallye Femenino Saibil, but between twelve and twenty was a more usual figure. The championship itself had 49 entrants in 1972, and entries remained quite high until 1975.

The rallies themselves varied somewhat in format, but were generally shorter than the mixed rallies of the time; normally less than 200km. Most included a regularity section, a slalom and one or more special stages.

A women’s championship continued to be awarded in Spain until 1978, but after 1975, the women-only events were discontinued. The trophy was awarded to the highest-placed female driver in the main Spanish championship. Regional womens’ championships continued to exist until 1980, but were much smaller than before.

Winners

1976 Maria José Ruedas/Ana Fuster (Opel Kadett)

1977 Nuria Llopis/Marta Llopis (Simca Rallye II)

1978 Paloma Landete/? (Chrysler Avenger)

The championship has been revived in recent years, and is now awarded to the highest-performing female driver in the Spanish championship.

For profiles of some of the drivers involved, please click here. 

(Image taken from http://www.forocoches.com)