Shelley Wakeling

Shelley is a multiple British rallycross championship winner. Her father is Richard Wakeling, a car preparation expert and rallycross competitor. Her brother, Paul Wakeling, also competes in rallycross, usually in a different class. She began racing in Minicross in 2004, after some time in Autograss.

She was sixth overall in her first season, with a best finish of sixth at Mondello Park. In 2005, she was fifth in her second. During her third season, 2006, she was runner-up, after achieving her first win at Blyton, the last meeting of the year.

A new car for the 2007 season allowed her to raise her game, and she walked away with the championship after four wins. A trip across to the continent resulted in a fifth place at Maasmechelen, in Belgium.

She defended her crown in style in 2008, winning with one race to spare. Her “A” Final win tally was increased to five. As well as the UK Minicross championships, she has also competed in Europe again. Her team entered the non-championship event at Eurocircuit in the Netherlands, and was rewarded with another win from Shelley, plus a fourth place for Richard.

In 2009, she moved up to the Procar 2000 class in a Honda Civic, and was third overall, despite missing the first rounds, as her car was not ready. Her other results varied between second and fourth. 

Her second season in this championship gave her another title to add to her collection, the BTRDA Modified 2000 trophy. This time, she was competing against much more powerful cars in the same races, so only managed one win, but she was consistently the best in her class. This also gave her an overall win in the BTRDA Clubmans series. This is a first for a female driver.


In 2011, she stepped up again to the British Super National class, in the improved Honda. Competition was much more intense this time, and she did not manage any wins, but she was ninth overall in the championship, with a  best result of eighth. Competing in the BTRDA series in the top Supermodified category, she managed two third places in the two meeting she entered.


In 2012, she aimed to be more competitive in Super National, and her Honda was fitted with a supercharger to improve performances. She contested four of the six rounds, and her best overall finish was fifth, at Pembrey. This was good for eighth place on the final leaderboard. She would have completed the season, but a broken differential on the Civic prevented this. It followed a big roll at Lydden Hill, from second place, although the car was rebuilt after this.

Shelley was less in evidence on the British rallycross scene in 2013, entering only a few races. She did travel to the Netherlands in July, finishing second and fourth in two of her races. She also took part in some autograss events, in a Class 14 Buggy. However, most of her motoring activity was as a part of Terry Grant's stunt show, with which she toured around Europe. 

The Honda Civic was still in her possession, in the process of being overhauled for the 2014 season, but she does not appear to have competed at all in 2014. She was still involved in an administrative capacity, for the British Minicross Drivers' Association. 

She returned to the circuits in 2015, racing a Mini in five of the seven rounds of the BTRDA Rallycross championship. She won the Clubmans series Classic Mini championship.

In 2016, she appears to have done at least one BTRDA rallycross meeting, earning second and third places at Blyton, driving a Mini. She was fourth in the Minicross standings.

In 2017, she raced only occasionally, making a guest appearance in the Netherlands in a rallycross car, and trying Autograss in April. She was second in her first Autograss meeting.

Shelley also appeared on an episode of Top Gear, in a segment about rallycross, racing against Richard Hammond in her old Mini. She was referred to as "Gary The Girl".

(Image from www.revivals59.com)

Citroen Challenge Feminin

Challenge drivers in 2004

The Citroen Challenge Féminin was a rallycross series for women, which ran between 2003 and 2006, when Citroen withdrew its support. It featured as part of French Rallycross Championship meetings and acted as an extra race for female competitors in the mixed Citroen Challenge. Initially, the cars used were Saxos, but these were superseded by the C2, upon its introduction in 2004. The first three championships were won by Catherine Planche. Veronique Patier, a consistent runner-up, triumphed in 2006.

The series attracted quite a large field, and had some crossover with the Andros Trophée Feminin grids of the time. Some of the drivers used it as a stepping stone to higher levels of rallycross competition, but others, despite doing well, did not compete outside it. Among the entrants who went on to greater things are Anne-Sophie and Marie-Laure Lemonnier, and Celine Menier, who all compete (or competed) with varying degrees of success in the main classes of the French Rallycross Championship. Veronique Patier and Catherine Planche now compete in different areas of motorsport.

2003 Championship:
1. Catherine Planche
2. Sophie Gaillard
3. Sandra Bessas

2004 Championship:
1. Catherine Planche
2. Veronique Patier
3. Marie-Laure Lemonnier
4. Stephanie Liger
5. Anne-Sophie Lemonnier
6. Sandra Bessas

2005 Championship:
1. Catherine Planche
2. Veronique Patier
3. Anne-Sophie Lemonnier
4. Marie-Laure Lemonnier
5. Stephanie Liger
6. Aurelie Salviat
7. Delphine Picoty

2006 Championship:
1. Veronique Patier
2. Aurelie Salviat
3. Anne-Sophie Lemonnier
4. Marie-Laure Lemonnier
5. Isabelle Poncet

(Image from http://rallycross-news.pagesperso-orange.fr/coupec2.htm)

Junior Rallycross

Jess Gwynne

The British rallycross championships all run junior series for drivers aged fourteen to sixteen. The usual car used is a Mini; all are prepared in the same way. Other countries use different cars.
Recently, girls have been competing quite successfully in these races, with many due to cross over to senior competition. Below are some profiles.

Emily Axtell - competes in rallycross in her native New Zealand. She was the 2016 Junior champion in the Raleigh RallyX championship. This appears to have been her first season of competition. Further information about Emily is not forthcoming.

Shauna Baxter - commenced Junior Minicross racing for the 2010 season, in the BTRDA Junior Minicross Championship. Her best result in a final was third, although she struggled to qualify for finals in other rounds. She was eighth in the championship. Due to budgetary constraints, she has not competed since then. Her car was stolen in 2014.

Drew Bellerby – began competing in rallycross in 2013, taking a seat in the LHMC Academy Suzuki Swift, at Knockhill. She was fifteen. In 2014, she contested the whole of the Junior Swift championship, and was one of the leading drivers. She led the championship until the fourth round, and won two rounds outright, finishing second overall. In 2015, she had her final year in the Junior category. It started well, with a win in the first round, but Drew had to make do with second again, despite being tied for the title for much of the season. In 2016, she competed in the British Rallycross series in a Swift, as well as doing some rally co-driving. She was seventh in the Swift championship. At the end of 2016, she did her first rally as a driver, the Christmas Stages. She was 45th overall in a Swift, co-driven by her father. In 2017, she raced in the BMW Mini class of the BRC, and was second overall with three wins. Another season in the Mini gave her a championship fourth in 2018, with one win. This race win was converted to a BMW Mini championship win in 2019. 2020's championship was reduced to a "5 Nations" meeting and she shared the Mini with her  father. She was second in the first round. She only appeared in one round of the 2021 championship. Drew is the sister of Paige Bellerby.

Eleanor Corner - raced in the MSA’s Junior Rallycross championship in 2018. She did four rounds of the series and had a best finish of fifth at Pembrey. This was her first season in the championship. Her car was a regulation Suzuki Swift. She moved up to senior competition in 2019 and did the last two rounds of the BMW Mini rallycross series, earning one sixth place. She is the daughter of British rallycross driver Guy Corner.

Jessica (Jess) Gwynne - competitor in Junior Rallycross championship in 2007 and 2008, in both major championships. She has won races in 2008, including the final of the first MSA Championship round, and often finishes in the top five in the final. She was second in the Bill Gwynne Rallyschool MSA championship in 2008. In 2009, she raced buggies as part of the rallycross championship, and she made the transition to the senior scene in Legends in 2010. In Legends, she was fourth in the Rookie standings. In 2011, she returned to Legends, after a deal to run in the Porsche Carrera Cup fell through. She was 17th overall. She hopes to move into stage rallying, and has co-driven in some club events.

Jennie Hawkes – made her debut in British rallycross in 2014, at the age of fifteen, contesting the Swift Junior Championship. She was fourth overall in this small class, with a best finish of third, achieved at Knockhill and Blighton. She is part of a motorsport family, and competes alongside her father, Martin Hawkes. They were eleventh in the Swift team championship. She continued to race the Swift in 2015, and scored at least one third place. Part-way through the season, she turned 17, and made her debut in the senior series, driving a Mini. In 2016, she was sixth in the Mini championship, with a string of fourth and fifth places. She was eighth in the 2017 championship, having missed four rounds. Her best finish was another fourth. 

Becki Johnson – entered the MSA Stars of the Future Junior Rallycross championship in 2004, driving a Mini. She does not appear to have raced since then, as a junior or a senior.

Matilda Procter - began racing in Junior rallycross at the end of 2017, aged fifteen. She was driving a Suzuki Swift. In 2018, she was seventh in the junior standings, with a best finish of sixth at Lydden and Croft. She is the daughter of Kevin Procter who races in Supercars and is the cousin of Paige and Drew Bellerby.

Samantha Thom - Junior Rallycross competitor from Northern Ireland. Her first forays into full-size competition were rallysprints, and she won one of them in 2006, aged just fourteen. Her car was a Vauxhall Nova. She started Junior Ralycross in a regulation Mini shortly afterwards. In 2007, she managed to win two rounds of the championship, and was third overall, as well as tackling the Irish championship. She did not run quite as well in 2008 and came fifth, with one second place. Although she has tried circuit racing in Ginetta Juniors, Samantha is more focused on rallying as a senior motorsport career. She began her stage rallying career in 2008, and has competed in a number of events since then. Her first car was a Peugeot 106. She won the Northern Irish Ladies' championship in 2010. In 2011, she started driving a Citroen C2 in Irish rallies, as part of the Citroen Racing Trophy. Her best finish seems to have been ninth, in the International Rally of the Lakes.

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

Women in Rallycross

Silva Winterhoff

Rallycross, at all levels, manages to attract a healthy number of female drivers. This seems to be especially true in France, where women compete, some successfully, in all of the classes. There is a large overlap between rallycross drivers and ice racers, so if the driver you are looking for is not on this page, try looking under Andros Trophy. UK drivers can now be found here, Scandinavian drivers here and French drivers here.

Mandie August - first competed in rallycross in 2007. After a few races, she graduated to the German championship in 2008, and also made her European Rallycross debut. Driving a Volkswagen Polo, she was 43rd in Division 1A, after finishing thirteenth in Austria, which was considered an impressive result for a beginner. She was 33rd in 2009 after two points finishes, in Portugal and Poland. Both seasons, she also entered the national series in her native Germany. In 2009, she qualified for the final in all six rounds, and had a best finish of second, at Grundau. She was third overall in her class, an improvement on tenth in 2008. In 2010, she returned with the Polo, and was 27th in class 1A. Her best finish was ninth, which she achieved at Lydden Hill and Nyirad. She drove a Skoda Fabia in 2011, and struggled for pace somewhat in the Super 1600 European championship. She did better in the German series, with second places at Ewald-Pauli-Ring and Duivelsbergcircuit. She was third overall. In 2012, she appears to have driven the Fabia at least once, but her results cannot be found. She used the same car in 2013, and was 16th in the European Super 1600 championship, after completing most of the season. In 2014, she drove the Fabia in the Swedish, German and Italian rounds of the European championship, in the Super 1600 class. 2015 looked quite similar, although she did the full S1600 championship in the Fabia this year. In 2016, she acquired an Audi S3 Supercar, and in it, won the European Rallycross Challenge's Supercar title. She switched between this car and a SEAT Ibiza in 2017, but did not make much of an impression in either. This time, she was racing in the European Supercar Championship. In 2018, she concentrated on the Super 1600 class in the European series, driving a Skoda Fabia. She was 33rd in the championship. The S3 came out for one Supercar outing in Sweden. There was more Supercar action in 2019, but in a SEAT Ibiza this time. Her best finishes in the European championship were two tenth places in the UK and Germany. She made her FIA World Rallycross Supercar debut at the Barcelona circuit in 2020, driving a SEAT Ibiza alongside Timo Scheider. In 2021, she did the Spanish WRX round in the main class, as well as a full Euro RX1 schedule. She was back in the Ibiza for the European RX1 series in 2022, and finished tenth in the championship. In the same car, she was 15th in 2023, with a best finish of fourth in Norway. The same combination was 15th again in 2024, although her individual race finishes were not as strong. She did another part-season for Munnich Motorsport in 2025, in the RX1 class. Her best finish of three rounds was a tenth place in Turkey.

Kira Block - competed in the 2023-24 Nitrocross series in the USA, driving a Can-Am Maverick SxS vehicle. She did four of the ten rounds, with a best finish of sixth at Utah. This left her twelfth in her class championship. In 2024, still aged only 15, she took part in her first rally, the Austin Rallysprint, driving a Maverick. She was twelfth overall. In 2025, she switched to stage rallying and was ninth in the Lost Pines Rallysprint. Her car was a Subaru Impreza. Kira is the sister of F1 Academy and rallycross driver Lia Block and the daughter of Ken and Lucy Block.

Collete Davis – American driver who raced in the Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship in 2015. She raced in the Lites class, driving the Lites Ford Fiesta for River Racing, supported by Bryan Herta Rallysport. Her best final result was a sixth place, at Detroit. She consistently reached finals. Previously, in 2012, she tried single-seaters, in the USFF2000 series. She was competing in the National class. Between then and 2015, she raced in SCCA events, and was part of the Mazda Road to Indy programme. In 2016, she used a Hyundai Veloster in the Lites class, and was eleventh overall, with a best finish of fifth. In the future, she hopes to move up to the Supercar class. In 2017, she concentrated on TV work, and even raced Monster Trucks. She drove the "Wonder Woman" truck in 2018. 

Tanja Fischer - Austrian driver who began in the Supernational class of her home championship, in 2011. Her car was a Renault Megane and her best result was eighth. She was 38th overall. In 2012, she changed her car to a Vokswagen Polo, in common with many other drivers in her class. She raced in the National 1600 class, again, with a best finish of eighth. She was tenth overall. Her results for 2013 are not forthcoming, but it looks as if she did the Austrian round of the European championship, in the National 1600 class, in the Polo. 

Romina Fritz - Austrian driver who competes in the National 1600 class. She began as a junior driver, in 2011, although there was no junior class for her to race in, so she drove her Volkswagen Polo in the Super National class. Her best finish was tenth, and she was 47th overall. In 2012, a junior class was introduced, and she was fifth. In 2013, she continued with the Polo, in the European Rallycross Challenge, although her results are proving hard to find. She continued to use the Polo for slalom events in 2014, very successfully, but switched to a Honda Civic for some rallycross rounds. Her main focus was slaloms. She is the daughter of long-time racer, Walter Fritz, and he took over her Polo in 2014. She raced the Civic in some Austrian championship rounds in 2015, and was the runner-up in the OSK championship in 2016. 

Kerstin Hellstrom - German-Swedish rallycross driver who raced in the 1990s. She drove in the 1400cc class, usually using a Citroen AX. In 1993, she was fifth in the European championship, with a best finish of fourth in the Netherlands. She continued to race the AX in Europe in 1994, although she did not do the full season, and raced again in 1995. Her career began in folkrace in 1989, progressing to junior rallycross in 1991. She also did some circuit racing in one-make saloon championships. Her Swedish father Sten Hellstrom also raced in rallycross.

Tatjana Jelisejeva - Russian driver who normally uses a VAZ Lada Samarra. She has been very successful in the Fast 1600 category of the Northern European Zone rallycross championship since its beginning in 2005, never finishing below fifth when she entered. Her best finish was third, in 2011. As well as the NEZ series, she also competes in rallycross in the Baltic championship, and did so in 2012. After 2012, she concentrated more on racing touring cars in Russia, on the circuits and on ice. She has competed on and off in the Russian championship for several years. In 2014, she drove a VW Polo in Russian Touring Cars, and a VAZ in the Russian ice championship. The year before, she concentrated on ice racing, in the VAZ. In 2015, she raced a Lada Kalina in the Russian ice-racing championship, with a best finish of third at Sannikovo. She also took part in rally raids in a Kamaz truck. In 2016, she entered the ice-racing championship again, but did not qualify for the first round. Since then, she has raced touring cars in the Russian championship. Language barriers have prevented detailed research about Tatjana.

Michaela Kalna - Czech driver who has competed in the European Rallycross Championship since 2006 in a Peugeot 206 and she drives in Division 1A. Her best championship result was 15th in 2007. She was 24th in 2009 after four points finishes. Previously, she drove in the ERC in 2003, as well as the Czech championships in which she was seventh. Her car this time was a Peugeot 306. She also drove in national championships around Europe between then and 2006. She was third in the Austrian national series in 2005, in the 206. She raced in Austria again in 2009, as well as in the ERC, and came fourteenth in her class. For 2010, she was back in the ERC, driving a Peugeot 206 in class 1A of the Central European championship. She was sixth overall, with a best finish of third at Sosnova, her home track. In 2011, she drove the Peugeot in seven rounds of the ERC, but was not among the Super 1600 front-runners. A single outing in the Central European series gave her a third place. Again, in 2013, she made a single appearance in the Central European Super 1600 championship in the 206, finishing second. She was seventh in the Polish championship in 2014. Her activities after 2015 are unclear, but she was back in the European championship in 2016.

Birgit Kuttner - Austrian driver who has been racing in rallycross since 2011, after switching from autocross. Her first car was a Honda Civic. She was thirteenth in her first season in Austrian Supernationals, with a best finish of fourth, at Nordring. She stayed in Supernationals in 2012, in the same car, and improved her race results, with a third and a second at Nordring, at opposite ends of the season. However, the class was more competitive this year, and she was fourteenth overall. In 2013, she moved up to the Central Europe Zone championship, still in the Civic, in the Supernational class. This was a tougher year for her, and she did not make the top ten. She was 16th overall. She continued to race the Civic in the same class in 2014. In 2015, she won her state Supercar Under 2000cc title, in a Honda. Using the same car, she won the Austrian 1600cc Super Touring class in 2016. In 2017, she entered the CEZ Championship in the Super Touring class, and was fifth in the Civic with one second place. She won at least one CEZ event in 2018, at the Slovakiaring, and won the CEZ STC1600 championship in 2019 with three event wins. 

Gray Leadbetter - competes in rallycross in the US. She turned heads in 2017 when she was signed for a development programme aged just twelve. She made her name as a junior racing off-road vehicles and motocross bikes, encouraged by her father. Her senior career began in earnest in summer 2019, when she was signed by Dreyer&Reinbold Racing to contest the ARX2 rallycross championship. At the mid-point of the championship, she was seventh in the points standings, with a best finish of fifth. More recently, she has raced sprintcars in the States and competed in rallycross. At the start of 2024, she was announced as the female driver for Legacy MC in Extreme E, sharing the car with either Travis Pastrana or Jimmie Johnson. She did all four races of the shortened season and was sixth in the championship, with a best finish of fifth in Scotland. She returned to racing off-road trucks in 2025.

Tineke de Poorter - Dutch driver who raced in the Netherlands and Belgium, and in the ERC. She competed throughout the 1990s and early 2000s in the ERC, including the 1995-2002 seasons, which she spent in Division I, driving first a Lancia Delta Integrale, then a Fiat Coupe. Her best championship finish was 27th, in 1997, with the Lancia. Previously, she used the Lancia in Group N form in Dutch rallycross events. In 2003 and 2004, she continued to race the Fiat in Eastern Europe. She seems to have retired after this.

Silva Winterhoff - young German driver competing in rallycross in Germany. In her first year of competition, 2010, she was fifth in the German Rallycross Cup, with a best finish of third, despite only being 16. Her car was a Suzuki Swift. The following year, she changed to a Peugeot 106 XSI, and was third in the senior Rallycross Cup, and second in the junior category. This year, she scored her first senior win, at Duivelsbergcircuit in Belgium. In 2012, she drove an aged Volvo PV in the senior National Championship, and was second overall. Although she did not manage another win, she achieved a second and a third against experienced competition. She moved into senior competition in 2013, entering the Supernationals class of the German championship, in a Volvo PV. She won two races, and performed strongly in her others. In the same car, she was second overall in the Supernational class in 2014. She upgraded her car to a rotary-engined Mazda RX-7 for 2015, and was second in the Supernational championship once more. She went back to the Volvo for 2016, and appears to have won at least one trophy. She only did one event in 2017. 

(Image from drxtv.de)

The Andros Trophée Féminin - "Ice Girls"

The ladies’ category of the Andros Trophy ice-racing championship began in the 2001-2002 season. Subtitled “Ice Girls”, it was constituted of women who had answered advertisements in the French press and online, looking for aspiring female racing drivers. The successful recruits were from a number of backgrounds, from models and TV presenters to some who had a little motorsport experience already.

The Trophée used the same 600cc buggies as the Sprint Car class. Each “Ice Girl” was paired with a more experienced male “professional”, who acted as both her team-mate and mentor. The field of competitors was large and the driving standards were variable, but competition was fierce. The first champion in 2002 was Veronique Dufour, who went on to considerable success in rallycross as Veronique Patier.

The Trophée was dropped before the 2009-2010 season, although many Ice Girl alumni continued to compete in the main championship.

In 2014-2015, the womens' series was revived, now simply called the "Trophée Féminin". About twelve regular drivers, plus guests, raced Sprintcar buggies in the usual Andros heats/finals format. The male "professionals" were not used. A good proportion of the field came from the French womens' autocross championship (Sprint Girls), including the winner, Marine Mercier. The Trophée was not run again for the 2016-17 season.

The list of winners is as follows:

2002 Veronique Dufour

2003 Emilie Petit
2004 Aurelia Marti
2005 Margot Laffite
2006 Marlène Broggi
2007 Audrey Roche
2008 Anne-Sophie Lemonnier
2009 Marie-Pierre Cripia (“Mlle Josiane”, a radio personality)
2015 Marine Mercier
2016 Clémentine Lhoste

At first, the competition was limited to those with no ice-racing experience, but this rule seems to have been relaxed, as several drivers have had multiple seasons in the series. Many of the “Ice Girls” have made appearances in the main draw of the championship, and some, such as Justine Monnier and Margot Laffite, have been successful.

Below are some of the drivers who competed as “Ice Girls”, or in the main Andros Trophy.
Marlène Broggi has her own profile here.
Margot Laffite has her own profile here.

There was no specific "Ice Girls" race during the 2019-2020 season, but there was an all-female Invitation race held at Val Thorens. Rally co-driver (and girlfriend of Elite Pro driver Sebastien Loeb) Laurene Godey was the winner, from teenage racer Angelina Favario, TV host France Pierron and actress Alix Benezech.

Berenice Demoustier - drove in the Promotion and Elite classes of the Andros Trophy in the 2008-2009 season. Her car was a Renault Clio and her team-mate was Marlene Broggi. She reached at least one Elite final at Super-Besse and was third in the main Ladies’ standings. Her best overall finish was 18th at Lans en Vercors. She was 21st overall in the championship. She returned to Andros in 2009-2010, driving a Toyota Auris in the Elite class with Bertrand Balas. She was eighteenth overall. Driving for the same team, she was 19th in 2010-2011, and 25th in 2011-2012. In 2014, she won the Ladies' title again, and was 16th in the main Trophy, running in the Invitation class. She was driving a Mazda3, for the works Mazda team, sharing the car with Olivier Panis. The following season, she drove for the Sport Garage Sodema team with Franck Lagorce. Her car was a Dacia Lodgy. She won one race, at Val Thorens, and was fourth in the championship. After the 2015-2016 Trophy, she was tenth, behind her old rivals, Marlène Broggi and Margot Laffite. Driving an Audi A1 Quattro, she had a best finish of sixth, in the final round at St-Die. As well as this, she helped BAC Team WRT to the Team award. The team retained her for the 2016-17 season, and she was eighth this time. Her best finish, a third place, came at Alpe d'Huez. This helped Team WRT to the team prize. Her career in ice-racing began in the Trophée Féminin, in which she was third in 2008.

Eve-Marie Dyon - competitor in the Andros Trophy, in both the Féminin and Open classes. She drove in the Trophée Féminin in the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons, and although she was always near the front, she did not win the title. Her best result was third, in 2006. She returned to mixed Andros Trophy competition in 2007 and 2008. Her first mixed season was in the Promotion class. In 2008, she drove a Fiat Stilo for the Racing Passion team in the Elite class, and was 29th in the championship. Her best race result was third in Andorra. As well as ice-racing, Eve has driven in the Fun Cup, Formula Renault, Caterhams and Legends during the summer season.

Emilie Faure - entered the Andros Trophy during the 2015-2016 season, driving in the Elite Pro class. Her car was a Renault Clio. Despite being registered for the championship, she only competed in a couple of rounds, the best of these being an eleventh place at Alpe d'Huez. Previously, she has been active in rallying, seemingly as a co-driver, and she may also have competed in autocross or kart-cross.

Angelina Favario - races both single-seaters and saloons in France. 2019 was her first year of senior competition, aged 16. She spent her first season learning to handle a car, both on the track and on ice. Her first major competitive outing was the 2019-20 Andros Trophy, where she appeared in the Invitation women’s race at Val Thorens. She won one of the races and was second in another. Later, she came back for the Lans-en-Vercours Invitation races, finishing fourth in both against male drivers. She intended to compete in French Formula Renault in 2020 but the coronavirus crisis affected motorsport worldwide. She has signed for the 2021 French F4 championship, having made another guest appearance in the Invitation class at the 2021 Andros Trophy.

Elodie Gossuin - former beauty queen who has been competing the Andros Trophy since 2006, after two years of being one of the championship’s female “faces”. She spent one year in the Trophée Féminin, before moving to the Electric car class. For the 2005-06 season, she was 59th in the main championship. In 2009/10, she was eighth in the Trophée Electrique, and in 2010-11, she was fourteenth. 

Marie-Laure Lemonnier (Peu) - the elder sister of Anne-Sophie Lemonnier. Her career path is virtually identical to that of her sister and they started competing at the same time, in 2003. In 2010, her car was a Citroen C2, and she raced in Division 1A of the French championship. For most of their time on the track, neither sister consistently out-scores the other, except in ice-racing. Marie-Laure was the runner-up in the 2008 Andros Trophée Féminin. She seems to have not raced much after 2010, although she has done quite a lot of rally navigation, for her father, Hervé Knapick, and Xavier Lemonnier (a brother?), with at least one win.

Aurelia Marti - winner of the Andros Trophée Féminin in 2004. After that, she returned to the Andros Trophy’s main competition, first in a Vauxhall Tigra. She was 24th overall after some runs in finals. In 2005-2006, she was 25th, driving an Astra. In the 2006-2007 season, she remained with the Astra, and was 24th again, this time in the Elite class. She improved the next year and was 16th in a BMW 1-Series, and in 2008-2009, driving the same car, she was the best female driver in the Trophy, finishing thirteenth overall. Her best result was fourth, at Alpe d’Huez. As well as ice-racing, she competes on the French circuits, during the main season. In 2007, she raced in the Renault Clio Cup, and in 2008, the Peugeot Spider Cup. She returned to the Clio Cup for two races in 2009, but does not seem to have raced since then. She comes from Andorra.

Marine Mercier – winner of the Andros Trophée Féminin in 2015, driving a buggy. This was not her first Andros experience; in 2010, she was part of the Andros Academy, aged 16. Most of her motorsport experience comes from autocross in France (“Sprint-Car”), in which she started competing at just fifteen years old. For at least the first two seasons, she raced against men, including her elder brother. In recent years, she has been part of the “Sprint Girls” womens’ championship, from which most of the 2014-2015 “Ice Girls” came.

Justine Monnier (Chicherit) - winner of the inaugural Andros Trophée Féminin in 2001. She went on to be ice-racing’s leading woman driver, racing cars as diverse as a VW Beetle, Citroen C2, Fiat Stilo and Kia Rio. Her team-mate in 2005 was Margot Laffite, when they were both driving as the Fiat Ladies’ team. She was probably most successful in the Kia in 2006, regularly finishing third against such luminaries as Alain Prost and the multiple champion, Yvan Muller. As well as the Andros Trophy, Justine has raced in a number of summer-season series, including the Fun Cup. She dropped out of ice-racing in 2008 and concentrated on the Peugeot Spyder Cup in France, as well as television work. Since then, she had focused on media work, and taken some guest drives in the Chevrolet Cruze Cup in Germany, with one win. In 2016, she came out of retirement to race in the Mitjet Cup in France. She did two races at Magny-Cours, driving for Yvan Muller's team. The two are a couple. 

Emilie Petit - competitor in both the Féminin and Open sections of the Andros Trophy. She began in the Trophée Féminin, in at least the 2002-2003 season. The following season, she moved up to the mixed competition in an Opel Tigra. She was 27th overall. She remained in the Promotion class in 2004-2005, this time in a Citroen Xsara, and finished one place up, in 26th. Another switch of car, to an Alfa Romeo 147, gave her a 34th place in 2005-2006, still in Promotion. A drive in a Renault Clio in 2006-2007 gave her a 36th spot. She did not drive in the Trophy the following season, but made a comeback in 2008-2009. She was a more competitive 27th after a series of drives in the official Skoda Fabia. In 2009-2010, she drove a Fiat Grande Punto, but struggled to qualify sometimes. She was 29th the following year and did not race in 2011-2012. In 2014, she raced in the Italian ICE series in a works Mazda3, although she did not run in the Andros Trophy.

Audrey Roche (Sarrazin) - winner of the Andros Trophée Féminin in 2007. She returned in 2008 to the main championship, and drove a Kia Rio in several rounds, with a best overall finish of 21st at Alpe d’Huez. After 2008, she did not return to the ice. Her website now describes her as a rally driver, although her rally results have not been forthcoming. She seems to have done some sportscar racing in France since her Andros adventures. In 2012, she was named as one of the French driver coaches for an Abarth-sponsored TV racing talent show. In 2013, she appears to have had a baby.



L-R: Marlene Broggi, Emilie Petit, Aurelia Marti, Justine Monnier, Eve-Marie Dyon, Marguerite Laffite.

(Images copyright Sport Compact Car)

Sue Jeffery

Sue's former car, in action at Croft

Sussex lady Sue Jeffery's main discipline is rallycross, the invented-for-TV racing formula that pits competitors against both rough and tarmac surfaces. The cars are powerful; up to 700 bhp, and the races are short and fiercely competitive.

Sue's first forays into motorsport were mixed-surface club Minicross races in 1991. Like so many racers in many disciplines, the Mini proved a good starter car for her. In 1994 she broke into the top ten of a championship for the first time, when she came tenth in the Grass Minicross championships. Grasstrack racing is one of the most popular entry-level motorsports in the UK.

A move up to rallycross proper beckoned in 1995, still with the Mini, and Sue was up there with the best of them. She ended the season in fourth place. The following year she swapped her Mini for a more powerful Talbot Sunbeam in the now-defunct Colway class. She was sixth in the Croft track's Colway championship. it was now time to branch out a little more and the next season was a vintage one. She was fourth in the BTRDA's National Colway Championship and won the Lydden Colway competition outright, making her the first woman to win a rallycross crown in the UK.

Her career was really progressing, and for the 1998 season she purchased an ex-Rolf Neilson European Rallycross-spec Porsche 911. She was now ready to take on rallycross's biggest class: Supercars. It was another female first, as no woman had ever attempted Supercar competition before. Speeds in this class are high and this is where the established stars like Dermot Carnegie and Pat Doran ply their trade.

After a learning year, Sue was fourth in Supercars in 1999, after some very strong performances. As well as being the only woman she was also the highest-placed English driver in the division. She sat the following year out while she and partner Barry Stewart worked on developing the car. (Barry also drives it on occasion). It is capable of running on both two and four-wheel drive. For her return, Sue moved down to the Modified division in 2001, where horsepower is slightly lower, but competition is still intense.

The Modified campaign was being fought on two fronts - the BRDA National Rallycross championship and the BARC Championship. Sue was competitive in both, and came away from the season with a second and third in class respectively. For 2002, the multi-pronged attack continued and she was second in class in BRDA again, as well as thirteenth out of 67 in the overall standings for all classes. She also tackled the BTRDA series and was eighth in Class One, the top class for Modified cars over 1650cc.

In 2003, Sue was everywhere. She improved on her BRDA scores and came eighth overall, with the Porsche now back to two-wheel drive permanently. She was seventh in the BTRDA standings and third in the BARC points, with an overall class win. The MSA British Rallycross Championship had been resurrected the previous year and Sue entered the Blyton round. She came thirteenth in a large, mixed Supercar and Modified field. Throughout the year the Porsche had always made at least the "B" Final or better, apart from one round where Sue had to settle for fourth in the "C" Final. The system of small heats and multiple finals in rallycross means that a driver has several chances of qualifying for the "A" Final or the mixed-class Superfinal, which award the most points.

After thirteen years of rallycross, Sue decided on a change of tack for the 2004 season and switched to circuit racing in the Uniroyal Fun Cup series, a set of endurance races for Audi-powered Volkswagen Beetle silhouette cars. She became part of the all-female CO Racing team, alongside drivers Natalie Tomsett, Claire Mayo, Rebecca Morrell and Becky-Beth Cox, plus female engineers and managers. The team competed in one race, and Sue hoped that it would lead to others, and maybe a switch to full-time circuit racing.

I have been unable to track down any more details of the Uniroyal race and it seems that Sue herself has not been active in motorsport in 2005. She remains involved through administrative work for the BRDA.

(Image from www.retrorallycross.com)

Amy Binks

The Binks family are well-known in British rallycross circles. Amy's father and brother both raced in the Minicross class, so it was natural that she wanted to get in on the act.

She first raced her Mini in the British Championship in 2002 and had an excellent debut season. The Minicross class tends to consist of a mixture of novice and more experienced drivers, as it is the cheapest to enter, so the opposition is no pushover. The system of qualifying heats and pre-finals gives drivers multiple chances of success, and Amy was capable of working her way through several rounds if the initial heat did not go her way.

2003 started quite badly for her, when her Mini ended up upside down in the first race and ruled her out of the rest of the meeting. Perhaps this knocked her confidence, as her second season was not as successful as her first. She finished 19th in the BRDA Championship, the best position in the three rallycross championships she entered.

Amy entered at least some races in 2004, still driving a Mini, but after that, she disappeared from the scene.

The Binks family continue to be involved in the upper echelons of rallycross.