Cindy Gudet

Cindy Gudet is a championship-winning French hillclimber who has made the jump from speed events to sportscar racing.

Her background is predominantly hillclimbs, although not exclusively. She made guest appearances in rallies and in ice racing for several seasons before making the switch to sportscars on circuits in 2024.

She has been successful in hillclimbing since 2017, winning six national titles in production sportscars, most notably a Revolt 2P0 prototype. In 2023, she signed up for the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup, a single-make rally championship based in Germany, running as an official FFSA Academy entry with Cecile Marie as co-driver. Sarah Rumeau, a future French champion and Iron Dames driver, was also selected. After a guest appearance in the Rallye Regional de Quercy, driving a Peugeot 106, she was tenth in the Opel class in her first event in the car, the Rally Sulingen. Her best result of the year was a sixth place in her home Opel event, the Rallye Vosges Grand-Est. Her final position on the e-Rally Cup leaderboard was eighth, after six to-ten finishes.

As well as the ADAC series, she did another French regional rally in a Peugeot 208 R2, finishing the Savoie-Chautagne National Rallye in 29th place, from 58 finishers.

Her circuit career began in 2022, although on ice rather than on asphalt. She was invited to contest the Andros Stars ice racing series, which used electric cars and was open to selected guest drivers only, from the worlds of motorsport, other sport and celebrity. This seems to have been her first experience of driving on a track with other cars around her. She must have impressed Yvan Muller's team, which took her on for the 2023-2024 season as a driver in the Elite class. This was the last running of the Andros Trophy.

In 2024, she raced on the circuits, entering the GT4 European Series in a Toyota GR Supra, sharing with Gabriela Jilkova. Their car was run by Matmut Evolution, Jerome Policand's team, which had been taking steps to support female talent in the past season or so.

They were seventh in their class, with two podium finishes, a third place in Round 1 at Paul Ricard and another third at the season finale in Jeddah.

Driving solo, Cindy was fifth in the Ligier European Series, with her best finish being second at Portimao. She did almost the full season, only missing the Spa races, driving for the M Racing team. She was their highest-placed finisher in the squad.

She and Gabriela were signed again to race in the Supra in the 2025 GT4 European Series. They were fifth in the Pro-Am championship, finishing on the podium five times: seconds at the Nurburgring and Misano, and thirds at Paul Ricard, the Nurburgring and Barcelona. 

As a single driver, she did another season in the Ligier European Series, driving for M Racing. She was fifth in this championship as well, with four fourth places as her best finishes in the JS2R class.

(Image copyright Cindy Gudet)

Anne-Sophie Lemonnier (de Ganay)

 Anne-Sophie and her father at the 2011 Andros Trophy

Anne-Sophie le Ganay, who was previously known as Anne-Sophie Lemonnier, competes in ice racing in France. She was previously active in rallycross as well.

It was actually in rallycross that she got her start. Her first championship was a ladies’ Citroen Saxo series in 2003, the Citroen Challenge Feminin. She and her sister Marie-Laure competed together. The Lemonnier family is involved in both rallycross and stage rallying: Anne-Sophie and Marie-Laure’s father is Herve Knapick, a multiple rallycross champion, and their cousin Xavier Lemonnier is also active in rallying. 

The Challenge Feminin retired the Saxos in 2004 and began using the C2 instead. Anne-Sophie competed in one between 2004 and 2006. During her first season in a C2, she remained behind sister Marie-Laure, finishing fifth to her third. In 2005 and 2006, she leapfrogged her for championship third. 

The Citroen one-make series was cancelled at the end of 2006, so in 2007, she moved up to Division 4 of the French championship. Her car was not as competitive as those of the S1600 drivers in the series. After part-seasons without much of an impact, in 2010, she raced a Citroen Saxo kit car in Division 1A. 

In 2011, she was 18th in the Super 1600 championship, driving the same car. She did not compete in the championship in 2012. 

On the ice-racing side, she won the Andros Trophée Féminin “Ice Girls” championship in early 2008, driving a sprint car. In 2010, she was the Andros Ladies’ champion, as the highest-placed woman in the main draw. 

She competed mostly in the Elite class, beginning in 2009. She was a strong finisher in the 2012 Trophy, driving a BMW.

In 2014, she was 18th in the Promotion class, driving a BMW 1-Series. The car was shared with her father, Hervé Knapick, and run by their family team. 

Anne-Sophie reappeared in 2015 as team-mate to her father for the Alpe d'Huez round, driving a Renault Clio. By this time, she was racing as Anne-Sophie de Ganay. After a gap, Anne-Sophie and her father campaigned an Audi A1 in the 2022-23 Andros Trophy, competing at the Isola 2000 event.

(Image copyright Icon Sport/Getty Images)

Pauline Dalmasso

Pauline Dalmasso is a rally driver and co-driver who has been in the driving seat since 2018, although she has been navigating for slightly longer. Both she and her sister Charlotte have won the French ladies’ rally title.

Her first car was a Ford Fiesta R2T and she competed in National and Regional-level events in France, concentrating on asphalt rallies. 

Her first three rallies ended in crashes but she managed a best finish of 29th in her first year, in the Rallye Terre de Lozere. 

She added gravel rallies to her repertoire in 2019 and it proved a good move. She won the French ladies’ championship in 2019 with three event victories in the Antibes-Cote d’Azur, Criterium de Cevennes and Var rallies. However, a tarmac event was her best overall finish again; she was 25th in the Coeur de France Rally, driving a Peugeot 208 this time. Lucile Cypriano was the top female finisher, a couple of minutes ahead. 

Her two ladies' wins in 2020 were not enough to keep her crown although she would have done better had she finished her third event, the Coeur de France Rally. The season was curtailed by the global coronavirus crisis. Her car was a 208 again.

She did a combination of gravel and tarmac rallies in 2021 and had a best finish of 23rd in the Antibes-Cote d'Azure Rally, from 57 finishers. In February, she did her first rally outside France, the Rally Ronde del Canavese in Italy, although she did not finish. This was one of ten events she did that year.

During the winter season, she competed in the G Series ice-racing championship in Andorra. She was driving a Renault Clio in the Challenge Clio Ice Trophy class and she was eleventh in the championship. She reached one A final in the third round, finishing seventh.

Her first rally of 2022 was in a new car, a Rally5-spec Renault Clio. It gave her a 32nd place in the Rallye Regional des Roches Brunes. For the Le Touquet Rally, she was back in the Peugeot. She announced that this would be her primary car for the season. She was tenth in the French Tarmac championship, with a best finish of fourteenth in the Rallye Coeur de France. This was one of two Rally4 class wins for her and co-driver Marine Delon, the other being a 20th place in the Rallye Regional de la Vesubie.

She carried on with the Rally4 class, using a Peugeot 208 for most of 2024, apart from one outing in an Opel Adam for the Rallye du Var, where she was 72nd, from 112 finishers. Her best result in the 208 was fourteenth in the Rallye National des Roches, with a second in class.

The Roches event was her best in 2025 also. This time, she was driving a Rally4 Opel Corsa and she was sixth overall, with Manon Deliot. She did two other Tarmac rallies in this car, but with nowhere near the results. She also used to 208 for the Rallye Vosges-Grand Est, but its engine expired.

Her sister is French ladies’ champion, Charlotte Dalmasso. The pair competed together in 2016, with Pauline in the co-driver’s seat. Their best finish was a seventh place in the Rallye Regional de la Croisette. 

(Image copyright Pauline Dalmasso)

Clementine Lhoste

 

Clémentine Lhoste is a French driver who specialises in ice racing, having won against both women and men.

She first came to prominence in the Andros Trophy during the 2015-16 season, winning the “Ice Girls” ladies’ trophy. This was a one-make series for Sprint Car cross-buggies. After a slow start to the season, she became a dominant force, winning six Superfinals and finishing fifty points ahead of her nearest rival, Aurore Louison. This was her first full season of ice racing, although she had taken part in some Trophée Féminin races the previous year. At sixteen, she was the youngest driver to race in the Andros Trophy. 

She was supported in her early racing attempts by Dominique Dubourg, himself an Andros regular. 

Her second full Andros Trophy was contested in the Electric car class, with the Loxam team. The entire championship is now electrically-powered, but it was then a separate one-make class and relatively new. She was seventh, with a best finish of fifth at Alpe d'Huez. 

Another season in the Electric class followed at the end of 2017, as Loxam’s only electric entry. She was sixth overall after a consistent set of races. The following year, she earned her first podium, a third place in the qualifying race at Isola 2000.

Moving on after the entire championship went electric, she was seventh in the Elite class during the 2019-2020 season, with a best finish of second at Val Thorens. Although Ice Girls no longer ran as a separate category, Clementine regained her Andros Coupe des Dames this year. This was her first year as a member of Sylvain Pussier’s team, driving alongside Pussier himself.

The following year, she was fourth in Elite, driving for Sylvain Pussier Competition. She won three rounds outright at Lans en Vercours and Val Thorens, finishing ahead of multiple women’s champion, Margot Laffite and just three points behind third-placed Natan Bihel. Pussier himself won the class championship, despite having the same number of wins as Clementine.

The Pussier team used the Loxam electric Peugeot 208 for the 2021-22 season. Clementine had her share of troubles, not always qualifying well, but she won the Superfinal of the Isola 2000 round outright on her way to a fourth place in the championship. She was second in the Lans en Vercours round, but then had an indifferent Super-Besse weekend, meaning that she could not catch Bihel for third.

She remained part of the Pussier set-up for the 2022-23 season as one of their Elite drivers, sharing the car with Jimmy Clairet. It was a frustrating year for her as she often struggled for pace in the Peugeot and she lost her Ladies' crown to Margot Laffite. 

She did train with the French RX Academy for young rallycross hopefuls in 2019, but prefers to compete on the ice in winter rather than the mud in summer.

(Image copyright Le Progres/DR)

Estelle Hallyday

 

Estelle Hallyday, later known as Estelle Lefébure, is a French driver who competed in cross-country rallies and other events in the 1990s and 2000s.

She drove in rally raids in 1999 and 2000, as part of a Mitsubishi-based private team run by Luc Alphand. Among her events in this debut year was the 1999 Rally Optic 2000, co-driven by Bernadette Sacy. She competed for the team in the 2000 Tunisian Rally, and also in the Dakar, driving a Pajero. She was paired with the experienced Eric Vigouroux for the Tunisia and Dakar rallies. In an interview with Le Parisien, he praised her driving ability. Luc Alphand also admitted to being surprised by her talent in his own autobiography.

Later, she was associated with an Italian team running a Nissan Pathfinder, but she does not appear to have actually competed. 

Rally raids were not her first forays into motorsport. In 1993, she raced a Venturi prototype in the Andros Trophy. This was when she first teamed up with Bernadette Sacy. They both competed alongside Julien Beltoise in 1994. In 1996, Estelle and Bernadette shared an Opel Astra for the Chamonix 24 Hours, another major ice race. They were 29th overall.

Estelle is better known as a model and actress. She modelled throughout the 1980s and 1990s, working for many designers and appearing on the covers of fashion magazines. 

She was married to singer-songwriter David Hallyday at the time she was competing. They separated in 2001.

(Image copyright BestImage)

Bernadette Sacy

 

Bernadette Sacy competed in both stage rallies and rally raids in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as racing on the circuits in the Gordini Cup and Leyland Trophy. 

She came from a motorsport family and had a father who raced, although he did not consider it suitable for girls and did not encourage her to compete herself. Her first steps in motorsport were rallies in northern France, driving an NSU in 1972 and a  Simca Rallye in 1973. 

For several years she switched to circuit-based competition and took part in several one-make racing championships. Her first one was the 1974 Gordini Cup, which used the Gordini-engined Renault 12, although she only had enough budget for some of the rounds. Another part-season in 1975 was based around a Ford Escort championship in Belgium.

Her next plan was to race in the Trophee Leyland, which used Innocenti-badged British Leyland cars. Her car was a Mini and although she was not one of the overall winners, she was one of the best of several female drivers entered. She raced the Innocenti Mini between 1976 and 1978. 

Her return to rallying was with the all-female Aseptogyl team. The team’s director Bob Neyret had seen her on-track in the Mini and offered her a seat in another small car, the Fiat 127. The team was mainly focused on the Italian rally championship by then, but Bernadette was part of a multi-car French team. Her best result seems to have been a 35th place in the Rallye de Lorraine, with a fourth place in class. 

1980 was a year without regular competition, but Bernadette was busy opening her own British Leyland dealership and planning new adventures. The Leyland Trophee had put her in touch both with the British car company itself and with Monique Delannoy, a former actress who also raced in the championship. Monique would become the first woman to enter the Paris-Dakar Rally in the car class. She drove a Peugeot 504 in the 1980 Dakar and recruited Bernadette as her navigator for the 1981 event. Their car was a Mercedes 240 jeep and they were 25th overall, winning both the Coupe des Dames and the diesel class.  

For the 1982 Dakar she moved over to the driving seat herself in a Range Rover. Christine “Kiki” Caron, a former Olympic swimmer who had done some rallying with Team Aseptogyl, was her navigator. Christine’s husband J-C Lagniez was Bernadette’s main sponsor at the time and was the main instigator of the partnership.

They got to the finish in 35th place. The same driver pairing in the same car tackled the 1983 Dakar, but did not finish. They became lost for three days during a sandstorm in Niger and were found by a rescue Range Rover along with another car crew and two motorcyclists. 

She returned to stage rallying in France and Europe quite extensively in 1984, driving for the Citroen team after the Aseptogyl stable wound down. In 1984, she was one of the finalists for the Citroen Trophée Féminin, representing the Lille region, and was eighth overall. Her results were more modest than they could have been, as she had to sit out part of the season due to injury after hitting a tree during the Terre de Provence Rallye.

After recovering from her injuries, she returned to rally raids. She has taken part in the Pharaons, Atlas and Optic 2000 rallies. As late as 1999, she was navigating for Estelle Hallyday in the Optic 2000 Rally in Tunisia. 

She and Estelle also competed together in the Andros Trophy in 1993 and 1994, driving a Venturi with Julien Beltoise. They raced together on ice again in the Chamonix 24 Hours, driving an Opel Astra to 29th place. Bernadette apparently returned to Chamonix a few times, although the results are hard to find.

After retiring from active competition, she moved into the administration and organisation side of rally raids. She still comes out of retirement occasionally for classic rallies.

This post was made with the help of the following sources:

http://www.citroen-en-competition.fr/fiche-pilote.php?pilote=354&lettre=s

http://www.dakardantan.com/magazine/Bernadette-SACY-1981-82-83.html

(Image copyright Innocenti Motors Club)

Louise Roberge

Louise Roberge was a Canadian racer of the late 1960s and early 1970s, most famous for her exploits in a Formula Ford car. She was a contemporary and rival of Monique Proulx. 

According to a newspaper interview she gave in she began racing in a Mini in 1968, and was fifth in her first race. She did at least three rounds of the same championship in 1969, scoring a fourth, fifth and sixth place in the Class A series for cars up to 1300cc. All three races took place at the Mont-Tremblant circuit. In the same interview, with the Winnipeg Free Press, she claimed to have done some rallies at high school, which would have been shortly before her early marriage to Matthieu Roberge when she was 18. Unusually, Louise was a married mother of three when her career began and she always described her husband as supportive, even when she crashed the Mini in the early part of her career. 

Few other details of her early career are readily available, although she is said to have picked up her love of cars from her father. According to another 1971 interview in the Brandon Sun, the fifth place was in a racing school event and she did four further novice races in 1969, in order to upgrade her license. Among her rivals in the Mini was Louis Germain, her partner in the design firm she managed, Caractera Limited. The pair often raced together and Louis acted as her mechanic. Louise’s husband Matthieu had no involvement in motorsport at all, other than helping to bankroll her career.

Away from the circuits, Louise was also said to be a skilled driver on ice. The Ottawa Citizen in January 1969 reports that she had run as high as fourth in an Ottawa Winter Carnival Grand Prix, driving a Mini. She did not finish after the exhaust came off. A ninth place in an ice race across the Plains of Abraham is detailed in a 1970 Winnipeg Free Press article and is said to have occurred in 1969. Louise was one of the organisers of the same event in 1970. She must have done more ice races in the early part of her career, as she talks of crashing out of one of them.

In 1970, she began racing single-seaters, after taking more tuition at the Jim Russell Racing Drivers’ School. Her first single-seater car was a Lotus 61, which was replaced by a Lotus 69 later in the season. She did five rounds of the Molson Quebec championship in this car, scoring a best finish of sixteenth at Trois-Rivieres, in the 61. She had some sponsorship from a tobacco company and her car was apparently white with a rainbow stripe detail.

In 1971, driving the 69 in Quebec Formula B, she was sixth at Mont Tremblant in May. Her other known results are two non-finishes. Louis Germain was also active in the series this year, as was Gilles Villeneuve, who finished below Louise in the final standings. She was sixteenth, which suggests that she did finish some other races that year.

It was this year that another female driver, Monique Proulx, appeared on the scene. She and Louise did not race each other directly as Monique was in saloons at this point, but the press was keen to play up any rivalry between the two. In a 1972 interview with the Calgary Herald, Monique stated that Louise “did not like her” and refused to be in a photograph with her. “She’s a good driver, Louise, but she does not push. Me, I push,” she is quoted as saying.

Louise may also have owned or raced a Lotus 51, although further race results have proved very hard to track down. Any results from 1972 are proving equally difficult to find; Monique Proulx’s comments suggest that she was still racing that year.

The 69 was sold in 1973 and she seems to stop competing around that time. Earlier, in the 1971 Winnipeg Free Press interview, she said that she expected to stop racing when she was 30, although she did not elaborate on this. In the same piece, she made a cryptic comment that one of her three children was destined for motorsport fame, but declined to say which one.

In addition to racing cars, Louise was said to be an enthusiast of adventure sports in general, including canoeing, skating and sky-diving. She may also have worked as a model at some point.

She fades into obscurity after 1973.

(Image copyright Ottawa Citizen)

Carole Perrin

Carole Perrin is a former single-seater racer from France who has competed most recently in stock car racing in Europe. She was nicknamed “Pink Panther” due to her preference for pink cars.

Her first senior experience after three karting titles was when she tried ice racing in the 2004-05 Andros Trophy, and was third in the Trophée Féminin. She was 18 and also managed to earn the “Ice Girls” rookie award.

She tried to enter Formula Ford in 2006, but the championship was cancelled. Switching abruptly to tin-tops, she found a seat in the Clio Cup in France. Her season lasted four races before she was sidelined by a heavy crash at the Pau street circuit.

She returned to the scene in 2008, in the Formula Academy Euroseries, another single-seater series based on the cars previously used in Formula Campus. Her best finish was 12th at Spa.

She first raced a NASCAR-style stock car in the Racecar series in France in 2009, finishing third once at Albi. She was 16th overall in the championship but ran well in the Open class, scoring wins at Albi and Lédenon. Her final class position was fifth.

In 2010, she continued in Racecar, now running as the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. She finished fifth in the championship, this time in the Elite class. Her best finishes were a third at Le Mans and fourth at Lédenon.

Driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo in Euro NASCAR in 2011, she scored her first win at Motorland Aragon, as well as a fastest lap. The series had official FIA backing this year. She did not complete the season, and was only 17th overall.

Carole stayed in the Euro NASCAR Elite class for the following season, driving a Chevrolet Camaro. She was 16th overall, with one podium finish: a third at Spa. Her other top-ten finish was an eighth place at Nogaro. A single Open class race at Brands Hatch in May gave her an outright win. As well as her on-track results, she gained some attention for her “Pink Panther”- themed art car, designed by French painter Didier Chamizo.

In 2013, she ran a limited programme in Euro NASCAR, in the Elite class. Her best finish was fifth, having started from a lowly 19th place. One of her team-mates at Autosport 42 was French rallycross driver Caty Caly.

She struggled for sponsorship in 2014 and tried to use crowdfunding to secure a race seat. She made a guest appearance at the Loire meeting of Euro NASCAR and finished one race, in 20th place.

Her sponsorship position was better in 2015; she took part in the whole Whelen NASCAR Euro series, in the Elite 2 class. Her best finish was sixth, at Zolder, one of four top-ten finishes. She was tenth overall. Despite doing quite well in 2015, she did not have enough sponsorship to race in 2016. She had been supported by the town of St Etienne itself, but they pulled out.

She has been absent from the circuits since then.

(Image from http://www.autonewsinfo.com)

Female Rally Drivers After 1950: Russia

Anastasia Mironova, second left, collects awards from the Karelia State Championship with her team-mates.

Russia has produced quite a lot of female rally drivers, and there are several active at the moment, in Russia and internationally. Language barriers make it difficult to research all of their careers.

Elena Baikova - Russian driver active since at least 2010. She rallies a Subara Impreza almost exclusively, and competes in Russia mainly, with a few excursions to Belarus. 2012 seems to have been her best season: she achieved two top ten positions. The first was an eighth place in the Rally Zolotye Kupola, and the second was a ninth in the Rally Rostov Velikiy. That year, she was ranked 73rd in the Russian championship. In subsequent years, she has come up against reliability problems, and has been less consistent. Her best result in 2014 was 20th, in the Rally Peno. She drove in six rounds of the Russia Cup, finishing three of them. Her cars were an Impreza, Citroen Saxo and Volkswagen Polo. In 2015, she rallied a Subaru Impreza, but did not finish the Pushkinskye Gory Rally. She tried again with the car in the 2016 Rallye Belye Nochi, but retired after an off-road excursion. In 2017, she got the hang of the Impreza and was sixth in the Mini Rally Petrovskaya Versta. This was one of three finishes in the car. She only did one major event in 2018, the Rally 900 Ozer, and was 25th in the Impreza. After a break, she drove the course car for the 2021 Rally Pskov. She returned to competition in the Impreza in 2023, entering the Rally Petrovskaya Versta October, then did four rallies in 2024. The best of these was the Rally Petrovskaya Versta July, in which she was fourth. Another run in the Petrovska event in 2025 led to a sixth place.

Ludmila Belolipskaya - Russian driver who rallied Ladas for around ten years, between 1986 and 1995. She started competing in the Soviet era and initially kept to Russian rallies, but by 1988, she appeared on entry lists in other Eastern Bloc countries, starting with that year’s International Rally Vida in Bulgaria. She also entered Estonia’s Old Toomas Rally at least four times between 1988 and 1991. Towards the end of her career, her results improved and she was a career-best tenth in the 1994 Rally Zolotye Voroda. She was also fourteenth in the 1995 St Petersburg Rally.

Elena Golubkina – took part in stage rallies in Russia in the 2000s, starting in 2005. Her first car was a Citroen Saxo, and she remained loyal to the Citroen marque for several seasons. During her first year, her best result was an eighth place, in the Rally Ermak. She was also tenth in the Rally Vyatka, and later in the season, driving a C2, won her class in the Novorossiysk Rally. In 2006 and 2007, she mostly drove a C2, and although she did not reach the heights of the top ten, she was 30^th in the 2007 Rally Russia, an IRC round. After a shorter season in 2008, she seems to have switched to cross-country rallying, in Russia and Asia. She was 25^th in the 2010 Silk Way Rally, driving a Mitsubishi, and was 50^th in the 2011 event, in the same vehicle. 

Galina Grokhovskaya - campaigned a Lada in Finland and (presumably) the Soviet Union, between 1989 and 1994. Her best result in Finland was 40th, in 1994, despite her car being slow. Unlike some former Soviet drivers, she appeared to be a self-funded privateer. Occasionally she co-drove for other drivers, including Vladimir Turov in Finland in 1992.

Anastasia Mironova - a regular in Russian rallies since 2012. Her car has, so far, always been a Ford Fiesta. In 2012, her best result was 17th, in the St. Petersburg Rally. The following year, she improved this to a 15th place, on the same rally. She scored two top-twenty finishes in 2014, thirteenths at Vyborg and Yakkima. Her favoured surface appears to be gravel, but she has run well in snow rallies, too. Her co-driver is usually Alexey Krylov. She also competed in some rounds of the Russian ice-racing championship in 2013. Driving a VAZ 211200, she scored a tenth and an eleventh place in the SZZ Cup, in the St. Petersburg rounds. She was also 20th overall in the Russian 1600 Cup, but her race results are not forthcoming. Between 2010 and 2013, she participated in several karting championships, at home and in Russia. In 2015, she rallied a Ford Fiesta in Russia and Belarus, finishing in the top ten twice, in the Vyborg and St Petersburg Rallies. She was fourteenth in the 2016 Russian championship, in the Fiesta. Normally, she was in the top twenty finishers, and her best overall position was a tenth place in the Rally Ekover. In 2017, she did fewer rallies than previously. She drove the Fiesta and had a best finish of 23rd in the Karelia Rally. For 2018, she switched to driving a Lada Kalina for most of the season, but got her best result from one of her occasional starts in the Fiesta: ninth in the Rally Gukovo.  She only did one major rally in 2019. After starting the Rally Belye Nochi in the Kalina, its driveshaft gave way on Stage 9. 

Elena Sarieva – has made occasional starts in Russian rallies since 2006, although often as a course car, rather than a competitor. She drove a Mitsubishi Lancer in the Gukovo Rally in 2006, but did not finish, due to problems with the car’s cooling system. In 2012, she drove in the Rally of Latvia, in another Mitsubishi Lancer. She does not appear to have finished. Her most recent appearance was in 2013, when she drove a Subaru Impreza as the course car in the Rally Masters Show, in Russia.

(Image from https://vk.com/wall-70377477?offset=80)

Ice Racing outside the Andros Trophy

Laia Sanz and Ingrid Rossell in 2014

The Andros Trophy is the best-known ice-racing series, in Europe at least, but it is not the only one. There is a long tradition of ice-racing in Russia, and in recent years, a women’s championship has been held once a year. The G Series, held in Andorra, is another yearly championship, which attracts several female participants, as well as many MotoGP riders.

Here are short profiles of some non-Andros ice racers.

Berta Bigordá – Andorran driver who competed in Andorra’s G-Series in 2013 and 2014. She raced in the G-Series 2, for Volkswagen Golfs. In 2013, she managed to score a few points in each round, and was 28^th overall. In 2014, she was 17^th, with a best finish of fifth. As well as ice racing, she took part in the Panda Raid in 2014, as co-driver to Carlos Bigordá.

Maria Dolsa - Andorran driver who competed in the 2018 G Series. She entered the GS2 one-make series in a Giand car. Her final championship position was seventh, and her best finish in an “A” final was fourth, which she achieved in the second round. She was the only woman competing in the 2018 championship. Back in 2007, she raced karts in the X30 Parilla Cup.

Anna Hvostova – winner of the Russian women’s ice racing championship at Cherepovetz, in 2011. She was driving a VAZ 2108. In 2012, she did some more ice-racing, at Vologda, finishing fifth in a round of the Russian Cup. Further information about Anna is not forthcoming, due to language barriers and the resulting inconsistent spelling of her name.

Katerina (Ekaterina?) Intke - competes in ice racing in Russia. She won the women’s championship at Cherepovetz Stadium in 2014, driving a VAZ 2108, despite only finishing second in the Superfinal. The same year, she was thirteenth in the main Cherepovetz race, and ninth in the Russian National class. Information about Katerina is hard to find, due to language barriers, but Intke may be a married name, and it is possible that she has been part of the ice-racing scene since 2011.

Mariona Julià Rich - Spanish driver who races in the G Series in Andorra. In 2013, she raced a VW Golf in the G Series 2 category, and was 19th overall, scoring points in each round. She shared the car with Joaquin Rodrigo. In 2014, she returned to G Series 2, and did somewhat better, with a best finish of fourth place. She was eleventh in the championship, still in the Golf. Mariona was part of the Rabbit Team, with Ingrid Rossell and others. Away from ice racing, she may well also compete in motorcycle sport of some kind.

Ingrid Rossell - Andorran driver who mainly competes in ice racing. She began in 2013, at the age of 17, in the G Series, Class Two. Ingrid managed three third places, giving her seventh in the championship. Her car was a Volkswagen Golf. In 2014, she returned to the G Series, in an updated Golf. Although she improved her best finish to second, and scored three more third places, the championship was more competitive this year, and she was ninth. A race she had against Laia Sanz, another female driver, brought her some wider attention. Laia Sanz was the winner. In 2014, she returned to the G Series, in a VW Golf. She was driving for the same team. In 2015, she did another season in the G Series, in the G Series 2. She drove a regulation VW Golf. Despite not scoring any points in the final round, she was fourth in the championship, after two third places. In 2016, she did some more G Series events, although she does not appear to have completed the whole championship. Her car was a Mini, after several years in the Golf, and she was 30th in the championship. In 2017 she was back in G Series 2, and a much stronger driver, finishing fourth overall. She was driving a prototype built by GIAND. She is not registered for the 2018 G Series and seems to be concentrating on hillclimbs in a SEAT Leon. In addition to ice racing, Ingrid has also competed in rally raids. In 2013, she took part in the Panda Raid in Morocco, driving a Fiat Panda with Manuel Saa. 

Polina Samylkina - active in Russian ice racing since at least 2011, when she was joint third in the Cherepovetz women’s championship, in a VAZ 2106. In 2012, she took part in the Vologda round of the Russian Cup of ice racing, but it is not clear whether or not she finished. In 2014, she was third in the women’s championship. In 2015, she was fourth, driving a VAZ 2108. In the same car, she raced at Vologda and Cherepovetz in 2016, with a best finish of fourth, at Vologda. As well as competing, she is one of the organisers of the ice racing meeting at Cherepovetz.

(Image from www.soymotero.net)

Margot (Marguerite) Laffite

Marguerite (usually known as Margot) Laffite was the winner of the Andros Trophée Féminin in 2005, on her first attempt. It was her first taste of motorsport, despite having grown up as the daughter of former Formula One driver, Jacques Laffite. Her elder sister Camille also competed that year. She has returned to ice racing almost every winter since then, and is one of its most recognisable and decorated female participants.

In 2006, she was part of a works Fiat female team for the Promotion class of the Andros Trophy, with Justine Monnier. Their cars were Stilos. Margot’s best finish was second, in Andorra. Sadly, her form tailed off towards the end of the short ice-racing season, and she was 23rd overall, with Justine in fourteenth.

The summer counterpart of her winter adventures revolved around some appearances in the VW Fun Cup, including the 25-Hour race at Spa.

Since then, she has raced different cars on the ice. In 2007, this was a Peugeot 206 CC, and she was 27th overall, just above her team-mate Marlène Broggi, in 29th. The following season, in a Kia Rio this time, she was back to form, despite only running a part-season. She was 20th overall, with a best finish of sixth, at Alpe D’Huez. In 2008-2009, she was very much a part-time entrant, but still managed some top-ten race positions in her Rio. She was 24th overall. 

At the same time, she became involved with the FIA GT3 Championship, driving a Morgan Aero 8 GT. This car was not the fastest or most reliable in its class, but she and her co-driver finished four races in it in 2007, at Monza and Brno, twice beating her father, Jacques Laffite. In 2008, she was paired with George Alexandre Sturdza in the Morgan. After the official tests, they entered five European GT3 meetings. Out of ten races, the Morgan made it to the end three times, twice in 22nd place (at Monza and Nogaro) and once in 27th (at Silverstone). The sister cars did not fare much better, only occasionally getting into the top twenty.

That year, she also made guest appearances in several domestic series, including the French Porsche Carrera Cup. She took part in two races at Dijon. Later in the season, she appeared at the Le Mans round of the Mégane Eurocup, and was fifteenth in both of her races. She was supported by Boutsen Ginion Racing, who also ran her cars in the Andros Trophy. In between, she drove in the MitJet silhouette series. The results for this have not been forthcoming.

In 2009, she drove in the Renault Mégane one-make series, making two appearances, again as a guest driver for the Boutsen Ginion team. She was 16th in Catalunya and twelfth at Spa. This was the limit of her summer activities.

For the 2009-2010 Andros season, she drove in the new Electric category with Marlène Broggi, and was third in the team standings. She was tenth overall, behind Marlène in seventh, despite a third place at Alpe d’Huez.

The following season, she was ninth in the Electric class, with some top-five overall finishes but no big scores. She was sixth in 2011-2012, after another third place at Isola. This year, she won her first Coupe des Dames in the Electric Trophy.

Away from the ice, she concentrated more on media and advocacy work, and her only summer racing in 2010 was two guest appearances in the SEAT Leon Supercopa in France. She finished eleventh in both of her races, at Lédenon.

In 2012, she increased her summer calendar, and ran in Clio and Mégane Eurocup events, with mixed results. She was better in the Mégane, with a seventh and an eighth at Paul Ricard and Catalunya. Her best Clio finish was 16th, . She also did two guest rounds of the Peugeot RCZ Cup in France, at Lédenon again, finishing twelfth and eleventh.

Margot’s main job now is as a presenter of Eurosport’s French-language Formula One coverage, which takes up much of her time. She has received praise for her work. Despite this, she still had time to contest the 2012-2013 Andros Electric Trophy, and earn her second Ladies’ Cup. She was fourth overall. 

In spite of her TV schedule, she was also able to take part in the Megane Trophy Eurocup again. Again, it was a somewhat up-and-down season. Her best finish was sixth, at the Red Bull Ring, but she was usually in the lower part of the top ten. She mostly stayed out of trouble, and her performances were enough to get her into twelfth place in the championship. She also had the distinction of racing alongside her father on a few occasions this year.

She was set to race in the Andros Trophy again at the end of 2013, driving a Citroen DS3. However, she crashed whilst practising for the first round, at Val de Thorens, and fractured two cervical vertebrae. She had to sit out the Trophy. Although her injuries sounded dramatic, she was expected to make a full recovery.  

She did not race in 2014, but did continue with her TV work. She also became a mother at the start of 2015. At the end of the year, she returned to motorsport, racing a Citroen DS3 in the Andros Trophy, in the Elite class. She was eighth in the championship, second of the female drivers, and just two points behind Marlène Broggi. Super-Besse was her best meeting, and she was third overall.

She was back on form for the 2016-17 Andros Trophy, in which she was fourth, driving a Mazda 3 in the Elite class. Her best results were two second places, at Alpe d'Huez and Isola 2000. 

In 2018, she finished the Andros Trophy season in sixth place, in the Elite class. Her car was a Mazda3 run by Sainteloc. Her best finish was a second at Val Thorens, which she repeated at Isola 2000. This was her best meeting; the first race also gave her a third place.

Another Andros entry beckoned in 2019, also with a Mazda3. In between, she had been part of an all-female R24 Motorsport entry for the Sepang round of the 2019 Asian Le Mans Series, driving a Ligier LMP3. The team, consisting of Margot, Katherine Legge and Michelle Gatting, was eighth in class.

Her return to the ice of the Andros Trophy in 2021 was a success. She was fifth in the Elite championship after winning one race at Andorra and finishing second at Serre Chevalier, driving for Sebastien Loeb's team. 

She drove for the SLR Enedis team for the 2021-22 Andros Trophy, now running as a completely electric championship. She shared the car with Elite driver Sebastien Loeb. A return to the Andros Trophy in late 2022 began very strongly with two wins. She continued to be very strong throughout the winter season and was second in the Elite championship.

At the beginning of 2024, she announced that the 2023-24 Andros Trophy would be her last, as the championship was coming to an end. She raced in the Elite class for Sebastien Loeb's team and won one race at Andorra, as well as finishing on the podium several more times.

(Picture from http://enpleinelucarne.net/2013/03/margot-laffite-joker-834)  

Marlène Broggi

Marlène in her electric car, 2012

Marlène Broggi, born in 1982, is a French racer who got her break in the Trophée Andros, winning the Trophée Feminin in 2006.

It was her second attempt at the trophy, having scored a sixth place in 2005. During the main summer racing season, she had also done some VW Fun Cup and Roadster Cup races, in France. In 2006, she was ninth in the VW-derived Roadster Cup, and twelfth in the French Fun Cup team standings.

After her Andros Trophy win, she returned to the ice for the 2006/2007 season, driving in the Promotion class. She was 29th in the combined overall standings, after a campaign that gave her mixed results. Her car was a Peugeot 206CC.

Later that year, her main career focus became European sportscar racing. Staying with Peugeot, he did a full season in the 207 Spider Cup in 2007, which supported the Le Mans Endurance Series. Her best finish was fifth, at Monza, and she was fourteenth overall at the end of the season, after six more top-ten finishes.

She remained in the Spider Cup in 2008, with three seventh places at Monza, Val de Vienne and Pau as her best results.  She was eleventh in the championship this time. In between, she competed in another Andros Trophy, in the Promotion class again. She as stronger this year, finishing 19th overall after some top-three positions in Promotion. Her car was a Renault Clio and she was driving for the Dubourg team.

For the 2008-2009 Andros Trophy, Marlène drove a Clio in the Promotion class again. She did not enter all of the events, so although she had top-three pace, she could only manage 22nd overall.

The 2009 summer season in between was quite a short one, with only guest appearances. Early in the year, she appeared in two rounds of the Mégane Trophy Eurocup, as a guest driver of Boutsen Energy Racing. She was 17th in Catalunya and 18th at Spa. Later on, she joined Formula Le Mans for its Silverstone meeting, partnering Thomas Duchene. Her car was a Corvette-based ORECA FLM09, a much more powerful machine than she was used to. Her two races gave her an eleventh and tenth place, and one championship point.

During the 2009-2010 Andros season, she drove in the new Electric class, with the Boutsen Energy team, and was the top lady driver.

For the 2010 main season, she drove in the SEAT Leon Supercopa in Europe, concentrating mainly on the French series. She was eleventh overall, with a best finish of sixth at Albi. This was one of six top-ten places. In September, she drove in the Valencia rounds of the Seat Leon Eurocup, finishing 16th and 19th. Her team this year was Exagon Engineering.

Back in the Andros Trophy, she raced again with Margot Laffite in the Electric Trophy, although they did not win anything this time.

The following year, Marlène, driving solo, was eighth in the Electric class, and won the Ladies' award in the thermal energy class. In between, she was seventeenth in the French SEAT Leon Supercopa. Her best finish was ninth; she was less competitive this year and only managed one further top-ten position, a tenth at Lédenon.

In 2012, she drove in the Clio Eurocup. Out of eight races, she finished six times, with a best position of fifteenth. However, her season was marred by accidents, and she had to sit out one of the Catalunya races entirely due to . Mid-season, she linked up with Boutsen Ginion Racing, her Andros Trophy team, for the Spa 24 Hours. She drove a McLaren MP4-12C with Sarah Bovy, Jerome Thiry and Massimo Vignali. They did not finish, following another crash on a very wet track.

Also with the Boutsen team, she took part in the Andros Electric Trophy’s first non-ice-based event, the Grand Prix Électrique at Pau. She was the only female driver out of twelve. In her first race, she was last, but in her second, she was fifth. She did not return to the Andros Trophy proper for its 2012-2013 running.

Although she did not do any ice racing, her main season was quite active, still as part of Boutsen Ginion Racing. She drove in the Blancpain Endurance Series in a McLaren MP4 for the team, for four races. Her first event was the Monza 3 Hours, sharing the car with Karim Ojjeh and Christophe de Fierlant. They were 41st overall. For the next round, Silverstone, Christophe was replaced by John Hartshorne. They did not finish. At Paul Ricard, Laurent Pasquali took up the third seat, but they still did not finish. Sadly, the Spa 24 Hours led to another mechanical failure and DNF. 

2014 was a much quieter year. She returned to the Blancpain series, for one race, driving a Ferrari 458 Italia for Duqueine Engineering. Along with Philippe Bourgeois and Philippe Richard, she was ninth in the "Gentleman" Trophy Cup, at Spa. 

She returned to ice-racing at the end of the year, driving a Renault Clio in the Andros Trophy for the D.A. Racing team. It was a really good ice season for her, with race wins from the start, which she initially had trouble converting into Superfinal wins. She got her first overall win at Huez, on the second day, and was second at Lans. In the season-ending Super Final at St. Dié-des-Vosges, she won both her semi-final, and the super-final. She was third overall in the championship. During the Super Final, she also made a guest appearance in the revived Trophée Feminin.

She stayed in touch with the Boutsen Ginion team in 2015, and was one of a four-driver team for the Paul Ricard round of the 24-Hour Series. She was driving a Maserati Gran Turismo, and was 36th overall, sixth in class.

At the end of 2015, she entered another Andros Trophy, driving a Renault Clio in the Elite class. She was the fastest lady driver on the ice once more, just ahead of Margot Laffite, in seventh place. She won one of the finals during the Val Thorens meeting, and was seventh overall, and was eighth at Alpe
d'Huez.

She made a guest appearance in the 2019-2020 Andros Trophy, competing in the Invitation race at Isola 2000. She was second overall in a Motul electric car, having been fastest in one qualifying session and won one of the heats.

(Image from http://www.larepubliquedespyrenees.fr/2012/05/12/marlene-broggi-de-la-glace-a-l-asphalte,235054.php)

Women drivers in the 2011-2012 Andros Trophy

Marlène Broggi in the Clio

As usual, many female drivers braved the Alpine ice in the 2011-2012 running of the Andros Trophy.
Marlène Broggi was the leading lady in the main Trophée, having taken part in all of the rounds. She also competed in the Electric Trophy, but was not as fast as Margot Laffite.

Trophée Andros
Marlène Broggi (Renault Clio) - 23rd
Berenice Demoustier (Toyota Auris) - 25th
Anne-Sophie Lemonnier (BMW 1 series) - 30th
Adeline Sangnier (Renault Clio) - 40th
Margot Laffite (Renault Clio) - 41st

Trophée Andros Electrique
Margot Laffite - 6th
Marlène Broggi - 8th

(Picture from www.drivepad.fr)

Female Drivers in the Andros Electric Trophy, 2010-2011 season

Marguerite Laffite

The Andros Electric Trophy for electric-powered cars was a new addition for 2009, and has now replaced the buggy class that formed the basis for "Ice Girls". The Electric Trophy attracted several female drivers this time, including several who were involved in various ways with Ice Girls, from former champion Margot Laffite to TV presenter Nathalie Marquay, who did promotional work for the Trophy previously. Below are their results.

Due to a recurring error, it has not been possible to display full results for this series on this blog.

Overall

Marguerite Laffite 9th

Marlène Broggi 10th

Cathy Muller 11th

Elodie Gossuin 14th

Nathalie Marquay 18th

Anne-Christine Horent 22nd

(Image copyright Bernard Bakalian)