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Ana Beatriz
Brazilian racing driver (born 1985) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ana Beatriz Caselato Gomes de Figueiredo, known as both Ana Beatriz and Bia Figueiredo (born March 18, 1985), is a racing driver from Brazil. De Figueiredo has previously raced in the IndyCar Series and Stock Car Brasil, and was the first woman to win a race in the Indy Lights series.
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Career
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Early career
De Figueiredo started her career in karting at age eight.[1]
At the age of 12, racing coach Nailor Campos – who had previously worked with Tony Kanaan, Rubens Barrichello, Enrique Bernoldi and Andre Ribeiro – became her coach and chief mechanic. When De Figueiredo's family could no longer fund her racing endeavors at the age of 15, Campos helped her attain sponsorship from the Medley pharmaceutical company, owned by former racer Xandy (Pollini) Negrão, father of racer Alexandre Sarnes Negrão.[1]
With formal sponsorship, De Figueiredo finished as runner-up in a variety of karting championships and won the Sorriso Petrobrás Kart Cup championship in 2003.
After three seasons in the Brazilian Formula Renault championship, De Figueiredo started competing in Formula Three Sudamericana in 2006, driving for the Cesario Formula team. In 2006, she also drove a Volkswagen Touareg for PPD Sports, owned by Pedro Diniz.
Indy Lights
2008
In 2008, De Figueiredo began racing in the American Indy Lights Series for defending championship-winning team Sam Schmidt Motorsports under the name Ana Beatriz.[2] Prior to racing in the United States, she was referred to as "Bia" (a nickname for Beatriz), not Ana, causing some confusion in the media.[citation needed]
De Figueiredo placed fifth in the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on 23 May 2008, the highest finishing position by a female driver in that race.[3] On 12 July 2008, she led the most laps and won her first Indy Lights race at Nashville Superspeedway, becoming the first woman to win a race in Indy Lights.[4][5]
"Everybody is making that comparison [with Danica Patrick]... But I always say that I'm always going to be Bia. I'm never going to be Danica... I hope there is a place for a Bia now."
Beatriz after becoming the first woman to win a race in Indy Lights, July 2008.[6]
She was awarded Rookie of the Year honors as well as the Tony Renna Rising Star Award.[citation needed]
2009
De Figueiredo returned to the #20 Sam Schmidt car for 2009. She was forced to miss the Milwaukee Mile race following a hard crash in the Freedom 100 the prior week. On 20 June 2009, De Figueiredo won her second Indy Lights race at Iowa Speedway.[7][8] She skipped the final race of the season due to funding issues, finishing 8th in points despite missing the two races.
IndyCar
2010
De Figueiredo's official Portuguese language site revealed on 23 February 2010 that she would drive a third car for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the São Paulo Indy 300 in March 2010.[9] Further participation in the 2010 IndyCar Series season was confirmed and announced on May 12, 2010.[10] De Figueiredo qualified for the 2010 Indianapolis 500 but was involved in an accident with Ryan Hunter-Reay and teammate Mike Conway on the final lap of the race.
2011
For the 2011 IndyCar Series season she competed full-time for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the #24 car.[11] De Figueiredo broke her wrist in the opening laps of the first race at St. Petersburg, causing her to miss the next race and requiring her to compete with a brace for the large part of the season.
2012
On March 8, 2012, De Figueiredo tested for Andretti Autosport, driving James Hinchcliffe's car #27 during a session of the open test at Sebring, with an eye to her running that team's fourth car at April's IndyCar Series event in her home town of São Paulo.[12] On April 5, it was announced that she would compete in the 2012 São Paulo and Indianapolis races for Andretti Autosport with assistance from Conquest Racing.
Stock Car Brasil
In 2014, De Figueiredo began competing in Stock Car Brasil.[13] Competing in around 120 races, she scored two top-five race finishes and a best championship result of 24th in 2018 before taking maternal leave. De Figueiredo returned to racing full-time in 2023 via the Copa Truck series.[14]
In June 2020, De Figuereido's husband and father-in-law were charged with embezzling BR$9 million from the Lagos Rio Health Institute, around a sixth of which was alleged to have funded her career in Stock Car Brasil.[15]
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Motorsport results
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Career summary
American open–wheel results
(key)
Indy Lights
IndyCar Series
Indianapolis 500
Complete Stock Car Brasil results
† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as she completed over 90% of the race distance.
Complete IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
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References
External links
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