Anna Maria Peduzzi
Anna Maria Peduzzi (12 July 1912 – 23 August 1979) was an Italian racecar driver. She raced from the 1930s to the 1950s, mostly in her native Italy. She was the first driver on record to race for Scuderia Ferrari. At various points in her career, she raced for Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Stanguellini and Fiat.[1]
She was from Como north of Milano and married race car test driver Franco Comotti from Bergamo in 1934.[2] She bought an Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Gran Sport Testa fissa in 1933 which she raced alone and occasionally with her husband, such as when they as part of Scuderia Ferrari took part in the 1934 Mille Miglia and won the 1,5 litre class.
The couple lived in Paris 1936–45. During this period she suffered from polio.[3]
From 1952 to 1956 she raced Stanguellini 750 ccm race cars. From 1956 to 1959 she mainly raced a 2-litre Ferrari 500 TR, initially with Belgian driver Gilberte Thiroin. Anna Maria's last race seem to have been in 1961 in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
Her husband died at Bergamo in 1963. She died in 1979 in Bergamo.
References
- Zaugg, Jared. "How did Ferrari's first female driver disappear?". CNN. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- The birth, marriage and death dates are from the comments made to the "speedqueens" article, op.cit..
- Anna Maria Peduzzi in speedqueens.blogspot.com, last accessed on December 19, 2018.