For other Italian drivers, please visit the Italian Drivers in the 21st Century, Rally Winners and Team Aseptogyl posts. Ada Pace and Patrizia Sciascia now have their own posts.
Cora de Adamich - rallied in Italy between 1996 and 2000, before moving to touring cars and then leaving motorsport. For most of that time, she drove Fiat Cinquecento and Seicento models, as part of one-make series. Her best result in these series was eighth, in 1998, before she moved to the Italian two-wheel-drive championship. Her best outright result was 28th, in the 1999 Rally del Gargano. She is the daughter of former F1 driver, Andrea de Adamich.
Daniela Angei - rallied in Italy in the 1980s. She started competing seriously as part of a Ford-led women drivers’ initiative, which led to drives in a Fiesta XR2 in 1985. Her best result in the Fiesta was a 38th place in the Rally della Lana. Later, she drove a Fiat Uno, then in 1988 she drove a Jolly Club Lancia Delta Integrale. A highlight from her time with Jolly Club was a 21st place in the Piancavallo Rally. The following year, she did her first WRC rally, as navigator to Anna Cambiaghi on that year’s Safari. Their car was a Mazda. Daniela also drove in rally raids.
Silvia Cailotto - rallied in Italy in the 1990s. She used and Opel Kadett in 1991 and a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth in 1992, in the Italian championship. Her best overall result was a twelfth place in the Rally Piancavallo in 1991, assisted by Vanda Geninatti. This was an ERC rally. That year, she took part in her only WRC event, the Rallye Sanremo, but did not finish. She was also 16th in the 1992 Targa Florio Sicily Rally.
Tania Canton - better-known as a navigator to many European drivers, between 2000 and the present day. In 1998, she spent a season in the driving seat, taking part in the Fiat Cinquecento Trophy in Italy. She was third in the Ladies' standings, having competed in several national-level rallies. Much later, in 2001, she made a return to driving in the Rally Coppa Citta di Lucca, in a Fiat Seicento. Her co-driver was Lisa Ricchieri and they were 46th. She is still active as a navigator.
Elisabetta Cavenaghi - European Ladies’ champion in 1998 and 1999. and eight times Italian Ladies’ champion. She competed as both a driver and a navigator in major rallies between 1993 and 2002. As a driver, she most frequently used a Nissan Sunny GTi, although she also drove a Ford Escort in 1995 and a Nissan Almera in 1999. Her best result was twelfth in the Rally delle Alpi Orientali in 1998, in the Sunny. She drove in one WRC event: the 1998 Sanremo Rally, but retired, also in the Sunny. In 1993, she had co-driven Paolo Onoscuri to 19th in the same event, in a Ford Escort. She competed in Italian rallies from at least 1991, when she campaigned a Ford Fiesta XR2.
Sara Clerici - Italian driver from the late 1980s onwards. She was 15th and first lady in the 1990 Targa Florio, driving a Lancia Delta Integrale. In 1988, she drove a Group N Lancia Delta in the Monza Rally. At some point, she came third in the Rally di Romana-Toscana, although the year has proved difficult to track down. More recently, she has driven in rallies for environmentally-friendly vehicles, finishing in the top ten of at least one.
Roberta Franzoni - rallied in Italy between 1997 and 2003, first in a Peugeot 106, then in a series of Mitsubishi Lancers and Ford Escort RS Cosworths. Her best result was a fourteenth place in the 1998 Rally del Salento, driving a Lancer Evo 4; she was third in Group N. She was also fourteenth in the same rally two years later, in an Evo 5, but did not score so well in class. She scored one more top twenty position, a 16th place in the 2000 Rally di San Marino. She remains active as a co-driver, and made a guest appearance as a driver in the 2017 Trofeo Valle di San Martino. Her car was a Citroen Saxo.
Chantal Galli - rallied a Lancia Delta Integrale in Italy in the late 1980s. She is recorded as having finished 38th on the 1988 San Remo Rally. She was also a Swiss champion one year, and the 1986 Italian Laides' champion also. Previously, in 1984 and possibly earlier, she co-drove in Italy. In 1984, she was the regular co-driver to Pierangela Riva. Later, she apparently drove a Unimog on the Dakar. She returned to the stages in 2010, for historic events.
Laura Maria Galliano - Italian driver who rallies a number of small cars and has been active since the 1990s. Her first car was an Opel Kadett in 1991, which was quickly exchanged for Peugeot 205, Opel Corsa and Fiat Uno. She took a break from the stages between 1995 and 2009, when she returned for the Rally della Pietra di Bagnolo in the 205. This event has stayed as a regular on her schedule throughout her career. She was most successful in a Suzuki Swift, finishing 14th in the 2018 Rally Bianco Azzurro. Her other cars have included a Renault Twingo and Clio and even a historic Fiat 127. She has entered one WRC rally, the 2020 Sanremo event, which was sadly cancelled early on due to bad weather. In 2021, she did finish the Sanremo Rally in a Peugeot 205, although it was not running as a WRC event. It was one of five rallies she entered that year. She remained active in 2022, adding a BMW 318 and 125d to her stable of cars, but went back to the 205 in 2023.
Mascha Mularo - has campaigned a wide variety of cars in Italian rallies since the mid-1990s, starting with Fiat one-make series. Her best results are a pair of 13th overall places, achieved in the Rally Citta di Torina and the Rally delle Alpi Orientali, in a Renault Clio Williams and Peugeot 306 Maxi respectively, in 1999 and 2000. In more recent seasons, she has competed in historic races and rallies, as well as the Campionato Italiano. She has driven an earlier Subaru Impreza as well as more classic machinery. She drove in the Targa Florio rally in 1998. In 2018, she returned to competition in a Fiat 124, rallying in the Balkans. In the same car, she took part in the 2019 Special Rallu Circuit and won the RGT class. Driving a Rally4 Peugeot 208, she was 20th in the 2021 Rally Due Valli.
Enrica Munaretto - active throughout the 1990s in Italian rallies. She was most effective in a Ford Escort Cosworth RS between 1995 and 1997, coming seventh in the 1995 Rally della Lana and winning Group N. She was Italian Ladies’ Champion in 1997, supported by Martini Racing, in a Ford Escort. In addition to her Italian championship outings, she drove in the San Remo WRC round three times, in 1993, 1994 and 2000, using the Escort and a Renault Megane. Her best finish was 21st, in 1993. In 2000, she competed in both the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio rallies. She made a return in 2007, driving a Peugeot 106, but did not finish the Rally Citta di Bassano.
Francesca Patrese - entered the Fiat Cinquecento Trophy in 1997 and the Fiat Seicento Trophy in 1998. She won a regional Ladies' title in the Seicento Trophy, ahead of Cora de Adamich. During that year, she also drove in the Rallye Sanremo, finishing 72nd in a Seicento Sporting. Her co-driver was Michela Graziato. Later, she turned to circuit-based motorsport, and competed on and off in Italian touring cars and Mini Cars. She appears to have retired in 2007.
Pierangela Riva - drove in Italian and European rallies in the 1980s. She was a keen rival of “Micky” Martinelli, and the two vied for the 1985 Italian Ladies’ championship. Pierangela drove a Peugeot 205 that year and won the Ladies’ Group A title. Among the rallies she contested were the Targa Florio and the Elba Rally. During her career, she entered one World Championship rally: the 1987 Rally Sanremo. She was 24th, driving a Lancia Delta HF. Her co-driver was Christina Larcher and they were fifth in Group N. More recently, Pierangela has been competing in historic rallies in Italy, often in a Peugeot, and sometimes with her daughter as her navigator. In 2014, she was 20th in the Rally Pietra di Bagnolo, driving a Renault Clio.
Delphine Le Roux - half-French, half-Italian driver who rallied an Autobianchi A112 in Italy in the late 1970s. This was often as part of a one-make trophy for that car. Her best finish was twelfth in the 1978 Rally del Gargano, a round of the A112 Trophy. She got into rallying through her husband, Fiat motorsport manager Daniele Audetto. Her co-driver was often the experienced Anna Gatti.
Gisella Rovegno - driver and co-driver from Italy. She has competed internationally since 1992, starting as a navigator to Ennio Bini. She last competed in a Fiat Punto S1600 as a co-driver to Fabrizio Tabaton in 2005, as part of the Italian championship. She drove herself between 1999 and 2003. 2000 was her best year, and she finished the Catalunya and Corsica WRC rounds in her Renault Clio Williams. She recorded DNFs in the 1999 and 2000 San Remo rallies. Outside the WRC, she used a Renault Megane Maxi, Mitsubishi Lancer and Fiat Stilo Abarth between 2001 and 2004 in Italian National rallies, with little success, before returning to the navigator’s seat.
Antonella Vallauri - had a fairly short rallying career in Italy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her first major appearance seems to have been the 1989 Rally di Limone Piemont, where she drove a Jolly Club-prepared Lancia Delta Integrale but did not finish. In 1990 she entered the Fiat Uno Turbo Trophy with Eurosport Racing. Her best result was an eleventh place in the all-Fiat Rallye dell’Isola d’Elba. She disappears from the entry lists after this.
Donatella Vicenzi - rallied in Italy in the 1980s and 1990s. She began her career in the Fiat Uno Turbo Trophy in 1985. In 1989, she drove Lancias for Jolly Club, including a Delta HF and a Delta Integrale. She was 26th in a Jolly Club Delta Integrale in the 1989 Rally di Limone Piemont, alongside winner Dario Cerrato and Antonella Vallauri. She drove another Delta in the 1990 Barum Rally but crashed out; this seems to be her only international appearance. Her best finish looks to be a tenth place in the 1995 Rally Valli Bresciane, driving a Peugeot 205.
Luisa Zumelli - driver and co-driver from Italy, active from the early 1980s to 2004. She drove in five San Remo rallies between 1991 and 1998, with a best finish of 23rd, in 1994 and 1995. She usually drove a Ford Escort Cosworth. Later, she concentrated on Italian national events. Her best finish is second, driving a Renault Clio RS on the 2003 Rally del Salento. She has also competed in the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Costa Smeralda rallies, using the Clio, the Escort and an unlikely rally car in the Rover 216. Her results have been variable, with a few top-twenty places as well as her 2003 runner-up spot. In 2013 and 2014, she drove a Porsche and an Opel Kadett in historic rallies, in Italy and Morocco.
(Image from http://rallymania.forumfree.it/)
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