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Switzerland's Lilian Bryner became the second
woman to win a major international 24-Hour sports
car endurance race in 2004 when she triumphed in
the Spa 24 Hours which finished on Sunday 1 August.
Driving a Ferrari 550 Maranello with Enzo
Calderari, Luca Cappellari and Fabrizio Gollin, it
was Lilian who brought the car across the
finishing-line to a place in the motor-sport
history books. Britain's "Daily Telegraph" reported
Bryner as saying after the event : "I don't think
of this as a woman having won the race, but as a
driver, and I hope that other women follow."
Interview
You have a background in riding - is there a
link between riding and cars?
LB : "I did three-day eventing, although I do
not compete anymore. I was in the Olympic team, but
that was the year that Switzerland did not go to
Moscow. I did one more year of competition, and
then stopped. In some ways, you need a lot of
sensitivity in riding, there has to be a connection
between you and something else, either the car or
the horse"
How do you see the current situation of women
in motorsport ? Is the situation improving
?
LB : "I think it is improving. When I was
little, I had no information about it. It was
something very far away from what a girl could do,
as far as society, parents were concerned. I think
it's good for girls to see some women race
successfully, so they know - yes, we can do it !
The mentality still needs to change. It is hard
when you start out, as you are not taken very
seriously. You have additional pressure. If we do a
mistake, everyone says it's because you're a woman.
When a man does a mistake, no-one even notices.
Sometimes it is difficult, but I hope things are
changing more and more."
What about this season ?
LB : "I didn't have that good start to the
season in Monza, as I had to start from the pit
lane. But we are not doing the whole season; we are
concentrating on Spa and then will have to see for
the rest of the season. We are working on getting
an Aston Martin for next year and to concentrate on
that. This is a transition year for me. But Spa is
my real objective for this year. Last year's win
did change my career; it got a lot of media
attention. It has made it easier to look for
sponsorship."
Any final words to girls out there who are
thinking about getting started ?
LB : Don't be afraid to get into this men's
world.
Profile
Name Lilian Bryner
Nationality SUI
Date of Birth 21st Apr, 1959
Birthplace Milan, Italy
Residence Montagnola, Switzerland
Profession racing driver: FIA GT3. 1993-1995,
1997 Le Mans
Marital Status single
Hobbies skiing, martial arts, reading
Favorite Track Suzuka
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