Juju Noda

 

Juju Noda is a Japanese single-seater driver who earned huge media attention as the youngest person to drive a Formula 3 car, aged 11, in 2017. 

The daughter of former Formula 1, Indycar and Super GT racer, Hideki Noda, Juju was introduced to motorsport at a very early age and was karting at three, winning her first race at four. She first tested a full-size car in 2015, driving a Formula 4 which she then drove in public the following year, still aged only nine. Two years later, she was doing speed trials and track days at the Okiyama circuit in an F3 car.

By the time of her F3 test, she had already beaten a lap record for Formula 4 Okiyama in 2016, although it did not stand as it was set during an unofficial track appearance at a Super GT meeting. 

Due to her age, she was unable to compete in her home country, which requires racing drivers to be at least 16, although she raced a little in the USA at the tender age of 13. She took part in the Lucas Oil Winter Race Series meeting at Laguna Seca in early 2019, in a Ray single-seater. Her best result was a fourth place, alongside two eighth places. 

This led to a drive in the 2020 Danish F4 championship, one of the few series to allow drivers of Juju's age (14 at the time) to compete. She won her first race at Jyllandsringen and earned three more podiums, two thirds and a second, on her way to sixth in the championship.

In 2020, she also took part in assessments held by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission in order to find a junior driver for the Ferrari Academy. Juju was not among the finalists.

Her 2021 season was meant to be spent in the US F4 championship, driving for Jay Howard Driver Development. She practiced for the first round at Road Atlanta and ran fastest, but she did not qualify and withdrew from the championship due to “various recent issues”. Her team did not specify what these issues were, only that they were not related to racism and were “external”.

She returned to the Danish championship just in time for the start of the season. Her Noda Racing-run car was the first F4 car over the line at Padborg, the first of two wins from pole position. She did not finish the third race and was then disqualified from the front of the fourth for causing a collision. Her season did not quite hit the heights again, although she did score six more podium finishes on the way to seventh in the championship. 

At the beginning of 2022 she made a surprise switch to the all-female W Series, taking one of its Academy team spots alongside Bianca Bustamante. The W F3 Regional-based car did not suit Juju and she only got into the top ten once with a ninth place at the Hungaroring.

She also did some races in the Drexler Formula 3 Cup in Europe, competing at Monza, the Red Bull Ring and Brno. Driving a Tatuus T-318 similar to those used in W Series, she earned three fifths and three seventh places in the Open class.

All-female racing was completely left behind in 2023, but controversy was not. She signed up for the Euroformula Open series with her own team and became increasingly quick, winning a race at Paul Ricard and scoring two further podiums. However, after a rule change that allowed female drivers to run a lighter car than their male counterparts, Noda Racing abruptly left the championship. They jumped ship to the Italian F2000 Trophy, with Juju driving a Dallara 320 similar to the EF Open car. She won five races outright on her way to the championship. Later in the season, she entered the BOSS GP series, driving a World Series by Nissan car at Monza. She finished second and third. She has signed for the 2024 BOSS championship.

(Image copyright The Drive)

Carlotta Fedeli

 

Carlotta Fedeli races saloons in Italy and has been a regular in both one-make series and the Italian TCR championship.

Her first year as a competitive racing driver was 2011, when she took part in the Italian production touring car championship in a Mini. Before that, she was active in karting.

Keeping the Mini but jumping into a new championship, she raced in the Italian Mini Challenge for two part-seasons in 2012 and 2013. The second season was combined with a part-season in the Cupra Ibiza Cup. This was the beginning of a long-term relationship with SEAT, usually in endurance-based competition. 

Following another year in a Cupra one-make series, she made her debut in the Italian Touring Endurance Championship (CITE) in 2015. Supported by the SEAT factory, she was third in the TCR section with three podium finishes. She won the Junior and Ladies’ titles. 

She did a fourth season in a SEAT in 2016, racing in the Leon Eurocup. Her best result was a second place at Mugello, and she would have been a contender for a top-five championship result without a DNF and an indifferent round mid-season. This drive included guest appearances in the TCR International Series in Italy and she picked up a ninth position at Imola. 

It was time for a new challenge. She entered the Italian TCR championship again in 2017, this time driving an Audi RS3. Unfortunately, she was disqualified from one race and did not finish the other. 

After a year off to have a baby daughter, she returned to motorsport in 2019, racing a SEAT Cupra in the TCR DSG Endurance series. She was fourth overall with three third places at Vallelunga, Monza and Misano. 

A second season in the series gave her sixth place, with one third at Mugello. Her car was a Volkswagen Golf run by Scuderia del Girasole (“Team Sunflower” in English).

The same year, she attempted to qualify for the all-female W Series, but was rejected after the first round of assessments. She returned to the TCR championship in 2020 and was sixth in the DSG class, with a best finish of third at Mugello. She was driving the Golf again.

Going back to Audi power, she signed for RC Motorsport in 2021, racing in the Italian TCR championship. She won the DSG Endurance title with five class wins. She shared her car with multiple Le Mans winner Emmanuele Pirro for the last race of the season.

After a break, she returned to the Italian Touring Car Championship for 2023. She drove an Audi LMS in TCR trim and later, DSG trim. The latter car worked better for her; she won the first race at Imola and was second or third in the other three races of the series.

(Image from iltornante.it)

Tasmin Pepper

 Tasmin Pepper is a well-travelled driver from South Africa who has experienced success in both single-seaters and saloons, including race wins in both. 

She began racing in the 2006 South African Formula Ford Championship, aged sixteen. For her first couple of  seasons she combined karting with Formula Ford. Despite this, she was fourth in 2007 and claimed her first podium finishes. Tannith Gardiner stood in for her at Zwartkops.

Moving up the single-seater ladder in 2008, she entered the South African Formula Volkswagen series, a new championship launched that year using Reynard chassis previously raced in Germany. As well as this she raced in Formula BMW Pacific, racing all over Asia as well as her homeland, including three support slots for Formula 1 races. Her best finishes in both championships were fourth places. She was seventh in Formula Volkswagen and thirteenth in Formula BMW. 

A season spent closer to home was rewarded with her first win, at Kyalami, driving a Formula Volkswagen in the South African championship. Another three podiums at Kyalami and Killarney confirmed her fourth place.

In 2010, she continued where she left off, finishing second in the championship with another win at East London and ten podium places. When she finished, she was never out of the top ten, and almost always in the top five. 

She challenged again in the 2011 Formula VW series. Sadly, she did not win this time, although she was rarely out of the top five. She was fourth overall. 

After 2012, she switched from the declining Formula VW to saloon car racing in the Wesbank Super Series, driving a VW Golf. She also returned to karting, including some visits to Europe for the X30 series after winning the South African edition in 2011. Her win was repeated in 2012. 

Volkswagens were to be her favoured car for six seasons and in 2013, she added more wins to her tally: a round of the Polo Cup at Phakisa. Later that year, she was selected for the FIA VW Scirocco R-Cup ladies' evaluation tests, but did not win the following Shootout in Europe. 

She returned home to the Polo Cup in 2014, ending the season fourth overall. This was one of her best final finishing positions, although she bettered it in 2016 and 2018 with second places and outright race wins.

In 2019, she qualified for the all-female W Series, despite being out of single-seater racing for some time. She was a solid midfield but not spectacular finisher, racing in Europe. Her best finish was sixth at Zolder, which she repeated in the non-championship race at Assen. W Series did not run in 2020 due to the global coronavirus crisis, but she was set to compete again in 2021. Sadly, coronavirus seriously curtailed travel to and from South Africa and she was unable to race at all.

She is from a motorsport family; her brother Jordan races and her father Iain used to. She has been involved in one form of racing or another since she was four.

(Image copyright Reynard Gelderblom/Wheels24)

Amanda Whitaker

 

Amanda Whitaker is a multiple champion in British and European club racing. She is one of the most successful women drivers in a single-seater.

She was a leading driver in the  Monoposto championship, having won the championship three times, between 1997 and 1999. She drove a 2000cc Formula Vauxhall car which she had previously used in the B class of the British championship.

Her first car was a single-seater, a 1979 Hawke Formula Ford which she raced in the Formula E class of the 1991 FF1600 championship. The car was her father’s; he raced for many years and introduced his teenage daughter to karting.

The Hawke was upgraded to a 1987 Swift which earned her three outright wins in regional series.

After a long break caused by a lack of sponsorship, she returned to historic competition in 2005, driving in European Historic Formula 2. She soon returned to winning ways, claiming the European Formula Atlantic title in 2006. This ran as a class within F2 and she won seven times in her Chevron B34.

In 2008, she raced Historic and Classic Formula Fords in the UK, using a 1971 Elden Mk8. She was third in the final Historic standings and won Class B four times in the Classic championship.

She combined historic and modern club Formula Ford competition in 2009 and added seven further wins to her tally. She was second in the Historic championship, driving the Elden, and was fifth in another in a 1993 Swift. This was all in spite of a frightening accident at Mallory, during a Historic race. Her view was impaired by previous crash damage and she did not see a red flag, causing her to collide with a slowing Westie Mitchell. 

At the end of the year she entered the Walter Hayes Trophy, driving a Swift.

2010 was not as successful, with only three wins, but she still managed to race three different cars effectively. One of these was a Tiga FF2000 car. 

In 2011, she took a break from motorsport to have a baby. Her daughter Scarlett and son Harrison now race karts. On her website, Amanda does not say she has retired.

(Image from femaleracingnews.com)

Ilsa Cox

 

Ilsa Cox is a multiple champion in UK club saloon car racing. 

She began in 1987 at Castle Combe, which would be the scene of many of her future triumphs. Her first car was a Suzuki Swift that she entered into the Production Saloon Car Championship. She became a Combe regular despite living in Brighton, a considerable distance away.

In 1997 she was the Castle Combe Saloon Car champion, driving a Peugeot 205 GTi. Even in her first year in that championship, 1995, she won eight times, and was narrowly beaten to the trophy. 1995 was the first year that the series ran and Ilsa became one of its established stars very quickly. 

Much later, she won back to back Castle Combe GT championships in a SEAT Cupra, in 2017 and 2018.

It’s not only Combe-based series in which she has triumphed. In 2008, she won Class A of the 750MC Hot Hatch Championship, driving a Peugeot 206 GTi. 

More recently, she has been racing the SEAT Cupra in various club championships. One of her first successes was in the Eurosaloons championship, where she won a race outright at Oulton Park in 2009. She was second in the “B” class of the series, with three wins. 

She continued to race the SEAT in the CNC Heads Saloon/Sports championship. In 2014, she won one race and was second in Class D. 

As well as racing in the CNC Heads series in 2015, she took part in the Classic Thunder Touring Car Championship, still in the SEAT. She was fifth and seventh in these championships, respectively and won her class in the first.

Her schedule for the next couple of years took in some of the CNC Heads rounds. She was 26th overall in 2016 but did not do enough of the championship to mount a serious challenge in 2017. 

She was back to winning ways again in 2018, picking up another Castle Combe GT crown in the Cupra and winning nine races outright. This was not her only championship either; she won the Hammerite Classic Thunder Touring Car series as well.

She attempted to defend her CTCC Classic Thunder crown in 2019, winning at least one race at Silverstone and three others on the way to a class win. The shortened championship ran in 2020 but Ilsa did not race.

As well as this, she works as a performance driving instructor, and promotes women’s track days. Her driving career began with her working as a road driving instructor in the 1980s.

Ilsa won the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club’s Gold Star award in 2010. She was also part of a BWRDC team in the 2013 Birkett Relay at Silverstone, driving the Cupra. The Birkett is an event she has returned to, finishing ninth in 2017 as part of an all-SEAT team.

(Image copyright paddock42.com)