Jodie Kidd won her first motor race on Saturday, December 4th 2004 in Bologna, Italy. The English Supermodel, together with FIA GT driver and Pirelli official tester Fabio Babini, stepped up to the top spot on the podium in the Maserati Trofeo Pro-Am race at the Bologna Motorshow. It was the racing debut of the 2005 Maserati Trofeo GranSport.
Jodie and co-driver Fabio, who had already raced together at the Maserati Trofeo Vodafone Finals in Monza at the end of October where they achieved a very respectable 10th place, managed to beat Maserati Trofeo driver Andrea Demegni and Italian Top of the Pops TV presenter Daniele Bossari in the final.
Assaulted by the Italian media immediately after the podium ceremony, an ecstatic Jodie, now nicknamed ‘Queen of the Rain’ for her ability to drive very quickly even in unfavourable weather conditions, said: "This is such an amazing experience. I have only just started racing, and wasn’t expecting to gain first place on only my third race. I wish to thank my co-driver Fabio who has performed extremely well today, and whose advice on racing is always very precious to me, the Maserati crew and all at Pirelli for setting up this new Maserati Trofeo car: I really look forward to racing it next year! I must admit that I was a bit scared when the rain started to fall so heavily" – she continued – "but I managed to keep calm and listen to what the car was telling me, and it all worked out in the end. I know I have still a long way to go in the racing world, but what a fantastic way to end my first racing season!" Fabio Babini was also thrilled: "I have raced here at the Bologna Motorshow before: it’s a difficult track, quite bumpy, but it offers a great spectacle for the fans as they can see the whole of it from the grandstands. I am extremely happy with this result, because Bologna is only a few kilometers away from my home town of Faenza, so I have a lot of supporters. Jodie was great: it must have been quite daunting, as it was her first time out in the rain, but she was very cool with it and delivered. Well done!"
On hand to congratulate Jodie and Fabio on their victory was Fiat Auto Brand Manager Lapo Elkann, grandson of the late Gianni Agnelli, who had earlier taken them on a tour of the Ferrari F1 pits: "It’s great to finally see women get into motorsport, and Jodie is so passionate about cars that she could become a perfect ambassador for it. My best compliments to her and Fabio Babini for their excellent performance today."
Photos/Text - Maserati