A true French pioneer in racing
Experienced French rider Ornella Ongaro has a lengthy riding career behind her and says she always knew she would become a competitive racer from a very early age. She made history in 2011 by becoming the first French woman to ride in the North West 200 in Ireland, having made her way up through the junior domestic ranks in France. Having spent some time away from the race track in recent years Ongaro has returned to racing this year to be part of the historic first ever WorldWCR season and she’s clearly delighted to be back in action.
A colourful career in racing
Ongaro started riding at five years old on a PW 50 she was given for her birthday and just over 12 months later she was already competing in races. She was a multiple junior champion at the regional level in France, before becoming a runner-up in the French cadet championship and pit bike championship. She took second place in the French 125cc championship in 2009, the same year that she became the first French woman to obtain a wild card for the 125cc French Grand Prix, although she did not ultimately qualify for the race.
In 2011 she became the youngest French rider and first French woman to participate in the North West 200 in the 600cc category. In 2016 she was the French Women’s Champion in the 500cc class, took third in the French 500cc Championship racing against male competitors and was the first woman to win a race in the French 500 CBR Cup in 20 years of the competition’s existence.
In 2017 she placed eighth in Italy’s 1000cc R1 Cup in the mixed category and first in the women’s class. In recent years she has competed in electric motorcycle races and European races against male and female rivals, continuing to train hard, enjoying motocross riding.
Overcoming an initial riding trauma
The 33 year-old from Cannes had an initially upsetting experience when she first started riding, but it would not keep her away from bikes for too long. Ongaro reveals, “I’m from a family which is passionate about motorcycles. My Mum never rode, because she’s always been scared of it. My Dad was doing motocross, and my sister had her PW, so I wanted to have mine too. My Mum was ok for me to ride. She married a biker, so she knew what she was getting into! When I finally got onto my PW, I kept accelerating and I almost crashed into a tree. It was my mother who held me back and I broke her scaphoid. She was afraid I’d hit the tree. It traumatised me and after that I didn’t want to ride any more. My mother had to go to hospital, and I had to stay with my grandparents. I was only five years old. A few months later, when I was about six, I saw my sister riding so much that I wanted to start riding again. I immediately started to be faster than the other kids, so that’s where it all really started.”
A female only racing team
Ongaro also explains the story behind her formation of a 100% female team when she was in her early 20s. “I created this team in 2014,” she recalls. “A mechanic, a data technician and myself as the rider. I brought the very best together and we set up the Go Girls Only Team. We raced in the 600cc French Championship. We couldn’t go the whole way. Not everyone believed in it at the time and we had to stop the project. It was a professional team, no different from a mixed team.”
Riding in the North West 200
Ongaro’s participation at Ireland’s North West 200 in 2011 was a major milestone as she became the first French woman to have ridden in the event. She went back in 2012 for more and she recalls the experience fondly, saying, “I did the North West because at one point I was looking to add something extra to my achievements. There was racing, cross-country, BMX and I was winning in everything. I said to myself, ‘Why not try a road race?’. I really wanted to do it and I put everything in place. The first year, I went with a mechanic who is now at Tech3, Brice. That’s how we started out, two young people. The two years went really well, I was the best newcomer, the fastest French rider, and I got some results, the best female. After that, I stopped and focused on circuit racing. If the opportunity arises, I’ll do it again. The Isle of Man TT too.”
Inspired by Doohan, Rossi and Marquez
When asked about her favourite riders Marc Marquez and Mick Doohan are the two main characters Ongaro mentions. She states, “With Marc Marquez it’s because we have good memories on the track and despite now being the champion he has become he remains very friendly and kind with me. About Doohan, it came when I saw him riding. I made a fuss to my parents about getting his replica boots. My parents gifted them to me. I was a fan of the way he rode, the way he did things, his particular position.Mick rode with a broken tibia and fibula. When you want something, you can do it and Doohan was that type of character. I was the only fan of Doohan in my family. Then later there were more battles between Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi and Loris Capirossi. My father was for Biaggi, my mother was a fan of Capirossi and I adored Rossi.”
“For Marquez, it’s because I rode with him in the French and Catalan Championships. I really like his way of doing things, he hasn’t changed, which isn’t the case for everyone. I admire his comeback from injury. He’s talented and he works hard. He’s passionate and he gives everything for the bike. When I got pole, he shook my hand and congratulated me on getting pole. We didn’t speak the same language and he came to congratulate me. He’s always been great to me, even now when I see him again. That’s something I really appreciate, because not everyone is like that.”
A tight bond with her niece
Speaking about her close relationship with her young niece, Ongaro states, “She lives with me and I’m a surrogate mother. Certain things in our lives have accentuated this relationship. She’s five and a half now. Inevitably, after seeing so many motorbikes, she wanted to try them out. But I don’t want to influence her.” Clearly the love for motorcycles is being passed on to the next generation of the Ongaro family and her niece is one of her most supportive fans. She adds, “At first she just wanted to see Auntie, and even if I finished last she congratulated me. Now she understands more things, she gets on the bike and pretends to ride. You can see that she’s starting to enjoy it. When I come back from the race she says to me, ‘It’s good to be sixth, Auntie, without training!’ She’s so little and she’s right. These are words that make me feel more positive and lift my spirits. As she lives with me, I take her with me on the circuits when there’s no school.”
Believe in your dreams and give everything
Having been a racing pioneer throughout her lengthy career, Ongaro is proud to be inspiring the next generation of young French and international riders this year in the WorldWCR. She explains the process of getting to the elite level as a female rider and what participating in the new World Championship means to her from a personal perspective. “Riding in the mixed categories is possible and you can perform well, but you also have a different physique,” she comments. “Once you reach a certain category, it’s more complicated. In 600cc, it’s still OK, but in 1000cc it’s very complicated. So it’s always been a struggle to fight at the front. Now we’re lucky enough to have this women’s championship. It’s not easier because we’re not up against boys. That’s not how it should be seen. I want to show that you don’t have to be born with family advantages, financial advantages, even if it’s an expensive sport, you can still get by.”
She continues, “The fact that we’ve created this women’s championship is good, because it breaks down certain barriers. That’s why I wanted to be there, I think it’s going to help a lot and even in the education of little girls. Now there’s no excuse, if you’re a fighter you can do it. I’m proud to participate in the positive and logical evolution of women’s sport in the world and to have been selected at a historic moment. Proud to be French and to wear the beautiful colours of this beautiful country. You have to believe in your dreams and give everything to achieve them.”
