Susanna Raganelli

Susanna Raganelli
Raganelli at the 1966 CIK-FIA World Championship
Born (1946-02-21) 21 February 1946
Rome, Italy
SpouseGiancarlo Naddeo
NationalityItaly Italian
Karting World Championship career
Years active1965–1967
TeamsTecno
Starts3
Championships1 (1966)
Podiums1
Best finish1st in 1966 (100cc)

Susanna "Susy" Raganelli (born 21 February 1946) is an Italian former racing driver and kart racer.[1] Raganelli won the Karting World Championship in 1966 with Tecno, and remains the only female to have won a four-wheel World Championship.[1][2]

Early and personal life

Raganelli was born on 21 February 1946 in Rome, Italy.[3] Her father, Cesare Raganelli, was a local Alfa Romeo car dealer.[2][4]

From the 1970s until his death in 2021, Raganelli was married to fellow racing driver Giancarlo Naddeo, who won the Italian Formula Three Championship in 1971.[5] She encouraged Naddeo to retire from single-seater racing after an accident saw him suffer a broken leg and fractured skull.[6]

Career

In 1965, Raganelli won the karting Italian 100cc Super championship, and in 1966 helped her countrymen win the European Nation's Championship.[1][7]

1966 CIK-FIA World Championship

Podium of the 1966 CIK-FIA World Championship
Raganelli (centre) won the CIK-FIA World Championship in 1966 and remains the only female to win an FIA World Championship.

Raganelli won the 100 cc Karting World Championship in 1966 in a Tecno–Parilla, beating Leif Engström and Ronnie Peterson, and remains the only female to have won a four-wheel World Championship.[1][2] Tecno co-founder Gianfranco Pederzani later remarked in Autosprint that Raganelli was the only driver who could compete with Peterson, who twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.[8]

Alfa Romeo

Raganelli also raced for Alfa Romeo, driving the Alfa Romeo GTA.[9] She was the "first Italian buyer" of the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, of which only 12 were produced.[2]

Awards and honours

Orders and special awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Susanna Raganelli, the only female driver to win a World Karting Champ". Tkart.it. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Parker, Sean (10 March 2021). "Alfa Romeo celebrates its amazing female racing drivers". Stellantis. News24. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Une pilote féminine a-t-elle déjà été championne du monde ? Oui, elle s'appelle Susanna Raganelli !". Poleposition.ca. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  4. ↑ Capone, Ruggiero. "Interview with Mario Belati". Gensitalica.net. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  5. ↑ Brown, Allen. "Giancarlo Naddeo". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "Giancarlo Naddeo | 1939–2021". Motorsport Memorial. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  7. ↑ "FIA Karting - History 1966". Fiakarting.com. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Autosprint : Monza Special" (PDF). Porschecarshistory.com. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Illustrato Magazine" (PDF). Ascai.it. April 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Susanna Raganelli". Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano (in Italian). Archived from the original on 23 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.


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