Women drivers in the 2011-2012 Andros Trophy

Marlène Broggi in the Clio

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

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

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

(Picture from www.drivepad.fr)

Women drivers in the 2012 Dakar

Isabelle Patissier at the start in Argentina.

The 2012 Dakar was not a vintage year for female participants. Isabelle Patissier was this year's leading female driver. She was 29th overall in the Dessoude Oryx Buggy, co-driven by Thierry Delli Zotti, just over 21 hours behind the winning MINI of Stephane Peterhansel.

Susan Jones was set to enter the Dakar in a Desert Warrior, but did not make the start.

No female drivers entered the Truck class this year. The only other woman finisher was motorcyclist Eulalia (Laia) Sanz Pla-Giribert, who was 39th on a GAS.

(Picture from www.automobilsport.com)

Speedqueens is back.

After another long hiatus, Speedqueens is now being updated once more - there are many more posts to come.
However, there will not be any new posts for a little while, as I need to go through and update existing ones.

Thankyou to everyone who reads this site. Last month, it received over 5000 views for the first time!

Waltraud Odenthal (Stöhr)

Waltraud Odenthal raced touring cars in Germany in the 1970s, up to ETCC level. The car most associated with her is the Ford Capri. She was affectionately nicknamed "Turbo-Maus".

Her career began in 1969, racing a Ford Escort in club events. Her father was a Ford dealer, so it was natural that she gravitated towards that marque. He was always supportive of Waltraud, buying her cars and maintaining them.

By 1971, she had got hold of her first Capri, a Group Two model. Her racing schedule was a mixed bag of German races, starting with the Nürburgring Grand Prix round of the ETCC, a six-hour enduro. Sharing her car with Klaus Fritzinger, she is known to have been fifth in the three-litre Touring class, although her overall result is lost. A second ETCC outing followed, at Zandvoort, driving solo this time, but she did not finish. A return to the Nürburgring for the 500km race, apparently single-handedly again, brought another retirement. A DARM race at Hockenheim gave her a third in the three-litre touring class, one above Klaus Fritzinger. Continuing the pattern, her next race, at Mainz-Finthen, ended in a DNF. She finished the season back at the Nürburgring in a mixed GT and Touring race, and won the Touring class for cars over two litres.

In 1972, she competed in the newly-inaugurated DRM (German racing championship), in a Capri RS. She ran well in the first race, at the Nürburgring, finishing fifth, but did not finish the next round at Hockenheim. She returned to the championship for the sixth round, at Kassel-Calden, but did not finish there, either. The two Nürburgring races in September brought a fourth place and another DNF.

As well as the DRM, Waltraud drove in the Salzburgring round of the ETCC in Division 1, although she did not finish. During the summer, she took part in a trio of non-championship events at the Nürburgring. For the 1000km, she teamed up with Klaus Fritzinger again, but they did not finish. In July, Waltraud was supported by the Dahl-Kanal team for the 6 Hour race, the Grosser Preis der Tourenwagen. She and new team-mate Clemens Schickentanz did not make the finish. An additional GT and Touring event for Dahl-Kanal gave Waltraud, as sole driver, a third in the two-litre Touring class.

1973 began promisingly, with Waltraud’s first racing excursion to Italy. She and Klaus Fritzinger drove in the Monza 4 Hours, part of the ETCC. They were fifth overall in a Capri, sponsored by Waltruad’s father’s garage. Sadly, her DRM season got off to a bad start, with an accident in practice putting her Capri out of the first round at the Nürburgring. A second run in the ETCC, at Mantorp Park, and assisted by Hartmut Kautz, also ended before it started, due to an engine failure. The rest of the season consisted of six DRM rounds, of which two ended in DNFs. She was seventh at Diepholz and the Nürburgring, ninth at Kassel-Calden and fourteenth at the Norisring.

She returned to the DRM in 1974. Her finishing record was improved, although her race results were down on previous efforts: her best result was ninth in the last race at Hockenheim. She was also twelfth at the Nürburgring, eleventh at Mainz-Finthen, tenth at Hockenheim, sixteenth at the Nürburgring, fifteenth at Hockenheim and thirteenth at the Norisring.

Her ETCC season that year consisted of three races: Vallelunga, the Nürburgring and Zandvoort. The German round was a single-driver effort, and Waltraud was third in the three-litre touring class. For the Zandvoort race she was co-driven by Karl-Ludwig Weiss, and they were eleventh. Her best finish came at Vallelunga with Klaus Ludwig: fourth. She always seemed to run well on her occasional visits at Italian tracks.

Her other racing activities included a mediocre seventeenth in the Norisring Trophy. 1974 was a year of change for Waltraud, whose father’s sponsorship diminished, leaving her to enter her own cars for most of the year. She also married Ford racing mechanic Jochen Stöhr in September.  

1975 saw a smaller racing timetable for Waltraud than in previous years. Her activities were restricted to Germany and Austria, and there were no more ETCC races. She was supported by Odenthal Ford for her first race, a German sports and touring event in which she was eighth, but after that, she was mostly on her own. She was second in class at a similar event at the Salzburgring for the Diermeier team after failing to attend the Nürburgring DRM race. Her next race, at AVUS, resulted in a DNF, after an accident on the warm-up lap. Her first DRM start, at the Nürburgring, then gave her a seventh place, and her season started looking up. She followed this with her first major win at Mainz-Finthen, against Porsches and BMWs. This was followed by a touring class win at Ulm-Mengen, for Diermeier, and a eighth at Hockenheim in the DRM.

By 1976, it appears that Waltraud was winding down her racing career. Out of seven events for which she had registered, she attended four. The first was a sports and touring race at Sylt, in which she was sixth, behind former team-mate Clemens Schickentanz and Grand Prix driver Rolf Stommelen. Again in a self-supported Ford Capri, she took on three DRM races towards the end of the season, finishing fifth and ninth at Hockenheim and eighth at the Nürburgring.

She retired in 1977, after never really recovering from her AVUS accident in 1975. Her last race was a Group 5 event at the Nürburgring, and she was fourth in her own Capri. After retirement, she settled into family life, but she never really left motor racing behind, and makes semi-regular appearances at historic events in Germany.

(Picture from http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1972-07-07_Waltraud_Odenthal.jpg )

Female Drivers in the 2011 Wales Rally GB

Becky Kirvan in action

The finale of this year's World Rally Championship concluded on Sunday, and was won by Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala in a Ford Fiesta.

A couple of Speedqueens took part in the rally this year: Australian Molly Taylor, driving a Ford Fiesta with Seb Marshall, dropped out on Stage 17, which gifted the Ladies' Cup to Becky Kirvan, who was 39th.

Despite Molly's non-finish, she was still able to claim fifth in the WRC Academy class, after winning one stage.

Becky was co-driven by Will Rogers, and was also driving a Ford Fiesta.

In the National B event, the fastest female driver was Sara Williams, who was 17th overall. She was driving a Subaru Impreza, with Patrick Walsh.

(Picture from http://www.beckykirvan.co.uk/)

Hazel Dunham

Hazel Dunham was the daughter of Gerry Dunham, a gentleman racer who had competed in non-championship Grands Prix and many club races, sometimes in his own Alvis special. Hazel appears to have begun her motorsport career in a Rover, which could have been Gerry’s Rover Special, although it is unlikely. She did not share any of his other cars. The Dunham family were from Luton. Hazel was born in 1925, and took to motorsport when in her twenties.

Hazel competed in both circuit racing and rallying, achieving some success in both fields. She really put herself on the rally map in 1952, winning Coupes des Dames on the Tulip and RAC Rallies, driving the Rover. Her first award, on the RAC Rally, was in the Closed Car class. Her second was an outright ladies’ trophy. It is possible that she entered some British events prior to this, but the results are not forthcoming.

The Tulip Rally was probably her best event, and she entered it five times, between 1950 and 1954. One of her most frequent co-drivers was Charlotte Sadler, who was a racing associate of her father's from the 1930s, when she competed at Brooklands as Irene Schwedler. They drove the Rover together between 1950 and 1953, always as part of a three-woman team. It was Charlotte who helped Hazel to her 1952 Tulip Coupe des Dames. They were 31st overall.

She continued to rally the Rover in 1953, and is listed as an entrant in the Monte Carlo Rally, although she did not win any awards this time, and may not have finished. In the spring, she had driven the Rover in the Tulip Rally again, with Mrs. Armitage and Mrs. Howard as co-drivers.

The following year, she seems to have switched to an AC, and crashed out of the Stella Alpina. This appears to have been her last major rally.

In 1955, she moved from the stages to the circuits, driving an AC Ace that may have been the same car she rallied in 1954. She entered three races at Goodwood, all Ladies’ events. Her results were a third and two seconds, against tough opposition in the form of Jean Bloxam, Nancy Mitchell and Patsy Burt.

The following season, she continued to base her activities around Goodwood. The AC had now been exchanged for an MGA. Her first race, a ladies’ handicap, gave her a cautious fourth place, but her first big mixed handicap, later that day, led to a runner-up spot behind Mike Sleep. These positions were repeated in her next meeting, in July. After that, she ventured across to Crystal Palace in August, where she was fifth in an Invitation Handicap, and second in a Ladies’ Handicap, behind Jean Bloxam, a close contemporary.

Hazel’s last recorded outing is at Goodwood in September of that year. She was third in a mixed handicap and won her first Ladies’ race, ahead of Beatrice Naylor in her Lagonda.

After that, Hazel’s name vanishes from the entry lists. Her father retires at around the same time. It is not known whether Hazel retired completely, or married and continued to compete under another name. She was rather an enigmatic driver, and no reliable, widely available photographs exist of her. Although her career was rather short, she showed considerable skill and deserves to be remembered.

She is known to have worked as a physiotherapist in her local hospital, specialising in treating children.

This short biographical post is a work-in-progress. If you have any information about Hazel, please get in touch.

Maria de Villota

María with the Atletico Madrid Superleague car

María de Villota was born in Madrid in 1980, the daughter of Emilio de Villota. From the ages of sixteen to twenty, she raced karts in Spain, after having won the first race she ever entered.

Her first experience of senior motorsport came from Formula Toyota in Spain, in 2001. She apparently won at least two races, at Albacete and Valencia, although the details are not forthcoming.

After a year of learning the ropes, she drove in the Spanish F3 championship between 2002 and 2005. During her first season, she was tenth, and thirteenth and twelfth positions in 2003 and 2004 must have been something of a disappointment. Both years, her best finish was fifth, earned at Jerez and Jarama respectively. In 2005, she switched down to the Copa España, and only drove in the first two rounds at Jarama, scoring a twelfth and a DNF.

After that, María left single-seaters for a while. Her main activity in 2005 appears to have been the Trofeo Pirelli Ferrari Challenge in Europe. Her car was a Ferrari 430, and she was part of the Baron Motorsport team with Tamara Vidali. The two shared a car for part of the season. Results for this series are rather fragmented, but Maria and Tamara were eighth and ninth in the championship, following some solid results. Away from Europe, she also drove in that year’s Daytona 24 Hours, with Luca Drudi, Luis Monzon and Gabrio Rosa. They were 24th in a Ferrari 360 Modena.

María continued in the Ferrari Challenge in 2006, and she managed a pole position at the final at Mugello, plus at least one top-five finish. She was eleventh overall.

In 2006, she made her first World Touring Car appearance, driving a Maurer Motorsport Chevrolet Lacetti. Driving for the Valencia meeting, she was 21st in her first race and did not finish the second. She repeated this exercise in 2007, finishing eighteenth and twentieth.

A major part of her 2007 season was taken up with the ADAC Procar championship in Germany, driving the Maurer Lacetti. Here, Maria fared much better, with a win and seven other podiums, out of fifteen races. She was third in Division I. Ferraris had not been forgotten either; she drove a 360 Modena in six rounds of the Spanish GT championship for Playteam. Her best position was a fourth at Estoril, although she only managed 21st in the championship.

2008 was another mixed year. Returning to single-seaters, she drove one race in Euro F3000, finishing seventh at Spa. She also raced in the Italian Superstars Championship, in a Chevrolet Lacetti. Her results have not been forthcoming.

At the beginning of 2009, she took a step down to contest Formula Palmer Audi in the UK. She was not one of the frontrunners, and only managed 22nd, due to quitting the championship after three rounds. Her best finish was seventh, at Silverstone. However, other opportunities came up, which she took. A guest spot in the Fiat 500 Abarth Trophy led to two retirements at Valencia, but more drives came her way.

Elsewhere, she competed in the Atletico Madrid car for the Superleague Formula. Her best finish was seventh at Jarama, and she was fifteenth overall, after three rounds.

The following season, she remained in Superleague, and improved her best result to fourth, at the Nürburgring. She also managed two other top-ten finishes at Magny-Cours and Brands Hatch: a sixth and a seventh.

Mid-season, she made a return to the Spanish GT Championship, for the Jarama and Albacete meetings. Her car was a Ferrari 430 GTS. At Jarama, she was third, and at Albacete, third and second. This was enough for seventh in the championship

In 2011, she stayed with the Superleague Formula. Atletico Madrid retained their entry, despite smaller grids and many more teams running as “national” rather than sports club concerns. Atletico Madrid only entered two rounds, Assen and Zolder, and were left in second to last place in the standings. Maria only managed a twelfth place, having crashed out in qualifying at Assen.

The big news this year was that María tested a Formula One car for the first time. In August, she drove a Lotus-Renault F1 car at Paul Ricard, in a serious test. The results have not been made public. Shortly afterwards, she did some demonstration laps in another Lotus at the World Series by Nissan meeting at Montmelo in October.

She did not get the Lotus seat, but she was signed up by the Marussia team on a multi-season development deal. She was set to start as a non-racing test driver, with a view to being eventually considered for a race seat.

Unfortunately, her first test for Marussia, at Duxford airfield in England, at the beginning of July, ended in disaster. Maria's car collided with a stationary transporter, and she received serious head injuries. The full details of the crash have never been circulated, but it is known that Maria lost an eye as a result. She did not race again.

In 2013, she made some public appearances, promoting an autobiography and taking part in some FIA commission activities. Sadly, she died suddenly on October 11th, aged 33.

(Image from automobilsport.com)