From the 1920s and 1930s to the present day, many women have contributed to Alfa Romeo's sporting success.
In this article we introduce you to the drivers who raced for Alfa Romeo, and some of them you may already know from this article.
Maria Antonietta d'Avanzo
Alfa Romeo's first female pilot, Baroness Maria Antonietta d’Avanzo made her debut in competition after the end of the First World War.
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Journalist, aviator and pioneer of Italian motor sport, Maria Antonietta achieved third place on the Brescia circuit in 1921 with an Alfa Romeo G1 as a testament to her capabilities.
A rival to drivers like Enzo Ferrari, Maria Antonietta d’Avanzo remained in competition until the 1940s.
Anna Maria Peduzzi
One of the drivers of Scuderia Ferrari (when it was still racing Alfa Romeo cars), Anna Maria Peduzzi was married to driver Franco Comotti and known by the nickname “Marocchina” (Moroccan).
After her debut at the wheel of the Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Super Sport, which bought Enzo Ferrari, Anna Maria rarely raced with her husband.
In 1934, she won the 1500 Class in the Mille Miglia and, in the postwar period, raced the Alfa Romeo 1900 Sprint and Giulietta.
hellé nice
Named Mariette Hèlène Delangle, this pilot, model, acrobat and dancer, would be known by the artistic name Hellé Nice.
One of the first drivers to display the brands of her sponsors on the body of a competition car in 1933 she raced her own 8C 2300 Monza at the Italian Grand Prix. Three years later, in 1936, she won the Ladies' Cup in Montecarlo and participated in the São Paulo Grand Prix, in Brazil.
Odette Siko
Alfa Romeo driver in one of the brand's most successful decades in motor sport (1930s) Odette Siko made history in 1932.
While Sommer took her Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Odette Siko achieved a historic fourth place and victory in the 2-litre class in an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS.
Ada Pace (“Sayonara”)
Entered in the races under the pseudonym “Sayonara”, Italian Ada Pace made history in the 1950s driving Alfa Romeo cars.
During a ten-year career, she won 11 national speed tests, six in the Tourism category and five in the Sport category.
The main successes were achieved behind the wheel of models such as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce or the Giulietta SZ, with which she won the Trieste-Opicina race in 1958.
Susanna "Susy" Raganelli
The only woman to have won a World Championship in motor sport (the 100cc World Kart Championship in 1966), Susy ended her career behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo GTA.In addition, she was also the owner of one of only 12 units produced of the legendary 1967 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.
Christine Beckers and Liane Engeman
Belgium's Christine Beckers has as a “crown of glory” the fact that she was one of the few drivers capable of dealing with the “temperamental” character of the Alfa Romeo GTA SA, the supercharged version with 220 hp prepared for Group 5.
In terms of history, she has won at Houyet in 1968 and good results in the following years at Condroz, Trois-Ponts, Herbeumont and Zandvoort.
Like Christine Beckers, Dutch driver Liane Engeman also distinguished herself at the wheel of the Alfa Romeo GTA. Later chosen by Alfa Romeo as a model, it caught the eye behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo 1300 Junior from Toine Hezemans' team.
Maria Grazia Lombardi and Anna Cambiaghi
Second Italian to race in Formula 1 (after Maria Teresa de Filippis in the 1950s), Maria Grazia Lombardi also became famous driving Alfa Romeo cars, having contributed to the achievement of several titles for the Italian brand.
Between 1982 and 1984, she participated in the European Touring Championship with the Alfa Romeo GTV6 2.5 with colleagues Giancarlo Naddeo, Giorgio Francia, Rinaldo Drovandi and another driver, Anna Cambiaghi.
Tamara Vidali
1992 Champion of the Italian Touring Championship in 1992 (Group N) with an Alfa Romeo 33 1.7 Quadrifoglio Verde designed by the then young competition department, Tamara Vivaldi was yet to become famous for the yellow decoration of the Alfa Romeo 155 she raced in the Italian Championship. of Supertourism (CIS) in 1994.
Tatiana Calderon
The youngest of the drivers linked to Alfa Romeo, Tatiana Calderón was born in 1993 in Colombia and made her debut in motorsport in 2005.
In 2017 he became a development driver for the Sauber Formula 1 team and a year later he was promoted to Formula 1 test driver at Alfa Romeo Racing.