Michelle Gatting

Michelle Gatting is a Danish driver who has won races in single-seaters and saloons. In 2019, she entered Le Mans for the first time.

She began racing in 2011, after winning two Danish karting titles. A Formula Ford was her first senior racing car and she wasted no time in getting on the pace, finishing fourth in her first race. During the second half of the season, she was a constant presence on the podium and won her first race at Sturup. She was third in the championship.

In 2012, she moved to the VW Scirocco-R Cup in Germany, supported by the FIA Women in Motorsport commission. This was the first of two seasons in the series. She was eleventh in her first year, and fourth in the Junior standings after one class win. She also drove a Scirocco in the Merdeka Endurance Race in Malaysia, but did not finish.

Her second season was much more successful and she became one of the championship’s quickest drivers, managing four podium finishes. These were a third and three seconds early in the season. She was fifth overall.

In 2014, she moved into sportscar racing, and raced in the Porsche Carrera Cup in Germany. Her best result was 15th, in Oschersleben. Towards the end of the season, she did two rounds of the International GT Open. She was eleventh in one race at Spa in an Audi R8 LMS Ultra.

She did not race competitively in 2015, but she did test a Thundersports car, with a view to entering the championship in 2016. Her debut Thundersports season in 2016 was a good one; she scored one win, at Bellahoj, as well as two second places, finishing eighth in the championship. Her car was a Dodge Challenger.

2017 was another strong season, with seven podium finishes and seventh in the Thundersports championship.

In 2018, she raced a BMW in Supertourisme in Denmark, continuing her good run of form. She was third in the championship with three wins, at Rudsborg and Padskogen.  

Later in the season, she joined the Kessel team for the Gulf 12 Hours, having proven her mettle in big-engined, powerful cars. Kessel was running an all-female team. They were second in class and sixth overall. This led to an offer of a drive in Europe with Kessel, including the Le Mans 24 Hours. The team, consisting of Michelle, Rahel Frey and Manuela Gostner, is supported by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission.

The FIA WiM also supported Michelle in joining another all-female team for the Sepang round of the Asian Le Mans Series, in a Ligier LMP3 car. Her team-mates were Margot Laffite and Katherine Legge. They were running as part of Keiko Ihara’s R24 team, which had two female-crewed cars in the race. Michelle’s team was eighth in the LMP3 class.

Michelle was initially named as a candidate for the inaugural W Series women’s Formula 3 championship, but dropped out in favour of joining the Kessel team and racing at Le Mans. She was one of the Kessel "Iron Dames" with Rahel Frey and Manuela Gostner. They scored the first finish for an all-female team at Le Mans itself for about ten years, ahead of the "sister" Iron Lynx car of their male team-mates. Although the Dames were troubled by their share of car-related difficulties in the European Le Mans Series, they still managed second places in class at Silverstone and Paul Ricard, leaving them fourth in the GTE class overall.

The Iron Dames entered the Gulf 12 Hours again in 2019 and were closing on third place with Michelle in the car. A collision with a backmarker who did not let the faster car through in time put them out of the race.

Driving solo, Michelle did some rounds of the Denmark Super GT championship, driving an Oreca-powered prototype. She won twice at Bellahoj and also picked up a fourth at the same track.

The Iron Dames returned in 2020. They entered the ELMS and although it was not an easy season, they were fifth in the GTE class with three third places at Paul Ricard and Monza. Once more they out-scored their Iron Lynx "brothers".

The three Dames were 34th overall when Le Mans finally ran in September and were eleventh in the LMGTE Am class. This was a second straight finish for the team.

By herself but still part of the "Iron" setup, Michelle did part of the European Ferrari Challenge in Italy. She won the Trofeo Pirelli at Misano and was second at Misano and Imola. Despite only doing half of the season, she was sixth overall.

She also tried out touring cars in the Danish TCR series, driving a 309 for the Peugeot team. Unfortunately she did not finish her two races at Jyllandsringen.

2021 was her best year yet. The Iron Dames ran her in WEC, ELMS and the Ferrari Challenge. Driving an Iron Lynx "Scuderia Niki" 488, she won the first round of the Ferrari Challenge at Monza. Two more wins and a long string of pole positions and podiums meant that she won the championship outright.

Her three WEC outings included a class 13th place at Le Mans with Rahel Frey and Sarah Bovy, 36th overall. They also competed in the Portimao and Monza rounds. The Iron Dames team was ninth in the ELMS LMGTE championship after two third places at Portimao and Spa, with Michelle at the wheel.

She also made some appearances in the FIA Endurance Trophy, in the Iron Dames Ferrari.

The Dames stayed together in 2022. Michelle did five of the six rounds of the WEC for the team, with Doriane Pin and Christina Nielsen subbing for her and Sarah Bovy at Spa. Their best finishes in the large GTE class were two seventh places at Monza and Fuji and they were 14th overall. 

The season included Le Mans itself. It was far from an easy race for Michelle, Rahel and Sarah, but they were the leading Iron Lynx Ferrari crew and finished 40th, seventh in the GTE Am class. 

It was in the European Le Mans Series GTE Trophy where they really shone. The season began with a fourth a Paul Ricard that was almost a debut podium. They were second in the fifth round at Spa, then won the final race at Portimao, their first win. The Dames were third in the championship.

They went one better in the Gold Cup section of the Fanatec GT World Challenge, finishing second. This time, they were second at Paul Ricard and won at Spa.

The three main Dames stayed together for 2023, helped out by Doriane Pin. The established team had a pair of new cars: a Porsche 911 for WEC and a Lamborghini Huracan for IMSA and the Fanatec GT World Challenge. WEC and the Porsche proved to be the best combination, winning the LMGTE Am class at Bahrain at the end of the season. A third at Portimao earlier and some solid fourth places helped them to second in the class championship, in the final season of LMGTE competition. They were fourth in class at Le Mans after running much higher for much of the race but losing ground in the last few hours.

The Dames's IMSA season was limited to four rounds. Michelle and Rahel were 18th in the Daytona 24 Hours and eleventh at Sebring. They also raced at Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta, in commons with many other GTD teams who did not run the full season. Sebring remained their best finish. 

Their GT Wold Challenge season was affected by an early retirement from the Spa 24 Hours, which counted for three of the six point-scoring rounds. Their best result was 28th place overall at Monza, the first race of the season.

Michelle was an integral part of Iron Dames for WEC season in 2024, as well as most of the ELMS championship and some IMSA rounds. Although the Dames - Michelle, Rahel and Sarah - had their share of DNFs in their Porsche, they picked up a historic LMGT3 class win at Imola, and then a second place in the season-ending Algarve race. They were fourth in the LMGT3 championship.

For her other racing efforts, Michelle drove a Lamborghini Huracan, beginning with the season-opening Daytona 24 Hours. The Dames were sixth in the GTD class, 25th overall, assisted by Doriane Pin. The original trio did not finish the Sebring 12 Hours, or the Watkins Glen IMSA race, dropping out after an accident.

The Lamborghini took Michelle and Sarah to eighth place in the LMGT3 class of that year's WEC. Rahel and Doriane did not do a full season with them. Michelle, Sarah and Rahel were fourth in class at Le Mans, 32nd overall, one of their best class finishes. They were also fifth at Spa, after taking the LMGT3 pole, and fifth at Fuji. 

The Dames' 2025 IMSA season was cut short after the Daytona and Sebring races. Michelle, Sarah and Rahel were eighth in class at Daytona (with Karen Gaillard as fourth driver) and eleventh at Sebring. The team was supposed to return later in the year with another car, but this did not happen.

Michelle, Rahel and Celia Martin were the core trio for the Iron Dames' Manthey Porsche-based attempt on the LMGT3 class in the WEC. It was a somewhat disappointing year, with their best result, and only top five, being a class fourth at Sao Paolo. At Le Mans itself, Michelle broke her foot practicing driver changes during an official test day, so Sarah stepped back in.

A Dames team contested the ELMS again that year and it was their most successful entry. Michelle, Sarah and Celia raced a Porsche 911 together in the LMGT3 class. They scored one class win at Barcelona, finished every race and were third in the final round at Portimao, coming fourth in the championship.

The Iron Dames WEC programme was cancelled at the end of 2025. Although the team itself will carry on in motorsport, Michelle's future plans are not clear. 

(Image copyright Kessel Racing)

Natalie Decker

Natalie Decker made history in 2018 by becoming the first woman driver to start the Daytona ARCA race from pole. She was fifth overall.

This was the start of her second season in ARCA with the Venturini team, who ran her in seven races in 2017, driving a Toyota. Her best finish was seventh, at Elkhart Lake, and she also finished in the top ten at Pocono, the race before.

She did almost the full ARCA championship in 2018, nine top-ten finishes from 20 races, including two fifths at Daytona and Elko. She only missed the Michigan round after undergoing surgery for a hernia.

Her first attempt at a major race was in 2016. She tried to qualify for a Camping World Trucks race at Martinsville in 2016, after being supported by the Alan Kulwicki driver development programme. She did not qualify. She was part of a three-woman Decker family team, with her older cousins Claire and Paige. The two sisters just managed to qualify.

She returned to the Trucks series in 2019, driving for David Gilliland. Her first race ended in a crash. By her third, at Las Vegas, she was into the top twenty for the first time with a thirteenth place.

At the end of 2018, she was announced as one of 60 drivers on the longlist for the women-only W Series Formula 3 championship, despite having no single-seater experience. She made the initial cut and went on to test an actual F3 car in Spain, although she was not selected for the races themselves..

It was back to Trucks for the 2019 season proper. 2019 was not a vintage year for Natalie or her N29 team; eight crashes dented her chances somewhat. Her best finish was a thirteenth place at Las Vegas.

She crashed out of her K&N Pro Series East guest appearance, but her first of two ARCA races gave her a sixth. This was at Daytona at the start of the year.

Daytona was her lucky track again in 2020. She entered the Gander Outdoors Truck series and qualified 30th for the first round at the Florida track, but she fought her way to fifth. Unfortunately, the rest of her thirteen-race season did not go to plan. Her next-best finish was a 20th place at the Daytona road course. Having admitted in 2019 that she was affected by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, her illness kept her away from the track for part of the year and meant she was not racing at 100%.

2021 brought some new challenges. She moved up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for five rounds, usually in Chris Our's Chevrolet. It was a difficult season and her best finish was in her last race at Martinsville, where she was 25th.

Away from stock cars, she had more success with Trans Am, which she had tried in 2020. She raced an Audi R8 LMS at Watkins Glen and Circuit of the Americas, picking up two second places and a fourth.

Her Trans Am career continued in 2022 with her debut win in the Audi. The Charlotte victory was her only outing in the series. Her stock car activities were limited, sometimes by illness, but she continued to appear in the Xfinity Series. Although she did not qualify at Daytona or Talladega and her car was taken over by Chad Finchum at Dover, she did qualify for three races. These were at Martinsville, Nashville and Atlanta, with the best of these being Atlanta, where she was 27th.

There was limited racing for her in 2023, but two of her events were more outings in the Xfinity Series. She was 34th at Charlotte, driving for Bobby Dotter's team, but did not finish at Daytona after crashing out fairlt early. She was driving for Emerling-Gase Motorsports this time. Dotter gave her another drive at Homestead, but she did not qualify. 

Emerling had already run her once at Daytona. She did the season-opening ARCA race and was fourteenth overall. 

Her 2024 season was a short one, consisting of two Xfinity races, at Daytona and Charlotte. She was 18th at Daytona and 29th at Charlotte. She had different sponsors and car owners each time. Part-way through the year, she announced her pregnancy and took a break from competition.

After her maternity leave, she did one more Xfinity race in 2025, the mid-season Daytona round. She finished on the lead lap, 22nd overall.

She was part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity programme in 2015 and has competed in late models and local truck and stock car events since 2013.

(Image from http://speedsport.com)

Hailie Deegan

Hailie Deegan is the first female driver to win a race in the K&N Pro Series.

Hailie, born in 2001, only began racing seriously in 2017. She finished two CARS Super Late Model Tour events and was unspectacular, if reliable. Her career only really got started in 2018, when she signed up for a full season in the K&N Pro Series West, driving Bill McAnally’s Toyota. She was still only 16. In her early teens, she had been a successful off-road racer with junior titles to her name.

Her season began with a promising seventh place at Bakersfield, then it wasn’t long before the “firsts” began to stack up. She earned her first top-five finish two months later, coming in fourth at Orange Show and then fifth at Colorado. Her first pole position was at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track; she finished second. However, her next race, at Meridian, yielded her first win, from fourth on the grid. Before the end of the season, she had racked up another pole at Bakersfield and two top-ten finishes.

As well as the Western Pro Series, she did some rounds of the Eastern championship. This was far less successful, beginning with a non-finish at Smyrna due to electrical problems and ending with crashes at Iowa and Gateway. In between, she managed a best finish of thirteenth at Memphis.

Away from championship races, she won a heat of the 2018 Star Nursery series at Las Vegas. A second attempt at the Star Nursery in February 2019 led to a fourth place, from pole.

2019 started with the first race of the Pro Series East championship, at New Smyrna. Again, Hailie had to retire her Toyota with electrical problems. Back in the West series at her favoured Vegas track, she earned another win after a last-lap dash to the front. She had started from eighth on the grid. She won again at Colorado, from fourth, and was second at Roseville from pole. In all, she scored six podiums during the season and was third in the championship.

Her part-season in the Pro Series West was not as stellar, often due to non-finishes. She started with a pole at Smyrna, but could only finish 16th after electrical problems. She was ninth at Bristol and Gateway, her best Western results of the year.

In 2020 she concentrated on the ARCA Menards Series, running in David Gilliland's Ford for the full season. It was a strong season with two second places at Daytona and Springfield, plus two further top-five finishes. The only time she was out of the top ten was when she did not finish, which was a fairly uncommon occurrence. She was third in the championship.

She also did her first race in the NASCAR Truck series in 2020. It was a single-race deal for the Kansas event and she was 16th overall, having started in 34th place.

The Truck series was her main on-track home in 2021 and she did all 22 rounds. Mostly, she ran in the mid-field and managed to stay out of trouble, although she did show some flashes of speed, especially in qualifying. The Gateway oval was her best circuit and she was a season's-best seventh there.

Another full season in Craftsman Trucks beckoned in 2022, with David Gilliland's team. It was another mid-ranking season, but she managed a career-best sixth at the Talladega Superspeedway. This was her second top-ten of the year after a tenth place at Mid-Ohio.

She also made her debut in the Xfinity Series at Las Vegas, in Bobby Dotter's car. She was thirteenth, from 35 finishers.

A full-time move back to Trucks followed. The 2023 season started badly with crashes at Daytona and Las Vegas, but she was twelfth at Atlanta from 32nd on the grid. Her first top ten was two races later, at Fort Worth, followed by thirteenth at Bristol from sixth on the grid. She had a mid-season slump, although she remained a consistant finisher, but did get back on the pace at Talladega, finsihing eighth. She was 19th in the championship.

Her season in 2024 comprised just over half of the Xfinity Series. It started badly with a crash at Daytona and she was not really on the pace all year, although she did manage a best finish of twelfth at Talladega. This was one of four top-twenty finishes that year, from thirteen races.

Late in 2024, she announced that she would be moving into single-seaters in 2025, racing in the Indy NXT championship for the HMD team. It was a challenging year for her; she had a good finishing record despite becoming involved in occasional tangles, but her best finish was an eleventh place at Laguna Seca and she finished the year in fourteenth place.

Hallie’s on-track nickname is “Dirt Princess”. She returned to her dirt-track roots in 2021, racing a SxS vehicle in both the Nitro Rallycross and Camping World SRX Series. She was fourth and fifth in the two finals at the rallycross event, held at The Firm in North Carolina.

Her father is motocross racer Brian Deegan.

(Image from https://hometracks.nascar.com)

Rachele Somaschini

Rachele at the 2018 Monza Rally Show

Rachele Somaschini is a race and rally driver from Italy, who drives a Mini. She is the first driver with cystic fibrosis to take part in a World Championship rally.

She started competing in 2012, when she was 18, using a historic Alfa Romeo that belonged to her father. Her first events were hillclimbs.

In 2015, she began racing a BMW Mini, competing in the Italian Hillclimb championship.

In 2016 she took on the Mini Cooper Challenge on the track, and various Italian rallies. She won her class in the Mini Challenge and in the Italian hillclimb series. In rallies, she scored five class wins in Rally Show-type events, with a best overall finish of 22nd (out of 46), at the Motors Rally Show Pavia.

She teamed up with experienced co-driver Alessandra Benedetti in 2017, for more rally shows. Together they tried out a Peugeot 207 S2000 car as well as the Mini.

In 2018, she tackled the Sanremo Rally in a Peugeot 208 R2, finishing 30th. She also drove the Mini and a Citroen DS3 during the year, winning her class at the Adriatico and Due Valli events in the Citroen. It was in this car that she she scored a ninth place in the Tandalo-Vetture Rally, a single-stage hill-based event on gravel. Her first run in an R5 car was at the Monza Rally Show in December, where she was 70th overall in a Peugeot 208 T16..

Her first WRC rally was the 2019 Monte. She was classified 63rd overall in a Citroen DS3 R3T after a solid run, although only the top 56 finishers were permitted to take on the final stages.

She was invited to take part in the W Series all-female Formula 3 championship in 2019, but declined due to worries over her health and a desire to carry on with rallies, which she did throughout the year. She mostly used the DS3 and it was in this car that she had her best result: fifteenth in the Targa Florio Rally. She ended the year the ACI Italian ladies' champion and fourth in the Italian 2WD championship.

Late in the season, she tried R5 power for the first time, driving a Skoda Fabia at the Monza Rallyshow. She was 47th, against some highly experienced WRC drivers.

The 2020 season was shortened due to coronavirus, but Rachele remained busy despite her vulnerability. She entered the Monte again in her DS3 and was 61st overall. At the end of the season she took part in a second WRC rally, the Rally Monza, finishing in 42nd place out of 71 finishers. Her car this time was a Citroen C3 R5.

Most of her rallying was in Italy, but she also travelled to Latvia for the Rally Liepaja, an ERC round. She was meant to compete in the Rally of Hungary in a Renault Clio, but had to pull out due to an arm injury. Her other ERC outing was the Rally di Roma Capitale, in which she was 58th, driving a Rally4-spec Peugeot 208, the same car she used in Latvia. 

A packed schedule in 2021 led to an Italian Ladies' championship in the Citroen, with many credible performances along the way. She began the year with a 14th in the Rallye Terra Valle del Tevere, the first of seven top-twenty finishes in stage rallies for her. Her best finish of these was ninth in the Rally of Sardinia and she followed it with eleventh in the San Marino Rally. She did two ERC events, the Rally di Roma Capitale and her first run in the Azores Rally, in which she was 22nd after having to rejoin under SuperRally rules. Her second WRC Rally Monza ended with a 32nd place finish (out of 67).

Her best result of the year was in the Tandalo Vetturi single-stage rally, in which she had previously run well. She was second overall.

2022 was another busy year, with ERC, Italian and TER Italian championship rallies in the Citroen. After a bad ERC start, losing a wheel in the Serras de Fafe Rally in Portugal, but she was then 22nd in the Azores (from 42 finishers) and 16th in the Canary Islands, from 79. This was followed by some domestic success: tenth in the Rally Valle d'Aosta and twelfth in the San Marino Rally. Her best rally result was a fifth place in the Rally Terra Sarda, although she was also fourth in the Memorial Nicolo Imperio-Vetture event, a rallysprint.

Health problems prevented Rachele from entering all the rallies she wanted to in 2023, but it was still a busy season for her. She was the leading female driver in the TER championship, with a best finish of eleventh overall, driving the DS3 in the Rally Terra Valle de Tevere. She also secured an Italian ladies' title and was ninth in the Promotional class of the Italian rally championship with four top-twenty finishes, including 15th place in the Sanremo Rally. Another ERC season led to finishes in the Rally di Roma Capitale, Rally of Scandinavia, Poland, Canary Islands and Portuguese rallies. The best of these were Roma and Scandinavia (held in Sweden), where she was 24th overall both times. 

More European action in the C3 followed in 2024. She held her TER ladies' crown and was also the winner of the TER overall championship. This was largely down to a championship class win in the Fthiotidos Rally in Greece, where she was third overall. She was also sixth in the TER class of the Sierra Morena International Rally in Spain and seventh in the Rally Terra Sarda, where she was eleventh overall. 

In 2025, she secured backing to compete in the Rally2 section of the WRC, driving a C3. Her programme included five WRC rallies, starting with the Monte and Sweden, the the Canary Islands, Portugal and Sardinia. The best of these for her was Sardinia: she was 31st overall and 16th in the Rally2 class. 

Later in the year, she entered the C3 into the Rally Roma Capitale, finishing 38th, but by now, she was preparing for her next big adventure. She was signed up for an all-female team for the Dakar, driving in the Truck class.

Rachele uses her rallying as a way of raising awareness for cystic fibrosis, fronting a campaign called “Correre Per Un Respiro” (Racing For A Breath). She maintains her health and fitness through regular sessions with a specialist personal trainer, as well as the home- and hospital-based therapies used by many people with CF. In 2021, she began treatment with a new drug regime which may allow her to live more normally.

(Image from https://motorsport.motorionline.com)

Female Rally Drivers After 1950: Portugal

Joana Barbosa and Sofia Mouta in 2018

Carla Costa now has her own profile.

Ligia Albuquerque – Portuguese driver who started off in the navigator’s seat, in 1989. She co-drove mainly for Vasco Campos, before taking the wheel herself in 1998. For two seasons, she rallied in the SEAT Ibiza Cup in Portugal, with a best overall finish of 18th, in the 1998 Casinos do Algarve Rally. After that, she did some cross-country rallying and made occasional appearances as the course car driver in Portuguese rallies, before returning to stage-based competition in 2015. She took part in the Portuguese Ladies’ Trophy, both as a driver, and as a co-driver to Isabel Ramos. Driving a Citroen DS3, she was second in the Praia da Vitória Rallysprint. In both 2022 and 2023, she did one rally in Portugal in a historic Mini Cooper.

Joana Barbosa - Portuguese Ladies’ rally champion in 2017 and 2018. Both years, her main car was a Ford Fiesta R3T. 2017 was the more successful year overall for her, with four top-twenty finishes. She also entered one WRC rally, the Rally of Portugal, but retired before the third day. Previously, she drove a Fiat 500 Abarth, in which she managed three top-ten finishes in 2016. The best of these was ninth in the Rally Vila Nova de Cerveira, from 20 finishers. In 2019, she earned her first top-ten finish, an eighth place in the Vieira do Minho Rally. Shortly afterwards, she changed back to driving the Fiat and was not quite as fast. Her normal co-driver is Sofia Mouta.   

Margarida Barbosa – has competed on and off in Portuguese rallies since 2011. Her first car was a Citroen C2, and it was in this car that she was ninth in her first major rally, the CAM Rally Festival. In 2012, she used three small cars: the Citroen, a Ford Fiesta and a Renault Clio. Her best result came in the Citroen – fourth in the Rali Santo Thyrso. The Clio was also a good car for her, as she achieved three more top-ten finishes in it. Between 2012 and 2014, she did not rally much at all, although she did manage a twelfth place and class win in the Bombeiros Rallysprint in 2014, driving a Citroen DS3. At some point, she did some sportscar racing. In 2015, she contested the Citroen DS3 Challenge. She was third in the championship, with one class win, in the Viana do Castelo Rally. Her best overall finish was thirteenth, in the Sernancelhe Aguar da Beira Rally.

Vera Cardoso - Portuguese driver who usually rallies a Fiat Uno. She has used this car in events in her home championship since 2016. Her best result in it so far has been a 21st place in the 2017 Pedras Salgadas Regional Rally, although she did manage a class X1-8 podium in the 2016 Uniao Rally. She rallies on asphalt exclusively, like many other Spanish and Portuguese drivers. Her most frequent co-driver is Ana Rita Faria, although Helena Maia sat with her more in 2019. The Fiat was swapped for a Citroen Saxo in 2021. Her best finish in it was a twelfth place in the Rally de Resende - Douro Verde. She came out again for a couple of rallies in the Saxo in 2023, and more in 2024, plus the Aves Especial Sprint in 2025.

Mariana Carvalho – competed extensively in Portugal between 2009 and 2013, before reappearing in the Portuguese Ladies’ Trophy in 2015. Her first rally car was a Suzuki Ignis, and she was third in the Portuguese Junior championship in 2009. Her best overall was a fifth place, in the Rali Vila Nova de Famalicão. After that, she switched to a Peugeot 206, a car she still uses today. In 2010, she scored her first top –twenty finish, a 17th place in the Rali Cidade de Gondomar, and by 2013, she was a regular top-twenty driver, with a best finish of fifteenth, in the Rali Cidade de Guimarães. After a break, she returned to the stages in 2015. She won the Ladies’ Trophy in the Rali Vidreiro, in which she was tenth overall, and was second in that year's Ladies' championship. She was also twelfth in the Rallye Serras de Fafe. In 2016, back in mixed competition, she was 49th in the Rali BVF de Vila Nova de Famalicao, in a Citroen C2. She did some more rallies in the C2 in 2017, picking up a 20th place in the Castelo Branco Rally. Her only event in 2018 was the Famalicao Rally, driving the C2. She was 38th.

(Ana) Sofia Correia - Portuguese driver who appears to have started rallying in 2008, after some years of karting. Her first car was a Skoda Fabia. In 2009, this was upgraded to a Peugeot 206 GTI, and in 2010, she continued to use this car. Her activities are centred around the Madeira Rally Championship, including the Rali Vinho de Madeira, a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. As a Madeira resident, this is her home rally. Her co-driver was Susana Sousa. She did not compete in 2011, but returned in 2012, driving a Citroen C2. She rallied in the Madeira championship, and finished in the top ten in five out of her seven events. In 2013, she was in the top ten for four of her five Madeiran rallies, with a best finish of sixth in the Rali Municipio do Funchal. She was sixth in the Madeira championship. In 2016, she rallied a Renault Clio, and was tenth overall in the Circuito Municipio de Calheta.

Carolina Costa - competed in the Madeira Rally Championship in 2009, assisted by navigator Rubina Goncalves. Their car was a Group N Renault Clio. During this year, she took part in the Vinho Rali Madeira, a round of the IRC, but retired with mechanical problems. She does not appear to have competed in 2010 or 2011, but was back on the stages in 2012, driving a VW Golf. She appears to have entered the Funchal Rally, but the result cannot be found.

Joana Fernandes - began rallying in 2006, in the Toyota Yaris Cup of Portugal. She soon became one of the leading lady drivers, and continued to a Coupe des Dames in 2007, navigated by Sofia Pereira. In 2008, she switched to a Citroen Saxo, which she has used ever since. Her rally activities are mainly centred around her home island of Madeira, and she has taken part in the Rali Vinho Madeira on four occasions, and had a best finish of 37th in 2007.

Marlene Ferreira – Portuguese driver based in the Azores. In 2015, she began rallying in the Azores Ladies’ Championship, in a Renault Clio. This was exchanged for a Megane after her first rally, the all-female Praia da Vitória Rallysprint. Her best finish was third, in the women-only Especial Sprint da Riviera. She did one rally in the main Azores championship: the Rally Além Mar, in which she was 21st. In 2016, she entered the Azores Ladies’ series again, still driving the Megane. She won the championship, taking two wins in the Riviera and Motorshow rounds.  She entered the Azores Ladies' championship again in 2017, scoring several second places in the Megane.

Carla Guimarães - Portuguese driver, active in the early 1990s. She drove a Citroen AX in Portuguese rallies in 1991. Although she had some non-finishes due to accidents, her highlight of the year was an eighth place in the Rali Sintrense. She changed the Citroen for a Nissan Sunny GTI-R in 1992, but did not finish either of her major events, due to mechanical trouble. She does not appear to have continued in rallying after 1992.

Marta Neves – Portuguese driver currently competing in the Portuguese Ladies’ Rally Trophy. She began rallying in 2009, in a Citroen Saxo, and had a best result of ninth in her first season, in the Cidade de Gondomar Rally. In 2008 and 2009, she used a Peugeot 206, and managed another top-twenty finish, 19th in the 2009 Gondomar event. This earned her some points in the Portugal Open championship. After a break, she returned to rallying in 2013, driving a Peugeot 205 and 306 at the CAM Rally Masters Festival, before re-entering the championship, usually driving the 306. Her best result was 23d, in the Guimarães Rallysprint, where she won her class. She also won her class in the União Rallysprint. This was enough for a class runner-up spot at the end of the season. In 2015, she achieved one fifth place in the all-female Praia da Vitória Rallysprint, and a class win, with a 17th place overall, in the Cidade de Guimarães Rally. Her car is a Citroen Saxo. She was fifth in the Ladies' championship. In 2016, still in the Saxo, she switched to mixed competition, and had a best finish of 16th, in the Rali Nova de Cerveira. Her only 2017 event was the Penafiel Racing Fest, in which she was 22nd overall in the Saxo. She entered the Gondomar Rally in 2018 but did not finish.

Diana Pereira – took part in the Peugeot 206 Cup (Formula Peugeot), as part of the 2006 Portuguese Rally Championship. Her best overall result was 29th, in the Rally of Portugal. Her position within the Peugeot Cup was fourth, another season’s best. She ended the year just out of the top ten. After that, she has not rallied competitively, although she has driven the course car on a couple of occasions, once in a Mitsubishi Lancer. Her navigator was Inês Ponte. Diana is also known as a model.

Isabel Ramos - another Madeira-based driver. As well as the Madeira championship, she has also entered events on the mainland. She has been competing since at least 2002, when she drove a Toyota Yaris in the Rali Vinho Madeira. Much later, in 2007, she reappears with a Citroen C2. The C2 was retained the following year, and used in a number of events, including the Rali Vinho Madeira, until the 2009 Rali da Calheta, when it was changed for a Renault Clio R3. This has been her regular car since then, into 2011. Her best result is 12th, in the 2010 Rali da Calheta. In 2012, she contested the Madeira championship, and was seventh or eighth in all of her events, apart from the Rali Vinho de Madeira, from which she retired. In 2014, she drove the Clio R3 in rallies in Madeira, including Rali Vinho da Madeira, a European championship round. She was twelfth. Her best outright result was fifth, in the Porto Santo Line Rally, and she achieved five more top-ten finishes, many of them class wins. She was the winner of the Portuguese Ladies' Trophy in 2015, after two class wins, and a victory in the all-female Praia da Vitória Rallysprint. In addition to this, she continued to perform strongly in the Madeira championship, winning the Ladies' and RC3 class titles in her Renault Clio. Her best overall finish was seventh, in the ZOOM-TRAP Rally. She defended her championships in 2016, and was eleventh in the Madeira championship, with four top-ten finishes. In 2017, she won another Ladies' title, and was fourteenth in the Madeira championship. She managed two tenth places, in the Maritimo Machico and Municipio de Santa Cruz rallies. In 2018, she was second in class in the Madeira championship with a best finish of eleventh in the Municipio de Sao Vicente Rally.

Celeste Roda - Portuguese driver who competed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her signature car was a Datsun 100A. Her best result was a 17th place in the 1980 Volta a Madeira, then a round of the European championship. She competed in the Madeira Rally at least five times during her career and also rallied in the Azores, taking part in at least two editions of the Sao Miguel Rally.

Daniela Rodrigues – Portuguese driver who has been rallying since at least 2009. Her first rally car was a SEAT Marbella. Between 2009 and 2011, she was part of the Portuguese Junior championship, finishing ninth in 2011. Her best result was eleventh, in the Santo Thyrso ConVida Rally. In 2012, she was eighth in the same event, driving a Citroen Saxo this time. In the same car, she was fifth in the CAM Rally Festival. Since then, she has continued to rally the Saxo. In 2013, she re-entered the Junior championship, and was fourth, after a thirteenth place in the Cidade de Guimarães. In 2014, she rallied mainly in the Azores, and in 2015, competed in the Portuguese Ladies Rally Trophy. Her best finish was third, in the all-female Praia di Vitória Rallysprint. She was also 16th in the Castelo Branco Rally, and won her class.  She won her region's Ladies' title in 2018, driving the Saxo, earning an eleventh place in the Amarante Baiao Rally. After a break, she brought the Saxo back out again in 2022.

Filipa Sanguedo – Portuguese driver active since 2011. Initially, she mainly entered rallysprints, first in a Ford Escort, then in a Peugeot 306. In 2013, she scored her first top-ten finish, a sixth place in the Mesão Frio Rallysprint, driving the 306. In 2014, she drove an Opel Adam Cup car in Portugal, and achieved three more top-ten finishes, including a ninth in the Rallye Aguiar De Beira Sernancelhe. She was also tenth twice, and won her class, in the Castelo Branco and Mortágua Rallies. This earned her fourth in the Centre Regional championship. In 2015, she rallied both the Adam and the 306, using the 306 in the Portuguese Ladies’ Trophy. She was fourth in the first round, the Praia da Vitória Rallysprint, competing against her usual navigator, Sofia Mouta, and sixth overall in the Trophy. The Adam was her preferred car for other Portuguese rallies. The best of these, for her, was the Águeda Rally, in which she was 18th overall. The Adam was somewhat unreliable in 2016, but it did help her to a seventh place in the Arganil Rally. She used it again in 2017, and was fourth in the Templarios Rally Classic. In 2018, she finished one of her three rallies in the Adam, coming 18th in the Vidreiro Rally. She finished both of her events in 2019, with a best finish of 19th in the Castelo Branco Rally.

Diana Soares - experienced co-driver from Portugal who has recently switched seats to drive herself. As a navigator, she competed often with Manuel Texeira in the Portuguese championship. In 2018, she started rallying her own Nissan Micra. Due to the car’s size and low power, it is not capable of challenging for wins, but she scored a pleasing fourth in class in the Vila Medieval de Ourem Rally. Her overall classification was 46th. She rallied the Micra again in 2019, entering three rallies. During 2020's limited season, she got out once, finishing 15th in the Rallye Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras in the Micra. In 2022, she rallied a Peugeot 206 and was twelfth in the Extra section of the Rali Montelongo Carlos Vieira.

Paula Veloso Amaral - Portuguese driver in the 1980s and 1990s. She entered five Portuguese championships, and contested her home World Championship round three times. The first time, in 1988, she was 31st, ninth in Group N, driving a Renault 11 Turbo. She returned in 1993 in a Lancia Delta Integrale 16V and was 26th, again ninth in class. In 1998 she did not finish in her Skoda Favorit. Her co-drivers were Cabral Serrano and Ariana Silva. She now works as a journalist.

(Image from http://www.direita3.pt/2018/joana-barbosa-com-jornada-aziaga-em-fafe/)

Junior Rallying

Alice Paterson and Amy McCubbin

Junior rallying for 14-17 year olds is a relatively recent innovation, mainly found in the UK and Scandinavia. Girls are often involved. Below are profiles of some of the youngest rally drivers in Europe.

Lina Björklund - currently competes in the Junior class of Swedish rallying. She started her rally career in 2013, in a Volvo 940, and was 53rd in her first event, the LRD-Ruschen. This was enough to attract the attention of Ramona Karlsson, who named her as one of her “Young Female Drivers”, who are being mentored by Ramona. In 2014, she undertook a wide programme of Swedish rallies, and enjoyed a best finish of eleventh, in the Föneruschen event. She also scored three Youth class wins, quite early in the season, and was a strong contender for the championship. She also managed another, separate class win in the Kullingstrofén, and was 75th overall. In 2017, she did not manage many rallies, but was twelfth in the Jamtrallyt, in the Volvo. Prior to taking up rallying, Lina competed on the circuits for three years, in the Renault Junior Cup. In 2012, she was second in the championship, with three wins.

Jenna McCann – Irish driver who came to prominence competing in the Junior championship in Ireland. In 2017, she won the Irish Junior Tarmac Championship. She started her 2015 campaign in a Peugeot 106, which gave her a best finish of sixth in the Cavan Stages Junior Rally, but became increasingly reliable. A Ford Fiesta R2 proved more reliable, and gave her two fifth places, in the Clare and Wexford Junior rallies. She was seventh in the championship overall, and the only female driver. A move into the Irish National Championship in 2016 led to a win her class in the Cavan Stages, finishing 47th overall. She finished all ten of her events. She won her first rally in 2017: the Cork 20 International Junior Rally. In 2018, she mostly took part in senior events in her Fiesta, in both Eire and Northern Ireland. Despite this, she went back to Junior competition for the early part of 2019, earning two more top-tens in Irish events driving the Fiesta. Later, she sampled the power of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX on the Cork Forest Rally, but did not finish. Although opportunities for competition were limited in 2020, she entered two more senior rallies in the Lancer, finishing the Carrick on Suir Rally in 21st place from 48 finishers. After a year's break, she returned in 2022 with a Ford Fiesta, in which she had a best finish of ninth in the Laois Rallysprint. A few more rallies in the Fiesta in 2023 led to an eleventh place in the Tipperary Sean Conlon Memorial Forest Rally. Back out in 2025, she was twelfth in the Mayo Forestry Rally and fourteenth in the Tipperary event. Her first experiences with rallying came from navigating for her father, James McCann, in 2013.

Letisha Conn - rallies in Scotland and Northern Ireland in junior events. She began in 2019, aged fourteen. Her car for the Northern Ireland Rallysport championship was a Citroen C1, and she managed a win at Aghadowey as well as a third at Nutts Corner. In Scotland, she normally drove a Peugeot 107, in which she was not quite as competitive, picking up two fourth places in the Condor and Crail Stages. She rallied in Irish gravel events in 2020, although her first outing, the Limerick Forest Rally, was stopped due to snow. She did not finish the Carrick on Suir Rally. Her last season as a junior gave her a first win, the 2021 Annabelle Tennant Miltown Junior Stages Rally. She was also second in the Albar Kames Trophy Junior event, driving a Skoda Citigo. Back in the C1, she tackled her first senior rally, the Boggeragh Rallysprint. 2022 was a mix of UK junior rallies and senior events and she used the Citroen, Skoda, C1, a Peugeot 106 and a Ford Fiesta. She brought the Fiesta out again for three more senior events in 2023, recording a best finish of 50th in the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally. She continued to compete in 2024, driving a BMW E87, in the UK and Ireland, although she had a lot of bad luck with reliability.

Amy McCubbin - active in junior rallies in the UK since 2016, when she was fourteen years old. In her first season, she was eleventh in the 1000 Junior Ecosse championship, driving a Nissan Micra. Her best finish was ninth in the ABR Travel Services Junior Rally. In 2017, she improved dramatically, and became a regular top ten finisher, despite swapping her Micra for a Skoda Citigo. Her best finish has been fifth, in the Granite Junior Stages, driving the Citigo. She was seventh in the 2017 Junior 1000 Ecosse Challenge. In 2018, she continued for another season as a junior, in the Citigo.

Kasia Nicklin - one of the youngest-ever rally drivers in the UK. She began rallying in 2010 in Junior F1000, aged fourteen. Her car was a Nissan Micra, and her best result was fourth in the Junior class, in the Hall Trophy Stages. In 2011, she continued in the same series and the same car, and was a more consistent top-ten contender, with multiple fourth places. In 2012, she continued in the Junior class, and achieved second places in the Honington and Woodbridge Stages. She was seventh in the junior class. She did three major rallies in 2013, in the Micra. Her best finish was 20th on the Woodbridge Stages, where she won her class. She does not appear to have competed in 2014, but she managed to get out again in the Micra in 2015. Her best result was 24th, second in class, in the Flying Fortress Stages. In 2021 she returned to action in the Micra, entering the Snetterton Stages. The car was replaced by a Ford Fiesta R2 for three more rallies in 2022, and three more in 2023, including a 17th place in the Lookout Stages Rally.

Alice Paterson - started rallying at the age of fourteen in 2016. She contested the 1000 Junior Ecosse Challenge and was twelfth overall, driving a Peugeot 107. Her best rally result was thirteenth, which she achieved on five out of her six rallies. She stuck with the same car for 2017 and earned some better finishes; four out of her five rallies have ended in top tens. The best of these was a fifth place in the 5 Star Junior Stages. Both Alice and Amy McCubbin spoke out in the Scottish papers against David Coulthard when he cast doubts on women’s ability to race cars. Her 2018 season was quite similar, although she did suffer a couple of retirements.

Erica Winning - took part in junior rallies in the UK in 2018, driving a Nissan Micra. She mostly competed in Scotland, in the Junior 1000 Ecosse Challenge. From seven events, all of which she finished, she managed four top-tens, the best of these being two ninth places in the Condor Memorial Gardens and 5 Star Junior Stages. 2018 was her first season as a rally driver. Her second gave her five top-ten finishes in junior events in 2019. After a break, she returned to competition in 2021, finishing fifth in the Mach 1 Junior Stages. She has since switched to co-driving.

(Image from http://www.soscc.co.uk)

Rallycross in Scandinavia

Magda Andersson

The Scandinavian nations produce many rallycross drivers and women get in on the action too, especially in the national championships. Camilla Antonsen and Susann Bergvall now have their own profile.

My Adolfsson - rallycross driver from Sweden. She raced in the Swedish junior championship in 2014, in a Vauxhall Corsa. Her first race came when she was still only 16. Due to car problems, she did not complete all the rounds. She was fifteenth overall in the NGK Masters, after finishing second in one of her qualifying races, then suffering more car trouble. Previously, she competed in Folkrace, from the age of fourteen, and she still races on occasion, in the Women’s class. Her 2015 season in the Swedish rallycross championship was badly affected by a leg injury to My, who sat out part of the year following surgery. At the end of the year, she returned for the season finale, driving her Corsa. She is or was part of Ramona Karlsson’s Young Female Drivers mentoring project. In 2017, she took part in Folkrace events and continued in the discipline.

Klara Andersson - winner of the Swedish 2150 class rallycross championship in 2021, driving a 1-series BMW. Later in the year, she entered the RX2e class of the FIA Rallycross championship, finishing fourth at Spa in her debut event. This followed a second place in the 2020 Swedish Junior Rallycross championship. 2020 was her third season in rallycross after several years of karting. She is a member of the Swedish Junior team and her sister, Magda Andersson, also competes in rallycross in Europe. In addition to rallycross, she tested an Extreme E car in Sardinia in October 2021. This led to an Extreme E seat with the Abt Cupra team in Chile and Uruguay, subbing for Jutta Kleinschmidt. She won her first X Prix in Uruguay. She was seventh in the 2022 World Rallycross RX1e championship, driving a PWR car. Her best finish was third in Portugal. She was called up for a full-time Extreme E drive for Cupra in 2023, sharing with Nasser al-Attiyah and Sebastien Loeb. She was sixth in the championship, with a best finish of third in Sardinia. In rallycross, she was seventh again in RX1e, finsihing fourth in Norway. It was a strong RX1 rallycross season for her in 2024, with a second place in Sweden and a third in Hungary, leading to sixth in the championship. The final Extreme E season wasn't quite as successful. She drove for the SUN Minimeal team with Timo Scheider and had a best finish of sixth in Scotland. For Extreme E's last tournament-style meeting in Saudi, called The Final Lap, she drove for Carl Cox Motorsport and finished eighth and sixth. She stayed with the team for the beginning of the Extreme H season.

Magda Andersson – Swedish rallycross driver who competes in the European championships. She began her rallycross career in 2012, at the age of fourteen, when she was second in the JRX (Junior Rallycross) Cup. After a couple of seasons in JRX and in the Swedish championship, she started racing in the Touring Car class of the ERC in 2015. Her car was a Ford Fiesta. She made her first final in the second round of the championship, at Lydden Hill, finishing fifth. She was then second at Estering in Germany, and third in her home race of Höljesbanan, which gave her fourth in the championship. She returned to the Touring Car championship for 2016 and won the first round. She was second in the category overall. In 2017, she changed car and team, to a Marklund Motorsport-run VW Polo. She entered the Supercar class for the first time, but found it hard going. Her best result was a sixth place in France and she was 16th in the championship. She maintained her 16th place in 2018, although she was deducted some points for a technical infringement on her Peugeot 208 by her team, Dubourg Auto. Following sponsorship issues, she decided to take a year out in 2019. She has since stepped back from competition to support her sister, Klara.

Pernille Brinkmann Larsen - competed in Danish rallycross in a Group N Citroen Saxo in 2018. This appears to have been her first season in the category, although it looks as if she did some folkerace events prior to her rallycross debut. She was eleventh in Group N in her first season, although she did not appear at all of the rounds. Later, she raced a Peugeot 309. She now appears to be involved in the administration of the Danish rallycross championship.

Malin Gjerstad - began her career in Norwegian autocross in 2009, winning three of her events, plus the Ladies’ and Junior title. Driving a SAAB 900, she continued in 2010, venturing over the border into Sweden for their junior rallycross championship, in which she was fifteenth overall. She also continued with autocross, alongside her father Morten. After sitting out most of 2011 due to pregnancy, she returned in 2012, driving an Opel Corsa. Her one points finish in the Norwegian Class 1 championship was a fourth place, at Gardermoen Motorpark. She was twelfth in the 2013 championship, with one third place. She was driving the Corsa. She drove the same car in the 2014 Norwegian championship.

Ada Marie Hvaal - Norwegian driver who competes in both rallycross and stage rallying. She began in rallycross in 2012, when she was 14, finishing second in the JRX European Rallycross Series. Her car was a Citroen DS3. By the time she was 16, she was racing in the Norwegian WRX rounds in a Renault Clio, before moving up to the Super 1600 class in 2014 in a Peugeot 207. She has also competed in the Nordic series in a VW Beetle and a Citroen C2 in the European Rallycross Championship. On the rallying side, she began entering Norwegian rallies in a Ford Fiesta in 2018. Her best result has been 39th in the 2019 Rally Hadeland, driving a Renault Twingo.  She continued to rally the Twingo in 2020, with a best finish of 40th in the Sigdalsrally.

Mathilde Lindrup - Danish driver who races a Honda Civic in her home country. She won the Danish Group N rallycross championship in 2018, with two final wins at Lovel and Ornedalen in the early part of the season. She was fifth in the same class in 2017. Mathilde began racing at fourteen in Folkrace events, using a Peugeot 306. She won the Danish championship for under-16s in 2016. She is from a rallycross family and competes alongside her brother Frederik. In 2020 she moved to Switzerland to work as an au pair and was signed for a karting team there.

Majbritt Linnemann - Danish rallycross driver who drives a Peugeot 208 or 106 in the Danish Super 1600 championship. She was third in the category in 2018, with a best finish of second at Korskro. During the year, the 106 had to be almost completely rebuilt after an accident, but she was able to resume racing. In 2019, it was back out and she was fourth in the Super 1600 class. She started in this car in 2017 with a part-season in the same class, although she raced a 206 for a couple of years previously. After the shortened 2020 season, she was third in S1600, and then second in 2022. She moved up to S2000 in 2023, driving a Peugeot. Majbritt is from a motorsport family and often competes against her brother Ulrik.

Lise Marie Sandmo - Norwegian driver who won the Norwegian Junior rallycross title in 2012, driving a Honda Civic, at the age of 18. She was the first female driver to do so. She was also fourth in the senior Northern European Zone 1600 rallycross championship, with a best finish of fifth. Her driving career began in 2010, in rallycross, and she was second in her first race. In 2011, she was fifth in the junior series, as well as competing in autocross at Junior level. 2013 saw her win a second Norwegian junior championship, as will as finishing seventh in the Northern Europe Super 1600 championship. Her car was the Civic. In 2014, she entered two rounds of the European Rallycross Championship, driving a VW Polo in the Super 1600 class. She scored one point. She drove the Polo in some rounds of the European S1600 championship again in 2015, but her season was marred by a pitlane accident involving her father. She did at least some NEZ championship races in 2016, but the results are proving elusive. In 2020, she completely dominated the Danish Super 1600 Rallycross championship, still driving a VW Polo.

Fanny Thrygg - Swedish driver who has been driving in rallycross across Europe since at least 2005. 2005 was her first season in the European Championship, and she was 33rd in Division 2, driving a Peugeot 306. She was 32nd the following year, after finishing ninth in France. She did not do as well in 2007 and was only 35th. A string of final finishes pushed her up to 19th in 2008, still in the ageing 306. She was thirteenth in 2009, after three points finishes. As well as the European championship, Fanny also races in Sweden and makes appearances in other European events, although she does not seem to have competed since 2009.

Camilla Traerup - rallycross driver from Denmark. She has been active in the Danish championship since at least 2011 and has been racing for longer, having started in folkerace events in an Opel Astra in 2007. For most of her rallycross career, she has driven a Group N Honda Civic, in which she was second in class in 2017. Her car in 2018 was a Mitsubishi Colt.

(Image copyright Magda Andersson)