Victorian and Edwardian racers

Christabel Ellis

This post lists the earliest pioneer female racing drivers not already profiled, who competed between 1897 and 1910. Camille du Gast, Muriel Thompson, Maud Manville, Dorothy Levitt, Daisy Hampson, "Madame Laumaille" and Joan Newton Cuneo have their own posts. American racers from shortly after this period can be found here. The earliest female-only races are discussed here. During this period, there were few opportunities to enter races, so most of these women made only a few appearances at the wheel. Opportunities for motor racing generally increased after the war.

Countess Elsa d'Albrizzi - finished ninth in the 1899 Padua-Vicenza-Thiene-Bassano-Trevisio-Padua Trail, driving a Benz light car. This makes her the first woman to finish in the top ten of a motor race.

Louise Bazalgette – probably the first British female racing driver. She entered the 1000 Mile Trial in 1900, driving a 3hp Benz. She did not complete the whole trial, but was awarded a silver medal for her performance in one of the sections. Even earlier than this, she was featured in the British newspapers for her frequent motoring exploits and enthusiasm for cars. She continued to appear in speed trials occasionally after 1900, including the 1903 Bexhill-on-Sea trial.

“Madame le Blon” (Motann?) – best known as a riding mechanic to her husband, Hubert le Blon, who helped him to sixth place in the 1906 Targa Florio. She also rode with him in hillclimbs, in either a Serpollet, or a Hotchkiss. In 1903, plans were announced in the press for her to race her own Serpollet car. That year, she was third in a beach race at Deauville, out of sixty drivers. Her given name is never used. “Motann” may be a forename, or her maiden name.

Jane Dhasty - raced a Peugeot in France in 1899. She was second in the two-seater touring car class in the Nice-Magagnosc-Nice road race and the Nice-Castellane-Puget Theniers-Nice race the day before. She also entered the Peugeot into concours d’elegance events, an account of which gives the forename “Jane”. She was almost certainly an actress and singer who had risen to fame a few years before.

Gertrude Eisenmann (Rodda) - Anglo-German racer who competed in Weimar Germany. She began as a cyclist, moving to motorbikes with a good deal of success and then cars. In 1905, she won a road trial between Eisenach and Berlin and back again, and in 1906, she competed in the Solitude hillclimb, although both of these may have been in the motorcycle class. She entered the 1908 Herkomer Trial in a Horch car, but her finishing position is not forthcoming.

Christabel Ellis - drove an Arrol-Johnston at Brooklands. She led most of the Ladies’ Bracelet Handicap in 1908, but eventually lost to Muriel Thompson and Ethel Locke-King. Earlier, she competed in hillclimbs and speed trials in a friction-drive GWK cyclecar, alongside her cousin, Mary Ellis. Later, in about 1912, the two may have ridden a motorcycle combination together in hillclimbs. Christabel was certainly associated with motorcycles later; during the First World War, she was a Commandant in the transport section of the Women's Legion, in charge of female motorcyle dispatch riders.

“Mrs Clarence Cecil Fitler” - successful early American racer. In 1905, she won two races at the Cape May beach track. The races were over a kilometre distance, with a flying start. Her car was a 28hp Packard. She was the only female entrant. These were her only two race appearances. Although she was meant to race against Joan Newton Cuneo at Atlantic City, later in 1905, she did not do so. She returned to equestrian competition, in which she had some success.

Victoria Godwin – raced in the UK between 1905 and 1907. In her first year of competition, she took part in the Brighton Speed Trials, driving an Ariel Simplex. She worked for the Ariel factory, and acted as a spokeswoman and works driver. Between 1905 and 1907, she took part in trials for Ariel, including the London-John O’Groats Trial, and an overland journey from Paris to St Petersburg. In speed trials, she set a record of two miles in 1 minute 43 seconds.

Muriel Hind – most famous for racing motorcycles. She was the first British woman to do so, in 1905, having learned to ride in 1902. In 1905, she drove a Gnome in the Brighton Speed Trials, in the Touring class. She often used a Singer Tricar three-wheeler for trials, including the 1906 London-Edinburgh Trial, the Land’s End-John O’Groats Trial of the same year. She raced motorcycles until about 1910, then concentrated on writing. 

“Madame Labrousse” (or Lambrose) - one of the earliest female racing drivers known. She drove in the 1899 Brussels-Namur-Spa race and finished fifth in the three-seater class. Her car was an 8hp Panhard.

June (or Jane) Larkins – drove a 6hp Wolseley in a series of events in 1905. She is principally known for setting the first ladies’ record at Shelsley Walsh hillclimb, making the ascent in about four minutes. The same year, she drove the same car in at least two motor gymkhana events, one at Portsmouth and one at Moseley. These were mostly novelty events, such as towing races, and a “Coach House Race”, in which she was second. She was employed by Wolseley to teach female car buyers how to drive. Like her contemporary, Dorothy Levitt, she started by racing motor boats, again from the Wolseley works.

Claudia Lasell – active, and quite successful, in British motorsport in 1905. She drove a 90hp Mercedes in the inaugural Brighton Speed Trials, winning the Ladies’ Handicap, but losing out to Dorothy Levitt in the Daily Mail Challenge Trophy. She also took part in the Blackpool Speed Trials, in a 120hp Mercedes. At the time, she claimed that she raced for fun, and had no desire to do it professionally. She was an actress and singer of some note. Although she was American, she lived and worked in Europe. Later, in 1913, she caused a small scandal by holding mens’ and womens’ boxing matches at her house parties. 

Léa (or Léo) Lemoine – French woman who was one of the world’s earliest female racing drivers. She took part in three editions of the Championnat des Chauffeuses, the first-ever women’s motor racing championship, and won all three, in 1897, 1898 and 1899. Her usual vehicle was a De Dion-engined Clément tricycle, although she may also have used a cyclecar in 1899. The Championnat was for French ladies of the theatre, and Léa worked with costumes. As well as the Championnat des Chauffeuses, she entered the 1897 Coupe des Motocycles, and finished fifth overall. She also seems to have done some speed runs in Paris parks, and entered the ladies’ race in the 1899 Fête des Automobiles. After 1899, she appears to stop competing. As well as tricycles and cars, she raced bicycles with some success, and took part in roller-skating competitions.

“Mrs Herbert Lloyd” (Elizabeth?) – winner of the Ladies’ Handicap at the 1905 Brighton Speed Trials, driving a Daimler. She beat Maud Manville to the prize. In 1905, she also took part in the Blackpool Speed Trials. In 1906, she won her class at the Longleat Hillclimb, and that year, she was also fifth in the Henry Edmunds Hillclimb in East Sussex. There were ten entrants overall. She does not appear to have raced after 1906.

Eva (Genevra Delphine) Mudge - often described as America’s first female racing driver, Eva Mudge was an actress who became an automotive celebrity in 1900. Mainly, she appeared at motor shows, demonstrating both electric and petrol cars. Her only appearance in a race was the 1901 Dawn of the Century Race, in which cars took on bicycles and runners on a route across New York, between two newspaper offices. Her finishing position is not recorded. The starter for the race was RC Mudge, her father, who worked for the Locomobile company.

“Mrs. H Ernest Rogers” - early American racer who was a rival of Joan Newton Cuneo. She was active throughout 1906, and often drove a 10hp Maxwell, like the one used by Joan Newton Cuneo. At the Ventnor Beach speed trials, she was third in a Gasoline 1-mile trial, won by Joan Newton Cuneo. At the Dead Horse Hill hillclimb, she won three of the trials for stock cars costing under $850 dollars. As well as this, she was invited to more than one match race against Joan Newton Cuneo, one at Atlantic Beach. However, these meetings were usually cancelled at the last minute. After 1906, she seems to disappear. Her given name is never recorded.

Lilli Sternberg - took part in the 1910 Prinz Heinrich Fahrt, driving an Opel. She was said to be the only woman who drove her own car for the full distance. Photographs of her exist in the 1908 trial, accompanied by a male riding mechanic. She was sometimes referred to as Dr Sternberg.

“Madame Bob Walter” - former showgirl who raced in France in the early 1900s. She took part in a match race against a Madame Jolivet in 1902, at Deauville. Her car was a Vinot & Deguingand. She used the same car at the Gaillon hillclimb that year; her time has been lost but she was said to be faster than some of the top drivers of the time. She returned to Deauville in 1903 in a Panhard & Levassor and entered the 500m event. As well as racing cars, “Bob”, real name Baptistine Dupre, was one of the first French women to run a garage of her own. After her racing activities stopped, she used her fleet of hire cars to help in her last enterprise as an arranger of elopements. She died in 1907.

Hélène van Zuylen (Rothschild) - one of the earliest-ever female racing drivers. She entered the Paris-Amsterdam race in 1898, under the nom de course of “Snail”. Her car, whose manufacturer is not usually recorded, broke down very early in the race. Her husband also entered, using the name “Escargot”. In 1901, she and "Escargot" entered a Paris-Berlin race organised by the A.C.F. This is sometimes confused with the "Gordon Bennett" Paris-Berlin race that took place that year, but the route was different, and the drivers a separate group. Again, Hélène did not finish. She had been driving as part of a group which included her husband, and another lady driver, a Madame Gobron.

(Image source unknown)

Camille du Gast

Camille, driving solo

Camille du Gast was probably the first internationally-known female racing driver. She was French, and drove in grands epreuves between 1901 and 1904.

Camille was born in 1868. She had a lifelong love of sports; as a child, she was labelled a tomboy. Contrary to prevailing ideas about the role of married women at the time, marriage did not slow her down one bit. Her husband, Jules Crespin, positively encouraged her in ballooning, shooting, equestrianism and a variety of winter sports. When she became the first woman to complete a parachute jump in 1895, he was with her all the way. She jumped from the gondola of a hot air balloon, and her parachute was proudly printed with the logo of Dufayel, a Paris department store of which Jules was a director. She always used her own family name in public, perhaps to avoid the suggestion that her feats of daring and sport were purely publicity stunts for her husband’s business.

Sadly, Jules died at the end of 1895, at the young age of 27. Camille was now a widow, albeit a very wealthy one. Marriage had not slowed her down, and the loss of her husband would not either. Some time between 1895 and 1901, she travelled across Morocco on horseback, alone.

She learned to drive in 1898, and became the second French woman to receive her brevet (license). She owned a Panhard and a Peugeot, one or both of which may have originally belonged to Jules. After watching the start of the 1900 Paris-Lyon race, she became interested in motor racing and was determined to try it herself.

In June, she entered the Paris-Berlin Trail, organised by the ACF. She was the only female starter in the main Trail, although a sister event was held that year, in which Hélène de Zuylen took part. Camille’s car was a Panhard et Levassor with 20hp. It was not a sports racer by any means, being a fairly standard road model. She ran it in the “Heavy Car” class for vehicles over 650kg. Her riding mechanic was Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord, the Duke of Sagan. Like Camille, he was a habitué of the Paris social scene. The pair were close friends and possibly lovers.

The trail was a road race of 1105km, run in three stages. Camille and the Panhard ran well, and finishing in 33^rd place overall, 29^th in the Heavy Car class. There were relatively few dramas on the way.

Motor racing was still quite new in 1901, so the Paris-Berlin was her only event that year. She does not seem to have entered any of the hillclimbs or speed trials that were starting to appear across Europe. Camille’s activities for 1902 are not completely certain; some French sources claim that she entered the Paris-Vienna race, but she does not appear on any entry list I have found. It is possible that she attempted to start, but her entry was not accepted. This was the case with the New York-San Francisco race that was held the same year. The burgeoning motorsport authorities in the States were never keen on female drivers, as Joan Newton Cuneo would find out.

It is sometimes written that Camille spent much of 1902 on an “extended cruise” somewhere, although the destination is not mentioned. What is certain is that she spent some of this year clearing her name in the French courts, after it was claimed that she was the model for a painting by Henri Gervex, “La Femme au Masque”. The 1885 picture, which does look somewhat like Camille, is of a woman naked apart from a Venetian mask. The accusers appear to have been family members, and the case went on for a long time, despite Gervex and the model herself, Marie Renard, giving evidence.

Her next grand epreuve was the 1903 Paris-Madrid race, driving a De Dietrich prepared by the factory. The Paris-Madrid trail was halted at Bordeaux after a string of fatalities to both drivers and spectators. She was doing well in this "Race to Death", and had been running as high as sixth in her 30hp De Dietrich. Unfortunately, a stop to rescue her team-mate Phil Stead after an accident dropped her to 77th. He was trapped under his car, and Camille helped to free him.

Her drive impressed the Benz factory team enough to offer her a seat in a works car, but women were barred from competition by the ACF in 1904, so nothing became of it. The dreadful publicity that came with the Paris-Madrid deaths probably had a part in this; the public outrage over the death of a female driver would be considerable. The ACF had one eye on protecting the future of motorsport, although one eye was clearly on keeping women “in their place”. The reason given for the ban was “feminine nervousness”.

After her four-wheeled career came to its abrupt end, she turned to racing motor boats, mostly around France. Her battling performance in the 1904 Toulon-Algiers boat race, which was abandoned due to atrocious conditions, lived up to her nickname in her native France: l'Amazone.

It is sometimes claimed that Camille made a return to terrestrial motorsport in 1905, taking on Dorothy Levitt in a match race, as part of the Brighton Speed Trials. In the available documentation, there is no mention of Camille taking part, although Dorothy and several other women appear on the entry lists. Any race that they had must have been organised privately. Camille was racing one of her boats at the time, and reporting of the two female protagonists at two separate events may have become confused.

After her enforced retirement from high-speed activities, she trained horses, gave piano recitals and founded the French equivalent of the RSPCA, as well as a charity that provided healthcare to disadvantaged women and children, both in France and North Africa. She retained an affinity with the region, and travelled there extensively, sometimes writing about her experiences. Her concern for other women did not just extend to poorer women needing medical assistance; she was a member of, and contributor to, the early French feminist movement, campaigning for the vote and equal rights.

This new, socially-conscious Camille still enjoyed action and danger, however. In 1930, she organised a protest against a bullfight at Melun, in which a group, co-ordinated by Camille, jumped into the bullring, blew whistles and set off smoke bombs.

Earlier, in 1910, she had been involved in action and danger of a less welcome kind, when her own daughter tried to have her murdered, for financial gain. She survived unscathed.

It is the charitable part of her life that is most remembered in France, although her sporting activities are still recognised.

She died in 1942.  

(Image source unknown)