Women of the Wheel: Ana Delfosse

Womanica

Acast Creative Studios

History, Society & Culture, Education

4.3 • 920 Ratings

🗓️ 16 September 2025

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ana Delfosse (1931-2017) was an Argentine race-car driver and Formula One mechanic. She worked for Grand Prix champion Juan Fangio who broke speed records and social barriers when she became the first woman to win a pure-speed auto race in Argentina.

For Further Reading:

This month, we're talking about Women of the Wheel – icons who turned motion into momentum and spun their legacies on spokes, skates and potter's wheels. These women harnessed the power of the axle, pushing their crafts and professions forward through their works and lives.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn't help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we'll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, Vanessa Handy, Melia Agudelo, and Joia Putnoi. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:05.9	Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
0:10.7	This month we're talking about women of the wheel, icons who turned motion into momentum
0:14.8	and spun their legacies on spokes, skates, and potter's wheels.
0:19.1	These women harness the power of the axle, pushing their
0:21.9	crafts and professions forward through their works and lives. Speed can become an addiction. Whether
0:29.3	racing a horse running outside with the breeze in your face or professionally driving a car,
0:34.3	speed is something humans have been chasing for centuries. For one of Argentina's first
0:39.5	female race car drivers, chasing this addiction was a lifelong passion and a career. Not only did
0:45.7	she chase speed on the track, she also used her interests and mechanics to assist Grand Prix
0:50.7	drivers to chase victory. Please welcome Anna Delphosa.
0:57.8	Anna Delphosa was born near Punta Arenas, Chile in 1931.
1:02.9	Her parents were of German descent and immigrated to South America before World War I.
1:07.8	A few years after she was born, she and her mom moved to a sheep ranch just outside of
1:12.5	Balcarcée and Argentina. Ana's introduction to the thrill of speed began on these Argentine
1:18.4	farmlands. Anna was a fast learner, but not the biggest fan of school, preferring to spend time
1:24.8	outside. So as a teenager, she spent lots of time riding a black horse, nicknamed Blitz, which means lightning in German.
1:32.7	Spending so much time on the farmlands, Anna often witnessed the young Juan Manuel Fangio
1:37.5	testing his race cars on the quiet rural highways.
1:41.9	Juan Manuel Fangio also grew up in Balcarseille and would go on to become one of the
1:46.8	most legendary Formula One racers ever. Some consider him to be the greatest driver of all time.
1:55.3	Intrigued by Fangio's speed, Anna went into town and stood outside his dealership. Because it was improper for a woman to be in
	...

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