Women in International Sportscar Racing After 1950: Part I

The Ring Free "Motor Maids" at the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours: Suzy Dietrich, Donna Mae Mims, Smokey Drolet, Janet Guthrie and Gabriel Konig

The definition of "international" is tricky to pin down; obviously, World Sportscar Championship , Le Mans and ALMS entrants are included, as are those who raced in the Mille Miglia and later Targa Florio, Daytona 24 Hours and Sebring 12 Hours.
For earlier European races, the distinction is less sharp, but if it looks like something more than a national championship, someone who drove in it might be here. Part two of this post can be found here. Paola della Chiesa now has her own post, like Alma Cacciandra, Jacqueline Evans, Marion Lowe, Nadege Ferrier, Judy Kondratieff, Elyane Imbert and Evelyn Mull.

Bianca Anton - Romanian driver who is active in the GT4 European Cup, driving a Sin Cars Sin R1. In 2017, her best result was a 23rd place overall, at Misano. In her class, she was more competitive, with a third, fifth and sixth place. She shares the car with Eduard Anton, her younger brother. In 2015 and 2016, Bianca raced touring cars in Romania, and won the VW Lupo 1600 championship in 2016, with five outright wins. She also had two second places in Formula Predators. In 2015, she won three rounds of the VW Polo Cup, usually fighting with her brother for first place.

Dafne Bernardi - drove in the Mille Miglia twice, in 1953 and 1954. On her first attempt, she was 75th in a Lancia Aurelia. Her team-mate was “O Marazzi”. In 1954, she and Franco Cortesi were 85th in a Fiat 1100/103.

“Madame Bizeray” - raced a 750cc Renault 4CV special in Europe in the 1950s. She competed with her husband, who had built the car. They entered the Nürburgring 1000km and the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod, but did not finish the TT and were not classified in the Nürburgring race. They may also have raced at Montlhéry. In 1951, driving solo, Madame Bizeray was twelfth in the Paris Bol d’Or, driving a similar 750cc Renault. Her given name is never recorded.

Charlotte Burridge - races a Lotus in Britain and Europe. She started racing in 2011, after a couple of relatively successful years in karting. During her first season in the Titan MR2 series, she had a best finish of second and several pole positions, missing out only on an outright win. When she moved into the British Lotus Cup in 2012, it was a similar story - she was second on one occasion and not often out of the top five, but did not actually win. She was fourth in the championship. In 2013, she moved up again, to the European Lotus Cup, driving an Elise, and there, she got her first win, at Brands Hatch. She finished in the top three in every race she entered, and was third overall in the championship. That year, she also finished third in the Brands Hatch 6 Hours endurance race, a first for a female driver. She received the BWRDC’s Newcomer and International Driver awards at the end of the season. She had to sit out 2014, after being injured in a road traffic accident. Despite still struggling with her injuries, she returned to the track in 2015, for some rounds of the Lotus Cup. She does not appear to have raced since then. 

Catherine Desbruères - French driver, active in sportscars since 2005, when she raced an Opel Astra GT in the Vallelunga Gold Cup, winning her class and coming eighth They also entered a couple of Spanish GT races. Her team-mates were Daniel Desbruères and Loris de Sordi. The same team and car was twelfth in 2006. In 2007, it was upgraded to a Ferrari F430, which was used for GT Open races in Italy, and some rounds of the Spanish GT championship. The results were not spectacular, the best being 23rd at Vallelunga. The Ferrari was retained for 2008, and scored an 18th and 15th at the Fun Cup 25 Hours at Spa, and a 13th at Vallelunga. Since then, her only activity seems to be the Dubai 24 Hours. She first entered in 2009, in a Porsche 997 GT3, with Daniel, Christian Kelders and Philippe Greish. In 2010, the same team took the Ferrari to Dubai, but did not finish. In 2012, she was set to enter the Blancpain Endurance series in a Porsche 997, but this did not happen. She used the same car in Dubai, with the same team, and was 17th in class.She has also done some historic rallying, in a Ford Escort, and a Mazda RX-7. This seems to be her main motorsport activity in since 2013.

Margy Eatwell - raced at the 1994 Daytona 24 Hours as part of an all-female team, alongside Linda Pobst, Tami Rai Busby, Leigh O’Brien and Kat Teasdale. They drove a Chevrolet Camaro and finished 47th, after testing an O’Brien team Porsche. In 1996, she did at least one IMSA race at Sebring, finishing 17th in the Sebring 5 Hours as part of a four-driver team. The same year, she was sixth in a Dodge Neon Celebrity Challenge race. Most of her career was spent racing in SCCA championships and she was also a member of the all-female PPG Pace Car Team, which supported Champ Car. As a teenager, she raced midget cars alongside several drivers who later raced in NASCAR.

Gail Engle - drove a Philip Keirn Chevrolet Corvette in a few major events in 1981 and 1982, alongside Philip Keirn. The team was not particularly successful, and Gail only got to drive in three of her five races. Her best result was 22nd in the Mid-Ohio 500km in 1982. Later, she was 36th in the Road Atlanta 500km. She entered one Daytona 24 Hour race, with Philip Keirn and Bard Boand in 1981. They were classified 36th, although the car's electrics had failed before the end of the race.

Natalia Freidina - Russian driver competing internationally. After several years of karting, she finally began her senior racing career at the age of 33, entering two rounds of the JK Racing Asia series, which uses Formula BMW cars. She finished one race at Sepang, in 18th. In 2012, she started competing in the FIA GT3 Championship, initially driving an Aston-Martin DBRS9 for Valmon Racing Team Russia. Her team-mate was Tom Kimber-Smith. They were eleventh twice at Nogaro. Natalia then switched to a Lamborghini Gallardo, first for Rhino’s Leipert Motorsport, then Reiter Engineering. Her co-drivers were Leonid Machitski and Albert von Thurn und Taxis respectively. Her results were a ninth and tenth, and two more eleventh places. In 2014, she entered the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, for at least two rounds. She was tenth and seventh at Sepang. In 2015, she did a lot of automotive-related charity and media work, but limited racing. She took part in the GT Sports Club at the Algarve track, driving an AMG Mercedes SLS. She and Rebecca Jackson undertook a charity drive across Europe, driving a number of different cars at various tracks along the way. 

Svetlana Gorbunova - Russian driver who races in the Central European Porsche Sprint Challenge. Her car is the championship’s regulation Cayman 718 GT4 Clubsport. She is normally a top-ten finisher and so far, has had a best finish of fifth, at Most. She has won the Am class at least once. 2019 appears to be her first season of major competition, although she has previously driven the Cayman on track days around Europe and in some club races at the Ascari circuit. She was twelfth in the Porsche Sprint Challenge. The shortened 2020 Sprint Challenge was less successful, with two non-finishes, but she did pick up a ninth place at Slovakiaring. She raced in the GT4 class in 2021 and it was a better season for her. She was fifth at the Red Bull Ring and eleventh in the championship. In 2024, she raced a Toyota Supra in the GT4 class of the Russian Corcuit Racing Championship, entering the last two rounds.

Regine Gordine – French driver from the 1950s onwards. She competed in sportscar races and later, rallies, as a navigator. She and Germaine Rouault entered Le Mans in 1950, in a Simca Gordini, but crashed out after 19 hours. Afterwards, she specialised in long-distance sportscar events, such as the Tour de France and the Mille Miglia, which she entered twice, in 1955 and 1957, before turning to rallying. Her co-driver in 1955 was Lise Renaud, and the car, a 750 Moretti. They did not finish. They tried again in a Citroen DS19, but again, did not make the finish. In 1952, she had finished 19th in the Tour de France, driving a Renault 4CV with Germaine Rouault. It was her best finish on that event.

Corinna Gostner – one of a pair of Italian sisters who race in the Coppa Shell Ferrari Challenge. 2014 was her first year of competition, and she was 19^th in the championship. In 2015, she raced a Ferrari 458 with her sister, Manuela, and their father, Thomas Gostner, as part of the Ineco team. Her best result was eighth, in the final race at Mugello. Corinna and Thomas raced together in the 458 in 2014, too, with Manuela making a few appearances. In 2016, the family trio raced again in the Ferrari Challenge. Corinna's best finish was a fourth place, at Jerez, and she was seventeenth overall. She also did two rounds of the Italian GT Championship, in the Ferrari, with her sister. They were eighth and sixth at Mugello. After a year out, she returned to the Ferrari Challenge in 2018, finishing tenth in the Coppa Shell and eighth at the World Final. Another season in the Ferrari gave her thirteenth overall in the Coppa Shell after two DNFs. Her best finish was fifth at Valencia. This improved to a podium in 2020 when she was third at Portimao. The rest of the limited 2020 season was spent in the Creventic 24H Series, driving a Mercedes AMG GT3 with her family team. They were fourth and fifth in the Monza double six-hour race and fourth and third in its Mugello counterpart later in the season. Corinna, David and Thomas did most of the 2021 24H Series season in the Mercedes. The Hungaroring was their best circuit and they finished fifth and sixth there. Driving solo, Corinna also did a couple of Ferrari Challenge races at Mugello. Another Ferrari Challenge season in 2022 featured a best finish of tenth at Paul Ricard. The family MP Motorsport team got together again for the Mugello double 12 Hour races in the Mercedes, finishing seventh and sixth. Her 2023 Ferrari Challenge season ended in fourteenth place, with fifth places at Le Mans and Estoril. Away from motorsport, Corinna competed in handball at a high level. 

Elizabeth Kleinschmidt - entered a few big sportscar races between 1979 and 1981, driving alongside Charles Kleinschmidt (husband?). In 1979, the Kleinschmidts plus Leroy Dickson drove an AMC Spirit to 22nd in the Daytona 6 Hour race. Elizabeth was slated to drive in the 1980 event, but did not start. In 1981, she entered the Sebring 12 Hours with Charles and Al Levenson, driving a Chevrolet Corvette. They started, and were classified finishers in 70th place, despite being withdrawn before the end.

Tina Kok - Danish driver active in the Ferrari Challenge, driving a Ferrari 488. In 2017, she raced for Formula Racing, and had a best finish of eleventh, at the Hungaroring. She was 21st in the championship. This was her first season in a Ferrari, but she has previous experience in the Le Mans Classic in 2016, and in the Danish Endurance Championship. She drove a Chevron B8 to 24th in the Le Mans Classic, a year after finishing sixth in the Danish Endurance series. Her car was a Renault Clio, shared with two other drivers. She did make a couple of appearances in the Ferrari Challenge in 2018, but mostly concentrated on historics, racing the B8 in Classic Endurance events and at the Le Mans Classic. She continued in the B8 in 2019.

Ruth Levy - mainly raced in the United States in the 1950s. She competed between 1955 and 1958, and won thirteen races during her short career. These were mainly Ladies races run at SCCA meetings, but some were mixed, and mixed-category too. She mainly drove Porsche cars, beginning with a 356 and switching to a 550 in 1957, but she also drove Fiats and Aston Martins, crashing out of the Ladies’ race at the 1957 Nassau Speed Week in the latter. Denise McCluggage was her most regular co-driver for major events, including the 1957 Venezuela GP (Porsche) and 1958 Sebring 12 Hours (Fiat). They were thirteenth in Venezuela and did not finish at Sebring.

Deborah Mayer - French regular member of the Kessel Racing sportscar team since 2016. She has raced in the Ferrari Challenge and the Blancpain Endurance Championship. She began in 2016 with the Ferrari Challenge, driving for Scuderia Niki this time. Her best result was a tenth place at Sochi, and she was 22nd overall. Her first race for the Kessel team was the 2016 Gulf 12 Hours at Yas Marina. She drove the second Ferrari 458 with Sergio Pianezzola and Claudio Schiavone, and was third in class, thirteenth overall. In 2017, she did a part-season for Kessel in the Ferrari Challenge, improving her best finish to ninth at Monza. In addition, she made appearances in the Michelin Le Mans Cup and the Misano round of the Blancpain Endurance Series. The Le Mans Cup was better for her: she was twelfth and seventh in the Road to Le Mans support race. In 2018, she raced for the Kessel team again after a break. She drove in the GT Sports series that supports the Blancpain Endurance Championship, in a Ferrari 488. In 2019, she did not race herself but acted as the team co-ordinator for the Iron Dames, a three-woman team for the European Le Mans Series and Le Mans itself. Rahel Frey, Manuela Gostner and Michelle Gatting were the drivers and their car was a Ferrari 488 run bu Kessel Racing. Deborah herself returned to the driving seat in an Iron Lynx Ferrari for two rounds of the Le Mans Cup, at Paul Ricard and Spa. She was fifth at Paul Ricard. In 2022, she was voted the new president of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, but stepped down after a year to concentrate on the Iron Dames project..

(Image from http://www.sportscardigest.com/race-to-equality-history-of-women-in-racing/)