Interview with Rachele Somaschini
Interview with Rachele Somaschini Entrevistas 18 de Maio, 2025 Born in Milan in 1994, Rachele Somaschini is a driver who combines her unstoppable passion for cars with a charitable cause. Suffering from cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects several organs, especially the lungs, Rachele is motivated by a motto that challenges her to overcome her own limits. Her health condition has never been an obstacle to pursuing her passion and she already has a vast career, not only in Italy but also with several international series, such as the FIA ERC and TER Series in the past seasons.In 2025, she is taking on a new and exciting challenge: competing in 6 rounds of the World Rally Championship, including the Portuguese event. We got to know this warrior driver a little better. 1. Rachele you are a professional rally driver, not the most common life choice for a woman. Especially in a particular condition like yours. Where does all this passion come from? I grew up in a family passionate about motorsports: my father raced cars in the 80s and 90s. also paired with his friend, the well-known driver Arturo Merzario. My mom rode a trial bike for fun. When I was born, before I could even walk, my dad gave me a small electric toy Jeep. At first, I would climb on it, and then, as I grew older and could finally reach the pedals, I would drive around the garden, racing with my two dogs. Over the years, my father tried to get me into go-karts, but it was too early, and I was initially scared… The dream to become a driver probably was born at that time, but I became fully aware of it when I joined my father in a proper competition in Monza circuit as soon as I got my driving license, 18 years old. But due to my genetic disease, called cystic fibrosis, my dream was considered quite impossible… 2. You were born with cystic fibrosis, a severe genetic disease affecting internal organs. How did it impact you as a child, and how does it impact you now? Cystic fibrosis is a complex genetic disease that damages the major internal organs, particularly the lungs, progressively leading to the inability to breathe. It remains invisible for a long time, making it difficult to explain and raise awareness about it. When I was younger, the treatments were much longer and more complicated, but thanks to scientific research, daily life has improved significantly but still including demanding routines, drugs and respiratory physiotherapy. However, as it is a degenerative disease, the issues increase with age: bacterial infections, declining lung capacity, hospitalizations… Nevertheless, thanks to new therapies, available to 70% of patients, the average life expectancy is rising (currently 40 years) and quality of life has improved. This is why it is vital to support research. 3. Cystic fibrosis mainly impacts the lung capacity. How and when were you able to take up motor sports and compete at such a high level? Even if I was often told it was not possible for me to combine my life routines with the motorsport efforts, step by step, I began planning 2 or 3 races a year, which eventually turned into an entire Championship. Life with cystic fibrosis is like a rollercoaster, full of ups and downs. When I moved from circuit racing to rallying, which is much more demanding, I decided to focus on my health in every aspect, making it my top priority: healthy eating, gym workouts, mental health, and managing anxiety. By doing this, I was able to improve my endurance and could commit myself to rallying full time. 4. In motorsport you had to deal with a mainly male-dominated world. How difficult was it for you to manage this kind of barrier? And what about your move from circuit to rallying? Being one of the few women in a predominantly male environment certainly helped me at the beginning. I was able to attract attention, even if this can work like a boomerang: if you don’t deliver results or perform well, the attention turns extremely negative and is accompanied by the usual negatives clichéés. So, I had to work very hard to earn respect. Luckily, I got winning results on track and in hill climbs in those years of my competition’s debut and I was more and more accepted as a driver. Thanks to these first success I was noticed by a rally academy that was looking for a young female team to bring into rallying, and I immediately accepted the challenge. However, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to enter a totally new kind of sport. I had to change completely my habits and driving style. In my first season in the Italian Rally Championship (the top Italian rally series), I was not able to achieve the same results as before, so I had to keep my head down and work hard again. Year after year, though, I learned to manage the challenges and eventually managed to get results in this extremely complicated discipline as well. 5. You have driven in the Italian Rally Championship, European Rally Championship and now you are entering a full program in the World Rally Championship, the pinnacle of the sport. Can you tell us which kind of commitment it takes to compete full-time? From the outside, it all seems like “smooth sailing,” but that’s not exactly the case: racing is just the final step of a long and hard work behind the scenes. It starts with securing the budget from sponsors, then moves on to the technical management of choosing the team, the car, and the championship. Then there’s all the personal management: taking care of cystic fibrosis, physical training, mental training to handle anxiety and pressure during competition… it’s an extremely stressful sport. You need to have a strong body and mind, prepared to deal with all the unexpected challenges. I’ve grown a lot over the years in