Donna Mae Mims

July 15, 2015, 2:44 pm

"Think Pink"

Donna Mae Mims made history when she won the US National H-Production Championship in 1963, driving an Austin-Healey Sprite.

Her racing career began in 1960, with a few outings in SCCA Regional races, in a Chevrolet Corvette. That year, she was third in a Ladies’ race at Dunkirk. The car belonged to her husband, Helledger, who was involved in motorsport, although not a driver himself. She worked for the Yenko Chevrolet company, first as a secretary, then in the racing department, giving her considerable access to the automotive world. Later, she would race Yenko-modified cars.

The following season, Donna took to the tracks again in her own Corvette. She won her first race, a Ladies’ event at Cumberland, and also took part in her first SCCA National races. She was sixth in the Glen Trophy, at Watkins Glen.

She drove BMC cars for the next couple of seasons. 1962 was her first season in the Sprite, although it was rather an unremarkable year, with several DNFs. However, by 1963, she had got the car running to her liking, and was very competitive, with one win at Meadowdale, and three second places in SCCA National races. This was enough to earn her the H-Production Championship, the first time a full SCCA championship had been won by a woman. Her image on-track had always been very feminine: pink car, pink racing overalls and helmet, “Think Pink” emblazoned on her car, wig in her kit bag in case she needed to accept any trophies with “helmet hair”. After her win, she was seen less as a novelty act and taken more seriously.

With her championship win under her belt, she did her first major sportscar race, at the start of the 1964 season. Sharing a works Sprite with Al Pease, she entered the Sebring 12 Hours, but did not finish, due to a rear axle failure. The rest of the year was spent racing an MGB, which seems to have been a somewhat troublesome car. Donna managed one second place in an SCCA Regional race at Mid-America.

Donna preferred British cars during the early part of her career. True to form, she spent most of 1965 racing a Triumph TR3. In this car, she won another SCCA Regional race, at Nelson Ledges.

In 1966, she moved away from small British sportscars, and her racing career took a big step forward. She started the year with her first Daytona 24 Hours, driving a Sunbeam Alpine for an all-female Autosport team, comprising Donna, Janet Guthrie and Suzy Dietrich. They got the end, in 32^nd place. For the Sebring 12 Hours, she drove a Yenko Stinger for the Ring-Free Oil team, with John Luke. They did not finish. Later in the year, driving solo, Donna raced an unmodified Chevrolet Corvair. She did not qualify for the Mid-America Trans-Am race, but finished the Marlboro 12 Hours in 26^th, with Spurgeon May.

Donna and Suzy Dietrich teamed up again for the big early-season sportscar races in 1967. They drove an ASA 411, initially for the Baker Racing team, finishing the Daytona 24 Hours, but missing classification. For Sebring, they were running under the banner of the “Ring-Free Motor Maids”, driving the 411 to 25^th place, just behind their team-mates, Janet Guthrie and Liane Engeman. For the rest of the season, Donna raced a Yenko Stinger in SCCA competition, at National level.

1968 was a quieter year. She was not part of the “Motor Maids” roster this time, and raced a familiar Stinger at Daytona, with Michael Summers. They were not classified.

For the 1969 Sebring race, she was back in the Ring-Free team. Sharing a Sprite with Janet Guthrie and Liane Engeman, she was 23^rd, sixth in class.

The Ring-Free women’s team was shelved in 1970. Donna joined up with Flem-Cor Enterprises, alongside Jim Corwin. They drove a Chevrolet Camaro at Daytona, assisted by Fred Pipen, but did not finish. Racing as a duo, Donna and Jim were 21^st at Sebring.

After that, she raced only occasionally, in the bigger sportscar races, and always in a Chevrolet. Her last attempt at the Daytona 24 Hours came in 1971, driving a Chevrolet Vega for the Yenko team. She and her team-mates did not qualify. In 1973 and 1974, she shared a Camaro with Jim Corwin in some IMSA GT races, before retiring from the track.

Away from circuit racing, she also participated in the 1972 Cannonball Run, driving a Cadillac with timekeeping ace, Judy Stropus, and Peggy Niemcek. They were sponsored by “The Right Bra”, and promoted their sponsor’s product by wearing tight outfits, in an attempt to charm any irate traffic cops. They did not finish, after the car was destroyed while stationary.

The “Pink Lady” remained involved in motorsport as an official, and was regularly sighted at meetings, in her familiar pink outfits. She died in 2009, after suffering from a stroke, at the age of 82.

(Image from https://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/classic-life/turbo-lady-pink-donna-mae-mims)

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Heather Baillie (McAlpine)

July 19, 2015, 2:48 pm

≫ Next: Female Drivers at the Bathurst 12 Hours: the results

≪ Previous: Donna Mae Mims

Heather is a Scottish racer, active in the 1980s and 1990s. She was a race winner in different driving disciplines, and enjoyed modest success on the track.

Her career began in earnest when she won a season’s Kit Car racing in a driving competition, having been entered by her father. This was in 1984, when she was 19, and followed some sprinting and hillclimbing in a Formula Ford. Her Kit Car season, in 1985, resulted in a class second overall.

In 1987, she went back to single-seaters, and raced in Formula First, the entry-level formula of the time. The 1987 season was not the easiest, with a crash putting her out of the first round at Brands Hatch. However, her second year as a Formula First driver saw her make progress, with a best finish of fifth, and tenth in the championship. Her time in this series was marred by a pitlane accident involving another Formula First car, at Brands Hatch. The car was driven by a novice, whom Heather was actually instructing at the time. She broke both of her legs and had to take time out from racing.

In 1989, she had another go at single-seaters, in Formula Forward. This resulted in another best finish of fifth, and eighth in the championship.

During this time, she was also racing a Suzuki Swift in saloon races, including the Willhire 24 Hours, held at Snetterton, in 1988 and 1989. She won her class in 1988.

She was a race-winner in the Ford Fiesta championship of 1990, finishing third in the points. Her win came at Oulton Park. The same year, she mastered small saloons as well as much bigger machinery, winning a British truck racing championship. Her British truck record included three wins and three seconds, from six races. She raced in some European Truck championship rounds, too, and was fourth in one race at Paul Ricard.

1991 was again focused around saloons, and she raced a Ford Sierra Cosworth in the Production Saloon championship. Although she could not quite repeat her heroics of the previous year, she had a best finish of second, and was sixth overall in the championship.

In a surprise switch back to single-seater racing, she contested eight rounds of the Japanese F3 championship, in 1992. She was part of the She’s Racing team. This was not an easy season for Heather, who did not manage to score any points.

1993’s activities are not completely clear, but it seems that she did some more truck racing, in the British Chamionship. It is clear from pictures that she also took part in one European championship round, at Le Castellet, driving a Chris Hodge TRD. The results are not forthcoming.

Back in the Asia-Pacific area in 1994, she raced a Toyota Celica with Gwenda Searle, at the James Hardie 12 Hour race in Australia. They did not finish.

Heather’s last significant motorsport activity was winning two AC Cobra races in the UK in 1995, racing as Heather McAlpine, following her marriage. The same year, she was one of the instructors for the Daewoo Lady Driver competition.

Although she claimed in 2002 that she had not retired, she has not been seen competitively on the circuits since then. She has, however, been on them; in 1996, she started an all-female track day team, driving a SEAT Ibiza. Among her “fellow” drivers was Barbara Armstrong.

(Image copyright Rexscanpics)

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Female Drivers at the Bathurst 12 Hours: the results

July 21, 2015, 3:46 am

≫ Next: Women Drivers in the BTCC

≪ Previous: Heather Baillie (McAlpine)

Rahel Frey in the Audi pits in 2014

Despite its relatively short history, the Bathurst 12 Hours is one of Australia’s biggest motorsport events. It began in 1991 as an endurance race for touring cars, in the spirit of the original Bathurst 1000 races, which had, by then, become far more specialised. The race has had several incarnations, with different rules and classes. One year, 1995, it moved to Eastern Creek Raceway. In 2002, it was relaunched, after a hiatus, as a 24-hour race, but this proved unpopular, and it returned in its original format in 2007. Since then, it has incorporated classes for production saloons, touring cars and GT and sportscars.

Female drivers have been involved in the race almost from the start, and have scored several top-ten finishes. Some of Australia’s most accomplished women drivers have done well. In recent years, female participation has declined, but this may reverse in due course.

Here are the results of all female drivers in the Bathurst 12 Hours. As ever, in the case of a mixed team, the woman’s name comes first, for clarity. For profiles of some of the drivers involved, please click here.

1992

Melinda Price/Tracey Taylor/Michelle Callaghan (Nissan Pulsar SSS) – 17^th

Jane Taylor/Alf Grant/Peter Brierley (Holden VN Commodore S) – DNF

1993

Jane Taylor/Chris Wiles/Chris Clearihan (Citroen BX16) – DNF

1994

Michelle Callaghan/Brian Callaghan/Chris Symmonds (Toyota Corolla GTi) – 23^rd

Heather Baillie/Gwenda Searle (Toyota Celica ZR) – DNF

1995 (Eastern Creek 12 Hour)

Liz Hurst/Greg Hurst/Andrew Leithead (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 6^th

2002 (Bathurst 24 Hours)

Melinda Price/Herman Tilke/Peter Hansen (Honda S2000) – 14^th

Debbie Chapman/Dennis Chapman/Scott O’Donnell/Lindsay O’Donnell (BMW 318i) – DNF

2003 (Bathurst 24 Hours)

Heather Spurle/Martin Short/Patrick Pearce/Charles Lamb (Mosler MT900R) – 5^th

Liz Halliday/Andrew Donaldson/Ian Donaldson/Peter Floyd (Porsche 996 GT3-RS) – 7th

Melinda Price/Herman Tilke/Tim Harvey/Jonathon Rowland (Porsche 996 GT3-RS) – DNF

2007

Amber Anderson/Danielle Argiro/Helen Stig (Toyota Celica SX) – 21^st

Leanne Tander/Lauren Gray/Christina Orr/Samantha Reid (Holden Astra CDTi Turbo) – DNF

2009

Leanne Tander/Lee Burges/Terry Conroy (Honda Integra Type S) – 13^th

Lauren Gray/Rob Thomson/John de Veth (BMW 130i) – 26^th

Christina Orr/Heather Spurle/Molly Taylor (Subaru Impreza) – 27^th

2010

Leanne Tander/Terry Conroy/Gerry Burgess (Honda Integra Type S) – 13^th

Lauren Gray/Michael Gray/Tony Head (Toyota Corolla Sportivo) – 19^th

2012

Sarah Harley/Robert Thomson/Christian Klien (Lotus Exige) – 9^th

2014

Rahel Frey/René Rast/Laurens Vanthoor (Audi R8 LMS Ultra) – 5^th

(Image from http://www.iolandeskinner.com/at-work/)

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Women Drivers in the BTCC

July 23, 2015, 1:57 pm

≫ Next: Female Drivers in Truck Racing

≪ Previous: Female Drivers at the Bathurst 12 Hours: the results

Fiona Leggate as an MG driver, in 2007

The British Touring Car Championship’s present format began in 1987, as a renamed, streamlined version of the British Saloon Racing Championship. Although the previous championship (which will be covered in a future post) had attracted many female drivers over the years, the BTCC has been male-only for several seasons. The last female driver was Fiona Leggate, in 2007.

Below are the championship results of all female drivers in the BTCC.

1988

Barbara Cowell (Ford Escort RS1600/Toyota Corolla) – 19^th

1989

Louise Aitken-Walker (Vauxhall Astra GTE 16V) – 5^th

Nettan Lindgren (BMW M3) – 26^th

Barbara Cowell (Toyota Corolla) – unplaced

1990

Nettan Lindgren (BMW M3) – 10^th

1991

Nettan Lindgren (BMW M3) – 22^nd

1998

Paula Cook (Honda Accord) – unplaced

1999

Paula Cook (Honda Accord) – 19^th

2001 (Production Class)

Annie Templeton (Peugeot 306 GTi) – 19^th

Joanna Clarke (Honda Integra Type R) – 26^th

2002 (Production Class)

Annie Templeton (Peugeot 306 GTi) – 13^th

2005

Fiona Leggate (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) – 16^th

2006

Fiona Leggate (Vauxhall Astra Coupe) – 21^st

2007

Fiona Leggate (MG ZS) – unplaced

(Image copyright Simon Murphy)

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Female Drivers in Truck Racing

July 26, 2015, 10:00 am

≫ Next: Paola della Chiesa

≪ Previous: Women Drivers in the BTCC

Minna Kuoppala in 1995

Women drivers have enjoyed some success in truck racing, both in Europe, especially France, and in the Brazilian Formula Truck series. Heather Baillie, Divina Galica, Ellen Lohr and Stephanie Halm have all also competed in truck racing, in Europe.

Marcia Arcade– Brazilian driver who was the first woman to race in Formula Truck, in 1998. Her truck was a Scania, and she was not initially among the front-runners. She contested six races in 1998 and 1999. In 2001, she entered three more races, in a Ford truck, but again, did not challenge for wins. She was nicknamed “Furaçao”, or “Hurricane”.

Reinhilde Braun– German driver who raced in the European championships in the mid-1990s. Her first major season was 1994, and she was fifth in the Truck class. In 1995, driving a Mercedes, she finished eighth in the championship. In 1996, she ran her own racing team, with Sisu trucks and Minna Kuoppala as driver, with some success. Further details about Reinhilde’s career are proving hard to find. She may have also been involved in the haulage trade.

Jennifer Janiec– French driver who raced trucks in Europe between 2009 and 2011. In 2009 and 2010, she finished tenth in the French truck racing championship. In 2011, she took part in the European championship round at the Nürburgring, in a MAN. Her best finish was 16^th. Her first European outing was one of her first major truck races, in 2008. She was 17^th overall at Barcelona. In 2012, she was down as a reserve driver for the Le Mans truck race, but it is unclear whether she got to drive. She had raced at the event the year before. Previously, she raced single-seaters and small sportscars in France, including four seasons of Formula Renault, from 2007. She is from a family of truck racers, and her brother, Jean-Pierre, remains active in the sport.

Minna Kuoppala– Finnish driver active in truck racing in the 1990s. She raced in the European championships between 1994 and 1998. Her first season gave her eighth in the SuperTruck class. In 1995, she was ninth in the Super-Truck class. In 1996, she drove for Reinhilde Braun’s Mercedes team, finishing sixth in the Truck class. After a lull in competition, she was seventh in the Truck class in 1998. In 1993, she had won her class in the British championship, and was fourth in class B in the European series. Her trucks were usually Finnish-built Sisus. Earlier in her career, she raced single-seaters in Finland. In 1989, she was fifth in the Finnish Formula Ford 1600 championship. Even earlier, she competed in karting, against Mika Häkkinen and Taru Rinne.

Débora Rodrigues - truck racer from Brazil. She has been competing in Formula Truck since 1998, and in recent years, has driven in rounds of the Brazilian and South American championships. So far, she is the only woman to do so. Her best championship finish has been sixth, in 2006. She was tenth in the 2011 South American series. In recent years, her best race finish has been fifth, at Cascavel in 2012. In 2013, she managed another tenth in the South American championship, after running in both the Brazilian and SudAm series. Her race truck is always a Volkswagen. Away from truck racing, she is a TV presenter and former model. She also branched out into cars in 2013, entering two rounds of the Mitsubishi Lancer Cup. She returned to trucks in 2014, in a MAN, and raced in both championships. Her best finish in Formula Truck was a seventh place, in Buenos Aires. She was 16th in the championship.

(Image from http://www.kauppalehti.fi/)

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Paola della Chiesa

August 4, 2015, 2:02 pm

≫ Next: Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, up to 1973

≪ Previous: Female Drivers in Truck Racing

Marisa Zambrini and Paola della Chiesa, (first and second left), pose for photos with their team-mates in 1954

Paola della Chiesa mostly drove in rallies in Italy in the 1950s. She was associated most with the Lancia Aurelia, and was very successful in the women-only events of the time.

This Italian noblewoman, from Turin, competed both before and after World War II, often alongside her husband, Luigi. She began racing after her marriage, having been introduced to motorsport by her husband. Prior to this, she had not had much interest in cars.

They entered the 1938 Mille Miglia together, driving a Fiat 1100 Sport, but did not finish. Paola was acting as a navigator, with Luigi driving. Not long after this, motorsport in Europe ceased for World War II.

Once peace returned to Italy, it took a while for races and rallies to get going again. It was not long before Paola and Luigi were active once more. “Shortly after the War”, Luigi pushed Paolo to enter a Concours d’Elegance. In 1949, the two entered the Coppa della Toscana, known as the “Little Mille Miglia”, together, and were thirteenth overall. The make of their car is not recorded, but it may have been a Cisitalia 202, which Paola is known to have driven. She and Maria Teresa de Filippis both entered this race, and earned much press attention, not all of it related to their driving. Some media sources have them as team-mates.

By 1951, she was driving solo. She entered the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti, driving an Ermini Fiat 1100, but did not finish.

In 1952, she began racing a Lancia Aurelia, which would become a favoured car for her for the next few years. In May, she won the first edition of the Rallye Femminile Perla di Sanremo, a women-only event. Her car was a 2500cc Aurelia B20. It was not just all-female rallies she entered this year; she also drove in the Alpine Rally, in the Aurelia, but had to retire with brake failure, a rare disappointing experience with the car. Luigi was her navigator that year, and was apparently so shaken by his experiences that he did not volunteer again.

1953’s motorsport season began with another win, in the Paris-St. Raphaël women’s rally. This was the first win for an Italian driver in the event’s history. Once more, she was driving the Lancia Aurelia, which proved more reliable this time. That year, she registered for a second attempt at the Mille Miglia, sharing a Fiat 1100 with Yvonne Simon, but they did not make the start, for undisclosed reasons.

Later, in 1954, she drove a Lancia Aurelia again, in Italy. That year, she was second in class in the Aosta-Gran San Bernardo hillclimb. Paola claimed that hillclimbs were her best events. In the same car, she won the Santa Margherita-San Lorenzo climb, a women-only event. This made up for the slight disappointment of second places in both the Paris-St. Raphaël and Perla di Sanremo rallies. For the Sanremo rally, she was driving an Alfa Romeo 1900, for a change. Her navigator this year was Marisa Zambrini.

In the Aosta-Gran San Bernardo hillclimb in 1955, she was fifth in the over 2500cc class, in the Aurelia. She was also second in the Alghero-Scala Piccada women’s hillclimb, behind Gilberte Thirion in a Mercedes. In a 1991 interview, she rated Gilberte as one of her most accomplished rivals. Her last big event seems to have been the Perla di Sanremo rally, which she won for a third time, driving her faithful Aurelia.

After that, Paola stopped driving competitively, although she still retained her interest in motorsport. Luigi died in the mid-1950s, and it must have been hard for her to carry on without him, and his support. She also said that she did not particularly like the increasing professionalism of European motorsport; she had thoroughly enjoyed the vibrant social scene that surrounded the rallies of the time. Unlike some female drivers, she liked the special attention that winners of Coupes des Dames received. In 1992, she claimed to have won over a hundred of these trophies, and the assorted prizes of jewellery and other items that went with them.

(This post draws on a 1991 interview with Paola, conducted by Donatella Biffignandi of the National Motor Museum in Turin. The original Italian text can be found here.)

(Image from http://lanciamarino.it)

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Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, up to 1973

August 8, 2015, 2:26 pm

≫ Next: Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, 1974-2000

≪ Previous: Paola della Chiesa

Elyane Imbert and Simone des Forest with their Porsche in 1953

The Spa 24 Hours has been in existence for almost as long as Le Mans, having begun the year after, in 1924. Pre-war, no female drivers made it on to the grid.

Initially, it was a race for sports racing cars. After 1949, it did not run for a few seasons, but reappeared in 1953 as a round of the World Sportscar Championship. Following another long hiatus, it became a race for touring cars in 1964, Between 1966 and 1973, it was a round of the European Touring Car Championship.

Listed below are the results for every female driver in the Spa 24 Hours, up to 1973. As ever, in the case of a mixed team, the woman's name comes first, for clarity. More posts will follow with the rest of the results.

1949

Yvonne Simon/Germaine Rouault (Delahaye-Delage) – 11^th (1^st in 4000cc class)

1953

Annie Bousquet/Gilberte Thirion (Fiat 1100) – 16^th

Elyane Imbert/Simone des Forest (Porsche 356 Super 1500) – disqualified

Joyce Leavens/Barry Leavens (Jowett Javelin) – DNF

1964

Claudine Bouchet/Ada Pace (Lancia Flaminia) – DNF

1966

Yvette Fontaine/Nicole Sol (Alfa Romeo 1300 TI) – 19^th

1967

Christine Beckers/Marie-Claude Beaumont (NSU 1000 TTS) – 24^th

Natalie Goodwin/Cyril Williams (Ford Lotus Cortina) – N/C

Yvette Fontaine/Jean-Marie Lagae (Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA) – DNF

Nicole Sol/Tom Sol (Ford Lotus Cortina) – DNF

1968

Christine Beckers/Nicole Sol (Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina) – 23^rd

1969

Yvette Fontaine/John Fitzpatrick (Ford Escort TC) – 11^th

Liane Engeman/Bob Wollek (Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina) – 13^th

Hannelore Werner/Ferfried von Hohenzollern (BMW 1600) – DNF

Christine Beckers/Jacques Demoulin (Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA) – DNF

1970

Christine Beckers/Liane Engeman (Alfa Romeo 2000 GTAm) – DNF

1971

Liane Engeman/Christine Beckers (BMW 2800) – DNF

Yvette Fontaine/Hans Akersloot (Ford Escort RS 1600) – DNF

Gabriel Konig/Marie-Claude Beaumont (Chevrolet Camaro) – DNF

1972

Christine Beckers/Jean-Claude Sola (Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV) – 15^th

Yvette Fontaine/Gillian Fortescue-Thomas (Ford Escort RS 1600) – DNF

Jenny Dell/Dennis Thorne (Ford Escort TC) – did not qualify

1973

Christine Beckers/Huub Vermeulen/Patrick Neve (Opel Commodore GS/E) – 7^th

Yvette Fontaine/Frans Lubin (Ford Escort RS 1600) – DNF

(Image copyright Mike Copperthwaite)

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Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, 1974-2000

August 9, 2015, 7:59 am

≫ Next: Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, 2001-present

≪ Previous: Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, up to 1973

Henny Hemmes and Huub Vermeulen

The Spa 24 Hours ran continuously throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. From 1974 to 1981, it was part of the Trophée de l'Avenir, with one "guest spot" as an ETCC race in 1976. In 1981, it was also included in the World Endurance Championship, before switching back to an ETCC event in 1982. From 1989 to 2000, it was still a touring car race, but not part of a major championship. During this time, female drivers featured in every race, and scored many good finishes. Henny Hemmes was the queen of Spa at this time, racing in the 24 hours fourteen times, with a best finish of second. The first part of this list can be found here.

1974

Yvette Fontaine/Claude Bourgoignie (Ford Capri II) – DNF

1975

Yvette Fontaine/”Pedro” (BMW 3.0 CSi) – 2^nd

Christine Beckers/Jenny Birrell/Marianne Hoepfner (Triumph Dolomite) – 24^th

1976

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen (Toyota Celica GT) – 21^st

Yvette Fontaine/Stuart Graham/Reine Wisell (Chevrolet Camaro) – DNF

1977

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen/Huub Vermeulen (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – 6^th

1978

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen/Hans Deen (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – DNF

Christine Beckers/Daniel Rombaut/Huub Nijsten (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV) – DNF

Lella Lombardi/Thierry Boutsen/Marc Duez (Toyota Sprinter Tueno) – DNF

1979

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – 18^th

Christine Beckers/Pascal Witmeur/Jean-Paul Libert (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – N/C

Anny-Charlotte Verney/Jean-Pierre Delaunay/Cyril Grandet (Ford Escort II RS 2000) – DNF

1980

Christine Beckers/Heinz-Jürgen Hoffknecht/Marc Piessens (VW Scirocco GTi) – DNF

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen/Huub Vermeulen (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – DNF

1981

Marianne Hoepfner/Derek Bell/Alain Cudini/Jean-Louis Trintigant (BMW 530i) – 7^th

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – DNF

Anny-Charlotte Verney/Jean-Louis Schlesser/Alain Ferté (Ford Capri III) – DNF

Kathy Rude/Quirin Bovy/Jean-Claude Lagniez (Chevrolet Camaro Z28) – DNF

1982

Lella Lombardi/Tony Palma/Marcello Gallo (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6) – 12^th

Henny Hemmes/Loek Vermeulen/Huub Vermeulen (Chevrolet Camaro) – DNF

1983

Henny Hemmes/Fred Frankenhout/Hans van der Beek (Mazda RX-7) – 14^th

Lella Lombardi/Roberto Marazzi/Giancarlo Naddeo (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6) – DNF

1984

Henny Hemmes/Břetislav Enge (BMW 635 CSi) – 11^th

Lella Lombardi/Giorgio Francia/”Tango” (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6) – 16^th (1^stin Division 2)

1985

Lella Lombardi/Rinaldo Drovandi/”Spiffero” (Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6) – DNF

Annette Meeuvissen/Arno Wester/Jörg van Ommen (Ford Escort RS 1600i) – result unknown

1986

Lella Lombardi/Rinaldo Drovandi/Roberto Castagna (Alfa Romeo 75) – 8^th

Anny-Charlotte Verney/Chantal Grimard/Henny Hemmes (Toyota Corolla GT) – 25^th

1987

Annette Meeuvissen/Mercedes Stermitz/Gerrit van Kouwen (BMW M3) – 7^th

1988

Ellen Lohr/Frank Schmickler/Michael Bartels (BMW M3) – 7^th

Patricia Bertapelle/Valentin Bertapelle/Freddy Fruhauf (BMW 635 CSi) – 24^th

Kaori Okamoto/Kaoru Hoshino/Keiichi Suzuki (Toyota Corolla GTi) – N/C

Jenny van Hilten/Evert Bolderheij/ Bernard Winderickx (Ford Sierra RS 500) – DNF

Henny Hemmes/Claude Holvoet/Eddy van Esch (Toyota Corolla GTi) – DNF

1989

Kaori Okamoto/Morio Nitta/Hideshi Matsuda (Toyota Corolla GT) – 12^th

Jenny van Hilten/Bram van Hilten/Phililips (Honda Civic) – 34^th

1990

Ellen Lohr/Altfrid Heger/Patrick Slaus/Franz Engstler (BMW M3) – 5^th

Anny-Charlotte Verney/Hideo Fukuyama/Naoki Hattori (Nissan Skyline GT-R) – 12^th

Henny Hemmes/Peter Seikel/Stanislao de Angelis (Honda Civic V-Tec) – 19^th(1^st in Class N2)

Kaori Okamoto/Morio Nitta/Patrick Snijers (Toyota Corolla GT) – DNF

1991

Kaori Okamoto/Naoki Nagasaka/Phil Dowsett (Toyota Corolla GT) – 20^th

Henny Hemmes/Dagmar Suster/Lothar Schörg (Honda Civic V-Tec) – 21^st

Giovanna Amati/Patrick de Radigues/François Turco (Peugeot 309 GTi) – DNF

1992

Annette Meeuvissen/Marc Gindorf/Heiner Weis (BMW M3) – 17^th

Henny Hemmes/Astrid Hild/Thomas Müller (Honda Civic V-Tec) – 23^rd(1^st in Class NB1.6)

Kaori Okamoto/Morio Nitta/Suzuki (Toyota MR-2) – 24^th

Jutta Kleinschmidt/André Carlier/D. Phillips (BMW M5) – N/C

Junko Mihara/Masahiro Matsunaga/Hideo Uehara (Toyota MR-2) – DNF

1993

Lilian Bryner/Enzo Calderari/Luigino Pagotto (Porsche 911 Carrera RS) – 9^th

Kaori Okamoto/Morio Nitta/Keiichi Suzuki (Toyota MR-2) – DNF

1994

Kumi Sato/Daniel Brillat/Patrick Bastiaens (Honda Civic V-Tec) – 13^th

Junko Mihara/Satoshi Yamaguchi/Masahiro Matsunaga (Toyota Corolla) – 16^th

Florence Duez/Blaton/Alain Thiebaut (Renault Clio) – 18^th

Kaori Okamoto/Morio Nitta/Keiichi Suzuki (Toyota Carina E) – DNF

Kate Rafanelli/Didier Stassart/Benoit Galand (BMW 325i) – DNF

1995

Florence Duez/Paul Grutman/Michel Schmitz (Renault Clio) – 18^th

Junko Mihara/Michiko Okuyama/Kumi Sato (Toyota Corolla) – 19^th

Katja Müller/Dietmar Konopka/Torsten Neuenbölen (Renault Clio) – DNF

1996

Kate Rafanelli/Yolanda Surer/Florence Duez (BMW M3) – 4^th (1^st in Spa 3.0 class)

Isolde Holderied/Freddy Loix/Renaud Verreydt (Toyota Carina GTi) – 8^th

Vanina Ickx/Christian Jupsin/Pascal Tillekaerts (Honda Civic VTi) – 16^th

Sylvie Delcour/Michel Lambermont/Bernard Dethier (Nissan Sunny GTi) – DNF

Heather Spurle/B. Lawrence/Luff (Peugeot 306 16S) – DNF

1997

Tamara Vidali/Yvan Muller/Brad Jones (Volkswagen Golf TDi) – 12th

Sylvie Delcour/Michel Lambermont/Frédéric Baugnée (Renault Clio Williams) – 25^th

Vanina Ickx/Kate Rafanelli/Florence Duez (BMW M3) – DNF

Paula Cook/Luca Canni-Ferrari/Nicola Bertolucci (BMW M3) – DNF

1998

Sylvie Delcour/Mathias Viaene/Frédéric Baugnée (BMW 320i) – 14^th

Florence Duez/Alain Courmont/Hervé Lelong (Suzuki Baleno) – 26^th

Vanina Ickx/Jacky Ickx (Renault Mégane) – DNF

1999

Vanina Ickx/Mathias Viaene/Martial Chouvel (Renault Mégane) – 5^th

Sylvie Delcour/Damien Chaballe/Etienne Baugnée (BMW 320i) – 7^th

2000

Vanina Ickx/Anthony Beltoise/Thierry van Dalen (Peugeot 306 GTi) – 3^rd

Fanny Duchateau/Jean-François Hemroulle/Tim Verbergt (VW Bora TDi) – 6^th (1^stin SPD class)

Sylvie Delcour/Eric Jamar/Frédéric Baugnée (BMW 320i) – DNF

Catherine Liegeois/Michel Wilders/Alexandre Leens (Honda Integra Type R) – DNF

(Image from www.racehstorie.nl)

↧

Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, 2001-present

August 9, 2015, 2:29 pm

≫ Next: Gosia Rdest

≪ Previous: Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, 1974-2000

A victorious Lilian Bryner and her Care Racing team-mates in 2004

After 2000, the Spa 24 Hours became a race for sports and GT cars. It was part of the FIA GT Championship from 2001 until the series' demise in 2009. After one year as part of the FIA GT2 European Cup, it was picked up by the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Women drivers have continued to play an important role, none more so than Lilian Bryner, who became the first female winner in 2004. In recent years, the number of female entrants has declined, but this may change in the future. Parts 1 and 2 of this list are here.

2001

Vanina Ickx/Xavier Pompidou/Christophe Tinseau/Tim Verbergt (Porsche 996 GT3-RS) – DNF

2002

Sylvie Delcour/Philippe Tollenaire/Loic Deman (Porsche 996 GT3-Cup) – 21^st

Fanny Duchateau/Jean-François Hemroulle/Jeffrey van Hooydonk (Vertigo Streiff) – 26^th

Vanina Ickx/Renaud Kuppens/David Saelens (Gillet Vertigo Streiff) – DNF

Lilian Bryner/Marco Zadra/Andrea Piccini/Jean-Denis Déletraz (Ferrari 550 Maranello) – disqualified

2003

Lilian Bryner/Enzo Calderari/Fabrizio Gollin/Luca Capellari (Ferrari 550 Maranello) – 2^nd(1^st in GT class)

Sylvie Delcour/Loic Deman/Peter Scharmarch/Christian Land (Porsche 996 GT3 Cup) – 12^th (1^stin Class G3)

Vanina Ickx/Jean-Luc Blanchemain/Stefano Zonca/Pertti Kuismanen (Chrysler Viper GTS-R) – DNF

Paula Cook/Jacques Laffite/Neil Cunningham (Morgan Aero 8) – DNF

2004

Lilian Bryner/Enzo Calderari/Luca Capellari/Fabrizio Gollin (Ferrari 550 Maranello) – 1^st

Vanina Ickx/ Jean-François Hemroulle/Peter Wyss (Porsche 996 GT3 Cup) – 10^th

Liz Halliday/Moreno Soli/Franco Groppi/Luigi Moccia (Porsche 996 GT3 Cup RSR) – 14^th

Sylvie Delcour/Lino Pecoraro/Philippe Ménage/José Close (Lotus Elise) – N/C

Fanny Duchateau/Loic Deman/Marc Duez/Stéphane Lémeret (Chrysler Viper GTS-R) – DNF

2005

Lilian Bryner/Enzo Calderari/Steve Zacchia/Frédéric Bouvy (Ferrari 550 Maranello GTS) – 4^th

Vanina Ickx/ Jean-François Hemroulle/Heinz-Josef Bermes/Helmut Reis (Porsche 911 GT3) – DNF

Liz Halliday/Justin Keen/Bobby Verdon-Roe/Jens Møller (Lister Storm GT) – DNF

Sylvie Delcour/Jérôme d’Ambrosio/Renaud Kuppens/Bas Leinders (Gillet Vertigo Streiff) – DNF

2007

Sarah Bovy/Bas Leinders/Renaud Kuppens (Giller Vertigo Streiff) – DNF

2008

Catherine Dèsbrueres/Daniel Dèsbrueres/Eric Hélary/Vincent Radermecker (Ferrari F430) – DNF

2011

Claudia Hürtgen/Edward Sandström/Dirk Werner (BMW Z4 GT3) – 2^nd

2012

Michela Cerruti/Tom Coronel/Stefano Colombo/Edoardo Liberati (BMW Z4 GT3) – DNF

Sarah Bovy/Marlène Broggi/ Jérôme Thiry/Massimo Vagliani (McLaren MP4-12C) – DNF

2013

Rahel Frey/Matt Halliday/Nikolaus Mayr-Meinhof (Audi R8 LMS) – DNF

Sarah Bovy/Michael Schmetz/Pierre Grivegnée/Bert Redant (Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3) – DNF

Michela Cerruti/Stefano Comandini/Luca Rangoni (BMW Z4 GT3) – DNF

Marlène Broggi/Christophe de Fierlant/Karim Ojjeh/Laurent Pasquali (McLarenMP4-12C) – DNF

2014

Michela Cerruti/Stefano Comandini/Stefano Colombo/Eugenio Amos (BMW Z4 GT3) – 35^th

Marlène Broggi/Pierre Hirschi/Philippe Richard/Philippe Bourgeois (Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) – 39^th

(Image from http://talkingxena.yuku.com/)

↧

Gosia Rdest

August 16, 2015, 8:36 am

≫ Next: Lorina McLaughlin (Boughton)

≪ Previous: Female Drivers in the Spa 24 Hours, 2001-present

Gosia as an Audi driver

Malgorzata Rdest, always known as Malgosia or Gosia, is a Polish driver who races saloons and single-seaters in Europe.

She was born in 1993, and started karting quite late for someone who would go on to drive professionally; she was a teenager. At the age of twelve, she went to a car show, which sparked an interest in all things automotive. In 2011, she won the Polish championship in the KF2 class, and went on to race in Italy, winning some races.

Her first steps in senior competition were in 2012, a year later. She took part in the Formula BMW Talent Cup, held at Oschersleben in Germany, hoping to win a funded season of single-seater racing for 2013. Her inexperience showed, but she managed to finish all three races, with two sevenths and one tenth place. She was tenth in the championship.

She competed in Formula 4 in Great Britain in 2013, in the form of the MSA Formula series. Her best finish was eleventh, at Snetterton, and she was 18th in the championship, out of 27 drivers. After the main season had finished, she entered the Formula 4 Winter Series, and managed two eighth places, at Brands Hatch. This year, she took her first steps in saloon racing, and drove in three rounds of the Volkswagen Castrol Cup, in Austria, Hungary and Poland, with three top-ten finishes. These included a fifth place at the Red Bull Ring.

In 2014, she raced in the Volkswagen Castrol Cup in Eastern Europe. Her best result was sixth, at her home track of Poznan, and she finished in the top ten on three more occasions. She was fourteenth overall. A guest appearance in the Volkswagen Scirocco-R Cup gave her a DNF, and as a result, she could not start the next race.

Saloon racing, in particular, one-make series, became her chief focus for 2015. Remaining with Volkswagen power, and in a Polish-based championship, she signed up for the Polish VW Golf Cup, which runs all over Eastern Europe. At the time of writing, she has finished in the top ten in five of her six races, with eighth places at Oschersleben and the Slovakiaring being her best results. In another VW Golf, she has also tried endurance racing, joining the KPM Racing team for the Dubai 24 Hours. She shared the car with Tom Wilson, Lucas Orrock and Javier Morcillo. They were ninth in class, and 51^st overall. The next round of the 24 Hour series was a 12-hour race at Mugello, and Gosia drove a similar Golf, for the R6 Motorsport team. She was sixth in class, 37^th overall, driving as part of an all-Polish team.

In Germany, she took part in the successor to the Scirocco-R Cup, the Audi Sport TT Cup. She was not as competitive in the Audi as she was in the Golf, and so far, she has managed one eighth place, at the Red Bull Ring. The rest of her finishes are much lower down the order.

Gosia has stated that her aim is still to become Poland’s first Formula One champion, following on the path begun by one of her role models, Robert Kubica. With only one full season of single-seaters behind her, this seems unlikely now, although a drive in the WTCC or the DTM is within her reach, and could bring her success.

(Image from http://audi-motorsport-blog.blogspot.co.uk/)

↧

Lorina McLaughlin (Boughton)

August 20, 2015, 1:55 pm

≫ Next: Henny Hemmes

≪ Previous: Gosia Rdest

Lorina with her 1992 Benetton

Lorina is best known now for racing and hillclimbing Formula One cars from the 1970s and 1980s, but her career goes back much further than that.

She has been racing since 1970, having begun in an Alexis Formula Ford, as Lorina Boughton. Unlike many of her Speedqueen contemporaries, she is not from a family with a history of motorsport, but was introduced to circuit racing by a friend, who took her to Goodwood.

In her first year of racing, she won the BWRDC’s Newcomer award. By 1973, she was their Racing champion.

In 1974, she took over the running of a GRD Formula 3 car from her erstwhile team-mate, Jeremy Gambs, who was stepping down from the cockpit. The car was eligible for the Formula 4 championship that year, so Lorina entered. She was one of the star drivers of the series, and would have won it outright, if she had not had to drop some of her scores to get her final position. She was second overall, with three wins, and two “Man of the Meeting” awards, causing it to be renamed “Driver of the Meeting”. This achievement netted her a BWRDC Embassy Trophy, and second in their racing championship, as well as the prestigious Lord Wakefield Trophy, for outstanding female contribution to motorsport.

For the next couple of seasons, Lorina raced a Sark Formula Ford, and a Royale FF2000 car, with some good results, in Formula Ford and Formula Libre. She was also very active in the British Women Racing Drivers’ Club, and was one of those chosen to take part in the Shellsport Ladies Escort Championship, from its beginning in 1974. Her best year in the championship was 1975, when she had her best result of second, at Brands Hatch, with a fastest lap as a consolation. She was fourth in the final standings.

Between 1978 and 1980, she was a multiple championship winner at club level. She won the BARC Teddy Lawry Championship in 1978 and 1980, using one of her single-seaters, and in between, won the BARC FF2000 championship in the Royale, and set a Fastest Time of the Day at the Lydden Hill sprint. The following year, she was awarded the BARC’s Sydney Allard Trophy. A second win in the Teddy Lawry championship was hers in 1980.

Lydden Hill was a favourite track with Lorina; she won the Lydden racing championship in 1982. In the early and middle part of the 1980s, she was active in several different historic Formula Junior cars, including a Gemini, in which she set a Snetterton lap record in 1983. In 1984, she set another record at the same track, this time driving a Lotus 22. This achievement came on the way to a second place in the Historic Formula Junior Championship.

In 1982, she was part of a BWRDC all-female team in the Oulton Park 4-Hour Relay race, driving a Davrian. The other two members of the team were Julie Thwaites, in another Davrian, and Sue Davies, in a Hillman Imp. They were second overall on scratch.

Towards the end of the 1980s, Lorina became increasingly focused on historic competition, and she was proving her mettle in very powerful cars. In 1989, she raced an ex-James Hunt McLaren M23 Formula One car, and won Class B of the Historic Formula One Championship. Her best result was a fourth place, at Magny-Cours, in a Grand Prix support race. In 1991, she took the lap record at Silverstone in a Climax-engined Lotus 20 F1 car, racing in the F1 FISA Trophy. Between then and 1994, she was a regular in historic events, usually in the McLaren. Almost twenty years earlier, she had watched James Hunt race the car.

Lorina took a break from competitive motorsport lasting from 1994 to 2000, during which she concentrated on other things. She had married David McLaughlin in 1989, and together, they promoted historic Formula One, under the banner of “The FORCE” (The Historic European Formula One Car Entrants). Lorina continues to work as a race organiser to this day.

On her return to competition in 2000, she did not ease herself back in with some club meetings in a Formula Ford or a little saloon – she went straight back to the McLaren, demonstrating it at the Coys Festival. Slightly less powerful, but not much, was the Formula 2-spec Brabham BT30 she raced in the Classic Grand Prix championship.

After her return, she became a regular fixture at the big historic motorsport events, including the hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. She has won the Ladies’ Award at the FOS seven times, usually in the McLaren, but it is not the only car she has taken up the hill. In 2012, she drove an Arrows A9, and in 2011, an ex-Denny Hulme McLaren M19. Her car in 2013 was an ex-Michael Schumacher Benetton B192 from 1992. In 2015, she drove an Osella F1 car.

Wheel-to-wheel racing had not been forgotten. During 2003, she raced in Europe, and managed at least two sixth places at the Pau Historic Grand Prix. In 2004, she raced the McLaren M23 at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix Historique, and was twelfth, out of 30. She has also raced a March 711 in the States.

As well as her multiple Ladies’ awards at Goodwood, she set the fastest ladies’ time of the day at the 2008 Cholmondeley Pageant of Power.

In 2012, she travelled to Azerbaijan, for the inaugural Baku City Classic Grand Prix. She drove the Benetton, but it was not one of her best moments, due to fuel pipe issues, and she counts it as her worst race.

In 2015, Lorina is still a regular fixture at historic meetings around the UK, normally in the Benetton, and she demonstrated that car at the Silverstone Classic. She is still active as an organiser for The Force.

(Picture copyright Lara Platman)

↧

Henny Hemmes

August 24, 2015, 2:51 pm

≫ Next: Women Drivers in One-Make Series: the Netherlands in the 21st Century

≪ Previous: Lorina McLaughlin (Boughton)

Henny as a champion, in 1987

Henny Hemmes raced saloon cars in Europe from the 1970s to the 1990s. She entered the Spa 24 Hours fourteen times, and had a best finish of sixth.

Like many other Speedqueens, Henny got into motor racing through her husband, Peter, but initially, she was not a competitor. Roelof Wunderink was a friend of Peter’s, and he and Henny acted as pit crew for him during his rise through the racing ranks.

Henny had always been sporty and competitive, and wanted to have a go herself. In 1975, encouraged by Peter and Roelof, she entered a racing talent contest organised by André Pilette, based around Formula Vee. She was the winner, out of eighty entrants.

After proving that she had the basic talent needed, she jumped straight into the Dutch Touring Car Championship, wasting no time at all. Her car was a Toyota Celica GT which she had bought herself, run by the Eumig Film Racing Team. She was a steady finisher in all of her races, and featured well in the 1600cc class, with a best finish of third, in the final race of the season at Zandvoort. She was fourth in class at the end of the year.

In her second year of racing, she entered her first Spa 24 Hours. As well as her first major endurance race of many, it was the start of a racing partnership with members of the Vermeulen family, who would be her regular Spa team-mates in the future. Henny and Loek Vermeulen shared her Toyota in 1976, driving for the Dutch National Team. They were 21^st overall, second in class. Henny, as the leading female driver, was awarded a diamond ring.

Driving solo, she competed in some rounds of the DTCC (NTK), in the Toyota, but was not able to put together a strong challenge.

For the next two seasons, she continued to be sponsored by Eumig Film, but swapped the Celica for a Chevrolet Camaro. She used this car in the 1977 NTK, for some rounds, finishing fourth overall, and in the Spa 24 Hours. In 1977, she was sixth in the Francorchamps enduro, from pole, with Loek and Huub Vermeulen. She set a new closed-wheel lap record in the process. The following year, she did not finish. Her co-drivers were Loek Vemeulen and Hans Deen. Elsewhere, she raced the Camaro in the Belgian rounds of the Benelux and German touring car championships, finishing sixth in one German round at Zandvoort. She scored her first big win at Zandvoort, in the 2-Hour race.

In 1979, she continued in the Camaro, now sponsored by ADP and the newspaper for which she wrote. She had “Journal Tintin” on her car, a reference to the Belgian boy reporter. It was an eventful year in the Dutch championship, with a couple of crashes and subsequent accusations by rivals, but Henny also put in some good performances, the best of these being two second places. She and Loek Vermeulen were 18^th in the Spa 24 Hours.

1980 panned out in a similar way. Henny drove the Camaro in the NTK, and was involved in some rather robust driving which ruffled a few feathers. Her best finish was second, in the season finale at Zandvoort. She was behind last year’s team-mate, Loek Vermeulen, who had tangled with her earlier in the season. The Spa 24 Hours was rather disappointing, as Henny did not finish. As a consolation, she won her third non-championship Diners Trophy race at Zandvoort.

In 1981, she was fourth in her class in the NTK, in the Camaro. She mostly steered clear of accidents, and was a consistent top-five finisher, with some class pole positions as well. Her final championship position was third, after two second places, one from pole. Another season in the Camaro gave her the NTK win she had been waiting for, in the Trophy of the Dunes, and she was second in the ADAC Nordsee Cup, both at Zandvoort. Due to her not completing the whole season, she was second in the championship. After two non-finishes, she managed to get to the end of another Spa 24 Hours in 1983, driving a Mazda RX-7 rather than the Camaro. She was 17^th overall, with Hans van der Beek and Fred Frankenhout.

After her race win in 1983, she got her championship in 1984, winning the over 2500cc class of the NTK in the Camaro. It was a dominant performance, with four wins from eight races, including an outright victory against faster cars in the season finale. Driving a BMW in the Spa 24 Hours, she was eleventh, with Břetislav Enge.

1985 began well, with a second place, but for much of the season, Henny struggled or was absent from the NTK. She also sat out the Spa 24 Hours for the first time in several years. The following year, she did not appear in the NTK, although she had been due to drive a BMW. Instead, she raced trucks for DAF and Liaz. She returned to touring cars for the Spa 24 Hours, driving a Toyota Corolla as part of an all-female team, with Anny-Charlotte Verney and Chantal Grimard. They were 25^th.

A return to the NTK in 1987 was very successful. Henny had moved on from the ageing Camaro, and raced a Ford Sierra Cosworth, sponsored by Blaupunkt. She was the Division One champion, with one win and two second places.

She was second in Division One in 1988, although it was a fighting performance in the Sierra, with three wins. Only Ger van Krimpen’s second-place tally put him ahead. She drove a Toyota Corolla in the Spa 24 Hours, but did not finish.

A new three-door Sierra arrived for her in 1989, and she proved herself still a force to be reckoned with at the Colmar Berg round of the NTK, in Luxembourg. She won both Production heats, and the final. At the Clubraces in April, she was a hard-fighting second. These results gave her fourth in the championship.

After a year’s gap, Henny returned to the Spa 24 Hours in 1990. She was driving a Honda Civic for Team Seikel, and won her class. She and her team-mates, Peter Seikel and Stanislao de Angelis, were 19^th overall. Her other activities this year included the European Community Challenge, a road rally through twelve EC states, in a Ford Sierra. Her second run in the Challenge, with a team of fellow woman journalists in 1991, brought a sixth place, and a record for the best female result, and the best result for a media team. A second Spa 24 Hours for Team Seikel ended in another class win, after Henny, Dagmar Suster and Lothar Schörg were 21^st.

1992 saw her last participation in the Spa 24 Hours. It was a third outing in the Seikel Honda Civic, and she was 23^rd, with another class win. Her co-drivers were Astrid Hild and Thomas Müller.

Her full-time professional racing career ends here, although she continued to be active for a while longer. She was named as a third driver for the Seikel team in the ADAC GT Championship in Germany, in a Honda NSX, but was a reserve only. In 1994, she was sixth in the Neon Challenge support race for the Detroit Grand Prix.

After that, she stopped racing wheel-to-wheel, but continued testing cars, as part of her job as a motoring journalist, and broke some speed records. In 1996, she drove a Saab 900 at Talladega Speedway, and set a new one-hour world record. In 2007, she drove a Saleen in a speed shootout in California. She won a “Hot Shoe Award” for her speed.

Henny continues to write about motoring and test cars for a number of publications, including AutoWeek. She has been a motoring writer since 1979.

(Image copyright Gerrie Hoekstra)

↧

Women Drivers in One-Make Series: the Netherlands in the 21st Century

August 26, 2015, 2:17 pm

≫ Next: Female Rally Drivers After 1950: Malaysia

≪ Previous: Henny Hemmes

L-R: Sandra Douma, Kim van den Berg, Laura Kool, Suzanne Jager, Theresia Balk

A large number of female drivers competes in one-make series in the Netherlands. Those who began their careers after 2000 can be found here. For earlier one-make specialists, please go to the original post.

Kim (Guven) van den Berg - Dutch saloon specialist. She began racing in 2007, in the Suzuki Swift Cup, and was eighteenth overall after seven races. Her best finishes were two tenth places at Zandvoort. She also took part in the Barcelona 24 Hours in a VW Golf, with a Dutch team, and was 45th. Later in the year, she scored her first win in the Dutch Winter Endurance Series, in the Swift. In the 2008 Swift Cup she was 27th, after missing some races, and only managing a best finish of fourteenth, at Zandvoort and Zolder. She returned to the series in 2009 and showed much improvement, becoming a regular visitor to the top ten and scoring her first top-five place, a fourth in the penultimate round, at Zandvoort. She was tenth overall. She had a less successful season in 2010, mainly down to only contesting six races. This was reversed in 2011, when she ran in most of the Swift Cup, earning her first podium position. She was eighth in the championship. In 2012, she bettered her record again, with sixth overall, and four top-three finishes. In 2013, she took part in the Lotus Ladies' Cup in Eastern Europe. Her best finish was ninth, and she was thirteenth overall.

Carlijn Bergsma - races in one-make series in her native Netherlands, most recently the Light division of the Benelux Racing League, from 2006 to 2008. From her first season, she proved herself capable of finishing in the top ten. Due to website issues, her full race results were unavailable at the time of writing. She did not compete for the full season in 2008. Previously, she took part in the Pearle Alfa 147 Challenge in 2002, and also the Toyota Yaris and SEAT Cupra Cups. In 2011, she competed in the BMW Z4 Zilhouette Cup with Pieter de Jong. They were sixth overall, with six top-three finishes. Carlijn continued in the Zilhouette Cup in 2012, driving with Sipke Bijzitter this time. They were third overall, after nine podium finishes, although no wins. In 2013, she had another season in Zilhouette racing, with Piet de Jong this time. They participated in at least two rounds, and achieved podium positions at both. With the same team-mate, she won the championship in 2014, winning three times.

Cynthia Boezaart - made a late debut in motorsport in 2009, at the age of 38. She contested the Volkswagen Endurance Cup in a Golf, for Certainty Racing. The four-driver team, including Cynthia's husband, Martin, was 28th in the championship. Cynthia contested the Diesel Touring Cup in a BMW in 2010. She was 45th out of 63 drivers. Returning to the series in 2011, she was 27th, and managed to score her first pole position. In 2012, she raced in the Burando Production Open in a Ginetta G50. She was seventh overall, her best championship result to date. In 2014, she raced an Avenger kit car in the Avenger Cup, but lost out on a podium place in the final leaderboard, due to not scoring any points in the last three rounds.

Myrthe Bos– raced in the PTC Cup in the Netherlands in 2011 and 2012. Both times, her car was a Toyota Aygo. In 2011, she was ninth, after doing just under half the season. A shorter programme in 2012 gave her twelfth place. She was only sixteen years old when she started in the PTC Cup. She returned to the PTC Cup in 2013, driving with Perry Grondstra, but was not among the frontrunners. After 2013, she does not appear to have raced, probably due to funding issues. Her website has been taken down.

Liz Grondel– raced a Toyota Aygo in the Netherlands in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, she competed in the M-Lease Aygo Cup, and was third overall, with eleven podium finishes from twelve races. The following year, she took part in the Aygo-based PTC Cup, but did not do a full season. She was tenth in the final standings. After this, she seems to have left motorsport, in favour of running her own cafe business.

Sharona van den Haak - drove in the SEAT Endurance Cup in 2009, in a diesel Ibiza. She and the SR Competition team were twelfth, with one pole position. This appears to have been Sharona's first competitive season on the circuits. In 2012, she was racing a BMW E30 in club endurance events. Previously, she raced karts.

Nicolette van der Hoek Ostende (Koster) - Dutch driver with wins in touring car endurance races. She was given an award for being the leading female driver in the Netherlands in 2002, after competing strongly in the Toyota Yaris Cup. Her final result was fourth overall. In 2001, she had a similar season, and led the Coupe des Dames standings from Paulien Zwart. Nicolette’s endurance successes came in the Dutch Winter Endurance series between the 2001 and 2002 seasons, where she was a race-winner. She has not competed since the birth of her daughter in 2003.

Suzanne Jager - Dutch saloon racer who competed in the Suzuki Swift Cup from 2007. She was seventh in 2007 and thirteenth in 2008. As well as the one-make championship, she shared a car with Laura Kool for the Dutch Winter Endurance Series. The pair first drove together in 2006 in the Winter Endurance Series, sharing a BMW E30. Suzanne’s partner in 2007 was Kim van den Berg, and she drove the Swift. After several years of karting, Suzanne began full-size motorsport in 2004, racing a Volvo 360. She won the 360 class in the Volvo championship in 2006, after winning five races. She did some Swift races in 2009.

Laura Katsma - competed in the Suzuki Swift Cup in the Netherlands in 2009. She was 18th in the championship, and had a best finish of ninth at the Paasraces meeting at Zandvoort. Her form dipped towards the end of the season, possibly due to an accident that put her out of one of the races. Previously, she had raced the Swift in one round of the 2008-2009 Dutch Winter Endurance Series. In 2010, she returned to the series, and was fifteenth overall. Her best finish was fourth.

Laura Kool - drove in the Suzuki Swift Cup in the Netherlands in 2007. She was fifteenth overall in what was her first full season of car racing. Later in the year, she drove the Swift in a round of the Dutch Winter Endurance Championship. As well as the Suzuki, she also did some club racing in a BMW 325i at Zandvoort, in 2006 and 2007. Prior to 2007, she was a successful karter on the European circuit, with a best result of third overall in her national championship. She does not appear to have raced since the end of 2007, despite being linked with the Dunlop Sport Maxx series.

Melanie Lancaster - one of the youngest Dutch drivers ever to race in a senior series, aged sixteen, in 2007. She started competing full-time in 2008, after some testing and race school events, in the Dacia Logan Cup in the Netherlands. Her best finish was a second at Zandvoort, and she was seventh overall after a further two third places and some more top tens. In 2009, she entered the DNRT BMW E30 Cup, after a guest spot in the Dutch Winter Endurance Series. She only appears to have competed in two races, perhaps due to funding problems. Since then, she has done some drifting and worked in race tuition and development.

Renate Sanders (Wilschut) - Dutch one-make saloon regular. She has raced in the Toyota Yaris Cup and the SEAT Cupra Cup, the latter alongside Paulien Zwart. She drove the Yaris between 2001 and 2003. Her best result was seventh in 2003. After that, she moved to the SEAT Cupra series, initially with her father Bertus, and then with Paulien Zwart. She was seventh in 2004 and sixth in 2005. In 2006, she entered the Dutch Endurance Championship in a BMW 120d, assisted once again by Bertus and Frank Wilschut. She and Frank remained team-mates for 2007, back in SEAT Cupras. The third driver was Jacco Valentijn. In 2008, they entered the Toyo Tyres 24-Hour series. They were 25th in the Dubai race, in the BMW. Using the same car, they competed in a touring car series for diesel vehicles in Holland. As Renate Wilschut, she drove a BMW 123d in the 2011 Dutch Toerwagen Cup, and was 29th in the championship. In 2013, she competed in the Lotus Ladies' Cup, and was eleventh overall, with two second places. As well as this, she drove a BMW 120d in the Burando Production Open, and was third overall. She returned to the Lotus Cup in 2014, and fared much better, coming third, after two podium places at Oschersleben.

Femke Terpstra - karter and saloon racer from the Netherlands. After three years of championship karting, she entered the Light division of the Benelux Racing League in 2007, driving a Ford Focus silhouette car. She was sixteenth overall after car trouble marred her season. As well as the BRL, she did four races of the Mini Challenge, won two of them and came second in another. This was enough to win her the championship. In 2008, she returned to BRL Lights. It was a much stronger year for her and she was seventh. Her best race finish was fourth, at Zolder, and she was consistently in the top ten finishers. She took part in two BRL races in 2009 and seems to have struggled for sponsorship since then.

Femke Thijssen– finished fourth in the PTC Cup in 2012, driving a Toyota Aygo. She won one race. Later that year, she did at least some races in the Dutch Supercar Challenge, driving the Aygo with Henk Thijssen. In 2013, she did some more PTC Cup racing, and won at least one race, as part of a two-driver team with Joyce Kraan. They were thirteenth in the ACNN PTC championship, as a team.

Madelon van der Vossen - competed in the Toyota Yaris Cup in the Netherlands in 2001 and 2002. In 2001, she only made one guest appearance, but in 2002, she completed most of the season and was 27th overall. That year, there was quite a strong female presence in the series, and in the Ladies’ Cup, she was normally third. She seems to have missed part of the season due to injuries sustained in a crash, and did not return to the circuits.

Maaike de Wit - began racing full-time in 2008, in the Formido Suzuki Swift Cup in the Netherlands. She was 29th in the championship, with a best finish of fourteenth at the Jubileumraces at Zandvoort. Her first season was marred by quite a lot of DNFs. After a brief run in her Swift in the 2008-2009 Dutch Winter Endurance Championship, she returned to the Swift Cup in 2009. She was 23rd in the points, after a slightly more consistent season, with more finishes. Her best result was fifteenth at the Masters of Formula 3 meeting at Zandvoort. On her return in 2010, she improved that to a tenth place at Zandvoort.

Ella Zander - began her racing career in 2009, in the Dutch Suzuki Swift Cup. She did not enter all of the races, and had best finishes of 17th and 18th in the final races of the year, at Zandvoort. In spite of this, she had a reliable season and finished all of the races she started. She was 24th in the championship.

(Image copyright Chris Schotanus)

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Female Rally Drivers After 1950: Malaysia

August 28, 2015, 1:37 pm

≫ Next: Women Drivers in Indycar: the championship results

≪ Previous: Women Drivers in One-Make Series: the Netherlands in the 21st Century

Gina Finanza Daud in 2014

For most of its history, Malaysian rallying has been a largely male-only enclave, apart from a few overseas drivers. In recent years, home-grown female drivers have started to compete, and their numbers can only increase.

Rohani Ahmad - Malaysian driver who competes in the Malaysian championship. She did her first rally in 2012, in a Proton Satria, and was eleventh in the fourth round of the Malaysian championship. Still in the Satria, which is the car of choice for many Malaysian drivers, she entered three rallies in 2013. She finished eleventh in the Rally of Perlis, and eighteenth in the Malaysian Rally and the International Rally of Perak. In 2014, she drove in the International Rally of Perak, but did not finish.

Gina Finanza Daud - has been competing regularly in Malaysian rallies since 2011. Her car is always a Proton Satria. Her first attempt at the Rally of Malaysia in 2011 gave her a class win, and 18th overall. She did not rally much in 2012, but came back in 2013, and scored her first top ten, a tenth place in the Perak Rally, as well as eleventh in her third Malaysian Rally. In 2014, she achieved another two top tens, a ninth in the International Rally of Perak, and an eighth in the Rally Negeri Sembilan. She did her first rally as a driver in 2008, the Jaya One Rally, and then continued to compete as a co-driver for at least a season. As well as rallying, she competes in circuit races in Malaysia, driving a Honda DC2. She originally got into motorsport through her management of Malaysian driver, Sutan Mustaffa Salihin.

Fadzilah Mamat– began her competition career in Malaysia in 2015. Her first rally was the Rally Negeri Sembilan, the second round of the championship, on gravel. She drove a Proton Satria, and was fourteenth overall, third in class. In August, she took part in her first Malaysian Rally, and was 21^st, with another class third, in the same car. This was in spite of ending up in a ditch on the first day.

(Image from http://origin.hmetro.com.my/)

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Women Drivers in Indycar: the championship results

September 9, 2015, 10:02 am

≫ Next: Jill Scott-Thomas

≪ Previous: Female Rally Drivers After 1950: Malaysia

Sarah Fisher and Janet Guthrie, 2002

This post lists the championship finishing position of women drivers in the USA's elite single-seater racing series, referred to in the title, for convenience, as Indycar. The championship has been run by a series of sanctioning bodies over the years. Between 1996 and 2003, two championships were held, run by rival bodies. Results for both of these have been included here.

No women at all raced in Indycar and its antecedents until the mid-1970s. Women were not even allowed in the Indianapolis pit area, in any capacity, until 1971.

Results of women drivers in the Indianapolis 500, the series' blue riband event, can be found here.

USAC National Championship

1976

Janet Guthrie (Vollstedt-Offenhauser) – unplaced (4 races)

Arlene Hiss (Eagle-Offenhauser) – unplaced (1 race)

1977

Janet Guthrie (Lightning-Offenhauser) – unplaced (3 races)

1978

Janet Guthrie (Wildcat-DGS) – unplaced (1 race)

1979

Janet Guthrie (Lola-Cosworth/Offenhauser) – 15^th (3 races)

SCCA/CART Indycar Series

1979

Janet Guthrie (Lola-Cosworth) – unplaced (1 race)

PPG Indy Car World Series

1983

Desiré Wilson (March Cosworth)– 28^th(9 races)

1984

Desiré Wilson (March-Cosworth) – unplaced (2 races; did not qualify for either)

1986

Desiré Wilson (March-Cosworth) – unplaced (3 races)

1992

Lyn St. James (Lola-Chevrolet) - 30^th (1 race)

1993

Lyn St. James (Lola-Chevrolet/Ford) – unplaced (7 races)

1994

Lyn St. James (Lola-Ford) – unplaced (1 race)

1995

Lyn St. James (Lola-Ford) – unplaced (3 races)

Indy Racing League

1996

Lyn St. James (Lola-Ford) – 12th (3 races)

1997

Lyn St. James (Dallara-Infiniti) – 42nd (1 race)

1998

Lyn St. James (G Force-Infiniti) – unplaced (1 race – did not qualify)

1999

Sarah Fisher(Dallara-Oldsmobile) – 46^th (1 race)

Lyn St. James (G Force-Oldsmobile) – unplaced (1 race – did not qualify)

Indy Racing Northern Light Series

2000

Sarah Fisher (Riley&Scott/Dallara-Oldsmobile) – 18^th (8 races)

Lyn St. James (G Force- Oldsmobile) – 49th (1 race)

2001

Sarah Fisher (Dallara-Oldsmobile) – 19^th (13 races)

Indycar Series

2002

Sarah Fisher (G Force-Nissan) – 18^th (10 races)

2003

Sarah Fisher (Dallara-Chevrolet) – 18^th (15 races)

2004

Sarah Fisher (Dallara-Toyota) – 30^th (1 race)

2005

Danica Patrick (Panoz-Honda) – 12^th (17 races)

2006

Danica Patrick (Panoz/Dallara-Honda) – 9^th (13 races)

Sarah Fisher (Dallara-Honda) – 25^th (2 races)

Champ Car:

Katherine Legge (Lola-Ford) – 16^th(14 races)

2007

Danica Patrick (Dallara-Honda) – 7^th (17 races)

Sarah Fisher (Dallara-Honda) – 17^th (17 races)

Milka Duno (Dallara-Honda) – 20^th(7 races)

Champ Car:

Katherine Legge (Panoz-Cosworth) – 15^th (14 races)

2008

Danica Patrick (Dallara-Honda) – 6^th (17 races)

Milka Duno (Dallara-Honda) – 25^th(11 races)

Sarah Fisher (Dallara Honda) – 34^th (3 races)

2009

Danica Patrick (Dallara-Honda) – 5^th (17 races)

Milka Duno (Dallara-Honda) – 24^th(9 races)

Sarah Fisher (Dallara Honda) – 25^th (6 races)

2010

Danica Patrick (Dallara-Honda) – 10^th (17 races)

Simona de Silvestro(Dallara-Honda) – 19^th (17 races)

Milka Duno (Dallara-Honda) – 23^rd(17 races, 1 DNQ)

Sarah Fisher (Dallara Honda) – 26^th (7 races)

Ana Beatriz (Dallara-Honda) – 30^th(5 races)

2011

Danica Patrick (Dallara-Honda) – 10^th (16 races)

Simona de Silvestro (Dallara-Honda) – 20^th (14 races)

Ana Beatriz (Dallara-Honda) – 21^st(15 races)

Pippa Mann (Dallara-Honda) – 38^th(3 races)

2012

Simona de Silvestro (Dallara-Lotus) – 24^th (14 races)

Katherine Legge (Dallara-Lotus/Chevrolet) – 26^th (9 races)

Ana Beatriz (Dallara-Chevrolet) – 29^th ( 2 races)

2013

Simona de Silvestro (Dallara-Chevrolet) – 13^th (19 races)

Ana Beatriz (Dallara-Honda) – 29^th(7 races)

Pippa Mann (Dallara-Honda) – 31^st(4 races)

Katherine Legge (Dallara-Honda) – 37^th (1 race)

2014

Pippa Mann (Dallara-Honda) – 33^rd(1 race)

(Image copyright Ron McQueeney)

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Jill Scott-Thomas

September 14, 2015, 9:07 am

≫ Next: Ekaterina Stratieva

≪ Previous: Women Drivers in Indycar: the championship results

Jill in 1938

Jill was a British racer of the late 1920s and early 1930s. She was born Eileen May Fountain in 1902, and was the daughter of a coal mine owner. Her entry into motorsport came via her first husband, William “Bummer” Scott, who was a regular at Brooklands and lived next door.

She competed at Brooklands between 1926, when she entered her first trial, and 1939.

1928 was the year when Jill really made her mark on the motor racing scene. She became one of the first women to be awarded the Brooklands 120mph badge, to be displayed on the front of her car. This was given to her after she lapped the circuit at the requisite speed in September, driving an ex-Grand Prix Sunbeam that she and Bummer owned jointly. She was also elected to membership of the BARC, but this offer was downgraded to honorary membership; the BARC was a conservative association and had only recently allowed women drivers to enter its sanctioned meetings. Jill was the first woman suggested for membership.

At about this time, she attempted to race the ex-J.G. Parry-Thomas Leyland Eight, which she and Bummer had bought after the death of their friend and mentor. Although the car was nominally hers, and she was actually quite skilled in handling very large cars, it defeated her. Her main Brooklands experience in it was riding as a passenger with John Cobb, who raced the car on her behalf. They also owned the Thomas “Flatiron” special, which Jill is said to have driven, but no results are forthcoming.

In 1929, she entered her first big international race, driving a 4.5 litre Bentley with Bummer. It was the JCC Double Twelve race, and the Scotts were eleventh overall, from 26 finishers. Just a week later, Jill won a Brooklands ladies’ handicap, driving a Delage, after Miss Burnett was judged to have jumped the start.

The following year, she tried her hand at the Double Twelve once more, in a Riley Brooklands 9. She and her team-mate, Ernest Thomas, were sixth, a very pleasing result. Jill also had another go at one of the Brooklands ladies’ handicaps in March, and was second. Her car was a Bugatti.

After the 1930 season, Jill was absent from the track for a long time. Her marriage to Bummer Scott ended, and she started a relationship with Ernest Thomas, her erstwhile Double Twelve team-mate. The pair had met whilst flying their respective planes at the Brooklands airfield (Jill had had her pilot’s license since 1927). They married, a union that lasted until Jill’s death in 1974.

As Jill Thomas, she returned to Brooklands in 1938. She drove an Alfa Romeo in the March meeting, and in the JCC International Trophy, but did not finish either of the races. In the international Ladies’ Race at Crystal Palace, held in June, she was third, in a Delahaye, behind Mrs Lace and Kay Petre. Despite her absence, and the personal upheaval she had experienced, she was still a popular figure. Madame Yevonde produced a colourised photograph of her in her distinctive red racing attire, which is now in the National Portrait Gallery.

In 1939, she mostly drove a Frazer-Nash BMW. She was second in the First March Long Handicap at Brooklands, but was disqualified from first place in the Second March Handicap, due to a coming-together with another driver. In April, she also raced a big Alfa Romeo in the Road Championship, but did not finish. She then raced at Crystal Palace again in April. Her best finish was a third place in the Second Long Scratch Race. Her last competitive outing looks to have been the Second August Mountain Handicap at Brooklands, in which she was unplaced.

After the war, Jill did not return to motorsport. Although her marriage to Ernest was a happy one, her personal life was not straightforward, particularly in regard to her eldest daughter, Sheila, whose father was Bummer Scott. After her death, her racing trophies and Brooklands 120mph badge were found in a charity shop.

(Image copyright The National Portrait Gallery)

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Ekaterina Stratieva

September 18, 2015, 2:46 pm

≫ Next: Corinne Koppenhague (Tarnaud)

≪ Previous: Jill Scott-Thomas

Ekaterina at the 2014 Acropolis Rally

Ekaterina Stratieva is a Bulgarian driver who competes in the European Rally Championship (ERC). She has won two European Ladies’ Championships.

Her family were motorsport fans, and she was a spectator at the circuits from a young age. When she was 21, she took her first steps towards a competition career of her own, starting with hillclimbs and club circuit racing in a Suzuki Swift. She began rallying in 2006, at the age of 24, driving a Citroen Saxo in Bulgarian events. This was a brave step, and Ekaterina claims herself that being “Bulgarian and blonde” is not an ideal start to an international rally career. Not one to shy away from a challenge, one of her first rallies was the Rally of Bulgaria itself, then a European championship round. She was 25^th, and third in class. Her best result came from the Rally Victory Sofia, in which she was 22^nd, fifth in class. As well as rallies, she spent some time competing in hillclimbs in Bulgaria, winning a class championship. She used her rally car.

Her second year of rally competition, 2007, was spent in the Bulgarian championship. The Saxo was run all year by Astra Racing. Ekaterina steadily improved her rally performances, and had five top-twenty finishes. The best of these was thirteenth in the YU Rally, which was part of the Bulgarian championship, despite being held in Serbia. In the Rally Bulgaria, she was the winner of class N2, and was 24^th. Her first rally outside the Bulgarian championship, the Saturnus Rally in Slovenia, ended in a retirement on the first stage. She was 21^st in the Bulgarian championship. Away from rallying, she won another class championship in the Saxo, in the Bulgarian hillclimb championship.

In 2008, she drove a Citroen C2 R2 in rallies the Bulgarian championship. This year, she did not finish as many rallies as previously, but her final positions kept improving. She scored the first top-ten of her career, a sixth place in the Victory Rally Sofia, then followed it up with a tenth place in the Rally Tvardica, at the end of the season. Her performances were enough to get her a Pirelli Star award, which gained her entry to the ERC rounds in Italy, Croatia and Bulgaria for 2009.

She ran quite well in her three Pirelli Star rallies: she was 45^th in the Mille Miglia in Italy, 19^th in Croatia (with a class second) and 20^thin the Rally of Bulgaria itself. Her year was more international than ever before, with an entry into the Barum Czech Rally as well as the Bulgarian championship. She was 52^nd in the Czech Rally. The Bulgarian championship was a happier hunting ground; she was tenth in the Serbia Rally, and won class A6 in the Trayanovi Vrata and Vida rallies. Her finishing positions were twelfth and thirteenth respectively. She was second in class in the Bulgarian championship, and was never out of the top twenty.

Despite her partnership with her long-term co-driver, Rumen Manolov, ending after the 2009 season, Ekaterina continued to improve in 2010. She began the year with two gravel rallies in Greece, the Halkidiki Rallysprint and the Rally Thermaikou, finishing a competent thirteenth and 19^th. A rare mechanical fault put her and the Citroen out of the Serbia Rally, then she was excluded from the Rally of Bulgaria, for a technical infringement. A somewhat disappointing Czech Rally and another retirement, from the Rally Sliven, then gave way to two top-ten finishes. She was eighth in the Rally Tvardica, and then fourth in the Hebros Rally, with a class win. This was enough to score her a second in class for the championship.

2011 was very international in nature for Ekaterina. She spent quite a lot of time competing in Romania. Her best finishes were two 22^nd places, in the Clujului and Iaşului rallies. Elsewhere, she managed a class win in the Croatia Rally, finishing 18^th overall, and a sixth in the Rally Tvardica. Her 19^th place in the Yalta Rally in the Ukraine, an IRC event, gave her a class second. At the end of the year, she was second in class in the Romanian championship, and was also named their female driver of the year. She also gained a new navigator, Carmen Poenaru, who is also Romanian. Their first rally together was the Rallye du Var in France, in which they were 91^st, in the Citroen.

In 2012, her season was split between the Eastern European and western European rallies, in the C2. She entered five rounds of the IRC, in the Canary Islands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Her best finish was eighth, in the Yalta Rally. She was also eleventh in the Rally Sliven, the Bulgarian round. Rally Bulgaria itself, an ERC round this year, gave her a ninth place, second in class. She was tenth in the Sredna Gora Rally, and won her class. That year, she also rallied in Romania and Switzerland, although she did not finish the Rallye du Valais. She was third in the Bulgarian championship, third in the 2WD class of the ERC (sixth overall), and won their unofficial Coupe des Dames. Her performances in international rallies earned her the Richard Burns Award.

2013 was a mixed year. She entered rallies across Europe, with two eighteenth positions, in the Hebros Rally and the Açores City Rally Show, her best finishes. She was also 21st in the Tour de Corse, part of that year’s ERC. A couple of accidents, in the SATA Rallye Açores and the Sibiu Rally Romania, may have knocked her confidence. She was not quite on form, and lost her European Ladies’ crown to the Australian, Molly Taylor.

Her 2014 schedule was similar, taking in the European Rally Trophy, including the Açores, Ypres and Czech Barum Rallies. Her best result was 22nd, in the Acropolis Rally. She was 38th in the ERC Production Cup. Of interest this year were two drives in a Subaru Impreza, in the Acropolis Rally and the Rally Liepāja, in Latvia. She finished the Acropolis Rally in 22^nd, but the engine failed in Latvia. She spent the rest of the season in her trusty Citroen C2. One consolation was her first official ERC Ladies’ Trophy.

Her 2015 season continued in the same vein. She had a shorter schedule, and was committed to ERC rallies. Her co-driver this year was Julianna Nyírfás, from Hungary, a highly-experienced ERC navigator. Her best finish was 27^th, in the Circuit of Ireland, and she was also 28^th in the Brasov Rally in Romania. As before, she mainly stuck with the C2, but experimented with bigger cars. She drove the Impreza again in the Bosphorus Rally, but did not finish. A drive in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX in the Barum Czech Rally gave her a 48^th place, which was not spectacular, but enough to net her another Coupe des Dames. She ended the season as the Ladies’ champion once more.

(Image from http://2014.acropolisrally.gr/)

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Corinne Koppenhague (Tarnaud)

September 21, 2015, 2:08 pm

≫ Next: Naomi Schiff

≪ Previous: Ekaterina Stratieva

Corinne, left, with Bob Wollek and Jacques Rey in 1970

Corinne Koppenhague was a versatile French racer, probably best known for coming 11th at Le Mans in a Porsche Carrera in 1975, as Corinne Tarnaud. Her team-mates were Yvette Fontaine and Anny-Charlotte Verney.

Her motorsport journey began in 1968 or 1969, depending upon which source one trusts. Her cousin, Marie-Claire Cibié (Beaulieu), had been involved in events like the Tour de France, and Corinne had become friends with some of the young guns of French motor racing, including Jacques Laffite and Jean-Pierre Jabouille. Her first practical experience of a motor race was when she helped out in the pits at the Reims 12 Hours, working for Sylvain Garant. This spurred her on to start her own competition career. In 1969, she co-drove for Marie-Pierre Palayer in the Critérium des Cévennes, in a BMW. They won the Coupe des Dames.

In the 1970 Critérium des Cévennes, she navigated for Bob Wollek, and helped him to second place in his Porsche 911. She shared a similar car with Thierry Sabine for the AGACI 300 at Montlhéry, but the result has been lost. Her performance on the Critérium des Cévennes was enough to win her the French Coupe des Dames for co-drivers. She also drove herself in some French rallies, in the Porsche, at Chataigne and Poitou.

By 1971, she had moved more fully into the driving seat. Her biggest event of the year was the Tour de France, which she had entered in a Porsche 911. Her co-driver was Christine Rouff, later a key member of Team Aseptogyl, and they had a third team member in the shape of a tortoise, which slept in the Porsche’s glove box and was fed by the mechanics. Corinne and her team were 27^thout of 49 finishers, and ninth in the 2000cc GT class. Navigation had not been completely left behind: she sat beside Francine Warein in a Simca for the Morocco Rally. At some point, she also co-drove for Christine Dacremont in an Opel Kadett, perhaps this year.

In 1972, she stepped away from Porsches temporarily, and drove an Alfa Romeo 2000 GT. She did not finish this year’s Tour de France due to engine failure, but was 32^nd in the Ronde Cévenole. She was still active in French rallies in the Porsche, and entered that year’s Paris-St. Raphaël Rally.

She did not compete in 1973. It was this year that she married, and thereafter, raced under the name Tarnaud or Koppenhague-Tarnaud. She was eighth in the 1974 Paris-St. Raphaël, driving an Alfa Romeo 2000. Another run in the Ronde Cévenole led to an 18^th place, out of 33 drivers, and she was 27^thin the Tour de France, in an Alfa Romeo again. Her team-mate for the Tour was a Madame Hoube, who had co-driven for her in rallies previously.

1975 was the year of her Le Mans adventure. She was part of an all-female team, led by Anny-Charlotte Verney, whose Porsche 911 Carrera RS they drove. Anny-Charlotte was another regular on the French racing and rally scene. Yvette Fontaine, the third team member, was also multi-talented, and from Belgium. They were the better of the two all-female teams that year, and were second in the Series GT class. She teamed up with Christine Beckers at Zolder, driving a Triumph Dolomite, and even made the trip out to Sweden, to race a Volvo in a one-make cup there. She was all set to drive in another Tour de France, too, but the death of her intended team-mate, “Charlotte”, in a road traffic accident, meant that she dropped out.

She attempted to qualify for Le Mans again in 1976, driving a TOJ SC204 with Jacky Haran and Jacques Marquet. They were not successful.

She was certainly still involved in stage rallying in 1976, and was part of one of the later incarnations of Team Aseptogyl. She drove a little Autobianchi A110 in the Monte Carlo Rally for the team, although she does not appear to have finished. She may well have rallied elsewhere in the pink A110, as she appears in Aseptogyl publicity material for that season. She entered the Mont Blanc Rally that year, but crashed out. As well as the Aseptogyl car, she also drove an Alpine-Renault 1800.

1977 was mostly spent away from motorsport, “resting”, as Corinne claimed in a contemporary interview in Echappement. In 1978, she raced an Alfasud in a European one-make series, finishing third at Albi, and setting a lap record in the process.

After 1978, she became more and more involved in rally raids, first on motorcycles, then on four wheels. In 1979, she entered the first Paris-Dakar Rally, on a motorbike, one of seven female riders making history that year. She rode a Suzuki, but did not finish. The following year, she moved into the car class, in a Willys Jeep. This led to another non-finish. She attempted the Dakar another eight times, once more on a motorcycle in 1985. Her last try was in 1988, when she drove a Land Rover. Her other vehicles included a Range Rover, a Jeep Hotchkiss in 1981 and a Toyota pickup in 1982.

After her retirement from active motorsport in 1988, she has remained involved in competitive sport. She still rides motorcycles recreationally, and skis competitively, despite her advancing age.

(Image copyright Michelle Wollek)

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Naomi Schiff

September 24, 2015, 1:56 pm

≫ Next: Female Rally Drivers After 1950: the USA

≪ Previous: Corinne Koppenhague (Tarnaud)

Naomi with the KTM X-Bow in 2015

Naomi Schiff is a Belgium-based South African driver. She is one of the most cosmopolitan speedqueens on this site, with a Belgian father and a Rwandan mother. She spent much of her childhood in South Africa, where she began racing. Currently, she competes under the South African flag, although she has previously raced on a Belgian license.

Naomi’s father raced himself when he was younger, but he did not push her into motorsport. She caught the racing bug at a karting birthday party held by a friend. Bt the age of twelve, she was racing her own kart.

Following a successful kart career in South Africa, she moved up to Formula Volkswagen in 2010, still only aged 16. She did six races, with a best finish of sixth, and was 17th overall.

Her Formula Volkswagen season was accompanied by some more karting, and she continued to race karts, with some success, in 2011. At this time, she was studying for exams, and also modelling, in addition to her racing activities.

After that, she moved to Belgium, and raced a Norma M20 in four rounds of the Belgian Special Open Trophy, managing a second in her first race, with no testing beforehand. She was also fifth and sixth at Spa. Unfortunately, the owner of the team for which she was driving vanished, and took all of her sponsor money with him. This was the end of her season.

A period on the sidelines followed, and she used this as an opportunity to finish her education. She decided afterwards to decamp from South Africa to Belgium full-time, and to pursue motor racing as a career. This was the end of her modelling days, and she was now on the lookout for sponsorship and racing opportunities.

She reappeared in 2013, racing in different machinery in different parts of the world. She was back in a Radical for two rounds of the Dutch Supercar Challenge, giving her another two sixth places, after making a guest appearance at the Motorland meeting of the Formula Renault Eurocup. She was less successful there, with one 34th place. A chance meeting then led to a new career direction; she was due to test a Lamborghini Gallardo for the Reiter Engineering team, but when she arrived, a customer had already claimed the car. Later that day, she met the driver, a Chinese racer and team owner. When Naomi explained that the drive she was testing for had been taken, the team owner offered her his own race seat, in the Clio Cup in China. So it was off to Southeast Asia, which was a good move. She won her second Chinese Clio Cup race, after coming second in her first, against experienced local drivers, at Chengdu. At Guangdong, she picked up another win, but did not finish her other race. In between, she did two Asian Formula Renault races, and was sixth and seventh at Zhuhai. Whilst in China, she guested in some rounds of the Scirocco-R Cup there, with at least one second place. Late in the northern hemisphere season, she was one of the twelve entrants in the VW Scirocco-R Shootout for female drivers, held in Germany. Lucile Cypriano was the eventual winner.

She intended to compete in the North Europe Formula Renault series in 2014, but this fell through. She returned to the Chinese Clio Cup, invited back by her 2014 team, and won it convincingly, with four victories. In Europe, she competed in the Zolder 24 Hours, in a Wolf GB08 sportscar, and was seventh overall, with Jonathan Pizzuti, Kurt Thiers and Guglielmo Belotti.

In 2015, she worked with Reiter Engineering again, driving a KTM X-Bow in the Nova GT4 Euro Series. She entered the championship for the Slovakiaring round, with Reinhard Kofler, and was rewarded with a third place and a win. She has also achieved two fourth places at the Red Bull Ring, at the time of writing. As well as the GT4 Series, Naomi is also driving a Lamborghini Gallardo for the Reiter team at last, in the GT Sports Club series for “gentlemen” drivers.

Naomi is signed with the Reiter team, who run the Lamborghini and KTM works sportscar teams, as a junior driver.

(Image copyright KTM)

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Female Rally Drivers After 1950: the USA

September 27, 2015, 7:53 am

≫ Next: Inessa Tushkanova

≪ Previous: Naomi Schiff

Verena Mei (right), with co-driver Leanne Junnila

The rally scene in the USA is growing every year, and female drivers are very much a part of that. Some of the profiles below originally came from the RallyDrivers in the Americas post. Gail Truess has her own post.

Lucy Block – rallied in America between 2009 and 2013, initially as a co-driver. Her first rally as a driver was the Middle Cog rally in 2009, swapping seats with Christine Beavis. Her car was a VW Golf. She took the wheel again in 2010, driving a Mazda3 in the Mexico Rally and finishing 17^th. She was also 19^th in the LLCote Rally. A break from competition followed, but she returned in 2013, in a Ford Fiesta R2. Her best results were two fourteenth places, in the Maine and New Hampshire Rallies. She does not appear to have competed since then. Lucy is married to WRC driver and Gymkhana creator, Ken Block.

Tracey Gardiner - driver from the United States, who began rallying in earnest in 2013, despite being in her 40s. Initially, she drove a Subaru Impreza in the two-part Sno*Drift Central Regional Rally, and was 17th and eleventh on the twin events. In April, she took delivery of a Toyota Yaris, and promptly won the Production class in the Wagons Ho! Rally. She was 42nd overall. That year, in the Yaris, she managed three more class wins, in the Trail’s End, Ottawa and Lac Vieux rallies. Her best overall finish was 16th, achieved twice, in the New England Forest and Lake Superior Rallies. She was 32nd in the Rally America championship. 2014 was a shorter season, as the Yaris, nicknamed “Jellybean” was damaged during the Susquehannock Trail Rally, in May. Tracey returned in October for the Lake Superior Rally, and scored her best finish of the year, fourteenth, and second in class. She was 25th in the championship. As well as actually competing, Tracey runs TAG Rally Sport, her own team, and a motorsports marketing agency.

Verena Mei - American driver who started out as part of the import scene, competing in drifting as well as promo modelling. In recent years, she has moved into mainstream motorsport, and is active in the US rally championship. She took up rallying in 2011, undertaking training before driving competitively. Her first event was the Sno*Drift Rally in 2011, as a navigator to Wyatt Knox. In 2012, she started driving herself, in a Ford Fiesta. She achieved some good class finishes, and even won the B-Spec National Championship, as well as finishing fourth in the 2WD standings. In 2013, she carried on with the Fiesta, run by the Truecar team and partly supported by Ford themselves. With her usually co-driver, Leanne Junnila, she finished five of her six events, with a best result of twelfth, in the Ojibwe Forests Rally. She was 20th overall in the US championship.

Christy Nelson– rallied in the Rally America championship between 2010 and 2013. Her first car was a Nissan Sentra, and she was second in her first event, the Nocona Rally Stomp. In 2012, after a couple of seasons of solid results, she upgraded to a Subaru Impreza WRX, and had a best finish of fourth, in the 100 Acre Wood Rally. 2013 was a strong year, with four class podiums, the best of these being a second, in the Drift Regional Rally. She was 20^th overall. Prior to taking up rallying, Christy was a successful club rallycross competitor, winning SCCA championships in 2008 and 2011.

Amanda Skelly– rallies a 1998 Subaru Impreza in her regional Rally America championship. She began in 2012, in the SnoDrift Rally. She returned to the event in 2013, finishing 19^th overall. Her best finish that year was twelfth, in the Drift Central Rally. In 2014, she earned another two top-twenty finishes in the Sno and Drift Rallies. Her 2015 programme was similar, with her best finish being 14^th, in the SnoCentral Rally. As well as driving, Amanda also co-drives on occasion, and she and her 2015 navigator, Ian Kessel, have taken turns in both seats. Her team is called Noble Star Rally and includes her sister, Desiray, among its members. Desiray was her first co-driver.

(Image from www.verenamei.com)

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