curated by GRRL! updated: January 28, 2026

Bio Excerpt: Irina Antonovna Sidorkova turned a childhood obsession with Pixar’s *Cars* into a legitimate racing career that’s survived everything from visa denials to geopolitical warfare. The Russian driver started karting at six in Northern Russia, won the Ice Circuit Racing Cup in 2016, and earned her stripes... (full bio below ↓↓)

Irina Sidorkova

Formula racer

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Irina's Socials:

I’m a hardworking person, I never give up and reach my goals no matter what.

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Irina's Details:

nickname:

IRS

Birthday:

January 27, 2003 (23)

Birthplace:

Petrozavodsk, Russia

racing type:

Formula racing

series:

team(s):

racing status:

Enthusiast

height:

167cm

residence:

Petrozavodsk Russia

inspiration(s):

Disney's Lightning McQueen from the cartoon "Cars"

guilty pLEASURES:

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GRRL! Number:

GRRL-0545

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Ирина Сидоркова о своем дебюте в “Формуле 4“ | Irina Sidorkova

April 15, 2019 / views: 4131 / run: 00:08:13

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Irina's full bio:

(last updated January 26, 2026

Irina Sidorkova is a Russian racing driver who’s carved out a racing career against steep odds, starting with a childhood dream inspired by a Pixar movie and later navigating geopolitical barriers that would sideline most drivers for good.

EARLY YEARS

Born on June 27, 2003, in Petrozavodsk, Karelia—a region in Northern Russia better known for its lakes than its racing circuits—Irina Antonovna Sidorkova, who goes by Ira, fell hard for motorsports at age six after watching the animated film Cars. Most kids wanted the toys; she wanted the lifestyle. She convinced her family to let her try karting, and by the time she was old enough to read chapter books, she was already racing across Northern Russia and the Baltic states.

Growing up in Petrozavodsk meant she wasn’t exactly surrounded by racing infrastructure, but Sidorkova made it work. She competed in karting championships from 2011 to 2015, racking up wins and learning how to handle a machine in less-than-ideal conditions—a skill set that would prove invaluable later. In 2016, she won the Ice Circuit Racing Cup in St. Petersburg, because apparently regular racing wasn’t challenging enough.

OTHER INTERESTS

When she’s not strapped into a race car, Sidorkova is a self-described creative type. She used to draw spaceships and write stories about them—an imaginative streak that hints at someone who’s always thinking a few steps ahead. She learned Finnish in school, which makes sense given her proximity to the Finnish border and her early rally interests. She’s also mentioned being hardworking to a fault, the kind of person who never gives up and will grind until she hits her goals. “Racing is clearly better than sitting on the couch,” she’s said, which pretty much sums up her philosophy on downtime.

EARLY SUCCESS

By 2017, Sidorkova had graduated from karts to cars, joining the SMP Racing junior program—a prestigious Russian young drivers’ academy that produced Formula 1’s Sergey Sirotkin. That year, she competed in the SMP Formula 4 Championship and earned silver in the Russian Circuit Racing Series’ National Junior class. She also won the National Junior class outright, signaling she wasn’t just along for the ride.

Her early interest included a flirtation with rallying; she was a junior in the Rally section of the VW Academy and drove a Polo in a Finnish rally, where her experience in wet and icy conditions gave her an edge. “I know how to control a car in rainy conditions,” she explained, and she used that knowledge to win races when others were spinning out.

In April 2019, Sidorkova made her debut in the F4 Spanish Championship at Navarra, marking her first foray into international single-seater competition. By the second round at Motorland Aragon—a track she called “fast and not boring”—she finished sixth and became the best-performing woman in the field. It was a statement: she belonged.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

2011-2015: Winner of multiple karting championships across Northern Russia and the Baltics.
2016: Winner of the Ice Circuit Racing Cup in St. Petersburg.
2017: Silver medalist in the Russian Circuit Racing Series, National Junior class; winner of the National Junior class in the same series.
2019: Competed in F4 Spanish Championship; finished sixth at Motorland Aragon and was the best female finisher in multiple rounds.
2020: Selected to compete in W Series.
2021: Earned her first W Series podium with a second-place finish at the Red Bull Ring; became the youngest driver on the W Series grid at 17 years old.
2021: Denied a U.S. visa, forcing her to miss the W Series season finale at Circuit of the Americas.
2022: Suspended from W Series due to restrictions on Russian drivers following the invasion of Ukraine.
2023: Competed in RSKG Endurance, earning a podium on her debut and multiple fourth-place finishes throughout the season.
2024: Competed simultaneously in Russian Circuit Racing Series GT4 and Endurance classes; earned two podiums in the season finale and finished fourth in the GT4 overall standings.

INSPIRATIONS

Sidorkova has been refreshingly candid about what got her started: Cars, the Pixar movie about a hotshot race car learning humility in a small town. It’s a wonderfully specific and slightly ridiculous origin story, and she owns it. Beyond that, her time in the SMP Racing Academy exposed her to high-level competition and mentorship, shaping her into a driver who values experience and hard work over natural talent alone. She’s also cited the unique opportunity to gain experience in different conditions and formats—from ice racing to endurance events—as critical to her development.

REPUTATION

Sidorkova has built a reputation as a gutsy, adaptable driver who refuses to quit even when the deck is stacked against her. Her 2021 W Series season showcased her ability to compete at an international level, and her second-place finish at the Red Bull Ring—chasing down Jamie Chadwick and holding off Emma Kimilainen—proved she had the pace to run with the best. She was also the youngest driver in the series at the time, which added an extra layer of “watch out for this one” to her presence on track.

But her career hasn’t been without frustration. She was denied a U.S. visa in 2021, preventing her from competing in the W Series finale at COTA—a bureaucratic gut punch that had nothing to do with her driving. Then, in 2022, geopolitics caught up with her: she was suspended from W Series due to sanctions on Russian athletes following the invasion of Ukraine. It was a sudden, forced change of plans that would have ended many careers.

Instead, she pivoted. “Racing is clearly better than sitting on the couch at home,” she said, and she spent 2022 recovering from a shoulder injury and preparing for a comeback. By 2023, she was back, competing in endurance racing and proving she could adapt to multi-hour stints in GT cars. She’s also earned a following on social media—her Instagram bio describes her as “Girl in motorsport” with emojis of an AMG GT4 and a BR03 prototype, and she’s amassed over 169,000 followers who are here for the journey.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

As of 2025, Sidorkova continues to compete in the Russian Circuit Racing Series with G-Drive Racing, balancing both sprint and endurance formats. She’s shown no signs of slowing down, and given her track record of turning obstacles into opportunities, it’s safe to assume she’s plotting her next move. Whether that’s a return to international competition or a deeper dive into endurance racing remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: she’s not done yet.