Part 1 - Racing Cars Driven by Female Champions
14 May 2023 5 min read 9 images
Contrary to popular belief, there have always been women drivers. The first woman who comes to mind is Bertha Benz, wife of Karl Benz, who is considered the inventor of the automobile. In 1888, Bertha drove the strange machine created by her husband for 100 kilometres.
From the various tracks and races before World War II, at least four female drivers and their cars deserve a special mention: Mariette Hélene Delangle (a French model, dancer, and a motor racing driver who went by her stage name, Hellé Nice), the Canadian Kay Petre, the Czechoslovak Eliška Junková-Khásová, and the Italian Maria Antonietta Avanzo.
Hellé Nice drove a Bugatti 35, which was a symbol of motoring prowess in that era, in important races. She received support from Jean Bugatti, to whom she was introduced by an important client, Philippe de Rothschild. This allowed her to race in five Grands Prix with the Type 35 C and earned her a great deal of respect. Beautiful and a former dancer and model, she made her debut at the Autodrome de Montlhéry with an Oméga-Six, gained experience racing in America with a Miller, and after her time with Bugatti, she also raced with the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300. Among her many cars was the Matford Alsace V8, which she drove in the Monte Carlo Rally.
In England, we cannot forget the brave Kay Petre who set the speed record behind the wheel of a monstruous 10.5 litre V12 Delage at over 200 km/h. She was driving at the fast Brooklands circuit when her career was ended by a terrible accident, after being rammed by another competitor on the banking, resulting in serious injuries that prevented her from returning to racing.
Equally fascinating is the sporting adventures of Eliška Junková, often referred to by her westernized name, Elisabeth Junek. She married a man with a great passion for racing and to support him, she obtained her license and became so passionate that she became a racing driver herself.
She participated in two Targa Florio races in 1927 and 1928, driving a Bugatti Type 35 and managed to finish in fifth place. Her career continued, and she and her husband became friends with Ettore Bugatti, who had a special interest in his racing clients. Unfortunately, her brilliant career ended abruptly when her husband died during the German Grand Prix in 1928. At that point, Eliška left racing forever.
The Italian Maria Antonietta Avanzo, the Baronessa as she was known, drove a wide variety of cars during her forty-year career from 1919 to the post-war period. Certainly, all her cars were more than capable of making an impressive collection. Her first car was a Packard 299 from 1919, which at the time still only had rear brakes. No race was too daunting for her: she participated in the Targa Florio, three 1000 Miglia, and even attempted to compete in the Indianapolis 500 in 1932, encouraged by the Italian champion, Ralph de Palma who offered her his Miller. Unfortunately, this dream did not come true due to the difficulties encountered in a type of race that was unknown in Europe. Her cars speak for themselves: the Alfa Romeo 20/30 from 1921, the 4C 1750 SS and the 6C of the Scuderia Ferrari, as well as the Bugatti T43, Ansaldo 4CS, and Chrysler 70.
To fully understand the significance of these stories, we must imagine the era in which they took place. The skill and talent of these female drivers were combined with a powerful message of female empowerment – women as symbols of equality, a message that to this today is still far from being fully realized.
Another factor to consider is that all four women passed away peacefully in their beds. Hellé at 83, Marie Antoinette at 84, Kay at 91, and Elisabeth at 93. Given the many tragedies that marked the early years of motorsport when safety was not yet a priority, these statistics are of considerable note. Of the four, Kay and Hellé both suffered serious accidents, but they were always caused by outside factors. This could be seen as a message of gender equality: combining typically feminine qualities such as method and reason with courage and talent can help to reduce risk. This is not a conclusion, but rather a hypothesis that the data very much appears to confirm.
Well done, Elizabeth, Hellé, Kay, and Marie Antoinette. Four outstanding women that perfectly represent the many other women drivers throughout history who got behind the wheel with determination and audacity, even if their stories are not often told.
CLASSIC CAR MATCHER