Penny Mallory

Penny is a familiar face in Britain, thanks to appearances on Channel 4's rally coverage, and numerous motoring programmes. She has not always just talked about rallying though; in 1993, this former advertising executive was British Ladies' Champion. She used her ad-making experience to put together sponsorship deals with the likes of Vidal Sassoon hair products, and managed to compete at a high level.

She has driven in the Rally of Great Britain four times, finishing twice. She first entered in a Ford Sierra in 1993, then switched to a Lada Riva for 1994. Surprisingly she finished. It was back to Ford power in 1995, but that led to retirement. After a long break, Penny and co-driver Sue Mee became the first female team to drive a World Rally Car in competition, a works Ford Focus. The rally began inauspiciously with a collision with a tree, but the British women recovered and finished 34th, with the Ladies' Cup and Journalists' Cup.

Penny is also a TV and film stunt driver and was the driving double for both "Papa" and "Nicole" in the famous Renault adverts.

(Image copyright Steve Yarnell)

Paulien Zwart

Paulien in the Lotus Ladies Cup garage

Born in 1978, Paulien is the daughter of historic Formula One racer, and Ascari sportscar team boss, Klaas Zwart. Although she is Dutch by birth, she spent her formative racing years in Scotland, as a karter and novice single-seater driver. She was fifth overall in the Scottish Kart championships in 1994, and came third in the Jim Russell Racing School championships in 1995, her first year of car racing.

A lengthy hiatus from the track followed while the young Paulien concentrated on other areas of her life, but she was back in 2000, and enrolled in the Renaultsport racing school to get back up to speed. She was fourth in its end-of-term championship. With more experience under her belt, she entered some Dutch Citroen Saxo Cup races as well.

In 2001, Paulien entered three different one-make touring series, with varying degrees of success. She took part in three Dutch SEAT Ibiza Enduro Cup events without great results, but in the Dutch Clio Cup she secured her first podium. She described the Renault Clio as her favourite ever racing car to date and used one to contest two rounds of the Dutch Supercar Challenge that season too. However, her main focus for the year was the Toyota Yaris Cup, in which she came an excellent fourth overall.

2002 was even better. After being at the head of the Yaris standings for part of the season, Paulien was third overall in the championship. More outings in the Clio netted her two podium positions in the Supercar Challenge, and she earned her first major wins: two first-place finishes in the Dutch Winter Endurance Cup in a Renault Megane. This was good for third in the championship. For a change, she raced a Radical sportscar as well, and was linked with a Le Mans drive in her father's Ascari squad alongside Vanina Ickx, which never happened.

After competing in the British Formula Ford Winter Series in the off-season, it was back to business in 2003. Paulien's main drive of the year was the Alfa Romeo 147 Challenge one-make series. Unfortunately, it took a while for her to even record a finish, following a series of accidents and mechanical gremlins. At the end of the season she had recorded some good finishes in the Olympic class, but it was not one of her more polished performances. Two races in the Yaris Cup World Series yielded an eleventh and ninth position, and she also ran a few races of the Dutch BMW Compact Cup.

Despite 2003 not being a vintage season, she gathered enough support and funding to run in the European Touring Car Championship in 2004. She was driving for the Carly BMW team, and although she had yet to match the performances of team-mate (and boyfriend) Tom Coronel, she was learning the car and making progress when disaster struck. A high-speed testing crash at Magny-Cours for Carly left her with a broken pelvis and ankle. Her place in the team for the next meeting was taken by her father.

Paulien's injuries were severe, but she recovered in time for the start of the 2005 racing calendar.

She paired up with Renate Sanders to contest the SEAT Cupra Cup in the Netherlands. They scored a number of fine top-ten finishes, although Paulien was not always able to match the pace of her experienced team-mate in the single-driver sprint races.

After a good recovery year, Paulien took another break in 2006, as she was pregnant. She returned in 2007, to the SEAT Cupra championship. Her team-mates was Jeroen den Boer and Daan Stots, and they were racing in the Dutch Army’s promotional car. They managed to finish in the top ten on several occasions, but did not challenge for overall honours. They lagged far behind their sister car, driven by Sandra van der Sloot and Sheila Verschuur. At the end of the season, Paulien also enlisted in the Dutch Winter Endurance Championship. Results for this series have proved hard to track down.

The 2008 main season was spent in the Dutch Diesel Touring Car series. Paulien was driving for her partner’s racing operation, with Gaby Uljee, who is the partner of Tom Coronel’s twin brother, Tim. They competed as the Coronel Ladies, and their car was a BMW 120d. They finished the season third in the championship, after a string of solid top-ten finishes.

During the off-season, Paulien entered the Winter Endurance Championship once more. She returned to the Diesel Cup in 2009, still driving for the Coronel team in the BMW, but with Ruben van Doorn. She improved on her 2008 performances and recorded her first win in the series at Zandvoort, in the Pinksterraces endurance event. As well as her win, she scored four more podium places, and was ninth in the championship.

She did not race in 2010, due to her pregnancy with her second child. However, she returned to the scene in 2011, and to the Diesel Cup. She was driving a BMW 123d for Equipe Verschuur, with Liesette Braams as her team-mate. She was fourteenth in the championship, with a best finish of third at Zandvoort. She also drove in the Barcelona 24 Hours in the same car, but did not finish.

In 2012, Paulien became a Dutch "Racing Diva", as part of a team with Gaby Uljee, Sandra van der Sloot, and Liesette Braams. Their first event together was the Dubai 24 Hours, in a Renault Clio. They were 39th. Paulien and Liesette also intended some rounds of the Diesel Cup again in the BMW, but they did not have enough funding. Paulien competed in the Salzburg round of the Lotus Ladies Cup in Salzburg, which supported the WTCC race. She was fifth in both races.

Paulien continued as a Racing Diva in 2013, although the team's schedule was seriously cut short by a lack of funding. Her only real competitive outing was the Dubai 24 Hours, driving a Schubert BMW 320D with Liesette Braams, Sandra van der Sloot, Gaby Uljee and Sheila Verschuur. They were 26th overall, with a class win. They also took part in the Rotterdam Street Races, but that event is only a sprint.

She continued to race with the Divas in 2014, hoping for an increased schedule, but their season was again restricted to the Dubai 24 Hours. Driving the same car as in 2013, with Sandra, Gaby, Shirley van der Lof and Natasja Smit Sø. They won their class again, and were 31st overall. The Divas appeared together at the Zandvoort Easter meeting for promotional and charity activities, but did not race. 

She did not join the Divas for the 2015 Dubai race, but she did go to the event to support them, and Tom Coronel.

(Image from http://www.mcsatorna.hu/)

Paula Cook

Paula, as an Embassy Racing driver

A Yorkshirewoman, Paula Cook was born in 1969 in Rotherham. She is the daughter of Derek Cook, founder of the DC Cook car dealership chain. Despite coming from a motoring background, she did not start her racing career until 1993, when she was 24. She wasted no time in her first year, winning every race during her driving course at the Jim Russell driving school. This was before she even had her full racing license!

The Formula Vauxhall Junior Winter series was the next challenge she attempted, in 1994. Again, she was on the pace immediately and came second in the championship. After this success, she launched an ambitious double-headed attack on British Formula Renault and Formula Three in 1995. She was supported partly by her father's DC Cook Motorsport team, and partly by Jonathan Lewis at Comtec.

In Formula Renault she showed some flashes of inspired driving, and at the Silverstone round became the first woman to qualify on pole for a Formula Renault race, breaking a lap record in the process. She was not quite able to convert her excellent qualifying pace into wins, but was eighth in the standings at the end of the season. On the Formula Three front, she entered two races, in preparation for a full championship campaign the following year. In one race, she managed fourth overall and a class B win. One of her rivals was Juan Pablo Montoya on this occasion.

Now fully supported by her family team, Paula entered more rounds of the 1996 British F3 championship alongside her brother, David. She was still learning the car, and this time did not challenge the frontrunners. In a one-off Renault Spider Cup drive at Brands Hatch, however, she did challenge, finishing runner-up in this competitive series. A trip to Europe for the Marlboro Masters at Zandvoort was not particularly fruitful though: Paula did not qualify for the race in her F3 Novamotor Alfa.

More F3 followed in 1997, still with DC Cook Motorsport. Another Yorkshireman, Guy Smith, had now joined the team. They were both driving Opel-Speiss-engined Dallaras. Paula's best finish was a seventh place at Pembrey, plus two tenths at Oulton Park and Thruxton. The car was not especially reliable and she failed to finish on a number of occasions. Guy Smith, who would later win at Le Mans at the wheel of a Bentley, also struggled at times.

Paula continued in F3 for another season, with the same result as 1997: 20th place. The 1998 British F3 grid now appears like a Who's Who of international racers, with the likes of Mark Webber, Mario Haberfeld and Nicolas Minassian involved.

At the end of 1998, Derek Cook decided to make a move into touring car racing. He took Paula with him. Driving a Nissan Primera, she was thirteenth in the non-championship Tourist Trophy. In a Honda Accord, she entered the last meeting of the BTCC season, at Silverstone. Here she was 16th in the Sprint race and twelfth in the Feature race. Although her performance was not startling, it was enough to net her the Independents' Trophy for privateer teams in the Feature.

The team tackled all of the BTCC rounds in 1999. Paula's car was a Honda Accord Super Touring. Unfortunately, the year was not a great success. She was hampered by car trouble on several race weekends, and often could not finish. This was blamed on DC Cook Motorsport's over-zealous tinkering and poor set-up skills, by some. When Paula did finish, she was usually near the back, although she did scoop a couple of points for her ninth place in the Silverstone Feature race, and tenth position in the Sprint on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

Following on from this unencouraging experience, Paula, now 30, left her family team and tried to raise finances to compete by herself, with less pressure. She signed up for the 2000 Autobytel Lotus Elise series and took part in a few races. However, cashflow problems reared their ugly head again, and she vanished from the tracks until 2003.

During her year out in 2002, she enlisted the services of Jonathan France as her manager. They formulated a plan for her to compete in the Porsche Supercup, but their main sponsor pulled out when Iraq was invaded, leaving Paula without a drive. She and Jonathan then managed to secure a seat in the 2003 SEAT Cupra Championship, a one-make touring car series with its own TV coverage. This would be a year in which Paula eased back into motorsport, without family pressure this time.

Unusually, there were three women drivers in the championship that year. Paula was easily the best of the three, consistently outscoring them. Her best finish was fifth overall, and she maintained a consistent, if unspectacular, midfield presence. Occasionally, she fell victim to the series' sometimes dubious and over-enthusiastic driving standards and was punted off at the start, after her best qualifying performance. She was eleventh in the points at the end of the season.

Paula and Jonathan had decided that sportscar racing was to be her target, as she had already tried touring cars, and had been out of single-seaters for too long. She got her chance in the summer, when she got involved with the works Morgan team. Partnered by Neil Cunningham, she was to drive in two rounds of the FIA GT Championship at Donington and Spa. She performed well in testing, but when the Donington race came around, the Morgan Aero 8 was not homologated in time. A disappointed team sat out the entire race weekend. The homologation papers were ready for the Spa 24 Hours and the team made the start, but the car had to be retired after only 45 laps following an accident. Through no fault of her own, Paula did not get to drive.

In 2004 she put her Morgan frustrations behind her and joined Jonathan France's own Embassy Racing team. She was reunited with Neil Cunningham to race a Chevrolet Corvette C5 in the British GT Championship. This time, they got to show what a good partnership they could make. At the first meeting at Donington they started badly, coming fourteenth in the first race after a poor pit stop. However, in race two they were a battling fourth. At Mondello they were consistently on the pace with a pair of sixths, but it started to go wrong at Snetterton. Problems put them down to thirteenth in race one, and the car was not fit to start race two at all. It was worse at Castle Combe, when the duo failed to finish the first race and then could not take part in the second. Oulton Park did not begin well with another DNF, but a seventh in the second race of the day was more positive. At Silverstone they were fifth and eighth.

Paula parted company with Embassy after the Silverstone races. Her place in the team was taken by Ben Collins at Thruxton and Richard Hay at Brands Hatch. At this time, I do not know why she was replaced and whether she is still working with Jonathan France.

As well as British GTs, Paula also raced in the Trophée Andros ice-racing series, in the kart-cross class. On separate occasions, she has tested for Formula 3000 and the ALMS.

She does not appear to have raced since 2004. Her father died suddenly in 2005, and she became a director of his DC Cook Direct dealerships. The company went into liquidation in 2009.

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

Patty Moise

Patty with her Buick

One of the First Ladies of NASCAR, Patty has several "firsts" under her belt. At Road Atlanta, in her first NASCAR Busch Series attempt in 1986, she became the first woman to lead a Busch Series race. This came shortly after she won a qualifying race, another female first in NASCAR. She took part in 133 Busch Series races during her twelve years of NASCAR competition, 24 of which were in 1990.

Daughter of a racer, Patty started competing in 1981. First she raced sportscars like her father, and drove in IMSA. Her first entry was in 1981, when she was listed as a driver with her father in the Daytona 24 Hours. They did not get to drive. In 1983, she entered two races. She did not finish the Sebring 12 Hours in a Camaro, but was thirteenth in the Paul Revere event at Daytona. Her co-driver was Tommy Riggins, and the car was a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. In 1984, she drove a Chevrolet Camaro with Tom Ciccone at Watkins Glen. They were 27th. In 1985, she was ninth in the Sebring 12 Hours, using a Pontiac Firebird, with Les Delano and Andy Petery. She had been set to drive in the Daytona 24 Hours with Juan Manuel Fangio Jr and Robert Johnson in an Osella, but they were prevented from starting. In 1986, she and Delano were 12th at Sebring, driving a Chevrolet Camaro with Jeremy Nightingale.

Not long afterwards, she moved into the oval stock car scene. She quickly progressed through the junior series and actually made five Winston Cup starts between 1987 and 1989. However, it was in the second-ranking Busch Series that she really shone. Her results were mixed over the nine years she raced; her best finish was seventh at Talladega. This superspeedway was the scene of several of Patty's triumphs. In 1988 she qualified on pole for a Busch race, the first woman to do so. Two years later she broke the lap record there, with a brilliant 217.488 mph run. She also broke the qualifying record at Atlanta in 1995.

Her first Busch season was 1986. She qualified third for her first race at Road Atlanta, but could only manage 30th in the race itself. Her second race, at Carolina, panned out similarly. She led the race at one point, but dropped down to 34th by the end.

In 1987, her programme expanded to twelve events. She was driving a Buick. Half of her races ended in DNFs, but she also managed two top-ten finishes. Her first Winston Cup start at Watkins Glen gave her a 34th, after a crash.

1988 was not as positive. Out of eleven starts, she failed to make the top ten once. Her second and third Cup runs yielded a best of 34th. She did not really improve the following year, with a best Cup finish of 33rd and a best Busch finish of 16th.

In 1990, she made a decent attempt at the Busch championship, but could not convert the experience to hard results. She did not make the top ten once. After 1991 and her marriage to Elton Sawyer, she scaled down her racing commitments considerably. Mostly, her racing was confined to guest appearances, with a best finish of fourteenth, at Watkins Glen, in 1992.

In 1995, her career picked up again after a seventh place at Talladega. She and Elton ran their own team in 1996, and Patty entered 18 races. Sadly, she was only 37th in the final points tally. Another race in 1997 led to a heavy crash.

Patty last raced in 1998, at Bristol, where she finished in the top ten. She now concentrates on horse-riding. As well as her records on the racetrack, she is only the second Winston Cup driver to hold a university degree.

(Image from http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/group/pattymoisefans)

Patricia Bertapelle

Patricia in 1986

Patricia is an experienced and versatile Frenchwoman, whose career has encompassed rallying, hillclimbs, international touring cars, ice racing and GT racing. She last competed regularly in a Lamborghini Diablo in French GTs in 2004, finishing fourth in the N-GT class.

On the rally side, she began competing in the 1980s. Rallying was her initial route into motorsport. Early on in her career, in 1984, she entered the Citroen Total Trophée Feminin, in a Visa Mille Pistes. This was a contest to find a new female rally star. Patricia won her local heats and represented the Nancy area in the final part of the competition, but the prize drives went to Christine Driano and Sylvie Seignobeaux. This did not stop her from reappearing in the French championship the following season and in 1986, driving a powerful Group B Peugeot 205 T16. In 1987, she drove a Renault 11. She was French Ladies’ champion in 1985 and 1987, and runner-up in 1986. That year, she was also European Ladies’ champion, after attempting some events further afield, including the 24 Hours of Ypres. Her best finish was probably her seventh place in the Madeira Rally, co-driven by Pascale Bertapelle.

In 1988, she switched her focus to the Italian championship and won the Coupe des Dames there. As well as rallies, she did some circuit racing, finishing 24th in the Spa 24 Hours, with Valentin Bertapelle and Freddy Fruhauf. Their car was a BMW 635 CSi.

From there, she moved into hillclimbing, mostly in France. Her speed-eventing career began well, with third in the French championship in 1989, her first season. She was French Ladies’ hillclimb champion in 1992, after missing out on that honour in 1990.

Hillclimbing then led to rallycross and ice racing, via the Rallye des Gazelles, a women-only rally raid that Patricia entered in 1993. Between 1994 and 2001, she was a regular contender in the Andros Trophy. Her best finish in the Trophy was second, in the Promotion class, at Stade de France, in 2000. However, she was one of the top female competitors from her first season, and the Trophy attracts several women drivers every year. She was the top lady in 1994, 1999, 2000 and 2001. During this time, she made her way up the promotional ladder, culminating in a season in the Elite class in 2001. She was eleventh overall.

Patricia competed in rallycross at the same time as hillclimbing and ice-racing. In 1990, she took delivery of a Group B ex-WRC Audi Quattro, which became her car of choice for the season.

After her off-road adventures, she moved into touring cars in 2002. Her car for the French Supertourisme series was a BMW M3. Her best finishes were a tenth and fourteenth place. She had previously driven a Peugeot 306 in the Production series with Frederic Attaia. Later that season, she won the mixed crews’ class of the Rallye des Princesses, driving an Aston Martin DBS V8.

In 2003, she continued on the circuits, but in GT racing in the FFSA Coupe de France. She scored one class win and several podium places, finishing joint sixth in the Drivers’ Cup with her team-mate, Philippe Charriol. Their car was a Lamborghini Diablo GTR and their best overall result was seventh at Pau.

She returned to the championship in 2004, partnered by Christophe Bentivoglio this time. Their car was another Diablo, running in the N-GT class. They scored three class wins, at Val de Vienne and Le Mans. Their overall positions were one tenth and two elevenths. Patricia was 20th in the championship. She also won her third Rallye des Princesses, her second in an Aston Martin DB4. Her navigator was Jean-Christophe Marchand.

She ran the Tork/Toyota Trophée Andros team for several seasons after 2004, managing the likes of Alain Prost and Olivier Panis. The team won the Trophy in 2006. She now works in motorsport as an instructor and car dealer, but still competes in a few GT and historic events every year. In 2007, she contested several rounds of the FIA Historic Rally Championship, in an Alfa Romeo GTV 2000.

Her daughter, Ilona Bertapelle, also races.

(Image from www.forum-auto.com)

Pat Moss (Moss-Carlsson)

A young Pat, with Ann Wisdom (Image from www.carthrottle.com)

One of Britain's most successful rallying stars in the 1960s, Pat had motorsport in the blood; her brother is none other than Stirling Moss, her father raced at Brooklands and Indianapolis, and her mother was a rally driver in the 1930s. Surprisingly, horses were Pat's first love, and she scored well in major showjumping competitions, before turning to cars. For a long time, she combined her showjumping with motorsport, using the money she won with her horses to finance her cars.

Pat's motoring career began when her brother's manager, Ken Gregory, asked her to navigate for him on a road rally in 1953. Not long after, she was rallying a Morris Minor of her own in British events. The Minor is a car of which Pat remained fond. Her performances led to the offer of a works drive for MG in the RAC Rally. For the next five years, Pat and her navigator Ann Wisdom competed around Britain and Europe for BMC, collecting some good results. Ann Wisdom was a friend from showjumping, the daughter of Brooklands racewinner Elsie "Bill" Wisdom.

To begin with, she entered club rallies and British championship events. Her normal car was a Triumph TR2 or the Minor. She was a regular top-ten finisher in a wide variety of rallies in 1954, often held by the Harrow Car Club.

Their first season of international competition was 1955. Pat retired her MG Magnette from the Tulip Rally with lubrication problems, and drove a TF in the RAC Rally. The TF was her first works car, lent to her by BMC. She had been in talks with Triumph, but they decided not to back her.

The following year, Pat entered the Monte Carlo Rally as part of a three-woman team in an Austin Westminster, with Joan Johns and a Miss Riche. They crashed out. Back with Ann Wisdom, she finished the RAC Rally in an MGA 1500. On the Liege-Rome-Liege the following year, they pedalled the Morris Minor to 23rd overall.

In 1958 the pair really started to excel, with fourth places in the RAC and Liège-Rome-Liège rallies. Their cars were a Morris Minor and Austin-Healey 100/6 respectively. In the Minor, they crashed out of the Monte, but in the Healey, they were tenth in the Alpine Rally, with a Coupe des Dames. In an MGA, they made the trip to Sweden for the Midnight Sun Rally.

Their highlights of 1959 were a second in the German Rally in an Austin-Healey 3000 and a creditable tenth on the Monte Carlo Rally, with a Coupe des Dames, in an Austin A40. In the Healey, they crashed out of the Acropolis after hitting a lorry, and also retired from the Tulip Rally. The A40’s gearbox also gave up on the Alpine. Using a Morris 1000, they managed to finish the RAC Rally, and they drove a Riley 1.5 in Sestriere.

In 1960 they scored their first win in style, which must have been a relief after the many retirements of 1959. The Liège-Rome-Liège was one of the most punishing marathons on the European calendar and the Austin-Healey 3000 BMC's most brutal car, famously difficult to control. The combination did not faze the two British ladies, and Pat drove to a commanding victory. It was not their only strong finish of the year: Pat achieved her second Monte Carlo Coupe des Dames in an A40, finishing 17th, and was eighth, first in class, on the Tulip and Geneva Rallies. She was second on the Alpine Rally and won a Coupe des Alpes to boot. She also finished the RAC Rally, but somewhat down the leaderboard. Her car for all of these events was the big Healey.

1961 was a much quieter year, with just second places on the prestigious Alpine and RAC rallies as highlights. During the year, she drove an Austin-Healey Sprite, Austin A40, big Healey and Mini, unfortunately to a string of lowly places and retirements. One of these was a guest drive on the Welsh Rally, with Stuart Turner.

1962 was a dramatic time for Pat. After an indifferent Monte in a Mini, she accepted a one-off Saab works drive. She finished third on her first visit to the East African Safari Rally, but faced terrible news when she got home. Stirling Moss had been seriously injured at Goodwood. A very worrying time ensued, but once her brother was out of danger, she jumped back into her BMC Mini and won the Tulip Rally. Another upheaval then came when Ann Wisdom decided to call it a day, in order to marry and start a family. Again, Pat bounced back, hiring erstwhile driver Pauline Mayman to navigate. The new pairing won the Baden-Baden Rally in Germany, in a Mini again. Pat always claimed that she loved the Mini while she was driving it, but feared and hated it when she wasn't in it. Reunited with the big Healey, Pat and Pauline were third on the Alpine Rally, second in Poland, and third on the RAC. In the Mini, they were third in Geneva.

Pauline returned to the driving seat for BMC in 1963. Pat worked with a number of navigators in 1963, including a brief reunion with Ann Wisdom, now Ann Riley, on the Safari. Pat was now driving for Ford. Her tenure there started inauspiciously, with a big-end failure on the Monte in an Anglia, and an accident on the Safari in a Cortina. Driving with Jennifer Nadin, she won the Coupe des Dames on the Tulip in a Cortina, but was out of the top ten. She was also out of the top positions on the Alpine, and finished behind Pauline Mayman. The story was similar on the Spa-Sofia-Liège. Her season picked up in Greece, where she was sixth and first lady on the Acropolis, and she was seventh on the RAC Rally.

1963 was another year of upheaval for Pat, but a happier variety this time. In June she married Swedish multi-champion Erik Carlsson, and the couple became team-mates at Saab in 1964, where Carlsson had been the leading driver for many years. Pat already had a relationship with Saab going back to 1960; when BMC did not send an official entry to a big rally, she would make a guest appearance in a Saab 96. The 1962 Safari was the best of these runs, despite the shock that awaited her at the end.

The Saab 96 gave Mrs Moss-Carlsson third places on the Acropolis and Polish rallies, and a fifth on the Monte. With Liz Nystrom as navigator, she was fourth on the Spa-Sofia-Liège and RAC events. Late in the season, she was seventh in Geneva. She also finished the East African Safari and was sixth on the Tulip, the first woman home. She retired on the Mont Ventoux stage of the Alpine. For a change, she competed in the Targa Rusticana road rally back home in England, in a one-off works Ford drive. She and navigator David Stone brought their bright yellow Anglia home to another victory.

Continuing at Saab for a second year, Pat scored an impressive third on the Monte, with Swede Ursula Wirth-Fernstrom, and a second in San Remo, with the experienced Englishwoman, Val Domleo. However, the rest of her season was largely disappointing. She was out of the top ten in Sweden and retired on the Safari, 1000 Lakes and Acropolis rallies. Mid-season, she was fifth in the Gulf London Rally and in Poland. In addition, she was tenth on the RAC Rally.

Pat and Liz during the 1965 Acropolis Rally (Image from http://www.saabsunited.com/)

In search of more wins, she hopped teams in 1966, despite beginning the season with Saab. She and Liz Nystrom retired in East Africa, their first major event. A one-off drive in a Plymouth Barracuda on the Tulip Rally gave them a Coupe des Dames, but not the outright wins of which they knew they were capable. A broken piston in the Saab dumped them out of the Acropolis, but as a consolation, they were a battling second in the Gulf London Rally. In the Rally Vltava they were fifth, and the Drei-Städte marathon event, ninth. They scored another ninth on the RAC Rally.

In 1967, still with Saab as her main team, Pat withdrew from the Monte at the start of the year, for reasons unknown. She missed out on the Rallye dei Fiori due to not having her homologation papers available for inspection. She reappeared for the Gulf London Rally, and was seventh in a V4. In the same car, she could only manage 30th on the RAC and 50th on the Tulip, despite winning the Coupe des Dames. However, she was fourth on the Rally Vltava.

A switch to the works Lancia team proved fruitful. In 1968, Pat scored her last big-time win on the Sestrière Rally, and came second again in San Remo, partnered by Liz Nystrom. They were also eighth on the Acropolis, but retired on the RAC Rally. She also got the opportunity to take her Fulvia to the legendary Targa Florio road race in Sicily. She managed a solid finish in nineteenth. Away from her Lancia heroics, she crashed out of the Safari, in a Renault 16.

1969 started well, with eighth place in Monte Carlo in the Fulvia. Later, she retired from the Safari and finished down the order in Wales. This season was a short one, as Pat gave birth to her first and only child this year. Her hiatus continued into 1970, although she was scheduled to drive for Renault again in the Total Rally in South Africa. She was open about the fact that she lost a good deal of her interest in full-time competition after becoming a mother.

Pat's career continued on and off until 1975, taking in many good placings and ladies' awards in a variety of cars. One "later" highlight was a tenth on the Monte with Liz Crellin, driving an Alpine-Renault for the all-female Team Aseptogyl in 1972. This was one of three rallies she did for the team.

In 1974, she did some rallies for Toyota. Her final big appearance was that year's RAC. She was 28th, and won the Coupe des Dames.

After just over twenty years of motorsport, she and Erik settled down to family life in England with their daughter, Suzy. Pat’s rallying career had seen the transition from navigational to speed-based events admirably, with wins in both types. Commemorated in Corgi toy cars, she was a national favourite, not to mention part of rallying's greatest love story.

Pat died in October 2008, after a long struggle with cancer.

Paola de Martini

Paola and Luisa in 1991

Paola is an Italian driver, who was most successful in the late 1980s.

She began rallying in 1984, at the age of 20. Her first car was an Autobianchi A112, which she used in Italian events. Her first title, the Italian Ladies’ Championship, came in that year. The following year, she upgraded her car to a Ford Escort XR3i, but only completed part of the season, after suffering injuries in a crash. During her time off, she negotiated a deal with Audi to drive one of their cars in the Italian championship. In 1986, she returned to the stages in an Audi 80. Some of her best results were eighth in the Rallye Proserpina, and tenth in the Mille Miglia.

She continued to compete with Audi in 1987 - it was a partnership that lasted more than ten years. Driving the Coupe with Umberta Gibellini, she was sixth on the Piancavello Rally, tenth on the Rally della Lana Biella and tenth in the Mille Miglia. Her best result looks to have been a fourth place on the Rally Limone.

Her 1988 season took in Europe as well as Italy. Using an Audi 90 and Coupe, she drove for the Audi Sport Europa team. She was fourth in Catalunya, eighth on the Rally Costa Smeralda, fourth on the Rally Albena, and retired from the Rally Elpa Halkidikis. However, her greatest achievement was an outright win on the San Marino Rally. This was enough to leave her sixth in the European Championship. As well as her first win, she made her first World Championship start in 1988. Her debut run in the Sanremo Rally gave her an excellent ninth place.

In 1989, she moved further into WRC territory, entering six rounds. Sadly, a mix of mechanical troubles and one accident prevented her from finishing in Portugal, Greece, Sanremo and the Cote d’Ivoire. Her two finishes, in Monte Carlo and Corsica, earned her another two ninth places, and a final drivers’ leaderboard position of 57th, an improvement on her 72nd the previous year. European events had not been forgotten either: Paola and Umberta scored another pair of sixth places in San Marino and the Costa Smeralda Rally.

Paola’s WRC campaign continued in 1990, with eight rounds. She did not finish in Monte Carlo, Greece, Australia or Sanremo, after a frustrating series of electrical and engine failures. Additionally, she was withdrawn from the Rally Argentina for unknown reasons. This was a guest drive for the Lancia team, in a Delta Integrale, but she only got to complete one stage.

She did, however, manage to finish in Portugal, in 16th place, and Corsica, where she was ninth once again. The Portuguese event was a real rally of attrition that only 34 cars out of 100 finished. Later in the season, she was 32nd in her first attempt at the Rally Finland. This slightly disappointing season gave her 54th in the drivers’ championship, and second in the FIA Ladies’ Cup, behind Louise Aitken-Walker.

In 1991, Paola ended her involvement with Audi, and started driving for Lancia in the Italian championship. That year, she had a new co-driver in the shape of Luisa Zumelli. They were sixth in the Mille Miglia and fourth in Piancavello, using a Delta Integrale 16v.

Paola took a year out of motorsport in 1992, but returned in 1993, still with Lancia, but an HF Integrale this time. She was reunited with Umberta Gibellini, and the highlight of their year was a sixth place in San Marino.

After that, Paola took a long break from rallying. She made a brief comeback in 2001, driving a Subaru Impreza WRX, but failed to finish the Isola d’Elba and San Marino rallies. After that, she returned to retirement, although she did not stay completely out of a rally car. In 2007 and 2008, she made guest appearances in the Ronde dell'Elba, in a Mitsubishi Lancer and a Toyota Corolla WRC respectively. She was tenth in 2008.

At some point, she also raced on the Italian circuits in the Campionato Italiano Velocita Turismo.

(Image from http://m.forocoches.com/)