CAR: They are the fastest women in Switzerland

Since her adolescence, Simona De Silvestro was already passionate about motorsports. La Thounoise was not even 18 years old when she went to live in the United States after her first successes in Formula in Europe. After Formula BMW and Formula Toyota Atlantic, he moved on to IndyCar, where he earned the distinction of “Rookie of the Year” (“Rookie of the Year”) at the legendary Indianapolis 500 race in 2010. A year later, He was back behind the Volar the day after a serious training accident that left both of his hands burned and qualifying earned him even more recognition from drivers and fans alike. . After this brave performance, the Americans, for whom she had until then been just the kind “Swiss Miss”, gave her the nickname “Iron Maiden”. After a brief hiatus in the Formula 1 circus with the Swiss team Sauber, he returned to the IndyCar Series in 2015. The same year he took part in Formula E, where he finished the 2015/16 season in 18th place. of development drives in Formula E for Porsche.

Although not Swiss in the strict sense of the term, Liechtensteiner Fabienne Wohlwend is still included in this list. Her passion for car racing was born at the age of seven, when her father, Edwin Wohlwend, decided to introduce her little girl and her brother to karting. “Dad, that’s what I want to do with my life,” the young woman, now 24, told her father after a sudden stop. As a result of this episode, the family bought a motorhome that took them to various circuits in Liechtenstein and Switzerland, before Fabienne embarked on car races with Aragon during the Italian Formula 4 championship in 2016. A year later, he participated in the Audi Sport TT Cup and the Ferrari Challenge European championship, becoming the first woman to win a race in the Coppa-Shell category for Ferrari.

After quitting her job at a bank, Fabienne became a professional driver in the Trofeo Pirelli division of the Ferrari Challenge in 2019, where she took first place the following year, in her first race at Imola. In 2019, she was selected for the W Series women’s championship, where she finished sixth. This year she is participating again in the W Series, which is held before Formula 1. Her father, Edwin, who has never missed a single race for his daughter, taps her on the helmet twice and shakes her hand before each race. He is always by her side.

Originally from Appenzel, the young woman may be a tradesman by trade, but her heart only beats for motorsports. Thanks to her father, she had her first experiences in karting since her earliest childhood. Meanwhile, the eastern Swiss has become a Volkswagen brand ambassador and is participating in the VLN endurance championship as well as the legendary 24 Hours of Nürburgring with her Golf GTI TCR as part of an all-female team. In 2019, the WS Racing team implemented her vision of “Girls Only-Rock the Green Hell” on the circuit. A whole program, because it’s not just women pilots, but the whole team, from the team leader to the mechatronics technicians and the engineers. Currently, the 29-year-old competes in the TCR category behind the wheel of her Golf GTI TCR.

Rahel Frey also started her racing career at the karting track at a young age. In 2004, he made his debut in the Swiss Formula Renault Renault Sport Trophy. Two years later, he joined the Swiss Jenzer Motorsport team and remained loyal to Formula Renault. In 2008 he made the jump to the German Formula 3 Cup with Amersfoort Racing. The Solothurn native secured points and podium places in the first year. In season two, she even took victory at the Nürburgring, becoming the first woman to win a race in the German Formula 3 Cup. After intermediate stops in GT motorsport and DTM, Rahel Frey moved on to ADAC GT Masters. On October 27, 2013, she won the tenth race of the Audi R8 LMS Cup season in China, becoming the first woman to win a race in this series. Since 2011, the now 36-year-old has been part of the Audi Sport Customer Racing driver team and has the privilege of accompanying customers from all over the world at top speed. In 2019, she also made a splash and scored points for Kessel Racing with a Ferrari 488 GT3 and an all-female team during ELMS.

For three years, Rahel Frey has been part of the Italian Iron Lynx motorsport team, which is both a team and a racing academy. The “Iron Lady” form a separate team. With the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the Le Mans European series with six races each are on the program this year, as well as participation in all five Cup races. of GT World Challenge Endurance. Europe with the GT3 model a little less nervous. Since 2022, Rahel Frey is also an FIA gold driver.