Racing ladies - Solved by Allan L, and marginally by the Hungarian Brigade

[Ray B.]

Fast women and fast cars.
Eighteen amazons. Who are they?  One point for each one of these dames.

Lady 1     Lady 2 
                                                                                     
Lady 3     Lady 4 

Lady 5     Lady 6 

Lady 7     Lady 8 

Lady 9     Lady 10 

Lady 11     Lady 12 

Lady 13     Lady 14 

Lady 15     Lady 16 

Lady 17     Lady 18 

[Otto Puzzell]

Are you absolutely sure about #13?

[Allan L]

Are you absolutely sure about #13?

Thereby hangs a tale

[Ray B.]

Absolutely, and Allan seems to know the story.

[Otto Puzzell]

Oh, good grief. 

[Ray B.]

You don't say. Wait til you hear the story (or find it yourself and you'll say 

[Ray B.]

A little detour by the Experts' village, before it goes to the Pros' place.

[Allan L]

2 is Pat Moss (and the checked jacket is worn by her brother Stirling)
13, since we were on about her, is Violette Morris.

In another place, someone posted the following:

There yet exists a book (in French) on her, titled "Violette Morris la gestapiste", published some years ago by les éditions du Fleuve noir. I have it somewhere home and must look for it in order to inform the name of the author. But I'm afraid it's out of copy, now.

This lady, a niece of General Gouraud, was first a boxer (!), then a cycling champion before switching to racing cars : she only competed in the cyclecar category, very popular in these years (the '1920s). She had a chirurgical ablation of her breasts, in order to be more comfortable when she wheeled in race !!!
This body-modification led to a ban of every kind of competition, cars or other, by the French Olympic Comitee.

When France was occupied in 1940 by the Nazis, she inserted into the Parisian Gestapo and worked in the awful "rue Lauriston" questioning house.
BTW, I never read or heard she had been involved by any manner in the arrest of "Williams" or Robert Benoist, so this can only be a theoretical wondering if.

In 1944 (circa April ? the date is in the quoted book), when she was travelling by car from Normandy back to Paris, the French Resistance attacked her car on the road and bombed it, killing all her passengers (a couple of "collaborateurs") along with her.

[Allan L]

5 may be Hellé Nice (Mariette Hélène Delangle)

[Ray B.]

You're right about Pat Moss. I didn't expect less from you. Right too about Violette Morris. Thanks for the fascinating story, which I had just found too.
You're wrong about N° 5, but Mariette Hélène Delangle is somewhere around, just not here. Find where in the next 24 hours.

[Allan L]

12 is Kay Petre I think

[Ray B.]

Right again.

[Allan L]

You're wrong about N° 5, but Mariette Hélène Delangle is somewhere around, just not here. Find where in the next 24 hours.

17???

[Ray B.]

17 is correct (google her name and it's the first picture you get).

[ftg3plus4]

I'm guessing one of these might be Elisabeth Junek, but only 14 looks to me like it might possibly be her. Is it?

[Ray B.]

No, sorry, this is a racing lady ho doesn't appear in this puzzle.

[Allan L]

6 is Joan Richmond
18 is Greta Molander, I think

[Ray B.]

Right again, for both.

[neilshouse]

No. 11 is Janet Guthrie.

[Ray B.]

Yes it is!
Watch this reply, I'll keep count of the correct guesses here from now on.

Lady 1 - Sara Christian Otto Puzzell
Lady 2 - Pat Moss Allan L
Lady 3 - Kitty Brunell neilshouse
Lady 4 - Vivian "Lucky" Harvey pnegyesi
Lady 5 - Louise Smith Paul Jaray
Lady 6 - Joan Richmond Allan L
Lady 7 - Ethel Flock Mobley Otto Puzzell
Lady 8 - Desiré Wilson faksta
Lady 9 - Lella Lombardi faksta
Lady 10 - Erin Crocker Allemano
Lady 11 - Janet Guthrie neilshouse
Lady 12 - Kay Petre Allan L
Lady 13 - Violette Morris Allan L
Lady 14 - Janine Jennky Allemano
Lady 15 - Shirley Muldowney Otto Puzzell
Lady 16 - Gilberte Thirion faksta
Lady 17 - Mariette Hélène Delangle (Hellé Nice) Allan L
Lady 18 - Greta Molander Allan L

[faksta]

#9 - Lella Lombardi

[faksta]

#16 - Maria Teresa de Filippis?
#15 - Vanina Ickx???

[faksta]

#8 is maybe Desire WIlson?

[Ray B.]

#16 - Maria Teresa de Filippis?
#15 - Vanina Ickx?

No, and no...

#8 is maybe Desire WIlson?

But yes!

[faksta]

And please don't forget to check #9, I think you might have missed it