Susanna "Susy" Raganelli (born 21 February 1946) is an Italian former

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

and kart racer. Raganelli won the

Karting World Championship The FIA Karting World Championship, officially known as the Mondokart.com FIA Karting World Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a kart racing competition organised by the CIK-FIA. Hosted annually since 1964, it is widely regarded as the ...

in 1966 with Tecno, and remains the only female to have won a four-wheel World Championship.

Early and personal life

Raganelli was born on 21 February 1946 in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy. Her father, Cesare Raganelli, was a local

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

car dealer. From the 1970s until his death in 2021, Raganelli was married to fellow racing driver Giancarlo Naddeo, who won the

Italian Formula Three Championship The Italian Formula Three Championship was the Formula Three racing competition in Italy. History Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's care ...

in 1971. She encouraged Naddeo to retire from

single-seater An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fend ...

racing after an accident saw him suffer a broken leg and fractured skull.

Career

In 1965 she won the karting ''Italian 100cc Super championship'', and in 1966 helped her countrymen win the ''European Nation's Championship''.

1966 Karting World Championship

Raganelli won the 100 cc

in 1966 with Tecno, and remains the only female to have won a four-wheel World Championship.

Alfa Romeo

She also raced for

, driving the Alfa Romeo GTA. She was the "first Italian buyer" of the

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is a Mid-engine design, mid-engine sports car built by Italian automobile manufacturer Alfa Romeo. It was the fastest commercially available car for the standing kilometer upon its introduction.Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale tu ...

, of which only 12 were produced.

References

External links

* 1946 births Italian female racing drivers Karting World Championship drivers Racing drivers from Rome Living people Italian racing drivers 20th-century Italian sportswomen {{Italy-autoracing-bio-stub