Ladies Cup 2026 – Women’s World Karting Championship, Le Mans, France 🇫🇷
Every year, some of the best female karting drivers from around the world come together at the legendary Le Mans circuit. From Japan to Mexico, South Africa and beyond, every continent is represented. This year, 41 female drivers entered the competition, with 33 making it to the Final.
And for me, it was probably one of the best racing weeks of my life… until the last two minutes.
The whole week, I was fighting at the front.
I finished P1 in one of the practice sessions, qualified P7, and had three strong qualifying heats, including two P4 finishes. In the third heat, I was running P2 with just 600 metres to go before a few penalties changed the result.
In the Super Heat (semi-final), I managed to set the fastest lap of the race, finishing P6 out of 33 drivers despite a difficult start that forced me to fight my way back through the field.
My pace was there. My overtaking was good. I was consistent, patient when I needed to be, and aggressive when I had an opportunity.
For the first time, I felt I could genuinely fight with the very best drivers throughout an entire international competition.
Then came the Final.
I started P7, not exactly where I wanted to be, but I knew I had the speed to move forward.
Lap after lap, I overtook, pushed, and climbed through the field until I reached P4.
The driver ahead of me already had a penalty, which meant I was effectively P3, on my way to a World Championship podium.
There were only two minutes left. Two laps, maybe three.
I was too far behind P2 to challenge, so I decided to be smart, protect my position and bring the kart home.
Everything was under control.
And then…
Out of nowhere, another kart came straight across the corner, completely out of control, and crashed into me despite the gap between us.
The impact pushed me off the track, the other kart went over mine, and the front of my kart was badly damaged.
Two minutes away from a podium. After an entire week fighting in the TOP 5.
Race control allowed me to finish the remaining laps, but with the damage and the time lost, I crossed the line in P24.
I can’t really describe how disappointing that moment was.
Not because I had made a mistake. Not because I wasn’t fast enough. Not because I had lost a battle.
But because something completely outside my control took away what I had worked for all week.
Last year, I finished P15 at the Ladies Cup, after a difficult competition where I spent much of my time fighting to recover positions, especially during the qualifying heats.
This year, I finished P24.
On paper, it looks like I went backwards.
But the reality is exactly the opposite.
This year, I spent the entire week among the fastest drivers, consistently fighting in the TOP 5, setting fastest laps, making clean overtakes and showing that I could compete at the front.
My lap times were even competitive when compared with drivers racing in the EuroCup taking place on the same circuit during the same weekend.
I didn’t make any major driving mistakes. I managed difficult starts, recovered positions, and learned when to attack and when to be patient.
I know that in karting, the Final is what counts. Nobody remembers how fast you were on Thursday or Friday if you don’t finish on Sunday.
And that’s probably the hardest part of motorsport.
Sometimes, your best performance produces your worst result.
I’m leaving Le Mans with a huge disappointment, of course. I was so close to something that would have meant a lot to me.
But I’m also leaving with something I didn’t have last year: the confidence that I belong at the front, racing against some of the best female drivers in the world.
I know my speed is there.
I know I can fight for podiums.
And I know that this weekend, I didn’t lose because I wasn’t good enough.
P24 is the result written on the classification sheet.
But it doesn’t tell the story of my race. And certainly not the story of my week.
I’ll be back. 🏁