Written by Alejandra Guajardo Lozano, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Women have played an influential role throughout the history of motor racing. Many have taken to the wheels of motorsport machines, while numerous figures have worked tirelessly on the sidelines in various roles, shaping the racing world to the present day. Woman Spotlight Wednesday aims to take a look at the tales of these superwomen, who have surpassed various hurdles to reach where they are today.
This week, the spotlight is on the outstanding Bia Figueiredo, an important figure who has paved the way for many women in motorsports.
Ana “Bia” Beatriz Caselato Gomes de Figueiredo, better known as Bia Figueiredo, is a Brazilian racing driver, a true role model for women aspiring to be in motorsport one day.
She first raced go karts at eight, funded by her supportive family. By the age of 12, she was coached by Nailor Campos, known for shaping the careers of some big names in Brazilian motorsport.
Among Nailor’s proteges include Rubens Barichello, Tony Kanaan and Enrique Bernoldi, famous figures who have stepped up to Formula One and IndyCar in the past.
Bia finished runner-up in many karting competitions and won the Torriso Petrobrás Kart Cup championship in 2003.
She raced in many series like Brazilian Formula Renault and Formula 3 Sudamericana, before moving stateside to race in the Firestone Indy Lights Series with Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
In her Indy Lights campaign, Bia finished fifth in the Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the highest finishing position by a female driver in that race.
Not long after the Indy weekend, she also bagged another feather in winning her first Indy Lights race at Nashville, becoming the first woman to do so.
After her victory, a reporter asked if she was the next Danica Patrick, to which Bia replied:
"Everybody is making that comparison... But I always say that I'm always going to be Bia. I'm never going to be Danica... I hope there is a place for a Bia now."
A powerful quote which shows there is always space for more women to make history in the motorsports world. Bia certainly went on to make waves in motorsport, finishing third in her maiden Indy Lights campaign.
After another successful year of racing in IndyCar’s feeder series, Bia stepped up to the IndyCar series in 2010.
Her first campaign for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing involved racing on ovals, featuring appearances in the Indy 500, Illinois and the Miami-Homestead raceway, in addition to the season opener in São Paulo.
This morphed into a first full campaign with the team in 2011, with Bia Figureido driving the No 24 entry for the team. Although she wasn’t able to breach the top ten, she netted a best finish of 11th all season, in Toronto.
Bia started her home event in São Paulo, before taking part in the Indy 500 for Andretti Autosport the following year.
After two appearances for the big American name, she switched to Dale Coyne Racing for 2013, making sporadic starts across the year.
Outside IndyCar, Bia has continued her successful career, racing in the Brazilian Stock Car Racing series for several years.
She recently took the overall spoils in the Elite Truck Cup Series class, boasting outstanding statistics of seven wins and five pole positions in only eight races.
Bia Figueiredo is a talented racing driver who is always ruthless and fighting to prove that women belong in this “male-dominated” sport. She is an amazing role model and truly races like a girl.
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