Maria Cristina Rosito

Maria Cristina in 2011

Brazil’s Maria Cristina Rosito is probably best known for her exploits in Formula 3 in the 2000s. She has raced in multiple motorsport disciplines since the 1980s, in South America, and has been one of the foremost female drivers both there, and in the world, for much of that.

She was born in 1966,  and even before she began her motorsport career, competition was a big part of her life. As a junior, she swam competitively and raced motorcycles and bicycles, before turning  to karting in 1981. She won multiple local and Brazilian junior championships in all of these disciplines, sometimes alongside her sister, Maria do Carmo. Maria was also a junior women’s motorcycling star, but retired in 1978. They were both supported by their father, Raffaele Rosito, who raced cars himself.

After some years spent switching between cycling, motorbikes and karting, depending on finances, she seems to have moved into senior circuit racing in 1983, shortly before her 17th birthday. She drove saloon cars in long-distance events, usually around Rio Grande do Sul, her home region, but sometimes further afield. Her car was a Fiat 147. That year, she was third in the Tarumã 500km, and also drove in the 12 Hours of Interlagos, both in the São Paulo district. In 1984, she continued to race the Fiat, taking part in the Itali Cup for Italian cars.

In 1985, she made her first attempts at single-seater racing, interspersed with some karting. She entered the Brazilian Formula Ford championship. One of her competitors appears to have been Gil de Ferran, but her results are proving hard to track down. She also drove in two rounds of the South American Formula Two championship, presumably in Brazil, but did not score any points.

A couple of quiet seasons followed. Knowing Maria Cristina’s early racing history, it is not unfeasible that she returned to motorcycle racing or karting, perhaps while gathering funds. However, she re-emerged in 1988, carrying on where she had left off. Her Fiat had been exchanged for a Volkswagen Passat for the Brazilian Drivers and Manufacturers’ Championship. This move paid off; she won her first big race this year, the Tarumã 500km, driving alongside Paulo Hoher. The duo were also second in the 3 Hours of Guapore, fifth in the 3 Hours of Tarumã, and eighth in the Guapore 500km. In the Regional series, they won a race at Tarumã, and were second in another.

Her success in touring cars was supported by success in single-seaters, too: she won the Gaúcho Formula Ford championship, for drivers from Rio Grande do Sul. One of her most noteworthy achievements this year was winning two races in one day, at different tracks, in different categories.

Between 1989 and 1991, she seems to have concentrated on touring cars, maintaining her partnership with Paulo Hoher. In 1989, they won the regional championship, before Maria Cristina moved on to the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championship in 1990, still in the Passat. She raced at least once with Neco Torres. Her 1991 co-driver for this series is unknown, and actual results from this period are not forthcoming.

By 1993, she was back in a single-seater, racing a Formula Chevrolet at Guapore, where she was seventh, ahead of Bruno Junqueira. She may also have raced in this category in 1992. Her activities for most of the mid-1990s are uncertain, and she may have taken some time out of motorsport completely, as some articles mention one or two breaks from competition. In 1995, she is mentioned as having taken part in Formula Hyundai Femenina in Argentina, a women-only saloon racing series. However, no results for this championship have come to light. In 1997, she returned to the Gaúcho Drivers and Manufacturers’ Championship with Airton Diehl, although her race results are, again, proving elusive.

Suzane Carvalho and Maria Cristina, racing in Formula Chevrolet

After some possible time on the sidelines, she appears on entry lists once more in 1999. She won two races of another women-only series, the Campeonato Women Corsa. This championship was organised by Maria Helena Fittipaldi, during her tenure as a senior official for AMPACOM, the Brazilian women racing drivers’ association. The final result of the championship has been unfortunately lost, although it is known that there was some controversy around how identically-prepared the 1.6 GM Corsas used in the races were.

The following year, 2000, Maria Cristina got back into a single-seater, this time a Formula 3 machine. She entered the South American Formula 3 championship, running in the Light category, and was eighth overall. She also drove in two rounds of the main Formula 3 championship, at her favoured track of Tarumã, with the Avallone team. She was fourteenth and fifteenth in her two races. As well as her modest F3 achievements, she showed she still had the strength for endurance racing, by winning the 12 Hours of Tarumã in a VW Spyder. She was part of a four-driver team with Decius Dornelles, Paulo Sérgio Pereira and Bertuol.

There was no Formula 3 for her in 2001, but, showing her usual willingness to race almost anything, she entered the Campeonato Brasileiro Ford Fiesta Feminino, a women-only one-make series for Ford Fiestas. It was, again, organised and fronted by Maria Helena Fittipaldi and AMPACOM, and had tighter technical rules than its predecessor. Many of the 1999 Corsa racers came back, and Maria Cristina was among the fastest straight away. She won the championship.

In 2002, she stuck with saloon competition, and entered the Brascar Championship. She was competing as a single driver, and is known to have finished eighth in the Curitiba race. However, even the details of her car seem to have been forgotten. Her 2003 Brascar season is better-documented: she drove a Volkswagen Spyder in the Sports Prototype class, with Marcus Peres. They finished strongly throughout the championship, and were runners-up at the end of the season. They won at least two races, at Londrina and Curitiba.

After a break of three seasons, she returned to Formula 3 in 2004. As in 2000, she entered both the Light and main classes of the Sud-Am championship, but this time, only did two races in each. She was driving for the Dragão Motorsport team and competed in the two Tarumã races, finishing the first one in ninth place. She did not finish the second. This was just enough to get her sixth place in the Light category.

After this adventure, Maria Cristina’s career seems to enter another quiet period. For the next couple of years, she did some sportscar racing, including a run in the 2007 Gaúcho Endurance championship, driving for Nelson Piquet’s Piquet Sport team. In 2010, she did at least one round of the Gaúcho Endurance championship, at Velopark, driving a Ford Fusion. Her team-mate was Andersom Toso. In between, she competed in drag racing, winning at least some class awards in 2008 and 2009.

She returned to full-time competition in 2011, this time, in truck racing. She drove for the DF Ford team in Formula Truck Brazil, alongside team-mate Danilo Dirani. Unfortunately, she was not among the front-runners, and finished the season 21st overall.

She went back to sportscars for one guest appearance in 2012, driving a Ginetta G50 for Manelão Competições in the Brazilian Endurance Championship. The following year, she did some guest runs in Sprint Race in Brazil. 

This seemed to have been her last competitive outing, at the age of 46, but she came back again in 2015, to do some racing in the Brazilian Sprint Race series. 

She had more of a full-time return in 2017, this time racing trucks. She and Uruguayan Carolina Canepa formed the Woman's Racing Team for Formula Truck. Maria Cristina was fourth in the championship, with a best finish of third, at Londrina.

(Images from www.downforce.com.br and blogs.estadao.com.br)

Liesette Braams

Liesette with the GT4 BMW

Motorsport has long been a big part of Liesette’s life, being married to racer Luc Braams and mother to racer Max Braams. The Las Moras team is run by the Braams family, with Liesette in a senior role. It is therefore not surprising that she took the wheel herself - more of a surprise that she waited so long (she was 36 when she began racing). Her first car was a BMW 120d, in which she did her first races in 2007. Luc started competing at the same time, with Max coming in a little later.

She joined up with the Verschuur team in 2008, who were working with Las Moras. They were competing in the Dutch Toerwagen Diesel Cup, still in a 120d. Her team-mate was Sacha Broer. She was 59th overall in what was effectively her debut year, but still ahead of her team-mate. In the off-season, she joined up with Sheila Verschuur and Luc Braams for the Dutch Winter Endurance Championship. She was 15th overall after five races, behind Sheila but ahead of Luc.

Liesette joined the satellite Mad and Darring team for 2009, still driving a 120d in the Diesel Cup. Her new partner was Gaby Uljee, another Diesel Cup returnee. This season, she was much faster, and closer to the pace of the leaders. The pair scored two podium finishes at Assen, two fastest laps, and were seventeenth and eighteenth overall (Liesette was 18th).

Another run in the Winter Endurance Championship gave her tenth overall, just behind team-mate Duncan Huisman. They were driving one of the Verschuur 120ds. For a change, she also drove a Volkswagen Golf in the VW Endurance Cup in the Netherlands, for three races. For the first time, Liesette, Luc and Max drove as “Team Braams”. They were 32nd overall.

Liesette returned to the Diesel Cup in 2010, a much improved driver. Driving a Verschuur BMW 123d, she achieved her first win, as well as an additional podium place, two pole positions and two fastest laps. She was sixth in the final standings. Her team-mate was Gaby Uljee once more.

After a couple of races in the Winter Endurance series, she started her fourth Diesel Cup season in 2011. Her car was still a BMW 123d, one of the Verschuur cars, but running as the “Techno Marine” team. She gained a new team-mate in Paulien Zwart, an experienced saloon racer who was returning from a year out due to pregnancy. Liesette was not at her 2010 race-winning pace, and she was thirteenth overall, with Paulien fourteenth.

During the 2011 season, Liesette took part in her first 24 hour race, the Toyo Tyres Series event at Barcelona. She shared a Verschuur 123d with Paulien, plus British drivers Paul Follet and Terry Flatt. They did not finish.

Early in 2012, she teamed up with Paulien, Gaby, Sandra van der Sloot and Sheila Verschuur as the "Dutch Racing Divas", for the Dubai 24 Hours. They were 39th and fourth in class, driving a Renault Clio. The team was the project of Sandra van der Sloot, and was supported by Las Moras.

For most of the year, Liesette drove a BMW 123d for Las Moras in the Burando Production Open championship. She and Sheila Verschuur were back to championship-challenging pace and were fourth overall, after winning three times. This year, Liesette tried out a few different cars: the 123d, the Clio, the 120d she was used to, and a Suzuki Swift. She used the 120d in a couple of rounds of the Dutch Supercar Challenge, and was seventh in class. In the Swift, she made two guest appearances in the Formido Swift Cup.

The Racing Divas reformed for the Dubai 24 Hours in 2013. They drove a BMW 320D supported by Team Schubert, with Liesette as the named lead driver. They were 26th overall, and won the A3T class. Despite this small success, they seriously struggled for sponsorship, and consequently track time, in 2013. Liesette left the team and pursued her own racing interests.

After the Dubai 24 Hours, Liesette drove for Las Moras in the Burando Production Open again, in the BMW. She was eighth overall. She did not manage to win this year, but put in two fastest laps, and ran quite close to the front. As a consolation, she won the Ladies’ award in the BMW Sports Trophy, which takes into account various racing series. She was seventh overall in the Trophy. This followed her most successful run in the Winter Endurance Championship, in which she was third. In a different BMW, she and her team-mates, Cor Euser, Hal Prewitt and Dirk Schulz, won their class at the Hungaroring 12 Hours. They were tenth overall.

Sticking with Eastern Europe, she also took part in the Lotus Ladies' Cup, finishing fourth behind her team-mate, Sheila Verschuur. Her best result was second, at the Hungaroring. The duo were running in Las Moras Elises, and led a small Dutch invasion of the hitherto Eastern European-dominated championship. Mid-season, she did a guest race in a Lotus for a Dutch GT4 championship, too.

For 2014, Liesette teamed up with Bonk Motorsport for the Dubai 24 Hours, driving a BMW M3. She and her team-mates were 40th overall, fourth in class. In the same series, Liesette was part of a team with Michael Bonk and Axel Burghardt for the 12 Hours of Italy, at Mugello. They were tenth overall in the BMW.

She also registered for the European GT4 Championship, in a Las Moras BMW M3 GT4. She and her team-mate, Rob Severs, were front-runners from the start in the "Am" class, finishing their first race, at Misano, in second, and winning the next one, the following day. They secured three more wins, at Zandvoort and the Nürburgring, and were championship runners-up. 
She took part in the Burando Production Open again, driving a BMW 123d. She won Class III at least twice, and was one of the front-runners for the class championship. 

For the first part of 2015, Liesette's year looked promising. She won her class in the Dubai 24 Hours, driving a Las Moras BMW M235. She was part of a Racingdivas team with Sandra van der Sloot, Gaby Uljee and Max Partl, a male driver. They were 23rd overall. Driving for the Bonk Motorsport team, Liesette then won her class again in the Mugello 12 Hours, in the same car. She was 29th overall, as part of a four-driver team.

Unfortunately, she had to sit out the rest of the season, after being diagnosed with cancer, and undergoing treatment. 

In 2016, she managed to return to the racetrack, as her treatment had concluded. She started the year with the Dubai 24 Hours, and was third in the Cup 1 class in a BMW 235, run by Bonk Motorsport. Later in the season, she raced in the GT4 European Series, in a Las Moras BMW M3. Her best finish was fifth in the Am class, at Zandvoort. She was eleventh in the championship. 

She was due to race again in the 2018 Dubai 24 Hours, but she caught 'flu and had to pull out. Her GT4 appearances were limited to the Bahrain rounds, driving the Las Moras McLaren 570S.

2019 started better with another run in the Dubai 24 Hours, in a Hofor Racing BMW M4, although she and her three team-mates did not finish. She went on to compete in the GT4 European Series in a McLaren 570S and was one of the leading drivers in the Am class. Her results included seconds at Monza and Brands Hatch and four third places, on her way to third in class. 

The shortened 2020 season included four races for Liesette. She paired up with Luc and Gaby Uljee in an Equipe Verschuur Mclaren 540C for two rounds of the Dutch Winter Endurance Championship at the start of the year, then raced in the Enna-Pergusa 24H Series double six-hour event in a Verschuur-run 570S. She was 17th in the first race, third in the GT4 class, but did not finish the second part. 

Liesette was signed up by Team Driverse as part of a rotating squad for the ADAC GT4 championship. She raced their BMW M4 at the Red Bull Ring and Zandvoort, earning a best finish of fourteenth in her last outing.

(Image from www.autosport.nl)

Women's Races in the USA in the mid-20th century

Members of the WSCC with a Porsche 550

Women’s races have long been a part of American club and national-level motorsport, on both oval and road courses. This is in spite of some quite open prohibition on women’s participation in motor racing. For example, the American Automobile Association, the main motorsport body of its time, explicitly barred women from its sanctioned competitions in 1909. This was after the efforts of Joan Newton Cuneo to compete in its events, from 1905 onwards. Although Joan was not banned from entering, she was prevented from completing certain parts of race routes, for spurious safety reasons, thus disqualifying her from various awards, and was never invited to join the club itself, despite being an active and skilled driver.

The AAA’s influence over motorsport continued until 1955. Its rules about women were relaxed somewhat, but they were still prohibited from major competitions. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the most prominent US racing venue, did not even routinely allow women into the pit lane until the mid-1970s, let alone take part in races. Denise McCluggage, working as a journalist, did much to challenge that.

So, it is quite surprising to learn, that despite a backdrop of sometimes open hostility, women’s races were regularly organised in the 1950s and 1960s. Many of them were part of SCCA meetings, and they ran in various parts of the country, but mainly on the East and West coasts.

The women’s races at the Nassau Trophy, although not part of the SCCA, were entered by the same group of drivers.

At first, these races were very short, run as multi-class events and did not always have their entry lists published. They followed on from a longer tradition on short-track ovals, where such races were disparagingly referred to as “Powder Puff Derbies”. That name itself came from the unofficial title given to the 1929 Women’s Air Derby air race.

The drivers in these early-1950s events were normally the wives, partners or occasionally, daughters of male drivers taking part in the same meeting. For example, of the competitors in the Ladies’ Race at Elkhart Lake in July 1950, only one, Sally Chapin, the winner, was not driving her husband’s car. (It was a Healey Silverstone belonging to Jim Kimberly, who helped to start the circuit that year). This meant that the women drivers did not usually get the chance to run in the main events, as their cars were in use.

The cars themselves were usually small sportscars or saloons, with Porsches and Jaguars being quite common. The Porsche 356 and 550 were particularly popular. There were no single-seater (open wheel) races held for women, or not on any major circuits.

As time went on, a number of Ladies’ race entrants did so in their own cars. Margaret (Peggy) Wyllie sometimes competed in her husband’s Jaguar C-Type or XK140 in the early and middle 1950s, but at least as often, drove her own MG TC or XK120 in both Ladies’ and other events. Later on, she shared a Lotus IX with her husband, and eventually, they competed together in races such as the Sebring 12 Hours in 1956, in the Lotus.

In 1956, Betty Shutes appears on the scene. From the beginning, she owned her own Porsche 356, and raced it in Ladies’ races, and also SCCA Stock and Production races. In 1957, she upgraded the 356 to a 550, after trying one out belonging to Stan Sugarman. The following year, she started winning regularly in Ladies’ races, and she was almost unbeatable in them in 1959. She continued to win Ladies’ races until 1961, by then in a Porsche 718. If there had been an organised Ladies’ championship, she would have won at least two.

Betty Shutes was one of the early members of the WSCC - the Women’s Sports Car Club, which existed on the West Coast and was allied to the California Sports Car Club. It sought to promote female participation, both in actual competition and through marshalling, timekeeping and other active support roles. Initially, the WSCC provided hospitaity at race meetings as well as providing opportunities for women to race. It also acted as a social network for women drivers, who were not always included in mainstream motor clubs.

Betty was active as a racer and organiser but she had a sworn rival in Mary Davis, who ran the Grand Prix restaurant in Hollywood. Mary raced little outside women-only events but was popular, charismatic and attractive, as well as having great business sense. There was a great deal of support and cameraderie among the WSCC but it was competitive and could get personal.

For some, the ladies’ races put on by the CSCC and SCCA were enough to keep them going. However, some drivers were far more ambitious, and set their sights on not only mixed competition, but higher levels, too. From her first season, Ruth Levy competed in both Ladies’ and mixed races, and qualified for the SCCA Nationals in 1955, in her own Porsche 356. By 1957, she was driving for John Edgar’s Porsche team alongside Carroll Shelby and entering endurance races at Road America and as far afield as Venezuela. In 1958, she drove a Fiat Abarth 750 Zagato in the Sebring 12 Hours.

Josie von Neumann, who raced alongside her father, John, was another driver who began in ladies’ races, but branched out after being one of the leading female racers for several seasons. In 1959, she raced a Ferrari 250 TR in the main events of the Nassau Trophy, and at the 200 Mile endurance race at Riverside. Josie was another driver who drew fire from Mary Davis, who claimed that her win tally was only down to her use of superior cars, rather than any great talent.

Evelyn Mull, Donna Mae Mims and Suzy Dietrich all started their careers in SCCA ladies’ races.

Suzy Dietrich

A recurring team-mate of Ruth Levy’s was Denise McCluggage. Denise’s motorsport achievements eclipsed Ruth’s fairly quickly, as her career was much longer. In her early days, she was a frequent competitor in ladies’ races, driving a Porsche 550, and won several. However, she admitted to not enjoying competing in them much, and claimed that she drove at her worst in them. Not all female drivers were enthusiastic advocates of single-sex racing.

As well as those who used ladies’ races as track practice, and those who were content to remain in them, a few other interesting drivers cropped up in the entry lists. One such was Louise Cano, who drove a Lancia Spyder and other cars in 1956 and 1957. She was never among the front-runners. She becomes much more prominent in motorsport a few years later, when, as Louise Bryden-Brown, she helped to get Dan Gurney started in international single-seater racing in her Lotus 18.

Also worth noting is LaRuth Bostic, who drove an Austin-Healey in a few races in 1957. LaRuth was the first African-American female racing driver.

Women-only races declined in popularity during the 1960s, perhaps due to the fact that many of their regular participants had branched out into mixed events. They remained a feature at short tracks, but slipped back into their “powder puff derby” afterthought stereotype. It was not until the Women’s Global GT championship in 1999 that a “serious” motorsport series for women drivers existed in the United States.

(Images from http://type550.com) 

Molly Taylor

Molly Taylor in 2013

Molly is an Australian driver from an established rallying family: her father is Mark Taylor, a driver, and her mother is Coral Taylor, a co-driver with four Australian championships to her name. Despite her background, Molly’s initial sporting passion was for horses, and as a teenager, she competed in cross-country. She only took up motorsport at 17, after working at her father’s rally driving school and then finishing well in some motorkhana events. Her first competition car was a Holden Gemini.

She began her stage rallying career in 2006, supported by the Australian motorsport authority’s Women’s Driver Development programme. Straight away, she won the Rallye Des Femmes in Canberra, a women-only event, five minutes ahead of her nearest competitor. In her first season, she won the NSW 2WD and 2-litre titles.

Having proved her worth at state-level competition, she set the bar higher in 2007, and entered the Australian championship. This turned into two top-ten finishes in major Australian rallies in 2007, and an outright win in the F1600 class of the Australian championship, driving a Holden Gemini.

She repeated her achievement in 2008, driving a Mitsubishi Mirage. Her first big result was ninth, in the Coates Rally Queensland., followed by eleventh in the Canberra Rally.  She was 19th in the South Australia Rally, despite a spin and a puncture. During the Great Lakes Rally, she secured enough points to claim the S1600 championship on the first day, despite rolling the car and crashing out later. She then retired from the Melbourne Rally. 

Away from the official Australian championship, she scored her first win on the Myall Lakes Rally, in the multi-club class. Late in the European season, in September, she travelled to the UK for the Yorkshire International Rally, driving a Suzuki Swift. She was 28th overall, and seventh in class.

A move to England full-time followed in 2009, in order to further her rally career. Her British co-driver was Jemma Bellingham. She narrowly missed winning the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup after a fuel pump failure on the Yorkshire Rally. She was runner-up and British Ladies’ Champion as a consolation. Her best finish was 20th on the Pirelli Rally, which second of her two Swift Cup wins. The first came during the Bulldog Rally of North Wales, in which she was 24th. Her other events were the Jim Clark, Manx and Ulster Rallies. She crashed out in the Isle of Man, but finished the other two.

The following year, it was time for a new car. She exchanged the Swift for a Citroen C2, and contested the C2 Trophy in the UK. She also had a new co-driver: Phil Clarke sat alongside her for most of the year, apart from two rallies, where she was navigated by her mother, Coral. This year, Molly did not fare quite as well in her class, but her overall results were better, and more consistent. Her best overall finished were two fourteenth places, in the Manx and Trackrod Rallies, and she stayed in the top twenty for every rally she finished. Her best class finish was third, again, in the Trackrod Rally. Her performances were enough for her to defend her Ladies’ title.

She won a place in the WRC Academy for 2011, the replacement for the Junior WRC. Competing in six World Championship rallies across Europe in a Ford Fiesta,  her best result was fifth in class, achieved in the Alsace Rally France and Wales Rally GB. Academy drivers were not part of the main classification. She was eighth in Portugal, , did not finish in Italy, was ninth in Finland and fourteenth in Germany. This left her eleventh in the Academy standings.  Away from the WRC Academy, she did most of the British championship, in the Fiesta. Her best result was fourteenth, in the Pirelli Rally, but she retired from her other three British events: the Sunseeker, Bulldog and Scottish Rallies. Mid-season, she travelled to Estonia for the Rally of Estonia, and was 71st overall, eighth in class.

In 2012, she was active across Europe, and competed in two WRC events at the end of her season: Wales Rally GB, where she was 20th, and Finland, which she did not finish. Her car was a Citroen DS3 R3T. For her first rally of the year, the Bulldog, she used the Fiesta, but retired. Her first event in the Citroen was the Ypres Rally, where she was 35th. Her next outing in it was the Casentino International Rally in Italy, running as the course car. Molly was now working with an Italian sports management company, and spending quite a lot of time there. Her next rally was also in Italy, the Coppa Città di Lucca. She was 23rd, alongside Sebastian Marshall, who was her regular co-driver this season.

In 2013, she continued with the Citroen DS3, based in Italy and mostly following the ERC circuit. Her year started in the Portuguese Azores islands,  with a class win in the Açores City Rally Show, and 21st overall. Unfortunately, she retired from the Açores Rally proper, after an accident. Her next ERC Rally, the Tour de Corse, gave her another class win, which counted towards the championship this time. She was fourteenth overall and first lady driver, in front of the experienced Ekaterina Stratieva. A second visit to the Ypres Rally ended in retirement, but a first trip to Romania, for the Sibiu Rally Romania, gave her 25th, and seventh in class. This was another Ladies’ win over Stratieva. The Barum Czech Rally Zlín ended similarly: 26th and sixth in class. In addition to this, Molly was running in the Citroen Racing Trophy class, and was second in that. A third in the Citroen racing Trophy followed in Poland, in the Rajd Polski, in which she was 23rd. She was also 23rd in the Croatia Rally. A non-ERC outing in the Ronde della Val d'Orcia in Italy followed, and she achieved her best overall finish of the year: twelfth, with a class win. Her last event was the Wales Rally GB, in which she was 23rd again, fourth in class. She ended the year as the European Ladies’ Rally Champion, replacing Ekaterina Stratieva.

Australian rallying had not been completely forgotten. Mid-season, she travelled back to her home country for the Scouts Rally. Driving the Ford Fiesta, she was eighth in one heat, with a class win, and 20th in another.

Away from the rally stages, she is involved with the FIA’s Women in Motorsport Commission, which supports female involvement in motorsport, having been supported by its Australian equivalent.

In 2014, Molly contested the Junior World Rally Championship in the Citroen, intending to enter six rounds. Having let her regular co-driver Sebastian Marshall go, due to commercial pressures, she initially competed alongside her mother, Coral. They only did one rally together, the Rally of Portugal, in April. Molly was 37th, eighth in the JWRC, and eighth in the WRC3 standings. Her next event was the Rally of Poland in June. The gap between her rally outings did not help her preparedness, and Coral was also unable to co-drive for her daughter. Seb Marshall returned, and they got to the finish in 45th, despite serious clutch problems and a resulting time penalty on the penultimate day. 

They did better in Finland, finishing 35th overall, but third in the JWRC, and fourth in WRC3, despite a series of punctures. Unfortunately, funding issues meant that Molly was sidelined until Wales Rally GB in November. She had planned to drive in the Rallye Deutschland and Rallye Alsace, but her funding ran out. She did secure some more later in the season, and got her best overall finish of the year in Wales: 32nd. She was fourth in the JWRC and WRC3. At the end of the year, she was sixth in both WRC3, and the JWRC.   

In 2015, she returned to Australia, and rallied a Renault Clio in her domestic championship. She began well, with a third and a fourth in the Quit Forest Rally heats, and was normally a top-ten finisher throughout the year, and earned seven class wins. She was second in the championship. Her only international outing was the Rally of Australia, in which she was seventeenth.

Molly moved into rally raids in 2016. She won one of the prize drives in the Sealine Qatar Desert Challenge offered in the FIA Women in Motorsport Desert Challenge, held at the end of 2015. However, she was back in Australia for the rally season there. Despite not winning an event outright, she was the Australian rally champion, as she had been the highest-placed Australian registered for the championship in two events: the SA Lightforce Rally, in which she was second, and the WRC Rally of Australia, in which she was thirteenth. Her second place in the Lightforce event followed a string of top-five finishes in Australian rallies, and another runner-up spot in the non-championship Tin Bin Dash Rallysprint. Her car was a Subaru Impreza, mostly supported by Subaru Australia.

At the very end of 2016, she had a go at co-driving, assisting a token male driver in the Rallye des Femmes, a women's rally held near Canberra.

In the Impreza, she put together a string of three outright wins in 2017. She was victorious in both heats of the Make Smoking History Forest Rally, and in the Les Walkden Mountain Stages.

2018 was a less successful year with no wins, but she still picked up three podiums in the Adelaide Hills and Tasmania Rallies. She had another try at the National section of Rally Australia, but crashed out and suffered a fire in the Impreza.

She did not manage a rally win in 2019 but her Impreza WRX was the car to beat in its class, and she picked up podiums at Rally Tasmania, the Adelaide Hills Rally and the National Capital Rally. Her new challenge was circuit racing, having been invited to take part in the Australian TCR series. Her first race at at Sydney Motorsport Park in the Kelly Racing Subaru was her first time on-track for almost ten years and she was fourteenth. Sadly, the championship proved very challenging for Molly for a number of reasons, including a fuel pressure problem that put her out of one race before the start.  She was 19th overall after five of seven rounds.

Rallying was limited in 2020 by the coronavirus crisis, but Molly made her limited programme in the WRX count. She won Rally Tasmania outright by over a minute, before finishing second in the Netier National Capital Rally.

She was also announced as a driver for the Rosberg Extreme E team. Extreme E is an off-road, electric, eco-conscious series which started in 2021. Mixed teams of two drivers contested each round, with Molly partnering Johan Kristofferson. She started strongly with a win in Saudi and quickly established herself as part of the team to beat; a roll during the Arctic X Prix was their only real low point. Wins in Senegal and Sardinia meant that they did not even have to win the final round in the UK to walk away with the first championship.

Molly's schedule took in some traditional stage rallies as well. She did three WRC rounds for the M-Sport Poland team, driving a Rally3-spec Ford Fiesta. She was 20th in Finland, reunited with Seb Marshall, but did not finish the Acropolis Rally due to engine trouble, or the Rally of Estonia due to a crash. Another outing in a Subaru Impreza in Queensland, Australia led to another non-finish.

Her first event of 2022 was the Dakar, held in Saudi. This was once more a good location for her to begin with and she posted some good times in her Can Am SSV, but a series of mechanical and navigational issues later on dropped her and co-driver Dale Moscatt to 15th in class.

In between her first and second attempts at the Dakar, Molly had a relatively quiet year. She announced that she would not be defending her Extreme E title, but ended up stepping in to the JBXE team for the first round in Saudi, alongside Kevin Hansen. They were ninth. At the end of the season, she joined Veloce in a one-off deal for the Energy X Prix in Uruguay. Again with Kevin Hansen, she steered the Veloce Odyssey to its best results of the year: a pole position and a semi-final win. They were fifth overall.

Her second Dakar was very challenging once more, from a navigational and mechanical point of view and against dramatic weather. Molly and American co-driver Andrew Short were 47th overall in their Can-Am prototype, twelfth in the Modified Production SSV class.

She was reatined as a full-time driver for Veloce in the 2023 Extreme E championship, teaming up with Kevin Hansen again. They were narrowly beaten to second place by the Acciona Sainz pairing of Laia Sanz and Mattias Ekstrom, who were more consistent podium finishers despite their two wins to Veloce's three. 

Back at home, she did four rounds of the Australian Rally Championship in a Subaru WRX. The best event for her was the first heat of the Adelaide Hills Rally, where she was sixth and won her class. She was also seventh in the Rally of Canberra. 

2024 was the final season of Extreme E and the championship was shortened to four races only. Molly and Kevin, driving for Veloce, were the last champions, finishing third twice in Saudi and winning both Scottish rounds.

She also did some more Australian rallies in the Subaru. Her best finishes were two fourth places, in the Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland and the Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally. She won her class in both of these events. Several other top-tens meant she finished the season tenth in the Australian championship.

Extreme E made one last comeback in 2025 for its Final Lap in Saudi. Molly joined the Jameel Motorsport team with Kevin Hansen. She missed the first final after an accident in her qualifying heat, but was able to come back for the second set of races, in which she and Kevin were second.

The same team transferred to the hydrogen-powered Extreme H, held as a World Cup in 2025. They won both the aggregated pool championship and the grand final.

(Image from www.mollytaylor.com.au) 

Female Rally Drivers After 1950: Belgium

Vicky van de Walle and navigator Michelle Demeestere with the Mini Cooper, in 2013

Belgium's most successful female driver, Melissa Debackere, has her own profile here.

Daisy Cols - former Belgian driver. She competed in the Belgian Division Two Championship in a Fiat Punto in 2003, as part of a team with her brother, Larry. In 2004, she continued in the Fiat and won the Coupe des Dames and Class A7 in the Boucles de Spa. She repeated her A7 win in the Rallye de Wallonie. Her career began in 1999, driving a Citroen Saxo.

Evelien de Corte – competed on and off in the Ford Fiesta Sport Trophy in Belgium, between 2011 and 2013. She began rallying at the age of 20, in 2010, in a Peugeot 106, and drove a Renault Twingo in the Moorslede rallypsrint in 2011. As a Fiesta Sport Trophy driver, her best 2011 result was 30^th, in the Criterium section of the TAC Rally. After 2011, her funding started to run out, and she only managed the Rally of Wallonie in 2012, in which she was 61^st. In 2013, she finished the Geko Ypres Rally in 53^rd place, but did not compete for the rest of the season. Her website is no longer being updated. 

Valina Dechamps - driver and  co-driver who usually competes in rallysprint and Belgian club events. She was her club’s female champion in 2011 and 2012. In recent years, she has driven a Peugeot 206 and 306. In 2006 and 2007, she competed in some major Belgian rallies, in a Toyota Yaris. She was 39th in the 2007 East Belgian Rally and 104th in the 2006 Rallye Condroz-Huy. Her club activities often seem to be in the Hannut region. On the navigation side, she sat with Sebastien Honnay in the Micky Rallysprint in 2013. She remained active as a driver in 2014, competing the Achene Rallysprint at least, in a Peugeot 306. In 2015, she rallied a Peugeot 207, but did not finish any of the events she entered. 

Aurélie Dehaye - Belgian driver, active since 2006. Her first car was a VW Polo, which she used in Belgian rallies. She continued to rally a Polo for the next couple of seasons, and by 2008, she was winning her class. Both the Rally of Wallonie and the East Belgian Rally gave her N1 wins. After a break, she returned in 2012 in a VW Golf, and immediately scored her first top-twenty finish, an eleventh in the Criterium section of the Rally of Wallonie. She carried on entering major stage rallies in 2013, but also some more rallysprints, in which she was quite successful, finishing second in the Rallye Sprint Winning and fifth in the Villersois event. She continued to rally a Golf and a VW Polo in 2014 and 2015. In 2015, she was twelfth in the Trois-Ponts Rally, in the Golf. This event was her best rally in 2016, too, and she was fifth, in the Golf. She finished in the top twenty in three more Belgian rallies in 2016. In 2017, she took a leap forward in terms of results. She picked up her first podium, a third in the Achene Rallysprint, and was fourth in the Trois-Ponts Rally. These were two of four top-ten finishes she had. Her car the still the VW. She continued to shine in rallysprints in 2018, finishing second in the Villersois event. A return to rallysprints in 2021 gave her an eighth place in the ASRT event. In 2022, she was twelfth in both the Principaute and Hautes Fagnes rallies. The Golf came out again for the 2023 East Belgian Rally, but did not finish. In 2024, she finished both the Haute Fagnes and Rallye des Cretes events in the top twenty.

Julie Devalet - won the Citroen Racing Junior Trophy in Belgium in 2013. She won her class in the three rounds that she entered: the Ypres Rally, Rallye du Condroz and East Belgian Rally. Her car was a Citroen DS3 R1. She also drove in the Luxembourg Rally, and was 30th overall. Her usual navigator, Jennifer Thielen, was Luxembourgish. Previously, she did some Belgian rallies in 2006, in a Skoda Fabia. She also navigated from 2004 onwards, and helped her partner Caren Burton to second overall in the 2013 Rallye des Trois-Ponts. In 2014, she rallied in Belgium and Luxembourg, in the Citroen. Her best finish was 43rd, with a class win, in the Rally of Luxembourg. In 2015, she switched between driving an navigation, in Belgian rallies. As a driver, she used an Opel Adam, and was 39th in the East Belgian Rally. In 2016, she did some co-driving, but her only outing behind the wheel was as the course car in the Spa Rally. In 2019, she rallied a Skoda Fabia R2 in the Herock Spa Rally, finishing 28th.

Christelle Fameree - has competed on and off in Belgium since at least 2000. She has driven or co-driven in at least 16 runnings of the Rallye du Condroz, in cars including an Opel/Vauxhall Astra and a Peugeot 106. In 2013, she was 77th, in a Peugeot 207. Apart from major rallies, she is a regular in club and lower-level events, including rallysprints. She has entered the Micky Rallysprint on several occasions, and was 41st in 2013. In 2014, she was thirteenth in the Criterium section of the Rallye de Wallonie, in the 207. Another season in the 207, in 2015, was mainly rallysprints, and she competed exclusively in rallysprints in 2016. In 2017, she tried some multi-stage events again, the Condroz-Huy and Wallonie rallies. 2018 was similar and she had a best finish of 25th in the Haillot rallysprint. She did more stage rallies in 2019, including the Wallonie and Condroz-Huy events. In 2021, she used the Peugeot in the Belgian Criterium championship, scoring one top-twenty finish in the South Belgium Criterium Rally. She carried on with this in 2022, although her results were not as strong. In 2023, she performed well in rallysprints, finishing 17th in the Zoning d'Achene event. She picked up a top-ten finish in 2024, finishing tenth in the Legend Condroz Rally in the 207. She is from a rallying family: her father and partner prepare her cars, and she is navigated by her mother, Arlette Faniel. 

Anita Fol - usually known simply as "Anita". She was normally a co-driver and sat beside Christine Beckers at different times in her career, among others. In 1968, she had a go at driving herself in the Belgian championship, driving a Renault 8 Gordini. Her best result was 16th in the 12 Hours of Ostend. Her co-driver was Claude Collaer, a driver she often navigated for. She was married to Vic Elford twice and died in 2022, aged 77. 

Dorothée Jacquemin - rallied mostly in France and Belgium in the 1980s and early 1990s. Her earliest car was a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, which she used between 1983 and 1985. Her best result in it was a ninth place in the Rallye Internationale Charlemagne in France, in 1985. In 1987, she started driving a Peugeot 205, and in 1988, the focus of her motorsport activities switched to France. She achieved two more top-ten finishes during her career: a fifth in the Charlemagne event in 1988, and a ninth in the Picardie National Rally in 1989, both in the Peugeot. In 1992, she had one last season, and rallied a Citroen AX Sport in Europe, including a run in the Manx International Rally in the UK. She was 35th. Between 1989 and 1992, she was ladies’ champion of France in Division 2. Her husband, Jean-Marie Jacquemin, was also a rally driver. Much earlier, Dorothée occasionally acted as his navigator.

Patricia Nijs - driver and co-driver who has moved between the two roles. She first appears in the Belgian championship in 2004, navigating for Phil Nijs. In 2006, she had a season as a driver, competing in the Belgian championship and the Ypres Westhoek Rally, a round of the IRC and European Championship. In this rally, she drove a Ford Fiesta, and was 60th overall. Her best result was 19th, seventh in class, in the Rally of Haspengouw, in a Subaru Impreza WRX. In 2013, she returned to the stages in a different Impreza, and was 22nd in the Shortrally of Suikerstreek and 19th in the Rally van Sint-Truiden. She made a one-off return in 2017, driving the Impreza in the Criterium Jean-Louis Dumont. 

Daisy van Overstraeten - competed in European rallies in the 1950s, driving a variety of cars. Her career best finish was an eleventh place in the 1955 12 Hours of Huy, driving an Austin-Healey 100-4. She had done the event the year before in a similar car, but did not finish. Her other favourite event seems to have been the Liege-Rome-Liege Rally, which she tackled in 1951 in a Pontiac and 1953 in a Panhard. She was 57th in 1953.  

Magali Schutz – Belgian driver and co-driver who has been competing since at least 2005. For most of her career, she has remained in the co-driver’s seat, but she began driving herself in 2015. Her first car was a Citroen Saxo, which she mostly used in rallysprints. In 2016, she used a Peugeot 206 and a Renault Clio, finishing most of her events. Her best result was a 39^th overall, in the Boucles Clavieroises, driving the Peugeot. She was also second in class in the Villersois Rallysprint, in the Clio. 2017 was spent doing some rallysprints in the Clio. She did two more rallies in 2021, driving a Citroen Saxo. Her best finish was 33rd in the ASRT Rallysprint. After a break, she returned in 2024, still in the Saxo, for two rallies.

Vicky van de Walle - long-time navigator who has recently switched to the driver’s seat. She has been co-driving since at least 1999, and was Hans Vancampenhoudt’s regular navigator in 2000. She also co-drove Melissa Debackere, and did a one-off rally with her in 2013. She had her first driving experience in a Mini in 2011, in the Tour of Flanders, with a Mini. She did not finish. In 2013, in another Mini Cooper, she did four rounds of the Belgian championship, plus the Rally of Luxembourg. Her best finish was 29th, in the ORC Canal Rally, which was won by Melissa Debackere. She drove the Mini again in 2014, and was 55th in the 6 Uren van Kortrijk. In 2015, she returned to co-driving, in historic rallies. 

(Image from http://www.bfo-brc.be/)

  

Jill Robinson

Jill in the Alpine-Renault, in the 1972 RAC Rally

Jill was one of Britain's leading lady drivers in the 1970s. She was a regular entrant in the major British rallies, and also competed quite extensively abroad, particularly in Finland. Although she never achieved the stellar results of Pat Moss or Rosemary Smith, whose careers overlapped with hers, she was capable of holding her own on a special stage, and was able to draw upon considerable resources and contacts to support her motorsport activities.

Born Jill (Margaret) Simpson, she was part of the Simpson family who were the “Simpson” in “Clarke & Simpson”, an upmarket Ford dealership in London. Her sister, Judy, was also a rally driver, although she took it up some years after Jill. Jill herself seems to have started competing some time after her first marriage, and the birth of at least one child, a daughter.

On the international stage, she competed in the RAC Rally seven times. Her first RAC Rally was in 1969, and she drove a BMW 2002 TI with Audrey Scott. They were 58th overall and won the Ladies’ Cup. In 1970, she entered again, this time in a Ford Escort RS 1600. She would continue to drive Escorts of various kinds throughout her career. In this particular one, she is not recorded as a finisher. Her navigator was Frances Cobb. They renewed their partnership in 1971’s RAC Rally, in a similar car, but again, did not finish. The duo also did the Ypres Rally together, in an Escort RS1600 run by Clarke & Simpson. They also drove in the Dukeries Rally, finishing 49th in the Escort. That year, Jill, with local co-driver Leila Loukimo alongside, entered her first 1000 Lakes Rally, in a Twin Cam Escort. They were 42nd overall, and second female crew, behind the experienced and local Eeva Heinonen.

In 1972, Jill started her season back in Finland, for the Arctic Rally. She and Kirsti Pätiälä retired in their Twin Cam Escort. For a change, Jill drove an Alpine-Renault A110 in the Daily Mirror RAC Rally, alongside Dilys Rodgers. They do not appear to have finished.

Jill’s most famous rallying exploit came in 1973, during the Daily Mirror RAC Rally. In a Ford Escort Mexico, she was roped into driving alongside the now-disgraced DJ Jimmy Savile, which did not end well. They dropped out very early on, after performing quite poorly. That year, she also teamed up with Frances Cobb again for the Avon Tour of Britain, a Tour de France style combination of rally sections and circuit races. They drove a Ford Cortina and do not appear to have finished.

The following year, she returned to the RAC Rally with a more skilled navigator, Dilys Rodgers. They drove a Ford Escort RS1600, and were 52nd overall. Later in the year, Jill moved away from Ford power temporarily, and drove an Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV in the 1000 Lakes Rally. Her navigator was Kirsti Airikkala, a British-based Finn who was married to Pentti Airikkala, another entrant into the rally. Pentti was sponsored by Clarke & Simpson, and both Jill and Kirsti would drive under Castrol sponsorship. Jill and Kirsti were 80th overall, but third in the one-litre class. They was also third in the ladies’ standings, behind her regular rival, Eeva Heinonen, and Trine Jensen.

Another attempt at the RAC Rally in 1975, assisted by Dilys Rodgers and in a Ford Escort RS1800 this time, ended in retirement again. She was part of an Avon Tyres-backed team with Russell Close. The following year, she had her best RAC Rally result of her career: 28th, and winner of the Coupe des Dames. She was driving an RS1800 with Pauline Gullick. During the summer, she made another trip to Finland, for the Hankiralli this time, driving an RS2000. She did not finish.

Her programme was similar in 1977. This time, she finished the Hankirally in 39th place, driving an RS2000 with Ian Parry. She was 47th in that year’s RAC Rally, in another Escort, with Dorothy Selby-Boothroyd. This year, she was also active in British rallies, and was part of Team Castrol in the British championship, driving an RS1600 with Dilys Rodgers.

By 1978, her career was winding down, and she only appears to have driven in one major rally this year. She was 40th in the Safari Rally in an Escort RS2000, co-driven by another experienced local, Yvonne Pratt.

In 1979, she did her last big international events. One was her debut visit to the Rally of Madeira, which she does not appear to have finished. Another was the Sunriser Forest Rally in the USA. Jill drove an ex-Rod Millen Datsun 510, with Pauline Gullick. They did not finish. This deal was partly arranged by Jill’s partner, David Sutton, a rally driver and preparation expert. Some time after this, the couple married. Jill and David sometimes competed together, and David, a former sales manager at Clarke & Simpson, was instrumental in brokering some of Jill’s drives. He took over Clarke & Simpson in 1975, which became David Sutton Cars.

In 1979, Jill’s daughter, whose name is not forthcoming, attempted to start her own rally career in the Fabergé Fiesta Challenge. She was eliminated in the preliminary rounds. Jill and David are still together, and live in Northamptonshire.

 (Photo by, and copyright of, Tony Gardiner) 

Ramona Karlsson

Ramona and Miriam (left) after their Uppsala win

Ramona is Sweden’s most successful modern female driver, emulating and surpassing the triumphs of Ewy Rosqvist in the 1960s.

She was interested in motorsport from a very early age, and competed in motocross, kart-cross and rallycross as a junior driver. She won championships in both junior rallycross, and kart-cross, before commencing her rally career in 2001. In addition to her motorsport activities, she was also a junior champion in pistol shooting in Sweden.

She was fairly young when she started stage rallying seriously, 23 years old, and her first rallies were completed in a Saab 900, as were those of many Swedish drivers of the last twenty years or so. In 2004, she was 60th in the Kullingstrofén with Henrik Darius.

The Saab was exchanged for a newer Volkswagen Golf in 2005, although it did not prove to be much faster. Her second attempt at the Kullingstrofén gave her 70th place this time. She retired from the Silverratten rally. An Audi 90 Quattro, a prophetic but not particularly well-suited rally car, also proved rather fragile, and she retired from the 2006 Kullingstrofén rally. A year on the sidelines followed.

By 2008, Ramona had managed to invest in a more powerful car, a Subaru Impreza. By now, she was running her own rally team. She was also supported by Subaru Sweden for some of her events, including the South Swedish Rally, in which she was 30th, and her first WRC event, Rally Sweden. She was 40th, and 29th in her class. In between these two events, she drove in the Kvarnturen Rally, and was a career-best tenth. This year, she also developed a partnership with Miriam Walfridsson, her new co-driver and a member of the Walfridsson rallying clan.

In 2009, she drove for Pelle Palmqvist’s team in a Mitusbishi Lancer Evo 5 and 9, competing in Group N. She won her class in at least one round of the KMK Trofen, in the Evo 5. Her only big rally of the year seems to have been the South Swedish Rally, from which she retired.

In 2010, she picked up sponsorship from Mattel's Barbie brand, and competed in the Swedish championship once more, as well as making a visit to the UK for the Trackrod Rally, and Norway for the Rally Sorland. Unfortunately, she did not finish either. Driving a Lancer Evo 9, her best result was fourth, in the Gastabudstrofen. Her next rally, the Kvarnturen rally, gave her a seventh place. Later, she was twelfth in the KMK Trofen.

The Lancer was upgraded to an Evo X model for 2011. Ramona was immediately on the pace, finishing fifth in the Vinterpokalen. After a retirement from the Rally Sweden SM round, she was also sixth on the snow, in the Fäviken Winter Rally. After another retirement from the South Swedish Rally, she scored her third top ten of the season, finishing tenth in the AM-Tryck Snapphanerally. Fourteenth in the East Swedish Rally followed, and then two trips abroad: the Rally of Poland and the Lausitz Rally in Germany. She finished the Polish event in 23rd, third in class.

Encouraged by her improving form and the sponsorship and exposure it brought,  she contested the Production WRC in 2012, driving a Mitsubishi Evo X, run by her own team. She managed four rounds: Mexico, Argentina, New Zealand and Germany. She started quite well, with 18th place in Mexico (sixth in the PWRC standings), but did not finish in Argentina, due to car trouble. In New Zealand, she became the first female driver to record a PWRC stage win, and was running in a consistent 18th/19th place, but her car caught fire, forcing her and Miriam to evacuate it and run away during stage 15. Neither was hurt. They had a functional car again for Germany, but went out on the second stage with a mechanical problem.

In 2013, she acquired a Skoda Fabia WRC car, which, after she got used to it, was used to great effect in Swedish rallies. Her first two events, the Tractive Rallysprint and the Vinterpokalen, were distinctly underwhelming in terms of results, but by the time the Östersund Winter Rally came around, Ramona had got to grips with the Fabia, and was ninth overall. Over the season, she just kept getting better, finishing sixth in the South Swedish Rally, fifth in the Snapphanerallyt and third in the East Sweden Rally. Her season culminated in her first win, in the Uppsala Rally. She was runner-up in the Swedish championship.

For 2014, Ramona decided to move away from rallying, despite her success in 2013. She raced in the World Rallycross Championship, as its first female driver. As a way to raise funds for this, she offered her services as a taxi driver to Swedish marketing people in December 2013.

Her first year as a rallycross driver was hard-going, going straight into the Supercar class, and competing against former WRC stars, such as Petter Soblerg, and experienced rallycross professionals. She used both a Saab 9-3 and a Peugeot 208. She was only 39th in the championship, scoring some points at the Montalegre round. She did not enter all of the races, and had a mid-season gap where she switched teams.

In 2015, she continued in rallycross, and drove a Volkswagen Scirocco, run by her own RamonaRX team. This was the first time a female-run team had entered the World Rallycross Championship, although she only got to enter one round, in Sweden. She spent most of the season in the European Supercar series, where she was 23rd overall, with a best finish of fourteenth, in Germany.

She sat out the 2016 competition season, due to pregnancy, but remained involved in motorsport as the Marketing Director for the World Rallycross Championship.

In 2017, she returned to rallycross, and earned several top-ten finishes in the Nordic RallyX championship. Her car was a Volkswagen.

She sat out 2018 due to pregnancy.

She is a member of the FIA's Women In Motorsport Commission.

 (Image from www.uppsalabilder.se)