Sunday morning around 7 am in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the driver of a silver Clio lost control of the vehicle and smashed into a wall on Notre Dame de Bon Voyage. The car was heading towards Monaco having just passed the 4 Chemins roundabout.
After initial impact, one person escaped through the passenger side window. He immediately tried to help the other passenger out of the smashed wreckage. The second passenger exited the car, either through the same window or the hatchback, where he lay on the ground for a few seconds before the two made a run for it on foot.
The two young men wearing shorts and short sleeve shirts ran up the road 200 meters before escaping down the stairs “Escaliers de Bon Voyage” which lead to avenue Jean Jaurès. They are at the moment at large.
The road reopened to traffic at 9:15 am after emergency services investigated the scene and removed the debris.
Watch the interview with Simona Bonazzi and Tiffany Mengers as they talk about their upcoming adventure in the all-female off-road Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles in Morocco. No phones, no GPS and sleeping in the desert – all in the name of charity.
Monaco residents Simona Bonazzi, an artist, Tiffany Mengers, a realtor, met two years ago and instantly became fast friends. At a dinner party one night, Tiffany told Simona how she had long wanted to participate in the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc, but couldn’t find a co-pilot. She asked Simona if she would want to team up for the April 2024 race and they shook on it.
Shortly after, a wide-eyed Simona started watching YouTube videos about the all-female 4×4 off-road rally that takes place in the desert in southern Morocco over nine days of competition. She had no idea what she was getting herself into – there is no GPS, no phones – but would not go back on her word.
Now the two are getting ready to go to Morocco to test drive on the terrain and work on their navigation and orientation skills. The goal is to use maps to drive the shortest possible distance in the shortest time to reach a series of predefined checkpoints without speed. This can mean driving around a mountain or crossing over it or driving through the dunes or avoiding them altogether.
They will do a second week of training again in Morocco before the official departure date of April 13. For the first time since the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles launched in 1990, it is starting from Fontvieille in Monaco..
Simona Bonazzi and Tiffany Menders as Team SiTi RAG24 for the 2024 Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles.
As Team SiTi RAG24 (Simona/Tiffany/Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles/2024) Simona (left) and Tiffany (right) want “to promote values that are close to their hearts, such as solidarity, surpassing oneself and social commitment.”
The “Gazelles” have chosen to participate in the rally to actively support Child CARE Monaco, the association founded by Martine Ackermann, that works to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged children by providing access to education, health and other essential needs.
The dynamic duo kicked off their fundraising efforts on January 18 with a cocktail and tombola at G&M Design Gallery, where Simona’s art photography was on display.
They will be setting up a GoFundMe page, and will share the link on Instagram.
Created in 1990, the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc is committed to women (“our participants inspire others and have a strong positive impact”); committed to the environment (“the only motorsport event in the world with ISO 14001 environmental certification”); and committed to social action (“We are proud to be actively involved in promoting solidarity by carrying out positive social actions in France and in Morocco.”). Participants range in ages from 18 to 71.
You can visit Simona’s art photography exhibit at G&M Design Gallery at 11 avenue Princesse Grace, until Monday, January 22.
Jo Salter never set out to be a jet fighter pilot. Nor could she ever have imagined one day being named one of the 50 Most Inspiring Women in the World, and by two media outlets, the BBC and Harpers & Queen (now Harper’s Bazaar).
No siree. In 1981, 13-year-old Jo Salter wanted to be a hairdresser and hung out at her local salon in Croydon. Why would she dream of flying 25 tonnes of screaming metal at 800 miles an hour at the height of a tree when legally women were not allowed to fly in the military at the time?
Speaking to the Air League of Monaco on April 4 at the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation HQ, the British pilot said she never set out to become the first operational female Royal Air Force combat fighter pilot. It was her mom who encouraged her to study chemistry, physics and biology, and French “because it will buy you opportunity”.
Jo loved math and entertained the idea of becoming an accountant until the day a WISE (Women in Science and Education) Bus stopped by her school. One of the visitors told her,
“If you study accountancy, you can just be an account. If you study engineering, you can be whatever you want in the world.”
As Jo described it, “I went home and told mom I wanted to be whatever I could in the world. She said I needed to find sponsorship.”
Guest speaker Jo Salter with Monaco Air League president Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou on April 4, 2024.
Jo did not come from a military background but that year was the first time the Royal Air Force (RAF) was offering scholarships to women, and it was worth more than the others she applied for. At 18 she joined the RAF and embarked on a 3-year Electronic Systems Engineering degree.
“The year I graduated in 1989 was the first year the British government allowed women to fly in the military but not fast jets,” she stated. Was that the moment she chose to become a pilot? She laughs and says she chose to do the required aptitude tests because “they were close to where my mom lived.” As a result, she was relaxed for the tests, and having fenced from the age of seven, she had highly developed hand-eye coordination and scored well.
21-year-old Jo, who is 163 cm (5’ 3”) tall, was offered the chance to become a pilot. She started in a De Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk – a 2-seat, single engine primary trainer aircraft. “People said I was too short but airplanes have been designed around men not human beings. In the Chipmunk, I sat on a few cushions.” And it was love at first flight. “That first flight I fell in love with the peace I get up high up above the earth.”
After 66 hours and 5 minutes controlling the Chipmunk, she moved on to the side-by-side trainer aircraft, the Jet Provost (JP5) with injection seat. She waited in line to practice the manoeuvre on a rig but when her turn arrived, she was told she couldn’t go on it. “We don’t know what might happen to you,” she was told. “You do realise your womb might pop up.”
Jo recalled, “When you are trying to be similar, you end up being set apart when they don’t allow you to do what all the guys are doing.”
Half way through the year, the RAF trainees are streamlined into fast jet, multi-engine or rotary (helicopter) flying training. If Jo had been a man, she would have been a fighter pilot with her scores but instead she was pointed toward multi-engine. Her flight commander stepped and challenged the decision. “What if I covered her face? Where would you send a pilot with these scores?” The response from the decision makers was: “Okay, as long as she promises not to make any trouble.”
Her fighter pilot training is in the Hawk T2 – “a transonic, 2-seat training aircraft used by the RAF to train pilots to fly fast jet combat aircraft.” Her first flight was at 420 knots low level (below 500 feet) around Wales but she also remembers flying at 45,000 feet. “I saw the curvature of the earth for the first time and it was most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
By the time Jo’s pilot training comes to an end in 1993, the Royal Navy had allowed women on ships. This again changed the law for women’s rights in the military and she can now go on to be a fast jet pilot flying the Tornado Panavia. (At that point she was one of only five women fighter pilots in the world). “Flying is easy – you go left, right, up, down and forward. But a fast jet pilot is all about capacity to think and situational awareness. It is the only thing harder than being an F1 driver.”
Flight Lieutenant Salter is posted to Squadron 617, “The Dambusters,” (known for their precision bombing of German dams during the Second World War). Seven out of eight squadrons said no when asked if the would take a woman. No. 617 asked, “Is she a good pilot?”
“I was 24 years old, and nervous. When I arrived, a senior navigator meets me to say, ‘Jo you are not welcome here and we are going to get rid of you.’ He enabled me to do the job.”
As part of crew cooperation, the co-pilots are taught to do have a capture conversation about what they’d do if they get shot down. The senior navigator informed Jo, “Whichever way you go, I will be going the opposite direction.”
As Jo described, “Why are you saying that? What was it about the dynamic that wasn’t working. I needed to be the best crew that we could be while we were making decisions together. You’ve got burning jet crashing down beside you, you have a parachute landing in hostiles … You are not going to leave the only person you know.”
Jo found the only way she could connect with him was to offer to caddy for him during a golf game, which he readily accepted. She admits this is not something she would do today.
You can become a member of the Air League of Monaco for an annual fee of €150. Founded in November 2013 with a mission to promote “air-mindedness in the young”, today the Monaco charity counts 230 members including 135 junior members.
“There are difficulties being the first in anything. You feel like you are being watched all the time.” Jo cited the expression, “There are old pilots, bold pilots but not old bold pilots.” And admits that she, like all fighter pilots with heathy egos, became over-confident at times and made mistakes. But she always took responsibility.
Jo completed several NATO exercises in a “no-fly zone” over Iraq and went on to become an Honorary Group Captain training thousands of air cadets. “I believe in service and for 12 years have been flying air cadets,” said the author of two books, Energy – 52 ways to fire up your life and Become an Energy Angel”and Energize: Spring Clean Your Mind And Body To Get Your Bounce Back Today And Every Day.
After leaving the military, Jo went to become “an advocate for women in the military, inspiring female pilots around the world to continue to obliterate glass ceilings.” But it has only been in the last seven years or so that the RAF has truly embraced her as a spokesperson. She is now a sought-after public speaker and Director of Global Transformative Leadership at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
She met Queen Elizabeth in October 2018 when she showed Her Majesty, who was Patron of the Royal Air Force Club, a new stained-glass window commemorating the role of women in the RAF. Jo was awarded an MBE for services to aviation in the 2022 New Year Honours, the final New Year’s Honours appointed by the Queen.
In June of that same year, she met Tom Cruise on the red carpet for the premier of Top Gun: Maverick in London’s West End. “Tom Cruise asked to meet me,” Jo told me. “We discussed G-force and flying. He then spent the day at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford and I hosted him for the day.” (While Jo has flown 7-G, Tom has flown 9-G, the highest the human body is able to withstand.) By the way, Jo’s pet peeve is watching movies with fast jet pilots when their oxygen masks are hanging down and they are speaking. “Just crazy!”
Looking back to those early years of training, Jo Salter emphasised that there were good people in the RAF. “I was told it must have been my sense of humour but they didn’t see me go to the officer’s mess and calling my mom up and crying my heart out saying, ‘It doesn’t matter that I am a good pilot, they are not ready for me to do that.’
“But they are now,” she smiled.
The latest UK Armed Forces Biannual Diversity Statistics reports women make up 11.7% of UK Regular Forces and are best represented in the RAF, where they make up 15% of regular personnel. A 2021 study by the International Society of Women Airline Pilots revealed less than 6% of pilots worldwide are women. In France, according to the Association of Female Pilots the proportion of licensed female aviators is 10%.
Angelica Fuentes Garcia had a very happy childhood growing up in Mexico. Along with her three siblings, she was always encouraged to follow her passion. “The smell of petrol has been around since birth,” Angelica expresses. “My grandfather raced, and my father raced rally cars back in the Sixties.
WATCH VIDEO above with Angelica talking about the Monte 100 Touristique. (Apologies for the sound issues.)
She is the second of four children following in their paternal footsteps (at one point, three of them were rallying). “When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a chef. I am still passionate about cooking but my passion for cars was greater and I started navigating for my father at age 13 and drove my first rally that same year.”
Angelica and her two sisters were “fortunate enough” to attend the Maddox Academy, one of the best girls’ schools in Mexico, where she had a bilingual education in English and Spanish from the age of four. A “generally sporty” kid, she played on the basketball and volleyball teams at school.
As a co-driver, Angelica was the first woman to win the Mexican Rally Championship in 2002, as well as having several successful seasons of rallying in England, where she ended up living. “Marriage was the reason I went to London in 2003 after I met my Scottish husband on my favourite motorsport events, La Carrera Panamericana in Mexico, which I’ve competed in 29 times.”
Having started driving in rallies more than 40 years ago, Angelica has competed in over 300 national and international events, including 13 times in the Chihuahua Express in Mexico, four times at the American rally Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, the Modena Cento Ore in Italy, which includes a leg in Florence, and Australia’s Targa Tasmania.
VIDEO: Angelica and Keith arrive in Monaco as part of the Monte 100 Touristique.
The 54-year-old has done the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique four times. This year she is here for the Monte 100 Touristique.
The Monte 100 Touristique marks the 100th anniversary of the first Glasgow Start of the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. Cars left from Blythswood Square on Wednesday, January 31, and took in many of the famous Cols and Passes in the French Alps before reaching Monte Carlo on February 3 at 3 pm.
Angelica arrived with her husband, Keith Mainland (WATCH VIDEO above). It was the longest rally they have driven in a rally together. “In my experience, as a co-driver having done four historic Monte Carlo rallies, there is a lot of preparation before and during the race. Team work and concentration are crucial to have a successful event as maintaining the speed and not getting lost on the regularity section is so important. With the added atmosphere of competing at night, it is a unique event.”
For Angelica, there is more to a rally than cars and competition. She uses motorsport to help raise awareness and money for Lyme disease (see box below). “I was diagnosed in 2016 after seven months of struggling, not knowing what was wrong with me but watching my health deteriorate. It has taken 22 doctors in two different continents to get a proper diagnosis.”
Eight years into her battle against Lyme disease Angelica points out, “The main impact for many people with Lyme disease, including myself, is that because there is no cure we have to learn how to live with symptoms and still function at the same time.”
The illness has quality-of-life impairing symptoms, which can leave sufferers with chronic fatigue and a diminished ability to concentrate. For Angelica, this means getting proper rest before events like the Monte-Carlo Historic Rally.
“Motorsport has been my biggest anchor to fight back and, at the same time, to raise awareness for this horrible illness to help others get a diagnosis. The disease is under the radar for doctors, yet more and more people suffer from it around the world.”
Angelica Fuentes Garcia and Keith Mainland.
Article first published February 3, 2024.
Do You Have Lyme Disease? Many of the celebrities diagnosed with Lyme disease – Alec Baldwin, Justin Bieber, Ben Stiller, Shania Twain, Bella Hadid and Amy Schumer – have been outspoken about the debilitating symptoms suffered from the tick-borne zoonotic disease.
According to a study published in 2022 by BMJ Global Health, nearly 14.5% of the world’s population “probably has, or has had, tick-borne Lyme disease, as indicated by the presence of antibodies in the blood.”
Early symptoms of Lyme disease, typically appearing within 3 to 30 days after a tick bite, can include a skin rash, fever, headache, and fatigue. Long-term chronic Lyme disease can lead to damage to the joints, nervous system and heart.
Valerie Closier may have grown up in Lésigny, some 50 kilometres southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne department, yet she could not be more deeply rooted in Monaco’s car culture.
Valerie Closier with Prince Albert February 6, 2024. Photo: Facebook Automobile Club de Monaco
A model child in school who was “a bit of a tomboy”, Valerie played on the tennis team and was coached by the first trainer of Guy Forget (he helped France win the Davis Cup in both 1991 and 1996). Her dark hair and eyes earned her the nickname Gabriella as she resembled Gabriella Sabatini, the former world No. 3 who played from the mid-80s to mid-90s.
Yet it was her love of dance – classical, modern jazz and tap – that earned Valerie her first win at a national level with her dance class in 1989.
It was thirteen years before she won another French national title, but this time it would be as a rally co-driver.
“I first became interested in rallies with my dad, Michel. He drove an Alpine A110 Berlinette co-piloted by a childhood friend. I would take photos and videos because I was passionate about video editing at the time,” recalls Valerie, Director of the Prince’s Car Collection since December 2019.
One day, as she explains, a friend of her father, none other than Jean Charles Rédélé – son of Jean, the creator of the Alpine automotive brand – was racing in the French Véhicule Historique de Compétition (VHC) when he put a helmet on young Valerie’s head and snapped a picture. “A few weeks later, my dad received the photo in the mail with a note on the back scribbled, ‘She’s ready.’ My dad asked if I wanted to try a rally and off I went to co-drive with him in the Berlinette. We did this for about 10 years.”
Valerie’s first rally memory is the Grand Caunet, a special stage of the Sainte Baume Rallycircuit in Marseille, where, unfortunately, at the arrival check point the head gasket prevented the daughter-dad duo from continuing.
“I was left hungry. Motor racing and speed provide adrenaline and such exceptional and exhilarating emotions. That’s when I finally understood the expression voir la route par les portières [seeing the road through the doors].”
The year after the Rallycircuit, in 2002, Valerie and her dad took part in the VHC rally championship and she became the French national VHC co-driver champion. “When the car works well, and the pace notes for speed and distance fall into place and the driver is confident, it is though the car is flying, and it is an extraordinary feeling. A total osmosis between the driver, the co-driver and the car.
“And teaming up with my dad in the car and my mom at the refuelling station was great. It was a fabulous few weeks of racing but returning to reality on Sunday evening was much less exciting.”
The accomplished rally competitor was also co-driver for Jean-Claude Andruet in a Porsche 3l in the 2010 VHC rally cup final in La Rochelle. The pair made all the scratches and won the rally ahead of Dominique Depons and Jean Ragnotti. They teamed up again at the 2023 Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique in an Alpine A110 Group 4 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Andruet’s 1973 victory in Monte-Carlo with Alpine.
This year, Valerie will be participating in a special capacity for ACM’s 2024 Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique, which officially kicks off February 1. Unlike last week’s 2024 Rallye Monte-Carlo, the historic version features cars driven in the Monte Carlo Rally between 1911 and 1983.
“The historic rally is for the fastest but, above all, it’s about a passion for cars, conviviality, helping each other, good humour and meeting like-minded people. I like the whole atmosphere.”
For Valerie, this passion for automobiles “has contributed to Monaco’s international prestige” as proven by the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo created in 1911 by Prince Albert I. “At the time, it was a way to attract the European jet-set to Monaco. This was followed by the Monaco Grand Prix in 1929 inaugurated by Prince Louis II.”
She adds, “At the beginning of the 1970s, the rally took place according to a schedule that would endure nearly 25 years: first a course of concentration where crews would drive day and night to arrive towards the city of Monaco before then leaving for a second course, which was timed and used by all drivers in the regions of Isère, Drôme and Alpes-Maritimes.
“Nowadays, the historic rally starts in cities like Reims, Bad Homburg, Milan or Glasgow, and competitors converge towards Monaco and then head onto mountain roads, often snow-covered, where they have to know how to control the climb to stay on the road to get back to the Principality on the finishing podium.”
Although the rally runs until February 7, Valerie will co-pilot a special car on February 6 at 8 pm. “HSH Prince Albert II will have the honour of taking the wheel of a Deutsch-Bonnet Frua Coupe during the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique . And I will have the privilege of being beside the Prince to take a tour of the Principality. We will then return to the closed rally car park so that the Sovereign can give the start to official competitors of the 2024 historic’s last stage: the night of Turini.”
This exceptional event is part of the commemorations for Prince Rainier III’s centenary of his birth. In 1953, and under his real name “Louis Carladès,” Prince Rainier and his mechanic Mr. Benit entered the Tour de France automobile at the wheel of a Deutsch-Bonnet Frua Coupe. A few years ago, the Car Collection acquired an old Deutsch-Bonnet to restore for the occasion.
Valerie Closier with Prince Albert February 6, 2024. Photo: Facebook Automobile Club de Monaco
“Prince Rainier built up a large personal collection of vintage cars, depending on opportunities and his favourites,” informs Valerie. “He collected and restored some 100 vehicles, a large sample of models built by the most famous European and American carmakers. He said, and I quote, ‘It’s not a car museum but a personal collection of cars of all ages and from all countries. Popular or prestigious, they marked their era and I liked them.’”
In July 2022, the Prince’s Car Collection moved from Fontvieille to its new home at 54 route de la Piscine along Port Hercules. The space offers “an unforgettable historical journey” of the princely family through private and unpublished photos and videos. The relocation gave “a new lease of life and a more modern scenography” and Valerie’s goal is to bring “this magnificent place to life and make it shine not only in Monaco but also in France and abroad.” Last year visitors numbers increased by more than 80% compared to 2022.
The first Monegasque Formula One driver for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, donated his single-seater in which he won Spa and Monza in 2019 to the Collection. It is in pole position on the mezzanine’s F1 zone. Valerie shares, “It’s the ‘WOW! factor for visitors when they first enter and are surprised to see Formula One single-seaters on the wall. People are fascinated by the incredible size of these F1 cars when they see them up close.”
In 2023, the Car Collection held several exhibitions, from cars (the 75th anniversary of Porsche and a mini Bugatti expo) to art (by former rugby player Jean-Pierre Rives), and served as a runway for Monte Carlo Fashion Week in May.
The cars are also lent out for charity rallies (Child CARE Monacovintage rally), or on display at concours d’elegance competitions and car shows, like Top Marques Monaco or Rétromobile in Paris. Valerie also develops the Collection’s private capacity, with exclusive dinners and cocktail receptions, such as the launch of The Monegasque magazine last December.
Valerie, who can be found sipping un café or deux at the Café de Paris in the winter months (or at Larvotto’s La Note Bleue when warmer), is known by everyone for her positive, dynamic and enthusiastic personality. “When I have an idea, a desire, a proposal, I go for it, with audacity and determination. And often it pays off.”
She draws her motto “nothing attempted, nothing gained” from her family. Her parents lived in Monaco (“My mom worked at Radio Monte-Carlo as an assistant to Bernard Spindler and my dad was a diver in Cousteau’s team. He was even the diver on duty during the F1 Grand Prix in 1959 at the tobacconist”) and her aunt owned the Monte-Carlo Bar at Place d’Armes.
“Without passion, life has no flavour,” she insists. “And it is thanks to this drive for motorsport that I meet incredible people. These are genuine emotions and precious moments of sharing and joy.”
The Aquarius talks about how in recent years there have been more and more initiatives to support women and girls to get a foot in motorsport. “It’s not easy to move the lines because it’s a very male-dominated field. I am delighted that women like Susie Wolff with the F1 Academy and Deborah Mayer at the head of Iron Dames are raising their voices to open new paths for women in this field.”
Then there is the More Than Equal initiative co-founded by 13-time F1 winner David Coulthard and entrepreneur Karel Komarek to finance an ambitious program aimed at giving women drivers the means to access Formula One. “This is real progress which, I hope, will gradually succeed in changing the somewhat archaic mentalities of motorsport.
“I’d like to think we are on the right track but there are still a few turns and speed bumps to cross.”
Monte Carlo Rally co-driver Hannah McKillop Davison grew up in Northern Ireland. The 29-year-old (who turns 30 on March 23) wouldn’t describe herself as a particularly sporty child but says she always went to rally events with her dad. “I attended my first rally at just two weeks old with my dad. He is a mechanic and I spent my childhood in the garage with him watching and learning – in between ballet lessons! I have always loved the sport and have become more involved in it over the years, from the organisation to competing.”
The Scotland-based driver admits she had always wanted to compete in motorsport but only started after she met Josh, her now husband, 10 years ago at the age of 19. “Josh is also a co-driver and taught me a lot from his experience. It helped me to get started.”
Hannah typically competes in around 20 events a year, from small national races to European level. She co-pilots with both her husband and father-in-law Michael Davison. “The two dynamics are interesting!” she laughs. “Josh and I have attempted some small navigational events together but maybe two co-drivers in one car doesn’t work so well. I have also competed with Josh’s dad and really enjoyed that, it’s always a lot of fun.”
For the 92nd Monte Carlo Rally, put on by the Automobile Club de Monaco, Hannah is teaming up with Monaco resident Chris Ingram, the first British Rally Driver in 52 years to become an FIA European Rally Champion in 2019. It is her first World Rally Championship (WRC) and she follows in the footsteps of legends like Michele Mouton, the first and only woman to ever win a round of the WRC who began her career at the first ever WRC event, the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally, as a co-driver for Jean Taibi. Hannah admits, “Of course, there is always pressure with such a prestigious event and with such a competitive driver but I try to turn that feeling of pressure to focusing on the goal. I have worked hard to be here and it’s important to also enjoy the experience.”
Hannah and Chris are driving car No. 26, a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 sponsored by Suisscourtage, which was unveiled with Prince Albert on January 21 at Port Hercules. “The Skoda is a fantastic car,” Hannah describes. “It’s stable and balanced, everything in the car is purposeful and thought about for the job it needs to do. It’s a pleasure to be in, and we are thrilled to have Suisscourtage onboard. They are enthusiastic about our journey and it’s great to have a Monaco-based company backing us.”
The Rallye Monte-Carlo, which was inaugurated in 1911 by Prince Albert I, officially kicks off Thursday, January 25. “I’m most excited for the iconic stages, like the Col de Turini. As someone who grew up watching this event on television every year, it is very special to be here experiencing it as a competitor. The biggest challenge is the length of the event but we have worked very hard on our pre-event preparations and we both feel confident and determined ahead of the race.”
Hannah says her key word is “organised”! “I work with teams in the UK on their pre-event organisation and logistics which I really enjoy. I also manage a rally experience centre in Scotland called The Forest Experience where anyone can come and have a go at rally driving on gravel in the forest. I am very lucky to both work and compete in something I love and enjoy so much.”
When it comes to support women in motorsport, Hannah says optimistically, “I definitely see massive progress. It’s great to see so many female co-drivers in Europe and more and more in the UK. I think it’s really important and I hope it continues to grow for both drivers and co-drivers.”
For this rally race year, she adds, “One of my goals for 2024 is to compete in a team where my dad is the mechanic.”
2024 Rallye Monte-Carlo official start FOR CAR 26 at Place du Casino.
Article first published January 25, 2024. Feature image Instagram Hannah McKillop Davison. Video: Martine Ackermann.
Did You Know? In France, International Women’s Sports Day is held on January 24. Created in 2014 by the French CSA Audiovisual High Council, the aim of the Journée Internationale du Sport Féminin is to provide more visibility and equal representation for women’s sports in the media.
The French Broadcasting Council collaborated with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee and originally called the day 24h for Women’s Sport. The name has since changed to Sport Féminin Toujours, with the focus remaining on the advancement of women’s sport.
A nod to Scotland-based Hannah Davison, the first women’s golf club was formed at St. Andrew’s in 1867.
Watch the interview with Natasha Frost-Savio. The founder of Pink Ribbon Monaco gives the inside scoop on the upcoming charity gala and 5K walk.
Breaking news out of the Pink Ribbon Monaco camp. After setting up the non-profit back in 2011, founder Natasha Frost-Savio has announced Princess Charlene has taken on the position of Honorary President in January 2024. This “cements her commitment to women’s health and the fight against breast cancer with the Principality’s most prominent association dedicated to the cause.”
The timing could not be better. Pink Ribbon Monaco’s two big fundraising events are around the corner. A swanky gala with award-winning musical guest Zhang Zhang on February 2 and the 12th edition of the 5K Walk on February 11. All proceeds go to support lobular breast cancer research at Monaco’s Princess Grace Hospital Center.
The second edition of Pink Ribbon Monaco’s gala and charity auction, under the High Patronage of Prince Albert, will take place on Friday, February 2, in the elegant and exclusive Salle Médecin, in the heart of the Monte Carlo Casino.
This is a James Bond moment. Each guest will receive a game chip to participate in pre-dinner French Roulette and blackjack. Additional chips can be purchased for €100, and although no cash jackpots can be won, lucky winners will take home sought-after prizes.
As a private event, and thanks to the support of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, this is a rare opportunity to take stunning photos in the historical venue and capture the special moments at the roulette and blackjack tables.
The live charity auction will include a variety of luxury fashion and interior design lots, jewellery and art work, generously provided by Chanel, Versace, Vitale 1913, Boghossian, Zegg & Cerlatti and Rinck. A Grand Prix weekend experience valued around €10,000 will also be open for bidding.
It’s not just the venue that makes this “one of the season’s most select and sought-after events”. The evening will be set to the tune of the award-winning musician Zhang Zhang. This is a rare occasion to see the first violin of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra with her 7-piece orchestra up close bringing the house down with classics “from Mancini to Morricone and from Sinatra to Fitzgerald.”
The following weekend is Monaco’s favourite 5K – and for the first time the date does not fall on a school break. The 12th Pink Ribbon Monaco charity walk is on Sunday February 11. As with the gala, funds raised will contribute to a breast cancer study in the Principality.
The event is part of Monaco Run and starts at 10:15 am at Port Hercules and the circuit gently climbs up the Rock to pass in front of the Palace, the Cathedral and the Oceanographic Museum before winding back down to the terraces of the Monte-Carlo Casino. Children and dogs are welcome but pushchairs or wheelchairs may need assistance in some areas.
Online registration is €30 and free for under-13s. Participants will get a commemorative t-shirt that can be picked up on Saturday, February 10, at the Pink Ribbon Monaco stand at the esplanade of Port Hercule from 10 am to 5 pm. Raffle tickets (€10 for 5 tickets) will be on sale, too.
Watch Natasha’s video above about Saturday’s crazy surprise guest.
Natasha is grateful for her Pink Ribbon Monaco walk sponsors (SBM Offshore, Crazy Pizza and Striped Sportswear) and points out that unlike other sporting events, participants will not have numbers on their bibs. “Instead, they can write messages of support or tribute to the victims of breast cancer instead.
“The aim is not to complete the course in record time, but it is a moving show of support for women, sisters, daughters, mothers and friends,” says Natasha.
For the first time since Olympic marathon runner Paula Radcliffe launched Families on Track in 2019 at the Durham City Run Festival in the UK, the family relay race is coming to Monaco.
Paula’s Families on Track, which is supported by the Princess Charlene Foundation, will take place along Quai Albert 1er on Saturday February 10th, at 4 pm. Watch the video interview above as Paula explains the inspiration behind Families on Track, how the relay works and what to expect in Monaco.
This is a one-of-a-kind sport event in which families compete as a team on a safe and enclosed track made up of two lap distances – 500m and 250m. The goal is for each family to run laps in relay to complete a total of 10 kilometres. Any combination of lap distances is possible, for example,14 laps of 500m plus 12 laps of 250m.
Teams are members can run in any order and for any distance to reach the 10K total. After every leg of the relay, the family member enters the “Crazy Zone” and heads to the “Pen” from where the next team member will start their laps. Each family has a dedicated Pen where they wait and cheer each other on. This is where the fun happens.
Once the magic 10K mark is reached, the family joins together for the “Glory Leg” to the Finish Line.
Paula’s inclusive Families on Track is part of Monaco Run and is free to register. Go to the Monaco Run website to sign up.
Teams can be 3 to 5 people and all participants get a Families on Track T-shirt and goody bag. The dress code is Team Spirit. It’s recommended to wear the event tees or come in fancy dress. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out Families on Track on Instagram.
Paula is an advocate for health and fitness, and is an active member of the Monaco community. The ambassador for the Princess Charlene Foundation has participated in every edition of the Riviera Water Bike Challenge. As well, she has organised various initiatives for school children in the Principality, including at Stade Louis II for Global Running Day.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25th has been observed since 1981 to honour the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were murdered in 1960. But it wasn’t an official designated day until 2000, when the United Nations called on governments, international organisations and NGOs to collectively raise public awareness every year on that date.
Eight years later, the UN launched its UNiTE campaign, 16 days of activism against gender-based violence starting on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and running to International Human Rights Day on December 10th.
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0800 91 90 10 Victims of Violence Monaco 3919 Violences Femmes Info France
Additional numbers listed at end of article.
According to femicide statistics from UN Women, in 2021 some 45,000 women or girls were killed by someone in their own family – that’s an average of more than five people every hour. In France that same year, the government reported 122 women were killed by their partner or ex-partner and 35% of them were victims of previous violence by their partner. In the UK, the Femicide Census’ most recent data estimates that a woman is killed by a man every three days – and 62% of them by a current or former partner.
Paris-based therapist Jill Bourdais became involved in helping victims of domestic violence after meeting fellow American Paula Lucas in 2010. She recalls, “Paula had been cruelly abused by her Palestinian – yes, alas – husband while living in the UAE with him. She had escaped and come to Paris to talk about her non-profit then called American Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center, which is now Pathways to Safety.”
As Paula was looking for people to help her spread the word, Jill at once volunteered, and organised a forum on the subject in Paris. Jill created a Domestic Violence Support Group soon after, which she hosted and led – “at first in a little space I own in our building but with Covid, switched to Zoom, which means women from all over France now join.”
Jill grew up in Boston and after college worked in journalism for several years before changing to psychology in 1977, doing a Master’s in New York and a DESS (Diplôme d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées) in Paris in 1981. “In 1968 I’d married a Frenchman I met in New York, which led to my moving to Paris. I have been working as a therapist ever since and have had lots of experience running groups and giving workshops.
For Jill, pinpointing the signs of domestic violence is tough. “As most women’s self-confidence is beaten down by abusers, this leads to a strong sense of shame. That means that they won’t share what they are enduring as they’ve been hearing for months or years that all is their fault,” she explains.
“Repetitive physical illness can signal abuse, as can depression or little remarks about the partner controlling all decision-making in the family, as control is an essential need of the abuser. If a friend or family member senses a problem, it’s probably best to start with unobtrusive questioning about the woman’s well-being, pushing the point little by little. Avoid remarks implying that all will be okay soon, or that some small fix on her part will make everything better.” Jill advises family and friends to read up on the web the signs of abuse which are often covert, in case your friend reveals some of them, not realising that she is, in fact, being abused.
“I think people often think that abuse means physical harm done to a victim. In fact, that is not always in the mix, whereas psychological, emotional and/or financial abuse are always present. Many, many people assume that an abuse victim can ‘just leave’ without factoring in the financial costs of that, the factors regarding uprooting children, the lack of family support in France, the ignorance of administrative procedures, poor command of the language, the lack of access to money, poor or no job prospects, and inability to return home if they have children!”
The Expat Web Addressing the complexities of expat women, Jill says, “I cannot prove this, but my belief is that expat women who do not master French are at a considerable disadvantage with the police and with the justice system here. The procedures are long and arduous. If you manage to press charges, you never know if your report will be passed along to the prosecutor or just put in a file drawer, and you can wait for months before any action is taken. If you need a translator, he or she has to be court-approved, and can be good or incompetent. You are left out of any banter among those present.”
Jill strongly advises finding a lawyer who speaks English and has experience with domestic violence “or you will be badly represented”. She adds that even if you find the best lawyer, all outcomes depend on the judge you get, and therein lie many sad stories of judges who clearly take the side of the French abuser.
“The biggest trap is that expats who have children VERY rarely get to return with them to their home country, so they are condemned to stay in France until the child is 18. Many fathers who have never even changed a diaper sue for full custody to take revenge on their partners, and though full custody in either direction is rare, even fathers who abuse their children often obtain 50-50 shared custody.”
Women are invited to join Jill’s bi-monthly Domestic Violence Support Group which is run by volunteers. “It is for anglophones – from any country – as there are plenty of helpful associations for French speakers. We meet twice monthly for 2 hours, and attendees take turns explaining their situations. Others are invited to chime in when they have information or suggestions or questions. Usually between 3 and 7 people attend each time – not always the same women, though there are several ‘faithfuls’ who are important allies in the process.
“I do not charge for anything I do for victims, such as accompanying them to the police or to court hearings, writing attestations for court procedures, finding lawyers or useful associations in France which might help them, finding a therapist – I don’t generally act as a therapist for the women who attend my group – or just being there when they need to talk.”
National GAMS Federation – Group for the Abolition of Female Sexual Mutilation (excision), Forced Marriage and other traditional practices harmful to the health of women and children La Fédération Nationale GAMS –Groupe pour l’Abolition des Mutilations Sexuelles Féminines (excision) des Mariages Forcés et autres pratiques traditionnelles néfastes à la santé des femmes et des enfants) 01 43 48 10 87
A few months back, at the beginning of summer, I ran into psychotherapist Gavin Sharpe in Port Hercules. He had just finished the Wellbeing Window, his 60-minute talk show on Riviera Radio the first Wednesday of every month.
For Gavin, who sums up his focus in two words – love and leadership – this was right up his alley: “Transformational leadership in 2023 is not exclusively about maximising shareholder value.” He sees first hand how the future “no longer rests in the hands of a few heroic leaders but with larger groups and teams. This is potentially a once in a lifetime shift and it’s fuelling my bedroom and boardroom work.”
“I want those attending to leave with a sense of how modern-day leadership has changed and understand the skills needed to meet those changes,” explains the founder of Riviera Wellbeing.
Initially a qualified lawyer in the UK, Gavin co-founded a global recruitment business specialising in legal employment in the City of London. Some 15 years later, he switched careers and became a therapist and business coach. “I help people show up,” he says.
He explains this means helping others become the best version of themselves, personally and professionally. “Imagine looking through a camera lens which is misty. What happens when you wipe it with a cloth? We see better. That’s what therapy and coaching do. It removes the blind spots and roadblocks we self-impose and which hinder our growth.”
Gavin believes there is a huge shift taking place which is changing what we want, need and expect from home and work. “At work, we are living through a massive experiment since Covid. None of us know what the workplace will look like a few years from now. When you think about the fact that we now have four different generations in the workplace from baby-boomers to generation Z, it is little wonder that companies are struggling with cultural cohesion.”
The Monaco resident adds, “I don’t think there is an MBA programme on this planet that has equipped today’s leaders for our volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous workplace. That’s where I come in. I help leaders develop the resources to meet these changes.”
And at home? “In our personal lives, we are more stressed, we are more anxious and we are more medicated than at any other time in history. The impact on humanity is huge. Now add a changing workplace, global problems, such as climate change, an ageing population, political uncertainty and the list could go on, and we can see how the problems we face are interrelated. So yes, bedroom and boardroom. Love and leadership.”
Once upon it time, there was a belief that coaching and therapy were separate and never the twain shall meet. But these days, Gavin says he’s worked with racing drivers and billionaire businessmen. “I coach the person, not the problem. Likewise, therapists have a coaching toolkit which they dip into. So the separation can be important but it’s situation specific.”
For someone who has spent half his career in the corporate world and the rest working relationally, Gavin’s focus on love and leadership seems well-orchestrated. “If only I had planned it! At the start of my career, I just followed the money. That worked until it didn’t and I got bored. The more I follow my passion, the more it seems to lead me in the right direction and yes, I have had coaching and therapy along the way to get me here.”
Speaking openly about his lack of confidence growing up, he admits to not liking the Monaco cocktail party circuits – specifically the question of what he does for a living. “I think I am a bit insecure about whether I fit here. I still have no idea how to describe my work. I imagine people want a one-word answer. Banker. Lawyer. Private Equity. ‘Love and leadership’ sounds a bit too Californian but it’s growing on me. Like everyone else, I am a work in progress.”
However you describe his work, the success of the Wellbeing Window, which started back in 2021 as part of The Full English Breakfast with presenter Sarah Lycett, is indisputable. The show is inundated with email questions to the point that Gavin sometimes leaves the studio concerned he didn’t do justice to what are very serious topics.
On Wednesday, October 4th, he will be talking about The Workplace and Leadership. “When I am on air, it feels as if I’m having a fireside chat with a small group of locals. I think that sense of community is desperately missing from many of our lives and that is partly why we are seeking something additional from the workplace and why we need more emotionally attuned leaders.
“We are looking to replace some of our existential loneliness and we’re no longer prepared to go to work just for money. We want meaning.”
Tune in to the Wellbeing Window on Riviera Radio at 9 am on Wednesday, September 20th (Vulnerability) and Wednesday, October 4th (The Workplace and Leadership).
