Women and Ferraris exhibition focuses on the history of female race drivers

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is calling all car enthusiasts to go on a journey through time by highlighting the history of female race drivers and all-around inspirational women at the Il Rosso & Il Rosa ‘Women and Ferraris — the untold story’ exhibition.

In collaboration with Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy, the exhibit, which runs for a whole year, takes guests on a journey through time, as it tells the story of women and their Ferraris. It also showcases a variety of Ferrari cars, including La Ferrari, the 458 Challenge, the F4, the FF and the 166 Berlinetta, all of which are owned by influential women.

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The stunning cars on display were owned by the likes of Maya Weug, the first female driver of the Ferrari Driver Academy, Saudi racing driver Aseel Al Hamad, racing driver Yvonne Simon and international superstar Beyoncé Knowles, among others.

Maya Martine Els Weug (b. 2004) is a Belgian-Dutch-Spanish female racing driver. She is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and the first female driver to have ever joined it.

Aseel Al Hamad is a Saudi Arabian interior designer, engineer, and motorsport enthusiast. She became the first female board member of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation in 2017 and is a member of the International Automobile Federation.

 The exhibition takes guests on a journey through time.

She is a noted motorsports advocate; she became the first Saudi Arabian woman to import and own a Ferrari. The International Automobile Federation appointed her to represent Saudi Arabia at the Women in Motorsport Commission.

In the wake of Saudi Arabia’s lifting of a ban on women driving in 2018, Al-Hamad performed a celebratory lap in a Lotus Renault E20 prior to the opening of the 2018 Grand Prix. It received considerable attention in the media.

Yvonne Marie Louise Simon (nee Hémart) was a French racing driver who participated in rallying, circuit races and endurance racing.

Simon’s racing career spanned the years from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s.

 Maya Weug is the first female driver to join the Ferrari Driver Academy.

One of her earliest racing appearances was in the 1937 Rallye Paris-Saint-Raphael Feminin. Although she did not win in 1937, she placed second on her first attempt and would go on to win this event four times, finishing first in the last race held prior to World War II in 1939, and in three consecutive events after the war in 1952, ‘53, and ‘54.

She made two appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, driving a 2 L Ferrari 166 MM both times.Museo Ferrari (previously known as Galleria Ferrari) is a Ferrari company museum dedicated to the Ferrari sports car marque. The museum is not purely for cars; there are also trophies, photographs and other historical objects relating to the Italian motor racing industry.

In addition, the exhibition introduces technological innovations, some of which had made the transition from racing cars to road cars.

 One of the exhibits at the show.

It is located just 300 metres from the Ferrari factory in Ferrari’s home town of Maranello, near Moderna, Italy.

The museum first opened in February 1990, with a new wing being added in October 2004. Ferrari itself has run the museum since 1995.

The total surface area is now 2,500 square metres. The exhibits are mostly a combination of Ferrari road and track cars.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the award-winning Ferrari inspired theme park, opened its doors to fans in 2010.

The theme park celebrates the spirit of the legendary marque and is home to numerous thrilling rides, family-friendly attractions, state-of-the-art simulators, live shows, as well as popular seasonal events and festivities that bring together extraordinary performances from around the globe.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is also home to the world’s fastest roller coaster, Formula Rossa, as well as record-breaking roller coaster Flying Aces.

Since opening, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi has been recognised by several leading industry awards garnering over 45 awards. Most recently, the park was named ‘Best Tourist Attraction in Middle East’ at the International Travel Awards, and ‘World’s Leading Theme Park 2021’ and ‘Middle East’s Leading Theme Park 2021’ at the World Travel Awards both for the third consecutive year.

  Revved up and raring to go.

Additionally, the park’s Roof Walk and Zip Line experiences won a Gold award at the blooloop Innovation Awards 2021.

Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1939. The company built its first car in 1940, and produced its first Ferrari-badged car in 1947.

Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (1898-1988) was an Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marque.

He was widely known as “il Commendatore” (The Commander) or “il Drake” (Alpha Male or Manly). In his final years he was often referred to as “l’Ingegnere” (the Engineer) or “il Grande Vecchio” (the Great Old Man).

Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where it is the oldest and most successful racing team, holding the most constructors’ championships and having produced the highest number of drivers’ championship wins.

Ferrari road cars are generally seen as a symbol of speed, luxury and wealth. Ferrari cars are built at the 165,000 square-metre (16.5-hectare) Maranello factory.

The famous symbol of the Ferrari race team is the Cavallino Rampante (“prancing horse”) black prancing stallion on a yellow shield.