Susy Raganelli

Susanna “Susy” Raganelli is the only woman in history to win an FIA-accredited World Championship on four wheels—yet her name has been mysteriously erased from motorsport’s collective memory.

EARLY YEARS

Born February 21, 1946, in Rome, Italy, Susy grew up surrounded by horsepower and high-performance machinery[1]. Her father, Cesare Raganelli, owned a local Alfa Romeo dealership, which meant fast cars weren’t just admired from afar—they were part of daily life[2]. While most girls her age were focused on more conventional pursuits, Raganelli was developing an interest that would lead her straight into the testosterone-fueled world of competitive karting. By the time she was seventeen, she was already racing on Italy’s all-national karting team[3].

OTHER INTERESTS

Beyond racing, details about Raganelli’s other interests remain scarce in the historical record. What is known is that she eventually married fellow racing driver Giancarlo Naddeo in the 1970s, who won the Italian Formula Three Championship in 1971 and was also a dual sportsman who played for Lazio’s youth football team[4]. Naddeo passed away in 2021.

EARLY SUCCESS

Raganelli’s rise in karting was swift and undeniable. Racing for the Italian national team alongside teammates Giulio Pernigotti, Duilio Truffo, Mario Costantini, and Oscar Sala, she made it clear she wasn’t there to make up numbers[5]. By 1965, she had already proven herself competitive at the European level, setting the stage for what would become a historic championship run. Her weapon of choice? A Tecno Piuma kart powered by a Parilla GP15L engine—a setup that would carry her to the top of the sport[6].

Then came 1966. Racing in Sweden at the World Karting Championship, Raganelli didn’t just compete—she dominated. When the checkered flag fell, she had beaten a field that included future Formula 1 stars Ronnie Peterson (who finished third) and Keke Rosberg[7]. She was carried in triumph by the crowd. It was a moment that should have changed everything.

Instead, it sparked something uglier. In the aftermath of her victory, Karting Magazine ran a piece with a sub-headline that read: “Ban women drivers from karting”[8]. The Italian racing community, stung by being beaten by a woman, largely refused to acknowledge her achievement. “When I won the World Championship in Sweden I was carried in triumph, but not one of the Italian racers came up to shake hands,” Susy later said[9]. She didn’t mince words about why: “They can’t stand being beaten by a woman”[10].

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 1966: Won the 100cc World Karting Championship with Tecno, becoming the first and only woman to win an FIA-accredited World Championship on four wheels[11].
• 1967: Won the opening round of the World Karting Championship at Vevey, dominating the field and positioning herself as a strong contender for a second title[12].
• 1967: Suffered an injury during a crash at the Paris 6 Hours endurance race, which weakened her championship defense and likely cost her a second world title[13].
• 1975: Competed in the Monaco Ladies’ Race, one of her few documented racing appearances after leaving karting[14].

INSPIRATIONS

No documented information is available regarding Raganelli’s specific inspirations or influences in motorsport.

REPUTATION

Here’s the kicker: despite being a legitimate World Champion who beat future F1 World Champion Keke Rosberg and the legendary Ronnie Peterson, Raganelli’s name is virtually absent from motorsport history books[15]. She’s not mentioned in most discussions of groundbreaking female racers. She’s rarely included in retrospectives about karting legends. Even on International Women’s Day, when the FIA celebrates pioneering women in motorsport, her name is conspicuously missing[16].

Why? The answer seems to lie in the discomfort her success caused. Her male competitors couldn’t handle losing to a woman, and rather than celebrate her achievement, the sport tried to forget it happened. One contemporary source even called for women to be banned from karting entirely after her championship win[17]. The fact that she called out this sexism publicly—rare for the era—may have further contributed to her being written out of the narrative.

Raganelli disappeared from karting after 1967, likely due to her injury and the hostile reception from her peers[18]. She should have been a double World Champion—her dominance in the 1967 season’s opening round made that clear—but the crash at the Paris 6 Hours derailed that possibility[19]. After stepping away from karting, aside from the 1975 Monaco Ladies’ Race, it’s difficult to track what she did in motorsport[20].

What remains undeniable is this: Susanna Raganelli accomplished something no other woman has done before or since in FIA four-wheel competition. She proved she could beat the best in the world. And for that, motorsport tried to erase her.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

No information is available regarding future racing plans or goals for 2025 and beyond.

REFERENCES

Susanna Raganelli – Wikipedia
Susanna Raganelli’s Epic World Championship Triumph That Led to Horrific Cries for the Banning of Women Drivers from Karting
Karting World Champion Susanna Raganelli Called Out Her Male Competitors in 1967
Giancarlo Naddeo – OldRacingCars.com
Susanna Raganelli: Female Kart Driver and a World Champion! – TKART
2024 World Karting Championship – PF International: BHKC Demo Run
Can Women Be Competitive in F1? – Joe Blogs F1
History – FIA Karting 1967
Renault 5 Ladies’ Monaco Grand Prix Support Race, 1975
Alfa Romeo Celebrates Women in Motorsport, Past and Present
The FIA’s Only Female World Champion Was Ignored on International Women’s Day
A Forgotten Female World Karting Champion – The Curious Case of Susanna Raganelli