Ewy and Anita Rosqvist, at the 1960 Midnight Sun Rally
A number of the drivers featured in the Speedqueens profiles have scored outright wins in international and national rallies. Michele Mouton, Pat Moss, Gilberte Thirion and Rosemary Smith all found success on the world stage, while Louise Aitken-Walker, Paola de Martini, Anne Hall and Christine Beckers, among others, have been victorious in national-level competition. Sara Williams now has her own profile, as do Ramona Karlsson, Ewy Rosqvist, Romana Zrnec, Ann Taieth, Cristina Gutierrez Herrero, Carole Vergnaud, Nadia Cutro, Gabi Husar and Eija Jurvanen. Susan Muwonge can be found here.
Below are short profiles of a few lesser-known female drivers who have won rallies. Due to space constraints and often, a lack of information, the many winners of the women-only Paris-St. Raphaël event are not included.
Jo Cadman - winner of the 1997 Corolla Cup Rally in the Australian Championship. She won state and national class championships in the 1990s, sometimes driving a Mitsubishi Galant. Her only WRC outing was the 1999 Rally of New Zealand, in which she was 32nd in a Lancer Evo 3. More recently, she has been acting as co-driver to her partner, John Mitchell.
Brianne Corn – winner of three US rallies in 2011:
the Roxton Rallye de Paris, Roxton Rumbles and Nocona Rally Stomp 2. She scored
three additional Open Light class wins, and was the Rally America Open Light
Central Division champion. Her car was a Subaru Impreza. She began rallying in
2006, after a couple of years in autocross and Solo competition. As well as
rallying, she has competed at Pike’s Peak on several occasions, in different
classes, winning the Time Attack class in 2011. Since 2012, she has
concentrated mainly on running her own rallycross track in her home state of
Texas, along with her brother.
Danielle Furzeland – rallies a Subarua Impreza WRC car in the UK, one of a handful of women to having driven a WRC in anger. She began rallying in 2013, and her first car was a Ford Escort MkI, which was quickly swapped for an Impreza. In her first year, she scored three top-ten finishes, the best of these being a seventh place in the Subaru WRC Spares TSH Stages. 2014 was quite similar, with four top tens and another seventh, in the Smeathorpe Stages. In 2015, she started driving the WRC Impreza, a 2000 model. She was second overall twice, in the Three Counties Stages and the Smeathorpe Stages. She also won her class in the Three Counties event. In 2016, she scored her first outright win: the Prima Motorsport Smeatharpe Stages. She was driving the Impreza. Her best finish in the car in 2017 was third, on the Three Counties Stages Rally. She finished in the top ten of all four events she entered. In 2022 and 2023, she continued to be a top-ten finisher in single-venue rallies. Danielle is from the Furzeland rallying family, and is the daughter of rally crew, Steve and Yvonne Furzeland.
Yinelsy Gamero - rallies a Volkswagen Beetle, mainly in her home country of Peru. In 2018, she seems to have picked up her stage rallying career again, entering asphalt rallies in Peru. She was 15th in the Rally Premio Ciudad de Mollendo and 16th in the Rally Hanss Gamero. This continued through 2019, using a Citroen DS3. Her best finish was twelfth in the Ciudad de Arequipa Rally. Earlier, she competed in Bolivia, coming 38th in the Circuito Mario Mercado Vaca Guzman. In between, she drove the Beetle in the 2016 Inca Trail rally raid, but did not finish. In 2022, she rallied a Mazda3 in Peru and was second in the Rally Pequena Roma de America. In 2023, she won her first rally, the Rally Hanss Gamero. This is an asphalt event. She was third in the 2024 event, one of five top-ten finishes that year. Yinelsy is a former model and beauty queen.
Magdalena Misiarz – rallies a Honda Civic in Eastern Europe. She began in 2014, in the Czech Republic, after several years of navigating for other drivers. Her best result was 40th, in the Železné Hori rally, from 80 drivers. In 2015, she drove in many more rallies, in the Czech Republic and Poland itself. She was particularly strong in the SKJS Rally Masters events; her two finishes were a fifth and a ninth place. In the Czech rallies she entered, she did less well, with a 27th place in the Železné Hori rally her best finish. In 2016, she was twelfth in the same rally, driving the Civic, but her best finish was sixth, in the first round of the Polish Tarmac Masters. She was third in class in the Polish Rally Masters championship in 2017, winning her class in the SKARS Tarmac Masters and finishing third overall. In 2018, she was fourth in the Rally Masters championship, with two fifth places in the Ireco and M3Racing rallies. The Rally Masters series was her most effective hunting ground in 2019 also; she won the Mecinka Rally Masters event and was third in the Sobotka Rally Masters.
Maria de Graca Moura Relvas - the first Portuguese female driver to win a rally outright. She came first in the 1965 Grande Rali do Benfica, driving a Mini Cooper S. The same year, she competed on Madeira. The Mini was built in 1963 and she used it during the 1964 and 1965 seasons. Other details of her career are proving elusive, but it looks as if she was already in her 40s when she started rallying the Mini.
Kirsty Nelson - has been rallying in New Zealand since 2006. That year, she won her first rally, the Clubmans Rally of Rotorua, and entered her first WRC event, the Rally of New Zealand. She was 16. In 2007, she continued to rally in New Zealand in a Subaru Impreza, with a best finish of ninth. She moved up to the full championship in 2008 and also started competing internationally, in Malaysia. This continued in 2009. She tried to win funded WRC drives in 2009 as part of the FIA’s Pirelli Star Driver competition, but could not win the final round in Malaysia. She does not appear to have competed since then.
Tiina Tikkinen - winner of the 1994 Naista SM-Kesoil Rally in Finland, driving a Ford Escort RS 2000. In the late 1980s, she rallied a Lancia Delta Integrale in Finland, entering the 1988 and 1989 1000 Lakes Rallies. Like many Finnish drivers of the time, she occasionally competed in the Soviet Union, entering the 1989 Old Toomas Rally in Estonia. Before acquiring the Lancia, she used another Ford Escort in Finnish events in 1987.
Donatella Tominz - winner of the Yu Rally in 1973, driving a Fiat 124 SS. The same year, she was tenth in the Rally San Martino di Castrozza. In 1972, she had been ninth in the same event, and sixth in the Elba Rally, driving the same car. She was Italian and European Ladies’ Champion in 1973. This was at least her third European ladies’ title. She had been rallying since the beginning of the 1970s and her first major international rally seems to have been the 1970 Rally Costa del Sol, in which she was eighth in a Porsche 911. She also entered the 1971 Sanremo-Sestriere event, which she retired from whilst driving the Porsche. Her regular co-driver was Gabriella Mamolo, also known as “Squaw”. They finished in the top ten of several of some of the later runnings of the Paris-St. Raphaël women’s rally.
Stephanie Zorn - long-term presence in German rallying, usually in rallysprints. She did her first major rallies in 1998, in a Seat Cupra, although she did not finish either of them. Her first Rally Deutschland came in 1999, and she was 32nd, tenth in class, in the Cupra. A break from rallying then followed, but she was back in 2007, this time in a Renault Clio. After that, she concentrated almost exclusively on rallysprints until 2013, and was fifth in the 2008 Heidelbergring Rallysprint. She is a regular top-ten finisher, and was ninth in the Rosenhof event in 2011 and 2012, and seventh in the Fontane Rallye in 2012. In 2013, she entered more stage rallies again, and her best result was seventh, in the Rallye Stade. She secured five more top-twenty finishes. In 2014, she repeated her fifth place in the Heidelbergring event, still in a Clio. Later in the season, she bettered it, with a fourth place in the Holsten Rally. This was one of seven top-ten finishes she had that year. In 2015, she won her first event outright: the Holsten Rally, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6. She was also second in the Rallye Atlantis, in the Clio, and third in the Heidelberg Rallyesprint. She just missed out on another win in 2016, finishing second in the Rally Sonderjylland in Denmark, driving a Clio. She also scored five class wins, all in the Clio. The Clio was her favoured car again in 2017. Her best finish was fourth, in the Aller-Weser Rally. This was one of six top-ten finishes that year. Another busy year in 2018 included another win in the Heidelberg Rallysprint, plus three third places and a multitude of class wins. There were no more wins in 2019, but Stephanie continued to be highly competitive, especially in sprint rallies. She scored two fifth places in the Heidelberg and Fischereihafen Rallysprints and was ninth in the Stormau asphalt rally. The Heidelberg event was her best again in 2020; she was third in a new Citroen DS3 R3T. This was one of five top-ten finishes. She continued to rally the DS3 in 2021 and this year, did better in full stage rallies. Without an entry into the Heidelberg Rallysprint, her best event was the Buten und Binnen Rally, in which she was fourteenth. In 2022, she was back to winning, taking the Heidelberg Rallysprint again. She was also second in the Stuvenborner and Hanseaten Rallysprints, and third in the Fischereihafen Sprint and Stormarn Rallye. Most of 2023 was spent in a Renault Clio RS, with a best finish of ninth in the Rosenhof Rallye. She was back on the podium in 2024, finishing second in the Heidbergring Rallysprint. Away from rallying, she competes in equestrian sport.
(Image from http://www.classicmotor.se/)
Donatella Tominz - winner of the Yu Rally in 1973, driving a Fiat 124 SS. The same year, she was tenth in the Rally San Martino di Castrozza. In 1972, she had been ninth in the same event, and sixth in the Elba Rally, driving the same car. She was Italian and European Ladies’ Champion in 1973. This was at least her third European ladies’ title. She had been rallying since the beginning of the 1970s and her first major international rally seems to have been the 1970 Rally Costa del Sol, in which she was eighth in a Porsche 911. She also entered the 1971 Sanremo-Sestriere event, which she retired from whilst driving the Porsche. Her regular co-driver was Gabriella Mamolo, also known as “Squaw”. They finished in the top ten of several of some of the later runnings of the Paris-St. Raphaël women’s rally.
Angela Vilariño – versatile Spanish driver of Basque origin.
She began her motorsport career in hillclimbs, in 2003, when she was 18. Between
then and 2007, she competed up to European level, and had some excellent
finishes. After a break, when she became a mother, she returned to hillclimbs,
and also did some circuit racing in the VdeV Endurance Championship, driving a
Norma. She had another year in the championship in 2009, and did her first
rallies in 2010, as well as more hillclimbs. Her first rally cars were a Suzuki
Swift and a Subaru Impreza, and in her third-ever rally, the San Sebastian
Rally, she was fourth overall. In 2011, she concentrated on rallysprints in the
Basque country, and won four of them, in the Impreza. She won the championship,
but only after an appeal against being excluded from the final round. For the
next couple of seasons, she went back to hillclimbs. In 2014, she became the
first female driver to win the Spanish championship. In 2015, she returned to
rallying, contesting the Spanish Tarmac championship in an Opel Adam, for the
works Opel team. Her best result was 16th, in the Comunidad de Madrid Rally, and she had three more top twenty finishes. She was 24th in the championship, and won the Ladies' trophy. She won the Coupe des Dames in the 2016 European Hillclimb Championship.
Stephanie Zorn - long-term presence in German rallying, usually in rallysprints. She did her first major rallies in 1998, in a Seat Cupra, although she did not finish either of them. Her first Rally Deutschland came in 1999, and she was 32nd, tenth in class, in the Cupra. A break from rallying then followed, but she was back in 2007, this time in a Renault Clio. After that, she concentrated almost exclusively on rallysprints until 2013, and was fifth in the 2008 Heidelbergring Rallysprint. She is a regular top-ten finisher, and was ninth in the Rosenhof event in 2011 and 2012, and seventh in the Fontane Rallye in 2012. In 2013, she entered more stage rallies again, and her best result was seventh, in the Rallye Stade. She secured five more top-twenty finishes. In 2014, she repeated her fifth place in the Heidelbergring event, still in a Clio. Later in the season, she bettered it, with a fourth place in the Holsten Rally. This was one of seven top-ten finishes she had that year. In 2015, she won her first event outright: the Holsten Rally, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6. She was also second in the Rallye Atlantis, in the Clio, and third in the Heidelberg Rallyesprint. She just missed out on another win in 2016, finishing second in the Rally Sonderjylland in Denmark, driving a Clio. She also scored five class wins, all in the Clio. The Clio was her favoured car again in 2017. Her best finish was fourth, in the Aller-Weser Rally. This was one of six top-ten finishes that year. Another busy year in 2018 included another win in the Heidelberg Rallysprint, plus three third places and a multitude of class wins. There were no more wins in 2019, but Stephanie continued to be highly competitive, especially in sprint rallies. She scored two fifth places in the Heidelberg and Fischereihafen Rallysprints and was ninth in the Stormau asphalt rally. The Heidelberg event was her best again in 2020; she was third in a new Citroen DS3 R3T. This was one of five top-ten finishes. She continued to rally the DS3 in 2021 and this year, did better in full stage rallies. Without an entry into the Heidelberg Rallysprint, her best event was the Buten und Binnen Rally, in which she was fourteenth. In 2022, she was back to winning, taking the Heidelberg Rallysprint again. She was also second in the Stuvenborner and Hanseaten Rallysprints, and third in the Fischereihafen Sprint and Stormarn Rallye. Most of 2023 was spent in a Renault Clio RS, with a best finish of ninth in the Rosenhof Rallye. She was back on the podium in 2024, finishing second in the Heidbergring Rallysprint. Away from rallying, she competes in equestrian sport.
(Image from http://www.classicmotor.se/)
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