Saturday, 11 September 2010

Female Drivers in Touring Cars in Europe, 1950 to present day


Ksenya Niks, Andrina Gugger and Ulrike Krafft, at the start of the 2013 ETCC season

Apologies for what will be a lengthy post.
Women have competed in touring car championships at all levels in Europe, from the upper levels of club racing to the European championships. Interestingly, there seem to be fewer female drivers in the ETCC (now WTCC) now than there were in the 1960s.
Below is a selection of female drivers who have driven in touring car championships across Europe. Belgian drivers are likely to be found in the "Belcar" post, Italian drivers in the "Italian Drivers" post, and those who have taken part in one-make championships have their own pages. Dutch drivers, Swedish drivers, German drivers, Spanish, Portuguese and Andorran drivers and British drivers now also have their own post. Mette Kruuse can now be found here, Nicole Drought here, Karen Gaillard here and Jenny van Hilten here.

Anna Alexandrova - Belarussian driver who raced in the National section of the Russian Circuit Championship in 2016, driving a Ford Fiesta. She took part in the first two races at Smolensk, but then left the series after a DNF at Nishni Novgorod. She was thirteenth and fifteenth in her two races. She also did three rounds of her home championship, in the same car, with a best finish of seventeenth, also at Smolensk. In 2015, she raced a VW Polo, taking in a couple of rounds of the Belarussian Touring Car Championship at Smolensk and finishing eleventh and twelfth. She used the same car in the Russian Endurance Challenge at Moscow, and finished fourth in the 4-hour race, sharing with Sergei Koronatov.

Johanna Amann - Austrian driver who raced a Renault Clio in the 2015 German Touring Car Cup. She has since gone on to race the same car in the ESET V4 championships. Her best result in 2016 was an eighteenth place overall at the Red Bull Ring. In 2017, she enrolled in the CEZ Touring Car Trophy, part of the ESET package. She was twelfth and fourteenth at the Red Bull Ring. Her 2018 programme in the series was the same. Prior to 2015, she was active on the slalom scene in Austria. In 2019, she competed in hillclimbs in Central Europe.

Christine Bourcier – raced in the French Super Production championship in 2000 and 2001. Her car in 2000 was a Citroen Saxo, and she used a Peugeot 106 and a Ford RS2000 in 2001. Both times, she drove for the Guerreiro Sport team. She does not appear to have raced again since then.

Margot Carvalhido - races a Peugeot 208 in the French Touring Car championship, competing in the TC Light class. She shares the car with Frederic Rondeau. In 2022, they were the leading TC Light drivers with several class wins, and held on for the class championship. She raced in Trophee Tourisme Endurance in 2023, sharing a 208 with two other drivers. In 2024 and 2025, she was still active in the 208, in the TC France series. In 2025, she scored one third place at Paul Ricard. Margot appears to have begun racing on the circuits at the end of 2021, in the TTE Endurance series, alongside her younger brother Enzo. She got into motorsport through sim racing, having been part of the Simulateur Academie Racing programme and winning its female driver spot.


Carla Debard - races a BMW M2 in the French Touring Car championship. She began in 2021 after several years of competitive horse riding. In her first season, she was fourteenth in the championship, with a best finish of seventh, which she achieved three times. In 2022, she emerged a much stronger driver, earning her first podium, a third place at Magny-Cours. Staying with BMW, she moved up to the FFSA GT championship in 2023, in the GT4 Am class. She was third in class with two podiums. Another FFSA GT season followed in 2024, this time in the Pro-Am class. She was seventh overall, with two podium finishes, partnered by Simon Gachet. She is from a racing family and had practised for some time before her first race. She has also competed in the Fun Cup with her father.


Tatiana Dobrynina - member of the Volkswagen Junior Academy in Russia. She races in the Russian Touring Car Championship, in the National class. Her car is a Volkswagen Polo. 2017 seems to be her first year in the series. Her best result was a thirteenth place at Kazan and she was 33rd in the championship. In 2018 she did the first two rounds of the National championship, driving a Kia Rio. Her best result was 16th at Smolensk. She has been active in Russian motorsport since 2015, when she took part in some Time Attack events in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo XI. In 2021, she raced a Shortcut prototype in the Russian Circuit Racing Series, scoring one class win at NRing. The car came out again for 2023 and 2024, when she did most of the season. In 2025, she did two rounds.


Natalia Goltsova - long-time competitor in Russian touring cars, always in a Lada. Despite having raced karts since the age of five, she was 28 when she really announced herself on the Russian scene, racing in the Lada Kalina Cup and scoring a second place at Moscow. That year, she also raced a Lada Samara on ice. In 2010, she raced in the Light category of the Russian Touring Car Championship, in the Kalina, usually finishing mid-field. This continued, and she had a best finish of tenth in 2011. On the ice, she was second in the Ladies’ championship, at Cherepovets. She continued to improve in 2012, with a best finish of fifth. In 2013, she was back to midfield, with grids strong this year, although she did manage two third places in Mitjet Cup races. After an incident involving her hair becoming caught in her helmet straps, causing her to lose concentration and crash, she did not return to ice racing in 2013, although she made some guest appearances in 2014. Most of 2014 was spent in the RTCC. This year, she scored some more top tens, including a fifth at Smolensk. She raced in the RTCC again in 2015, in a Lada run by her own family team. Her best result was fourth, at the NRING circuit, and she was ninth in the championship, one above her team-mate. As well as circuit racing, Natalia has also competed in rallycross, in a Lada, with some success. She raced her VAZ in the RTCC in 2016, with mixed results. She finished as high as fourth at Smolensk, but could not always match that pace, and was disqualified from the last round, finishing 18th in the championship. She was back in a Lada Kalina in 2017, in Russian Touring Cars. Her season highlights were two ninth places, at Smolensk and Moscow. She did better in ice-racing, scoring two top-three finishes in the VAZ. She now races historics. Her father is Vladimir Goltsov, a Soviet-era racer who also participated in the Dakar.

Nanna Gøtsche – Danish driver who races a SEAT Leon Supercopa car in endurance events. She has been racing cars since 2012, after many years of karting. Her first racing car was a Renault Clio, which she used in the Point S Silkeborg Clio Cup, achieving two third places and eighth in the championship. She continued to race Clios, sometimes for the Sally Racing team, for the next couple of seasons. In 2015, she raced in the Hankook Tyres 24H Series, usually in class A3T, for Zest Racecar Engineering. Her best result was in the Paul Ricard race, where she and her team-mates were 35th, sixth in class. Nanna was sixth in the series' Ladies’ Cup, which was quite competitive, having completed four of the six races. In 2016, this improved to second, even with a part-season. She was driving for the Artthea Sport team, who also won the SPX class. Her car was a Porsche. In 2017, she continued in the SPX (special car) class, driving for Vortex Racing. Their GC10 V8 proved unreliable and did not finish three of the four races it entered. Nanna and her team-mates in the Danish-French team were third in class at Mugello. As well as endurance racing, she also competes in historic cars from time to time, including a Volvo Amazon.

Yvonne Gregoire - rather obscure driver of the 1970s. She occasionally appears in the French Touring Car Championship entry lists. In 1974, she drove a Simca Rally 2 in an FTCC race at Croix-en-Ternois, coming tenth in Class 2. In 1978, she reappears, in a Simca Rallye 3. She finished in 17th place in the Production 1600 class at Montlhéry. At some point, she was involved in an all-female Simca racing championship, and was apparently the runner-up, behind another mysterious driver called Catherine Bozio. This seems to have taken place in 1974.

Chantal Grimard - former Olympic swimmer who raced in Belgium in the mid-1980s. She first appears in the Belgian Touring Car Championship in 1985, driving a VW Golf GT. The full results for this championship are not available, but Chantal was not among the front-runners. In 1986, she drove in the championship again, which ran under Group N regulations. Her car was a Toyota MR2. This year, she was second in a heat of the Trophée de la Mer du Nord, but did not finish the main race. She was also 25th in the Spa 24 Hours, driving a Toyota Corolla with Anny-Charlotte Verney and Henny Hemmes. In 1987, she took part in some rounds of the French Formula Three championship, with the Belgian Sport Auto Racing team. After this, her racing career seems to peter out.

Petra Krajnyák – Hungarian driver who competes in the Hankook Racer Cup. Her car is a Suzuki Swift, and she drives for the OXXO Energy team, alongside Anett György. In 2016, her best result was eighth place, achieved twice in the middle of the season. This took her up to 11th place in the championship, after missing a round. 2016 appears to be her first season of senior competition. In 2017, she raced a Kia Lotos in a one-make series in Hungary. Her best finish was eleventh at the Slovakiaring.  In 2018, she tried rallying, driving a Kia Picanto in the Nyiregyhaza Rally. She was 23rd overall. On the circuits, she competed in the Kia Platinum Cup. She rallied the Picanto in 2019 and managed a best finish of 17th on the Baranya Kupa Rallye. She also did her first ERC rally, the Rally of Hungary, in a Ford Fiesta, winning her class and finishing 51st. She was the Picanto rally champion at the end of the year. In 2020 she continued to rally the Fiesta in the Hungarian championship. Her best finish was twelfth in the Palhaza Rally. Another season in the Fiesta had her repeating this in the Orfu Rally, as well as picking up two further top-twenty finishes. She also tried off-road rallying in a Can-Am Maverick. She did three rallies in Hungary in the Fiesta in 2022, with a best finish of 21st in the Orfu Rally. 

Sabine Kukute – Latvian driver who raced a Nissan 350Z in the Speedest 1000 Euro Race series. Later, in 2008, she took part in the Baltic Touring Car Championship, driving a BMW 320. Her best finish was eighth, at Riga, and she was 21st overall. The same year, she appeared on reality TV in Latvia, for which she is best known.

Marina Mise – raced in the Croatian Touring Car Championship in 2007. Her car was a Skoda Felicia. She did not race for the whole season, but had a reasonably competitive sixth place at Dugopolje as her best finish. Although she did not do much circuit racing, she was quite active in hillclimbs in Croatia, competing in her national championship in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, she also used a Yugo, and in 2010, she was still on the hills, in a Fiat Cinquecento.

Eva Mondou - French driver who graduated from karts to cars in 2021. She competes in the French Touring Car championship, driving a Renault Clio. She first raced in the Spa round, sharing the car with Bastien Girard. They were eleventh in the first race and tenth in the next two. The pair first raced together with Perftech in 2021, taking on the Le Mans round of the Trophee Tourisme Endurance in the Clio. Eva’s father William was one of their co-drivers. Eva was 16 years old at the time. She was fifth in the TCA-2 class in 2022, driving the Clio.


Michaela Peškova – raced a Ferrari 430 in Slovakia in 2010. Her best finish in the Slovakian racing championship was fifth, at the Slovakiaring. She also shared a Renault Megane with Karolina Czapka-Lampel in a two-hour enduro at the same meeting, finishing seventh. In 2009, she shared a BMW M3 with Matej Kotrba for the endurance races of the Czech Touring Car Championship. She does not appear to have raced since 2010.

Danielle Plomteux - Belgian touring car driver who specialised in long-distance events. In 1969, she raced an Opel Rallye Kadett in the Grand National at Zolder, a multi-heat endurance event. She was 61st. The following year, she was part of a team driving a tiny Honda S800 in the Nürburgring 36 Hours. She won her class, with team-mates Charles de Meutter and Serge Trosch, also Belgian. The same year, she returned to the Nürburgring for the Marathon de la Route, in a much bigger Opel Commodore. The race was 84 hours long, and ran over three-and-a-half days. Danielle and her team-mates, “Clyde” and a Y. Errolean, were twelfth, and second in the 2500cc class.

Irina Protasova - Ukrainian driver who has raced in multiple categories, always driving for Ukrainian teams. She was part of the Bevz Konstantyn set-up in 2010 for the S2000 European Touring Car Cup, driving a BMW 320i E46 in the first two rounds, after which the team pulled out. She scored two twelfths in Braga, and a ninth and a DNF at Salzburg. In 2012, driving a similar car, she took part in two races in the Dutch Supercar Challenge, for Chayka Racing. In 2007, she also tried rallying, driving a Subaru Impreza to tenth place in the Prime Yalta Rally in Ukraine. 

Kate Rafanelli - finished fourth in the 1996 Spa 24 Hours, driving a BMW with Florence Duez and Yolanda Surer. She returned to Spa in 1997, this time with Vanina Ickx and Florence Duez, in another BMW, but did not finish after an off. The same result transpired from her 1994 efforts with Benoit Galand and Didier Stassart, in a 325i this time. As well as her 24-hour racing, Kate also competed in the Andros Trophy on at least one occasion. Her family ran a BMW preparation company, so it is likely that she raced BMWs elsewhere in smaller events.

Angélique Sadalian - began racing in French national events in 2014, aged eighteen. She was the women’s champion on the 2014 VTR Tour, a simulator racing series, and this led to a drive in a Mitjet enduro race at Magny-Cours, as part of a three-driver team. She did some more Mitjet racing in 2015, based at Magny-Cours, then moved on to the Peugeot 208 Racing Cup in 2016. She was driving for No Limit Racing, with Guillaume Plubel. In 2018, she did the Fun Cup enduro at KLe Mans in May.

Julia Schayer - raced in the Polish Endurance championship in 2020 and won the D4 class, driving a Kia Picanto. She was 31st in the series overall and had one class win with her team-mate Jakub Szablewski. Individually, she was fifth in the Kia class. 2020 appears to be her first season of circuit racing, although she had previously done some Time Attack events in the Kia. In 2021 she raced a Suzuki Swift in the ESET 1600 TCR championship, winning her class twice at the Hungaroring. This followed several seasons of karting.

Sandra Sutter – Swiss driver who races in ADAC Procar in Germany. After some time spent in karting, she did her first Procar races in 2008, when she was 18 years old. She drove a Ford Fiesta for the Vizethum team at Oschersleben, and was eighth in one race. In 2009, she joined the NK Racing team, still in a Fiesta. She did five races for the team, almost half a season. Oschersleben was her best circuit, and she was sixth twice there. Her final position in Division II was eleventh. After a break, during which she returned to karting, she did another part-season in Procar in the Fiesta in 2011, supported by Glatzel Racing. She was fourteenth overall, after four races, at Lausitz and Assen. Her best finish was eleventh, at Lausitz. 

Emilie Tapy - raced in French Supertouring between 1999 and 2005. She was 29th in 1999, driving a BMW M3 E30, after only a few races. Her 2005 return yielded an eleventh place, in another BMW. In between, she had another drive in a BMW in 2000, and was fourteenth. In 2006, she competed in an Opel Astra Coupe in GT races. She was 20th and 25th at Pau in a joint French/British GT race meeting. Her team-mate was Anne-Sophie Nourry. She drove the same car with Audrey Roche at Val de Vienne, scoring a 21st and 27th place with two class wins. She was also linked to a Larbre Competition Dodge Viper drive, but this did not occur.

Marie-Rose Tibesar (“Miss Timaro”) - competed in European Touring Cars in 1962 and 1963. In 1962, she drove in the Brands Hatch and Nürburgring 6-Hour races, in her own BMW 700. She was 20th at the Nürburgring with Ulrich Therstappen, and 19th at Brands Hatch with Rona Pearson. Both times she was fifth in class. The following year, she entered the Brands Hatch 3 Hours with Peter Galliford, but they did not finish. She did not enter any more major races. “Miss Timaro” was from Luxembourg.

Isabel van de Velde - drove in the Belgian touring car championship in the mid-1980s. Full information about this championship is hard to come by, so it is difficult to know the extent of her racing activities. She first appears in the entry list for the 1985 EG Trophy support race, driving a VW Polo for the Belgian VW Club team. It is unclear whether or not she finished. In 1985, she drove a Toyota Starlet in the Trophée de la Mer du Nord. She qualified for the final, but her results in the heats, as well as her actual final position, are not forthcoming. She may well have taken part in other races during those two seasons.

Isabella (Bella) Walkoun - Austrian driver who races a Mini in central Europe. In 2013, she competed in the ESET Championship, and was among the leading Austrian drivers. Her best overall finish was sixth, at the Red Bull Ring. She entered the same championship in 2014, using the Mini and a Mitubishi Colt. Her best finish has been fifth, at Salzburg. 2013 seems to have been her first season of racing.

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

Friday, 10 September 2010

Female Drivers in National Sportscar Racing, After 1950



This post profiles female drivers in national-level sportscar racing, from club level to domestic GT championships. It includes Caterham racing. Belgian sportscar drivers are likely to be found in the Belcar post. Due to the high number of female drivers in French domestic series, they have their own post, here. British drivers in this category can now be found here, and drivers from the Nordic countries, here. Sybil Lupp, and other contemporary New Zealand drivers, can be found here. Renee Gracie now has her own post, as do Angelique DetavernierIvana Giustri Laura Kraihamer, Luisa Rezzonico, Lisa Caceres, Lisa Clark, Solenn Amrouche and Chantal Kroll.

Antonella Bassani - former karter who won her first senior race in 2023. She joined the Porsche Sprint Challenge Brasil and won her first race at Goiania, following a pole position and second place at Velo Citta earlier in the season. At the end of the year, she had won her class and finished third overall in the championship. In 2024, she returned to Porsches in the Carrera Cup, winning four races and coming within a whisker of winning the championship. A second Carrera Cup season in 2025 was cut short to five races, and was not the triumph that 2024 had been. Her best finish was a fourth place at Velo Citta. Later in the season, she tried out Stock Car in Brazil, driving a Toyota. Her four races were a learning experience and her best finish was 18th, achieved twice at Interlagos and Velo Citta. Aged 17, 2023 was her first full season, although she did some races in the Brazilian Turismo championship in 2022, driving a Chevrolet run by Abreu Motors. She won her class twice. She also tried an Audi RS3 in a guest appearance in the 2022 TCR South America championship. Before switching to cars, she raced karts internationally and was a finalist in the FIA Girls on Track competition.

Piera Bertoletti – raced a series of Alfa Romeos in Europe, between 1957 and 1961. Her first major competition car seems to have been a Giulietta, a version of which she used in the 1957 Targa Florio. She finished the event in 117th place. She normally used Giulietta models, including a Sprint Zagato, but occasionall raced a Zagato-bodied Abarth 500. In this car, she was fifth in the GT500 Coppa Sant Ambroeus in 1959. She was particularly recognised for her efforts in airport-based races at Innsbruck and Klagenfurt. At Innsbruck, she qualified on pole for the 1960 Preis von Tirol, but did not finish.

Eileen Bildman - races a Ferrari in the US Ferrari Challenge. She first competed in the series in 2018, when she was thirteenth in the 458 Challenge, picking up three top-ten finishes at the end of the season. She moved up to the Coppa Shell in 2019 and was fourteenth. Her best finishes were two seventh places at Indianapolis and Mugello, as well as a ninth spot at Mugello. She returned to the Coppa Shell for the 2020 season, supported by Ferrari of Long Island as before. The partnership continued in 2020 and Eileen was 18th in the championship, having missed three of the later races. Her best finish was an eighth place at Indianapolis, which was also one of her best circuits in 2021; she was seventh there, and at Watkins Glen. She was 18th in the championship. She was seventh in the Coppa Shell in 2022, with a best finish of sixth at Daytona.

Nadeene Brengle – raced Alfa Romeos in SCCA competitions in the 1960s. She was given a car, a Giulia, by Alfa Romeo USA to race in 1964. To start with, she took part in Ladies’ races in Florida in a Cooper, in 1961, before moving on to a Fiat-Abarth Zagato , then the first of a series of Alfas in 1963. In 1967, she made history by becoming the first female driver to start from pole in an SCCA National Runoff. She fought her way back from last after a first lap incident with another car, and finished second.

Balba Camino (Gonzalez Camino) - successful Spanish GT racer in her domestic series, winning in 2000 with Miguel Angel de Castro. Their car was a The duo also won the GTA class in 2003, finishing first or second in every race they entered. Their car was a SEAT Toledo GT. Despite a couple of wins in a Lister Storm in 2002, they could not manage an overall win. In Spain, Balba has raced single-seaters, touring cars and historics. Internationally, she raced in Formula Nissan 2000 in 1999. Later, she did one race for Chamberlain in the LMES in 2005, the Silverstone round. Her team-mate was Amanda Stretton, and they could not finish in their Lola. Balba now works as an artist, but she came out of retirement in 2014. She was the winner of the Prototype race at the Maxi Endurance 32h, held at the Algarve circuit. She was part of a team of six. She was also third in the Sport race, in a SEAT Leon.

Toni Cappiello - raced with the SCCA in the late 1950s. She drove a Porsche 356 in 1958, normally at Cumberland or Marlboro. In 1959, she teamed up with Pinkie Windridge in a Fiat-Abarth Allemano for the Marlboro 6 Hour race. They do not appear to have finished. Toni may also have raced alongside her husband, who is credited as "Major Cappiello". She disappears from the entry lists after 1960.

Olga Carless – raced an Alfa Romeo Giulietta in the 1958 Venezuela Grand Prix. She was 29th overall, third in class. Her entry was noted as “Señora Olga”. That year, Olga also competed in a race at Maracay el Limon, in Venezuela, and was fourth, out of seven drivers. She was married to another racer, Giorgio Carless, and may well have entered other races.

Stephanie Cemo - raced in the 2019 UA Lamborghini Super Trofeo. She competed in the LB Cup and has a best finish of second at Watkins Glen, sharing the car with Ashton Harrison. She has been active in motorsport for approximately ten years, although she got her license longer ago than that and has worked as an instructor. Her usual cars have been Chevrolet Corvettes, mainly used with considerable success in Time Attack events, although she has also competed in SCCA and NASA championships, winning several races.

Bobbie Ann Cooper - racer and racing instructor in the mid-1970s. In 1976, she took part in a Toyota Celebrity Match Race supporting the US Grand Prix West and finished second, behind journalist Don Sherman and ahead of Janet Guthrie. Reports at the time stated that she held a G Production lap record at Riverside and that she had had to take a year out of racing in 1975 due to lacking her own car and crew. Later that year, she took part in a Celebrity Race for Charity, driving a Toyota Celica with streamers on its aerial to mark her out as one of three female drivers.

LaVone Daily - Kansas resident who raced sportscars in the 1960s. Her usual car was a Triumph TR3. In 1964, she seems to have had her best finish: fourth in an SCCA National race at Lake Garnett. In 1965, she qualified for the SCCA Road Racing Championship in the TR3, but the results are not forthcoming. Away from the track, she worked as a lawyer and served as a judge. She died in 2017.

Anny Frosio - Swiss driver who competed in the European GT Cup in 2025, at the wheel of a Lamborghini. She first raced in the series in 2024, in a Ferrari 488, and finished thirteenth in the Pro-Am class with Jorge Cabezas. She also won the ladies' award. Driving for a new team in the Lamborghini in 2025, she did the last two rounds at Catalunya and Monza. Before taking to the circuits, she was active in hillclimbing for at least 15 years prior.

Jocelyne Gaborit - raced in the inaugural season of the Coupe de l’Avenir in France in 1976. This was a budget series for sportscars based on the Simca 1300. Jocelyne raced alongside her husband, Yves. Both were involved in the creation of the series and its management. Jocelyne only appears to have competed in the first season, although she stayed involved in an organisational capacity. 


Elisa Giordan - Italian driver who has competed in Italy and Spain. She drove in the Italian Prototype Cup at some point, before coming ninth in the 2004 Italian Superstars touring car series. The following year, she won the Italian Mazda RX-8 Cup. She moved to Spain in 2007 and drove a Ferrari F430 GT2 car in the Spanish GT championship. Driving with Lorenzo Bontempelli and Giorgio Mondini, she was fifth, after two wins at Jerez and Albacete. After that, she does seem to have raced in Italy, although details of her activities are not forthcoming. They may have involved hillclimbing: she competed in climbs in an Osella in 2002 and 2003.

Marybeth Harrison - Canadian who raced sportscars and saloons from the 1990s onwards. She is most famous for her runs in the Trans Am championship in 2000, driving a Chevrolet Camaro. Her best finish from four races was thirteenth at Laguna Seca. She made a few more appearances in 2002 and 2003. Prior to this, she competed in Formula 1600 in Canada and won some trophies, as well as trying Formula 2000. In common with many female racers of the 1990s, she was a member of the PPG CART Pace Car team. 


Anneliese Hartenau – Chilean-born driver who was the winner of the first Sport Limited Speed race in Buenos Aires in 1960, driving a Porsche-engined Gordini. The series was for older Grand Prix cars. She had begun racing another Porsche not long before, in 1959, in her adopted homeland of Argentina. Later, she raced an NSU Prinz in Argentina, with some success. Her motorsport activities included the marathon rallies held in the Andes. As well as driving herself, she worked as a race mechanic, and was part of Juan Manuel Fangio’s crew for quite some time.

Alexandra Irmgartz - has been racing a Porsche in Germany since 2010. She won the Junior title in her first year in the Special Touring Car Trophy (STT), and defended it in 2011, as well as finishing fourth overall in the series. Again, she defended her Junior title, and her fourth place, in 2012. In 2013, she only had a part-season in the STT, although she still managed to win the Junior class again. She was now racing her 964 in the Porsche Club Historic Challenge, and was on the pace very quickly. She scored two podiums in her first season. In 2014, she won the championship outright, finishing on the podium in eleven out of the fifteen races. A part-season in the PCHC in 2015 brought more success in the 964, with seven wins and one second place, from nine races. Her PCHC was not quite as stellar in 2016, but she still managed one win, at Hockenheim, and eight further podium finishes. 

Nina Jerančič – Slovenian driver who had a long and successful time in karting, before going to Italy to start her senior racing career, after a spell in Austria in 1993, in Formula Ford, when she was 16. She began in Formula Campus, as well as other junior single-seater formulae, and also did some guest appearances in one-make cups, as well as one round of the Porsche Supercup, at Zeltweg, in 1999. After more years in karting, she started racing Ferraris in 2004, in the Shell Cup. She started off quite cautiously, but by 2007, was good enough to finish second in the championship, in an F430. She returned to the championship in 2008, and was seventh overall. She does not appear to have competed since then.  

Shirley van Kleeck - raced an Austin Healey Sprite in SCCA H-Production events in the 1960s. She raced alongside Arlene Lanzieri, who later found fame as Arlene Hiss, before Arlene moved away to marry. They had a pair of Sprites which they raced as “The Female Racing Team”. The team was active throughout 1966 and Shirley was competitive in her regional class, despite rolling her car at Lime Rock. It was her first season in racing.

Jeff (Lois) Koehne - raced in SCCA events in the US in the 1950s and early 1960s. She drove a number of cars over the years, including an Allard, Jaguar, Siata and a Chevrolet Corvette. She won her first race in the Jaguar in 1955, a ladies’ race at Walterboro. Later in the 1960s, she occasionally raced an Alfa Romeo Giulietta and even tried out a Formula Vee single-seater in 1963, at the Jim Bowie Sportscar Races in Louisiana. Jeff’s name was actually Lois; it is unclear where her nickname came from. She was from Texas and married to George, another racer.

Therese Lahlouh - races Porsches in the USA. She ran well in the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America in 2023 and 2024, finishing fifth in the Pro-Am class in 2024 after a sixth place the year before. She also came eighth in the 2024 Porsche Endurance Cup, with one podium finish. For 2025, she got her first taste of GT3 machinery, competing in the GT World Challenge America. She has been an official Porsche-supported Female Driver since 2025, despite not having begun her career until she was in her 30s.

Christina Lam - races a BMW E46 M3 in NASA and SCCA Majors events in the USA. She has been active in circuit racing since 2016 and this is her second BMW. In 2019, she secured podium finishes in at least three SCCA Majors races, at Pittsburgh and Mid-Ohio. She recorded more top tens in the SCCA National Runoffs and on the Hoosier Tour in 2020 and 2021. In 2025, she stepped up to the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, racing a TCR-spec Audi RS3. She was inspired to start competing by a visit to the Nurburgring in 2012, and started gaining experience of the circuits through autocross, track days and the NASA Time Trial series.

Donna Sue Landon - raced in the SCCA Escort Endurance Championship in 1986 and 1987. Her first car was a Honda CRX, which she shared as part of a mixed team, enjoying some Class B success. In 1987, she was one of an all-female roster driving a Saleen Mustang, with Lisa Caceres and Desire Wilson. Donna Sue subbed for Desire in some of the lower-profile events. Earlier in her career, she raced in the Showroom Stock category from at least 1983, in cars including the Honda CRX.

Carina Lima - raced in the Portuguese GT championship in 2012. Her car was a Ferrari F430, run by Oasis Motosport, and she competed in the GT Cup class. Out of her six races, her best result came at Jarama, the last round, where she was eighth. With her team-mate, Luis Reis, she was thirteenth in the championship, and third in the GT Cup class. Although she intended to return to the series in 2013, she does not seem to have raced again. In 2014, she raced in the Lamborghini Trofeo, finishing tenth in the Amateur class. She entered the Trofeo again in 2015, and won the Gallardo Am class three times, at Monza and Paul Ricard. She and Andrea Palma won their class outright. She raced a Lamborghini Huracan in the Italian GT Championship in 2016, with Andrea Palma. Her best finish was ninth, at Mugello. 

Valerie Limoges - raced in the Koni Grand-Am Challenge, in the States, in 2007. She debuted in the series in 2006, having driven karts, Formula Renault and touring cars, coming fourth in the Hankook Touring Car Series in 2004. Her Grand-Am car was a Ford Mustang prepared by Black Forest. During the season, she had many mechanical problems to deal with, although she proved herself capable of running in the top ten. After 2007, her sponsorship was withdrawn and she has been unable to race, although she did make one guest appearance in Canadian Touring Cars in 2012. In 2015 and 2016, she raced in the Canadian Nissan Micra Cup, finishing fifth overall both times.She was fourth in the 2017 Micra Cup, with several third places, despite being disqualified once and put on probation. In 2018, she was fourth in the championship after becoming the first female driver to win a race in the series, at Mosport Park. She won two races in 2019 and was third in the championship. In 2021, she was sixth in the Nissan Sentra Cup in Canada. She won the 2022 Sentra Cup, despite not winning any races outright. She was second at Mont Tremblant.

Carmen Lista – raced in IMSA in the 1980s, after competing in the late 1970s in US sportscar events. She always drove Chevrolet cars, and her first big races were at Daytona, in 1976. She drove a Corvette in the Daytona 250 Miles, and was 39th, with “Bean”. The following year, in the same race, she was 62nd, driving solo. A final appearance in the 250 Mile race in 1978 led to a 19th place, again as a single driver, in Debra Tribiano’s Corvette. In 1983, she reappears in the entry lists, driving a Camaro in IMSA races. She was 47th in that year’s Sebring 12 Hours, with Bobby Diehl, David Marks and Roy Newsome, with Diehl’s team.  

Rhea Loucas - Cypriot driver who races sportscars, mainly in Europe. She did some rounds of the GT Cup in the UK in 2022, driving a Porsche Cayman for the Valluga team with Charlie Hollings. She has also competed in the 24H Series, winning her class in the 2023 Dubai 24H for Dragon Racing/ROFGO. Her car this time was a Mercedes-AMG GT4. In 2022, she drove the Porsche in the Hockenheim 12H. Away from the track, she is an entrepreneur in the video game industry. 

Mia Lovell - made her Trans Am debut in 2025, driving a Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang in the TA2 class. Between her first and second races, she improved her result from 33rd to 13th. Over five races, she managed to finish as high as eighth, at Sonoma. Before that, she raced in the Toyota GR Cup North America, beginning in 2023. In her second season, 2024, she was twelfth in the championship, with a best finish of sixth at Sonoma. She recorded several top-ten finishes for the Colin Crabbe team. Away from motorsport, she is also a professional skateboarder.

Joke Maasland - Dutch driver who raced in Europe from the age of eighteen. She raced a Ferrari 250 Monza at Zandvoort in 1954, finishing one International Sportscar heat second in class before crashing out of the second. She was competing alongside her brother Hans. Earlier, she had raced a BMW 328 Cotura with her father. She also used this car in rallies and shared it with Carel Godin de Beaufort on the 1952 Fakkel Rally which ran between Eindhoven and Bayeux.

Brieana Macdonald
 - Canadian driver who began her on-track career in 2025, racing in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica. She made her debut in September at Navarra, despite never having raced anything on track before and only having tested the car briefly. She was eleventh and eighth in her two sprint races, but did not finish the enduro, which she drove solo.

Vittoria Maffi – raced in Italy in the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is most associated with Alfa Romeo, having competed in the 1959 Coppa Ambroeus in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce. She was ninth in the race. The following year, she shared a Fiat 500 with Alma Cacciandra, and was 31st in the Coppa Ascari. She had owned the Alfa since 1956, so may have done some earlier races, possibly in the women-only circuit that existed in Italy at the time. 

Tania Mann – Australian driver who races in the UK. She began competing in 2011, in the Lotus Cup, after doing track days in her own Porsche. 2012 was her first full season, and she drove in the Porsche Carrera Cup. Her best overall finish was twelfth, at Donington, but she was one of the leaders of the Pro-Am class, and was second, with four wins. After a year spent putting together sponsorship, she took part in some rounds of the British GT Championship in 2014, in a Ginetta G55. She was fourth and sixth at Oulton Park and seventh at Rockingham, partnering Jade Edwards for one race.  

Mary McGee - most famous as a motorcyclist, this Alaskan driver started off in sportscars before winning titles in road racing and motocross. She raced cars between 1957 and 1964, including a Mercedes 300SL, Chevrolet Corvette, Ferrari 250 and several Porsches. Over the years, she raced a 356, 550 and 718, in which she was very successful in ladies’ races. She won four of these in 1961, in Las Vegas, Tucson and Santa Barbara. Later, she also raced in the open classes of SCCA competition, mainly in California.

Patricia Mernone - raced in the USA in the 1960s. She normally competed in SCCA events and favoured European cars. Her most commonly-raced car was a Morgan, which she won three races in in 1964, mostly at Virginia. She won one more race at Virigina in this car in 1965. In 1964 and 1965, she shared a Peugeot 404 with Pinkie Windridge for the recently-founded sedan endurance championship. Earlier, she had partnered Donna Mae Mims in a Renault Dauphine, taking on the 1963 Marlboro 6 Hours. Away from the track, she was an organic chemist. She was a graduate student when she started racing.

Paige Monette (Alexander) - American driver who races sportscars in the USA, in the Trans-Am series. She has been active in club racing since 2004, starting with dirt-track events, and began racing sportscars in 2007, when she contested the GT1 class of the National Championships. Her car was a Chevrolet Corvette, run by her family team. In 2008, she managed her first podium position in this championship, and was ninth overall. In 2010, she moved up to the SCCA Trans-Am series, still driving alongside her brothers, and finished in 30th, after a limited programme. In 2012, she stepped up to the national Trans-Am championship, entering selected races. Paige is notable for being one of the only drivers of Native American origin racing in the States.

Angela M. Negrão da Cunha - Portuguese racer active in GT racing in Portugal and Spain in 2012. She drove a Lotus Evora Cup in four rounds of the Portuguese championship, with Joffrey Didier, with a best finish of ninth, at Braga. Her best result in the Spanish series was also ninth, at Jarama, in the same car, with Didier and Nuno Batista. She does not appear to have competed again after 2012, and it looks to have been her first and only racing season.

Elouise Norris – raced in SCCA events in the 1960s. Rather unusually, she favoured European cars, and she came on the scene in 1963, driving an Alfa Romeo Giulietta to third place at Midland, with her boss, Dave Dooley. At 42, she was a rather late starter. In 1964 and 1965, she raced a Triumph TR3, competing in the American Road Race of Champions twice, with a best finish of eighth in 1964. In 1966, she used both a Lotus Cortina and a Datsun 1500, belonging to Dooley. The Cortina was her car for Trans-Am races. During her six-year career, she took part in the ARRC five times. Her best result was a second place in 1967, driving a Mini. She was bestowed with many awards by the SCCA, including the 1968 Oklahoma Driver of the Year. After retiring from active competition, she served as a steward and SCCA committee member, earning more accolades for her work. She died in 2012.

Rianna O’Meara-Hunt - races GT cars in New Zealand. She started in the Toyota 86 one-make series in 2022, after a long karting career. She still combines racing cars with karts. It was not a full season in the Toyota, but it was enough for her to progress to the NZ GT championship in 2023, driving a Porsche Cayman GT4. She was also chosen for a race seat in the GT4 America series, as part of the Heart of Racing scholarship that got her into senior motorsport. This was in an Aston Martin Vantage GT4, in the Winter series. She was third, fourth and second in class in her three races. In the NZ series, she was fifth and 15th in two rounds at Taupo. She did not finish the third.

Britt van Osta - Belgian driver who races in the Supercar Challenge. She began in 2023, racing a BMW in the Supersport class with her brother, Robin. In 2024, she teamed up with Robin, their father Erwin, Koen Wauters and Nico Verdonck for the Zolder 24 Hours. Their car was a BMW M2 and they were tenth overall, winning the touring car class. She does not appear to have raced in 2025 and has become a mother.

Lorina Padovani - French driver who began her career in Legends in about 2022, when she was 16. In 2023, she raced a Vortex prototype in the Ultimate Cup in Europe, sometimes sharing with Solenn Amrouche. Their best finish together was seventh at Magny Cours. Lorina scored one sixth place at Hockenheim, sharing with Miguel Moiola and Vincent Congnet. She sometimes races alongside her sister Amelie.

Nancy Pierce - raced an Austin-Healey 100 in the United States in the late 1950s. She mainly raced in Florida between 1957 and 1959 and she also travelled to the Bahamas for Nassau Speed Week in 1956, where she was seventh in a Ladies’ heat. Her American racing took in both Ladies’ and mixed events, mostly in the production classes. Her best result was a sixth place at Venice in 1959. According to a Florida newspaper article from 1959, Nancy worked as a commercial artist, set designer and window dresser. She travelled extensively in Europe to paint and acquired one of her Healeys in London. One of these Healeys was a 100-M Le Mans prototype.

Vivian Publicker - raced a Ferrari 250 GT in 1960 and 1961, alongside her husband, Robert, both in Florida and the Bahamas. Her first big race in the car was in December 1960, when she was fourth in a ladies' race at the Nassau Speed Week. She had her first success in April 1961, winning a novices' race at Masters Field in Miami. She later competed at Bartow in SCCA events and at Sebring, but disappears later in the year. She and Robert appear to have owed a lot of money to people and Vivian was later arrested for driving without a road traffic license.

Francisca Queiroz - Portuguese driver who races Porsches, mostly in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica. She became the series' first female entrant in 2023, when she was 17. Competing the in 991 Am class, she was third in her group at the end of the season. She did a part-season in 2024 and was fifth, before returning in 2025 for a full season. She was the fastest of the three women drivers in 2025. Her 2023 season was combined with karting in her national championship, which she had done since 2020. Her career aims include a run at Le Mans.

Danijela Radulovic - raced a KTM X-Bow in Austria and Europe, in the X-Bow Battle series. Her first season was 2012, and she was sixth in the Rookie standings. Her best finishes were a pair of sixth places. She did not run a full season in 2013, and was out of the points table, and the situation was similar in 2014. A good finish in the first Endurance race, with Reini Kofler, gave her a fourteenth place overall. She had entered the Sprint championship in the early part of the season, but scored no points. She appears to have raced an X-Bow in events other than Battle meetings, but details are not forthcoming. In 2015, she moved away from the X-Bow, and seems to have raced a BMW in the DMV BMW Challenge. 

Ellen Reed – raced sports and GT cars in Australia in the 1970s. She drove an MG Midget in the Australian Sports Car Championship in 1978, participating in the Calder, Lakeside and Amaroo Park events, and finishing fifteenth in the championship. Earlier, in 1975, she raced a Triumph Spitfire in the Production Sportscar championship.  She was usually the only woman in the series.

Loretta (“Tetta”) Richert - raced sportscars in the USA in the 1950s and early 1960s, normally in her native Hawaii. She was a regular at Hawaii Speed Week between 1957 and 1959, driving either a Triumph TR2 or a Porsche 550. In 1958, she won four 1600cc class races in the Porsche. The following year, she won a SCCA race for 2000cc cars in the same Porsche. In 1960, she won another race for Modified cars at Kahuku airfield, one of at least two races she did that year at that venue. Previously, as Loretta Turnbull, she raced powerboats and set water speed records. She died in 2000, aged 88.

Alice Ridpath - raced sportscars and saloons in the 1980s. She shared a Saleen Mustang with Lisa Caceres for 1986, racing in the Escort Endurance series. Previously, she raced historics, including an Austin Healey, and worked as a test driver for a Ford Mustang project. She was also one of the PPG Pace Car Team which provided safety car drivers and gave precision driving displays at Indycar events. 


Isabell Rustad - Norwegian driver who is one of the front-runners in the Scandinavian Porsche Sprint Challenge, winning it in 2024. She was fourth and third in her first championship races at Anderstorp in 2022, despite never having driven a GT3 car before. Her best result was a second place at Falkenberg, achieved twice. The same year, she made two guest appearances in the GT4 class at Rudskogen, scoring two class podiums. She was fourth in the 2023 championship, with six podium finishes. This became fourt wins in 2024. Previously, she raced a Peugeot 206 and was active in karting. She is the daughter of Tommy Rustad.


Molly Saleen - raced in the Saleen Cup in the USA. This is a one-make series for the Saleen S1 sportscar and Molly shares her car with Johan Schwartz for the endurance rounds. Previously, she raced karts, Legends cars and Late Model stock cars. She is in charge of Saleen’s retail operation as her day job, as well as being involved in visual aspects of car and merchandise design. Saleen’s “MollyPop” paint scheme and merchandise line was created by her. She is the daughter of company founder Steve Saleen.

Maria Sanchez Iglesias - Spanish driver who races in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Iberica. This appears to be her first season of senior motorsport, although she was active in karting for at least a year beforehand. She races in Category 1 in the Am class. Her best result so far has been a fifth place at Monteblanco, sharing her car with British driver Chloe Grant. The pair compete together in the endurance rounds.

Sharlene Seavey - raced in SCCA events in the 1960s. She drove an Austin-Healey Sprite in 1967. In 1969, she is said to have won four SCCA races out of thirteen that she entered. This was presumably in the Sprite. Sharlene is best known for her membership of the Ring Free Motor Maids team, and practised with them for the 1970 Sebring 12 Hours in a Sebring Sprite. She did not take part in the race itself. Further details about her career are proving very hard to find.

Birgitt Schmack - a graduate of the Ford Fiesta Ladies Cup in 1985. She was not among the front-runners, and was 17th overall. That year, she also took part in the Porsche Club Trophy in Germany, driving a 911. She was second in the Ladies’ standings,  winning at least one ladies’ race, or ladies’ class in a race, possibly at Hockenheim. She continued in Porsche club motorsport in 1986, driving in the Porsche 944 Turbo Cup. She was not overly competitive, and finished out of the top twenty.

Agata (Agi) Smolka - Polish driver who races a Ferrari 488 in the Ferrari Challenge Europe. She was fourth in the Coppa Shell amateur class in 2018 with two runner-up spots as her best finishes, plus a pole position at Mugello which led to a fifth place. 2018 was her first season of competition and the 488 is her first racing car. Her second Ferrari Challenge season ended in a second place in the Am class, with three wins and three seconds. She was third Amateur driver at the Coppa Shell finals, held at Mugello.

Priscilla Speelman - winner of the Sport 1 class of the Dutch Supercar Challenge in 2012. She won eight out of her fourteen races and was only out of the top three on three occasions. Her co-driver for the series was John van der Voort. This was her first senior racing season, and previously, she had a long career in karting. This included three seasons in Superkarts, culminating in an International Championship victory in 2011. Her racing programme was smaller in 2013, but she managed two second places in in the PR1 division of Supercar Superlights, driving a Praga R1 prototype, and another win in the SR3 class, in a Radical. She ran five races overall, and made the podium in all of them. In 2014, she joined the Acceleration MW-V6 Pickup Series for its second half. She was quite competitive, with a sixth place at Monza. She was 21st overall. In 2015, she raced in the Supercar Challenge again, in a SEAT Leon run by Ferry Monster Autosport. She had a mixed season in the championship, but her real highlight was a win in the Oschersleben 24 Hours, driving with Ferry and Robin Monster, Pim Kievit and Theunis van der Grifft. She was fifth in the Supersport Division in 2016, driving Jan van der Kooi's Lotus. In 2017, she was eighth in the Supersport Division 1 championship, driving a SEAT Leon run by Ferry Monster's team. She was partnered by Danny Kroes for the two-driver events. She drove a Lotus again in the 2018 Supercar Challenge (Supersport 1). She was seventh, with three second places and one third. In 2020, she did a part season for the Monster team, driving a VW Golf. Her best finish was a fourth at Zandvoort. She was back in the Supercar Challenge in 2022, racing a VW Golf with Jonas de Kimpe. They were fifth overall. In 2023, she contested the Supersport 2 class in the Golf and finished second, winning eight times. She raced a Golf in the 2025 Supersport class, doing eight of the fourteen races. She was third four times and fifth in the championship.

Emilee Tominovich - started racing in 2010, at the age of 18. She began in SCCA events, in her own Pontiac Solstice, and recorded her first race wins in 2011. In 2012, she was signed up by the TrueCar team, who were putting together an all-female driver lineup. She raced in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, and was tenth overall in her first season, managing two top-ten positions after finishing last in her first race. In 2013, she returned to the Cup on a part-time basis, with different sponsors. The following year, she moved into the Pirelli World Challenge, in the Touring class, driving a Volkswagen Jetta. She was fourth and sixth at New Jersey, and eighth and fifth at Mid-Ohio. In 2017, she drove a Honda Civic, and was fourth in the championship with one third place, at Mosport. Initially, she only got interested in motorsport because she was injured and unable to play football any more.

Germana Tognella - Italian driver who competes in the Ferrari Challenge in Europe. Her career began in 2021 and her Ferrari 488 Challenge car is her first racing machine. Competing in the Am category of the Coppa Shell, her best finish has been a fifth place in one of her earliest races at Brno, following a sixth at Spielberg. She was previously a competitive sailor. 


Jessica Tracy - American driver who races in the American Endurance Racing series. She began her career in club competition in 2015 and then founded a team for the AER with her husband Justin. They ran a number of different cars including a Mazda Miata and a BMW E46 M3. She started driving for the team in 2017 and picked up a class win in her first season. At the end of 2022, she joined the Random Vandals team to race their BMW M2 in the AER and in the US TC series. With co-drivers Alyx Coby and Michael Kanisczak, she won an AER race at Road Atlanta at the start of the season. The TC plans appear to have been shelved.


Sita Vanmeert - Belgian driver who races mostly races sportscars. She competed in the JS2 R class in the 2024 Ligier European Series and became quite quick towards the end of the season, picking up a fourth and third place in Portugal. She was seventh in the championship, partly due to a few DNFs. This was her first season in cars. At the start of the year, she was announced as a driver in the electric Mini-based NextGen Cup, but this did not happen. She is an FIA Motorsport Games karting gold medallist and she returned to karting in 2025.

Veronika Vanyova – Slovakian driver who raced in the Lotus Ladies’ Cup, in 2013 and 2014. Her first season yielded a sixth place overall, with a best race finish of fifth, at the Hungaroring. In the shortened 2014 series, she was fifth, with one fourth-place finish at the Red Bull Ring. In 2015, she raced in mixed competition, taking on the STC Touring Car series in and around Slovakia, and the RCM Cup, which runs throughout Eastern Europe. She has scored better results in the STC Cup, with a seventh and eighth place, at Brno. The situation was similar in 2016; she entered the D4 touring car championship and the Hankook Racer Cup. She struggled in the former, but was a leading driver in the latter, and won a race at the Hungaroring, among many podiums and top-fives. She did a couple more races in 2017, but only managed two 18th places. 

Alexandra Vateva - Bulgarian driver who races Porsche in one-make series around Europe. In 2025, she signed for the Porsche Cup Benelux, after a run in the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East. She was the first woman to race in the Middle Eastern championship and was third in the Pro-Am class with six podium finishes, three of those being second places at Losail, Bahrain and Jeddah. She was a member of the Porsche Sports Cup Deutschland Talent Pool programme in 2024, having competed in the championship of that name in 2023 and 2024.  

Estelle Vermooten – races a Locost in South Africa. In 2013, she and two team-mates were tenth in the African 6 Hour at Phakisa, against much larger and more powerful cars. In 2014 and 2015, she has been racing in the Lotus Challenge in South Africa. In 2015, she got together with Freak Show Racing again, for the African 6 Hour, still in the Locost. In 2016, she drove the Locost for the TransGlobal team, and raced in the African Endurance Series. Estelle built the car herself. She raced in the Michelin Cup Challenge in 2017, earning a fifth place in the Ladies' standings. This looks to have been a part-season. In 2018, she dis at least one endurance race in South Africa. She initially competed in gymkhana events.

Margaux Verza - raced in the Alpine Elf Europa Cup in 2022. Driving for the Patrick Roger Autosport team, she was 21st in the championship. She describes 2022 as a learning year for a new car and a new championship and she improved throughout the year, posting her best result of 13th place in the final round at Monza. Her Alpine activities continued in 2023 and she was 20th in the championship, with a best finish of seventh at Dijon. She previously raced a Porsche, and returned to German power in 2024, entering the Porsche Sprint Challenge France. In 2025, she competed in the TTE series in France, still with the Porsche, winning the Pirelli Series class. She was also part of a women's team for the Magny Cours round, in support of breast cancer charities.


Erin Vogel - races in the Pirelli GT4 SprintX series in the USA. Her car is a McLaren 570S run by Flying Lizard Motorsport, shared with Michael Cooper. In 2020, her best results were a fourth at Virginia and a fifth place at Road America. In 2021, she became the first woman to win a round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge, driving a Mercedes AMG GT3. Her win came at Virginia in the Pro-Am class and she was also second at Sebring and Watkins Glen. She and Michael Cooper were fifth in the championship. Previously, she raced an Audi R8 LMS for the team, entering the Sonoma rounds of the GT4 Sprint series in 2018 and joining a five-woman team for the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. She also drove in the Porsche Trophy West for Flying Lizard, winning her class. Before that, she raced Porsches and Subarus at club level. In 2022, she and Michael Cooper switched to a RealTime Racing Acura NSX for the Fanatec GT World Challenge. They were sixth in the championship after a best finish of third at Watkins Glen. In 2023, she assumed the presidency of Shift Up Now, a women's motorsport association founded by Pippa Mann.

Naomi van Wagensveld - Dutch driver who competed in the Supercar Challenge in 2025. Her car was a BMW M3, shared with Maarten Baggermans. They were second in the Sport class, with one class win in the Trophy of the Dunes. Naomi had been a promising junior karter and originally got her racing license at 15, but had to step back, largely due to the death of her father.

Dinah Weisberg - races a Mazda MX5 (Miata) in the USA. She has been active in this car since 2015, competing in SCCA events, TC America and the TC class of the Pirelli World Challenge. In 2019, she won an SCCA Major Championship event outright, on her way to ninth overall. Two years earlier, in 2016, she was twelfth in the Pirelli World Challenge, her best points tally in a nationwide championship. Before the Mazda, she raced a Porsche Boxster in the Pirelli World Challenge between 2012 and 2014.


Joy Wilkerson - racing driver and actress in the USA in the 1970s. She started in an all-female “powderpuff derby” at Ascot Speedway, after having been a trophy girl in the 1960s. Most of her racing was done in midgets and sprint cars, but she also raced USAC stock cars and an SCCA Formula Ford. She took part in a Toyota Match Race which supported the US Grand Prix East, a forerunner of the Toyota Pro Celebrity Race. At around the same time, she became licensed by NASCAR for stock car racing in 1974. Although she never quite competed at the highest level, she drove the pace car for a NASCAR event in Ontario.

“Julie Wood” – competed in the KTM X-Bow Battle, based in Austria. She was part of the championship between 2012 and 2014. In 2012, she was eleventh in the Rookie standings. He following year, she was unplaced in the Battle standings. The situation was similar in 2014, although she did manage a fifteenth place in the Endurance championship, with Harduin Putrich. She does not appear to have raced since then. Her real name is unclear; “Julie Wood” is the name of a female motorcyclist in the Michel Vaillant motorsport comics.

Mary “Mickey” Wright - races in Trans Am in the USA. After competing in local “powder puff derby” events in her youth, she took up motorsport again in her forties. Between 2011 and 2013, she raced on dirt tracks, and in club-level stock car and road circuit races. She moved into Trans Am in 2012, running a part-season in the TA2 class. Another season with a couple of guest appearances followed, and this year she managed her first top ten, an eighth place at Sebring. In 2014, she joined up with Derhaag Motorsports, having secured some decent sponsorship, and did the full championship season. Her second season with Derhaag, in 2016, gave her one top-ten finish, a tenth place at Brainerd. She has used the name “Mickey” since childhood, a nickname given to her by her brothers due to her squeakiness.

Margaret (Peggy) Wyllie - raced in the US between 1953 and 1965. She started off in Ladies’ races, but was soon regularly taking part in mixed SCCA events, in a Jaguar or MG. She won eight races during her career, all Ladies’ events. In 1956, she drove in her first Sebring 12 Hour race, sharing a Lotus Mark IX with her husband, Jesse “Doc” Wyllie. They did three Sebring races together, as well as seven editions of the 500 Miles of Road America. Their best finish was sixth, in 1962, driving a Lola Mk I. In recent years, she has been working to promote and provide engineering education to female students.

(Image from http://forum.sky.it/ladies-brum-brum-extra-f-1-t250775.html)

Thursday, 9 September 2010

Women in International Sportscar Racing After 1950: Part II



Juliette Slaughter at Le Mans in 1978

Part one of this post can be found here. Andrea Robertson now has her own post, like Yvonne Simon, Martine Renier, Josie von Neumann, Greta Oakes and Sharon Scolari.

Leigh O’Brien - drove a Chevrolet Camaro in major American races in 1994, as part of an all-female O’Brien Racing team. She was 47th in the Daytona 24 Hours with Kat Teasdale, Tami Rae Busby, Linda Pobst and Margy Eatwell, and 42nd in the Sebring 12 Hours, with Linda Pobst and Kat Teasdale. Previously, she was named as a driver for Anthony Puleo in the 1993 Daytona 24 Hours, but did not make the start. This was despite finishing 16th in a Camaro in the Daytona tests.

Bianca Maria Piazza – raced a series of Ferraris in Italy in the 1950s. She drove a Ferrari 250 MM in 1953 and was 7th in the 12 Hours of Pescara with her husband, Mario. The Mille Miglia resulted in a DNF. Bianca, driving the 250 MM herself, was tenth in the Supercortemaggiore Grand Prix, but suffered an accident in the Monza Grand Prix. The couple had raced a different car, a 195 Inter, the year before. They were 16th in the Pescara race and 83rd, fourth in class, in the Mille Miglia. Driving solo, Bianca was third in the Coppa Europa. In 1954, she and Mario were 42nd in the Mille Miglia, still driving the 250 MM. They were sixth in their class. In a 166 MM, they were eleventh in the Messina 10 Hour race.

Linda Pobst - raced in Grand-Am, including the 1994 Daytona 24 Hours and 12 Hours of Sebring, driving a Chevrolet Camaro with Leigh O'Brien, Margy Eatwell, Tammy Rae Busby and Kat Teasdale. They were 47th at Daytona and 42nd at Sebring. The car was prepared by the O’Brien team. She has also taken part in many SCCA and Trans-Am events since 2000. More recently, she has driven the CART pace car and worked as a racing instructor. She began her motorsport career in autocross, shortly after her marriage.

Ingeborg Polensky - German driver of the 1950s who is best-known as Gilberte Thirion’s co-driver, in both rallies and races. They drove together from 1952 onwards, using Gilberte’s Porsche 356 and Ingeborg’s own Porsche, on occasion. They were fifth in the 1954 Tour de France together, and achieved the same result in the Tour of Belgium. Their last drive together resulted in an eleventh place on the 1956 Tour de France.

Luisa Pozzoli - Italian racer of the 1950s and early 1960s, who was a contemporary and rival to Maria Teresa de Filippis. Driving a Fiat 1100, she is listed as a finisher in the 1955 Mille Miglia, having failed to finish the year before. In 1957, she was third in the Trofeo Vigorelli Monza, driving a Fiat-Abarth Zagato. In 1959, she drove another Italian car, an Osca S750, in hillclimbs, and to sixth place in the Shell Vallelunga Grand Prix. For a change, she drove an NSU Prinz in 1960, finishing 26th in the Coppa Ascari, with Anna Maria Peduzzi. Returning to Italian power, she was fifth in the Coppa Carri in a Fiat 1100. She was still driving the Osca in 1961, where she proved she had not lost her touch by coming third in the Coppa Sant Ambroeus.

Anna Rathe – Norwegian driver who races a KTM X-Bow in the GT4 European Series, for Reiter Engineering. Despite being involved with karting for many years, she only started racing in 2013, when she was 32. In 2013 and 2014, she raced a Nissan GT-R in the Norwegian GT championship, and was third overall in 2014. In 2016, her best GT4 result was tenth, at Spa, with co-driver Cedric Freiburghaus. Individually, Anna was 30th in the championship. She has also raced an Audi R8 LMS Ultra in the International GT Open Series, finishing eleventh at Spa. In 2017, she joined the Reiter all-female team for the Dubai 24 Hours, driving a KTM X-Bow. She was 16th in class. Away from the circuits, Anna is a vet.

Lise Renaud - Belgian race and rally competitor of the 1950s and 1960s. She was often co-driver to Gilberte Thirion, sharing a Renault Dauphine for the Gilberte's 1956 Tour of Belgium class win. Prior to this, she had co-driven Madeleine Pochon to a Coupe des Dames and seventh place on the Monte Carlo Rally, in 1954. As well as co-driving, Lise occasionally competed in hillclimbs and more often, road races. She is listed as a driver in the 1957 Mille Miglia, sharing a Citroen DS19 with Regine Gordine.

Marianne Rollo (Windridge) - raced in the USA in the 1960s. She and Denise McCluggage entered the 1960 Sebring 12 Hours together in an Osca S750, but failed to finish. They returned to Sebring in 1967, this time driving a Ferrari 275 GTS/4, and were 17th, second in class and the only Ferrari finishers. Marianne drove in many SCCA events in the late 1950s and early ‘60s and managed to win several, including a Marlboro six-hour race in 1963. She drove a selection of American, Italian and British cars, including Corvettes, MGs, a Triumph Spitfire and a Jaguar.

Melanie Snow - has raced on and off in the ALMS since 1999, having raced Porsches in the USA since 1997. In her first ALMS season, she won the GT3 class at Sebring, driving a Porsche. Ten years later, she made a comeback with a Porsche 997 GT3. Her team-mate was her husband, Martin. They won the Challenge class outright, after three class wins at Salt Lake City, Road Atlanta and Mid-Ohio. A further two starts did not lead to finishes. Later, in 2011, she returned once more, forming an all-female team with Andrea Robertson. They drove a Ford GT at Mid-Ohio, finishing 14th. Melanie stayed with Robertson Racing for two more races, but spent most of the year driving in the IMSA GT3 Challenge for her own team, in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. She was sixth overall, with two fifths as her best results. Snow Racing also made an appearance in the Canadian Porsche Carrera Cup, but did not do as well. Driving for another team, Melanie also raced a 997 in the international Porsche Supercup, but was not among the leaders. Snow Racing was active in SCCA events throughout 2012, with Melanie driving alongside her sons Madison and McKay, a first in US motorsport. In 2013, they took their family team to the Daytona 24 Hours, driving a Porsche 997 with Sascha Maassen, Marco Seefried and Klaus Bachler. They were 19th overall.

Annie Spiers – raced sportscars in Europe in the 1950s, with her husband Jacques. Their MGA finished the Tour de France in 34th, in 1956. They tackled the Mille Miglia in 1957, coming 153rd and tenth in class. In 1960, Annie reappeared as navigator to Annie Soisbault in her Triumph TR3. They entered at least the Alpine Rally together.

Anita Tóth - competed in the Maserati Trofeo in 2011 and 2012. She was 34th in the 2011 championship, with one points finish. In 2012, she only drove in five rounds, and was not placed in the final standings. That year, she also took part in four rounds of the Lotus Ladies’ Cup, based in Hungary, her home nation. In 2013, she drove a Honda Civic in the Central European Endurance championship. In 2014, she raced the Civic in touring car events in Central Europe, with a best finish of tenth, at the Hungaroring. Back in the Civic in 2015, she entered the Eset TWC Touring Car Cup, and was more competitive. Her best result was third, at the Slovakiaring, and she was usually one of the top five finishers. In 2016, she raced the Clio in the EWC Touring Car Cup again, and was a regular top-ten finisher in a large field. Her best finish was fourth. Away from actual competition, she is a motorsport journalist for a Hungarian newspaper, and writes extensively about the Dakar. She also works in an organisational capacity for rally raid events, and as a press officer for the WTCC. 

(Image copyright Steve Burton)