Ana Delfosse was an Argentinian race-car driver and

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

mechanic who worked for

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

champion Juan Fangio and later became the first woman to win a pure-speed auto race in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Born in 1931 near Punta Arenas,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, she grew up on a sheep farm in Argentina. Enamored of speed at an early age, she rode a horse called Blitz (German for "lightning"). Watching Fangio driving by the ranch in his racing car led to her involvement with racing cars. At the age of 16, she became part of Fangio's pit crew and later became a driver, racing in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

and elsewhere. On June 5, 1960, she won a race in Buenos Aires, driving a Porsche Gordini.Libro de records: una pionera del automovilismo local
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Biography

Ana Delfosse was born Anneliese Hartenau in Punta Arenas, Chile, of German parents.
She met her husband, Curt Delfosse, a race-car designer, while working in Fangio's garage in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, and they married in 1955. In 1963, she and her husband immigrated to the United States, where they established an automotive business, Delfosse Racing, in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, and another in Idyllwild. Retiring in 1977, they moved to southern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and built a home along the

Little Applegate River The Little Applegate River is a tributary of the Applegate River located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is part of the Rogue River watershed, draining approximately of Jackson County. Rising in the Siskiyou Mountains, the river flows gener ...

. Facing economic problems after the buyer of their California business defaulted on payments, they sold their home and moved to Ashland where they leased and operated a gas station near Interstate 5. Both died of lung problems associated with frequent exposure to

leaded gasoline Tetraethyllead (commonly styled tetraethyl lead), abbreviated TEL, is an organolead compound with the formula Pb( C2H5)4. It is a fuel additive, first being mixed with gasoline beginning in the 1920s as a patented octane rating booster that all ...

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

from brake pads, and other toxins that posed risks to race-car mechanics and drivers in the mid-20th century. Curt died in 1998, and Ana died in 2017 while visiting her sister in San Diego. She suffered from scleroderma during her final years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delfosse, Ana 1931 births 2017 deaths Argentine racing drivers Deaths from scleroderma Formula One mechanics People from Punta Arenas Sportspeople from Ashland, Oregon Argentine female racing drivers Argentine people of German descent Argentine emigrants to the United States