Alessandra Brena

 

Alessandra Brena is a versatile Italian driver whose career has taken in single-seaters, touring cars and even rallying, in both petrol and electric vehicles. 

She began competing as a senior in Italy in 2011, at the age of fifteen. This followed seven years in a kart.

She drove in Formula Abarth, mainly concentrating on the Italian championship for the junior single-seater. Her best finish seems to have been eleventh, at Misano. Unfortunately, she was unable to complete the season, due to an injury sustained during a race. She also drove in two European championship events, also at Misano. 

In 2012, she drove in the Green Scout Cup for alternative-fuel vehicles, in a Kia. She won at least one race. This was the first of two seasons with alternative fuels; the second one led to a race win and a championship win in the Kia.

As well as hybrids, she raced more traditional internal-combustion cars, including a Ginetta G50 and a Lamborghini Gallardo, which she used in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo. She was thirteenth in the championship. She ended the year named as Italy’s best woman driver, still in her teens.

She raced the Ginetta again in a couple of rounds of the 2014 European GT4 Challenge for the Scuderia Giudici team, having impressed team owner Gianni Giudici. She was thirteenth and fifteenth at Misano, having performed well in qualifying alongside co-driver Walter Conforti. She was the youngest driver in the championship.

It was time to diversify in 2015. She did some rounds of the Germanol Adria Race Cup in a Renault Twingo, as well as entering some Italian rallies in a Peugeot 208. Her best result in the Renault seems to have been a fifth place. She won the Coupe des Dames in the Rally Due Valli, and was 28th overall. 

In 2016, she rallied the Peugeot in the Franciacorta Rally Show, and was 32nd overall. A guest appearance in the Italian Clio Cup at the end of the season led to a fourth-place finish.

Buoyed by her small success, a full-time return to the circuits in 2017 took the form of the Italian TCS Touring Car Championship. She was third overall, winning twice. 

Her career hit a fallow patch after that. She attempted to qualify for the W Series in 2019 but was eliminated from the first selection event. Later in the year, she went back to alternative power for the Mille Miglia Green, driving a Mercedes EQC. Since then, she has done some drifting but no actual racing.

(Image from formulapassion.it)

Samantha Tan

Samantha Tan (right) with her ST Racing team-mate, Aurora Straus

Samantha Tan is a Canadian driver who races in the Pirelli World Challenge in the USA. She has made her way through the Touring classes to the GTS class.

She raced in the Canadian Touring Car Championship in 2014. Her car was a Mini Cooper, and she was fifth in the Touring class, and ninth overall. Her best finish was fourth, at Mirabel, and she was usually in the top ten. This was quite remarkable, given that she was only 17 years old, and in her first full season of motorsport.

Previously, she had only done a little NASA stock car racing in 2014, with some success. She had been interested in cars from a very early age and was one of the youngest people ever to take part in the Ferrari Driving Experience at Mont Tremblant.

In 2015, she raced in the Pirelli World Challenge for the first time. She was driving a Kia Forte Koup run by Kinetic Motorsport. Despite a bumpy start at Circuit of the Americas, where she did not finish any of her three races, she had a decent season, with fourth spots at Mosport and Miller. She was sixth in the championship.

Mid-season, she also found time for some rounds of the CTCC, in a Mini, scoring one third place at Toronto from three starts.

Most of 2016 was spent in the Pirelli World Challenge, where she drove a Honda Civic in the TCA class. She was sixth in the class championship, with a best finish of sixth and a consistent finishing record. Her form was slightly better in the early part of the season.

Late in the season, she made two guest appearances in the CTCC, and was fifth and seventh at Bowmanville.

A third season in the World Challenge in 2017, driving a BMW, proved difficult. Her best finishes were two fourteenth places at Circuit of the Americas and she was 29th overall. This was her first year in the TC class and was a step-up in power. TCA is a lower horsepower, “limited preparation” class, while TC allows cars up to TCR spec to compete.

In 2018, she decided to remain with ST Racing, her team from 2017. She drove a BMW M4 in the GTS class of the World Challenge with Nick Wittmer. They were fifth and third in the first two races at Circuit of the Americas, their best results of the year. Samantha was 16th in the championship.

She stuck with BMW power for 2019 but moved up to the GT4 class. She was second in the Pirelli GT4 America West Pro-Am class with two seconds and four thirds, partnered by Jason Wolfe. Driving solo, she was 19th in the Sprint category, after one fifth place at Long Beach.

Her GT4 adventures continued in 2020 with her first trip to Dubai for the 24 Hour race. The event was red-flagged and stopped after seven hours due to the track being flooded. Samantha and her three ST Racing team-mates were running seventh in the GT4 class at the time.

Coronavirus put paid to a good proportion of the 2020 season, but Samantha still managed to race the M4. She entered the Pirelli GT4 SprintX America championship, racing in the Silver class. ST Racing's drivers were crowned Silver champions at the end of the year, ahead of Andretti Autosport, with four wins. Samantha and Jon Miller were third in the SprintX drivers' championship with two seconds and four thirds. One of these was at the Indianapolis eight-hour race, where she was second in the overall GT4 class and third in SprintX.

The ST team went worldwide in 2021. Their first race was the Dubai 24 Hours, the first big race of the year. A team of Samantha, Jon Miller, Chandler Hill and Nick Wittmer were 15th overall and first GT4 car, driving the BMW. 

The Abu Dhabi 6 Hours was also in January. Samantha and Jon Miller were fourth overall and won their class after a close battle with the Sally Racing Cupra. 

Through the Hankook 24H GT Series season, Samantha and her team won their class four more times at Hockenheim, Catalunya and the Hungaroring. That, plus second places at Mugello and Sebring, was enough to bring home the GT4 championship.

She raced two cars in 2022, the BMW and a Ferrari. She used the BMW for endurance racing again, entering part of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America and the GT Intercontinental Challenge as well as some 24H Series races. Her best finishes were a fifth and fourth at Sonoma in the Fanatec series. Her 24H Series successes came in Europe, with a combined GT3 and Pro-Am win in the Mugello race being a highlight of her year, after another finish in the Dubai 24 Hours. 

She racked up another Pro-Am win in the Ferrari Challenge at Circuit of the Americas, followed by a second place at Daytona.

Most of 2023 was spent racing the BMW in the Fanatec GT Challenge America. She and her ST Racing team-mate Neil Verhagen won the Pro-Am class once at Road America and Samantha scored four further podiums, on the way to fourth in the championship. The Ferrari was stationed in Europe for the GT Challenge Europe and ST Racing's results were similar. Samantha, assisted by Lorcan Hanafin and Isaac Tutumlu Lopez, won the final round of the season at Catalunya. The team finished on the Pro-Am podium in all five races. 

With all this action, she still had time for a few races in the NLS, driving a BMW M240i in the one-make series for it. She won round six with her two team-mates and finished on the podium in the other two races.

ST Racing's main challenge in 2024 was the GT World Challenge America. She shared an M4 with Neil Verhagen and was second in the Pro-Am class, by just five points. The team was second overall at Circuit of the Americas and won their class twice. In Europe, she and Jon Miller entered the Spa round of the GT4 European Series, finishing 17th in once race. A five-driver team of Samantha, Neil and John, plus Pippa Mann and Fabian Duffieux, tackled the Barcelona 24 Hours at the end of the year, coming fifteenth.  

Her 2025 season was based around the IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge. She drove a BMW M4 solo in the GTDX class. As the season progressed, she got quicker and ended with a run of third places at Virginia and Atlanta. She was third in her class championship.

In a similar car, she joined up with the WRT team and Swedish driver Gustav Bergstrom for the Le Mans round of the Le Mans Cup. They were not eligible for championship points. Elsewhere in Europe, she did one round of the NLS at the Nurburgring, driving a BMW. She and her two team-mates were fifth in their class.

(Image copyright Sean Krinik)

Women Drivers in One-Make Series: Poland

Aleksandra Furgal with her Castrol VW 

In recent years, Polish one-make racing has produced several home-grown female racers. This page will shortly be expanded.

Aleksandra Bursiak - raced in the VW Castrol Cup in 2013, driving a Golf. This was her first season of motorsport, and she was not overly competitive. Her best results were two 19th places, achieved at the Hungaroring and Poznan. She was 23rd overall in the championship. In 2014, she does not appear to have returned to motorsport. Prior to 2013, she worked as a model, and ran a VW dealership with her partner.

Karolina Czapka (Lampel) - Polish driver who has been racing in one-make series in Europe since 2003. Her first racing car seems to have been an Alfa Romeo, in 2003, but she has mostly driven Renaults since then, including three runs in the German Clio Cup in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Her best result was 17th, in 2007. More recently, she raced in the DMV Tourenwagen Challenge in Germany, in 2009, and scored at least one class win in her Renault Megane silhouette. The Megane was also her car of choice in 2010, when she drove in the Megane Trophy in Europe. At home, she won class D4 of the Polish Touring Car Championship. In 2011, she won the Renault Race Festival at the Nurburgring. In 2012, she did not compete much, although she did drive in one endurance race at Brno in a Porsche Cayman, and at least some of the Polish Renault Megane Trophy. 

Mery (Marcelina) Czepiel - began her senior career in the 2019 Kia Platinum Cup, aged 16. Her first race was at Most and on a very wet track. She also won her class at Poznan. In November, she travelled to the Yas Marina circuit for the opening rounds of the UAE Procar championship, earning two fourth places in a Renault Clio and a “Driver of the Day” award. In 2020, she did some Histo Cup races in a BMW 318, with a best finish of fifth. Moving back into modern competition, she raced in the German BMW M2 Cup in 2021. She was 18th in the championship. She appears to have raced a BMW in Poland in 2022 and a Fiat 500 Abarth in a one-make series in 2023. In 2025, she raced a BMW in Poland again, possibly in a natioanl endurance championship. Before entering the Kia series, she had been involved in karting for just under two years. Her ambition is to move into rallying and compete in the WRC, emulating her hero Janusz Kulig.

Jolanta Fabijańska -  competed in the Kia Lotos Cup in Poland between 2006 and 2008, driving in the Picanto class. In her first season, she was only 21st. In 2007, she still struggled, and was 25th. In 2008, she got to grips with the car and started visiting the top three. She was tenth overall, and first out of the four female drivers. In addition to circuit racing, Jolanta occasionally takes part in rallying, as a driver and navigator. In 2006, she was 78th in the Rajd Baborka, in another Picanto. Her most recent co-driving seems to be with Wojciech Skrebutenas in 2010, in a Peugeot 106. 

Aleksandra (Ola) Furgal - raced mostly in Poland between 2007 and 2013. Between 2007 and 2009, she competed in the Kia Picanto Cup. During her first season, she was 24th, but that improved to fourteenth in 2008, and seventh in 2009. She scored two podium finishes, after having her first one in 2008. In 2010, she moved into the Kia Cee’d Cup. She did not finish on the podium, but was more consistent this year, so was fifth overall. That year, she also did some rally co-driving, and helped Leszek Kuzaj to a win in the Janusz Kulig memorial rallysprint. After a break, she entered the VW Castrol Cup, racing around Central and Eastern Europe. Her best finish was fourteenth, at Poznan, and she pulled out after a DNF in the first race of the Austrian round. She was 22nd overall. She does not appear to have raced in 2014.

Monika Luberadzka - raced in Kia one-make championships between 2006 and 2010. She began in the Picanto Cup. To begin with, she was not on the pace, and she was only 25th in 2006. Her second season was much the same, and she was 26th in the championship. In 2008, she switched to the Cee’d Cup, and was more competitive, with twelfth place in her first season. This was improved to eighth in 2009. That season, she also raced a VW Golf in the Polish Touring Car Championship, for at least some of its rounds, with Karolina Lampel-Czapka. In 2010, she was sixth overall in the Cee’d Cup, just behind Aleksandra Furgal. As well as racing, Monika took part in a couple of rallies, including the 2006 Rajd Baborka, in a Picanto. She has also rallied a Peugeot 206 (in 2009) and a Fiat Seicento. In 2010, she took part in hillclimbs in Slovakia and Italy, as part of the Central European championship. Her car was a Kia Cee’d. She does not appear to have competed since then.

Klara Ruszkowska (Rosłan)- raced a Kia Picanto between 2006 and 2009, in the Kia Picanto Cup, which ran as part of the Kia Lotos Cup for the Picanto and Cee’d. She was 29th in 2006, but then only 38th in 2007, after missing a couple of races. In 2008, she was only able to take part in four races, and was 24th overall. In 2009, she completed a full season, and was a career-best fourteenth. After that, she disappears from the entry lists.

Malgorzata Serbin – raced saloons in Poland in the 1990s. She has competed in one-make series for Fiats and the Alfa Romeo 156. She began in a Fiat Cinquecento in 1991, and scored a podium finish in her first race. This was the first of a string of podiums, and she was third in the championship. Until 1994, she continued to use the Cinquecento in races and hillclimbs, usually doing better on the circuits. After a break, she returned in 1998, and won a race at Poznan in the Fiat. In 1999, she raced in the Renault Megane Cup, and earned some top-ten finishes. A season in the Alfa Romeo one-make series followed, which ended similarly. She is now a driver coach.

Izabella Szwarczynska - began racing in the Kia Picanto Cup in 2006. She did a full season that year, and was 17th overall. The following year, she only managed five of the eleven races, and was 36th as a result. Her activities after that are a bit vague, although she is recorded as a class winner in the Poznan round of the Polish Racing Cup in 2011. This looks to be a historic racing series. There are some results from earlier, in 2004, for Izabella in the Polish Touring Car Championship. She was sixth in class in a Fiat Seicento. In 2003, she did some racing in the same class, and crashed at least once. She has also done some rallying, including the 2008 Warsaw Rally. She was 16th, in a Renault Clio.

(Image from www.vwracing.pl)