Lady Mary Grosvenor

 

Lady Mary Grosvenor was a British driver in the mid-20th century who could have been the first woman to race in Formula One.

Blessed with a huge family fortune as the youngest daughter of the Duke of Westminster, she was able to afford a series of increasingly powerful cars. Her father was, at the time, one of the richest men in the world.

She most often competed in hillclimbs and sprints, but did both circuit racing and rallying before and after World War II. 

It was in rallies that she first came to prominence. She entered the 1936 RAC Rally in a Riley, starting from Buxton. She is recorded as having finished 156th in the 1938 event. She also rallied in Scotland early in her career.

She first appears on the circuit racing entry lists in 1937, as a member of the Lancs & Cheshire Car Club’s relay team for a race at Donington. Her team-mates were AC Molyneux (Lea Francis) and Hugh Cocker, who drove a Riley like Mary. They were fourth.

Her second major race was a Short Handicap at Crystal Palace in 1939, and she was second, in a Riley Sprite. This was the first of her racing cars; she favoured the Sprite in the early part of her career and owned several. 

The same year, and in the same car, she was second in a two-lap Scratch Race at Donington, held by the Cambridge University Auto Club. She also entered a three-lap relay with Midge Wilby (Atalanta) and a T Winstanley in a Bentley, finishing second. 

After the war, she raced a Riley and an Allard, which she used for hillclimbs and sprints, sometimes driving both cars in a single meeting. 

She was third in a sportscar race at Gransden Lodge in 1946, in the Riley, and continued to compete strongly in hillclimbs until 1949, using a 1929 Bugatti T37A and an Alta as well as the Allard. The Bugatti was a particularly strong car for her and she set a ladies’ record at Prescott in 1947 that stood for more than 30 years.

The Alta, once it had been fitted with a 1500cc engine, would have been eligible for Formula One, but despite having the means, Lady Mary declined to pursue this. She preferred to use the car in speed events. Throughout her motorsport career, Lady Mary was always very independent, choosing her own path. She does not appear to have competed outside the UK, although she travelled extensively in Europe and Africa, and was never part of any of the women-only rallies that took place on the continent.

She had bought her first Alta, a 69IS in 1939 but never got the chance to race it and sold it after the war. Later, she ran a different Alta in both 1500cc and 2000cc guises. As a 1500cc Grand Prix car, it took her to sixth place in class in a hillclimb at Prescott in 1949. That summer, she used the Alta at another Prescott climb, at Shelsley Walsh and the Chester Motor Club’s sprint, where she was second in class.

Later, she raced a Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica at Silverstone and Goodwood, finishing third in a handicap at Goodwood in 1951. 

She retired from motorsport in 1953, after the death of her father, the Duke of Westminster, and devoted her time to running the family estates. Only once did she come out of retirement, in 1955, when she entered a Bentley Drivers’ Club event at Oulton Park driving a Triumph TR2.

The Westminster title could only pass to a male heir, so neither Mary nor her sister Ursula could inherit. It passed to Mary’s second cousin William. Mary herself never married, although she was suggested as a potential bride for The Prince of Wales, later briefly Edward VIII, as a young woman.

She died in 2000, aged 89.

(Image copyright Tips Editorial)

Dorothy Champney

Dorothy (left) with Kay Petre at Le Mans

Dorothy Champney is most famous for racing at Le Mans in 1934. She and Kay Petre were thirteenth, in a Riley Ulster Imp.

A bout of diphtheria meant that Dorothy missed the 1935 race, but her car was driven by Elsie Wisdom and Kay instead. This seems to mark the end of her short motorsport career.

Dorothy Conyers Nelson Champney was born in Scarborough in 1909. Her first appearance in newspaper coverage of motorsport came in 1932, when she and co-driver Miss GJ Derby crashed their car into a telegraph pole between Honiton and Exeter during the RAC 1000 Miles Rally. Neither the drivers or their un-named female passenger were seriously injured. The car was a Riley, the marque to which she was loyal throughout her career.

Her Le Mans achievements are her most documented, but she was more of a rally driver and actually rarely ventured onto the circuits.

Despite an inauspicious start, she became a fine rally driver. In 1933 she entered the Brooklands, Scottish, Ulster and RAC Rallies in her Riley, coming sixth in Class 3 in the latter. 1933 was a “hat trick” year for her, as she secured Ladies’ Prizes in the RAC, Scottish and Ulster Rallies. Her Scottish win helped Riley to a clean sweep in the Small Car class. Dorothy’s own car then won her a class second in the coachwork competition.

She also won the Coupe des Dames in that year's Alpine Rally, co-driven by a Miss L Hobbs. Using the same car, she competed in a Shelsley Walsh hillclimb, and in the Women's Automobile and Sports Association's Cotswold Trial.

In January 1934 she tackled her second international rally, the Monte Carlo. She made the finish in 58th place, having started at snowy Umea in Sweden. A second run in the Alpine Rally followed in summer, after Le Mans, after her third RAC Rally.

She married Victor Riley, of the Riley car company, in 1934. They had two children, a son and a daughter. Dorothy died a widow in 1968, at the age of 58.

Joan Richmond

Joan was an Australian race and rally driver. Born in 1905, she began her motoring adventures in trials and speed events in 1926, driving a Citroen. Early in her career, she was fifth in the 1931 Australian Grand Prix at Philip Island, driving an Austin Seven. She also drove a Riley 9 during her time on the Australian circuits.

Her first rally was Monte Carlo in 1932, again, driving a Riley. This was her first introduction to European motorsport, and she did not take the easy route in. Joan and some other competitors took Australia as their start point, and drove overland all the way to Monaco, for the start of the rally. She was 17th overall. Still in the Riley, she drove in the RAC Rally later in the year.

That year, Joan achieved considerable fame by winning the Brooklands 1000 Mile race with Elsie Wisdom. The duo were driving a Riley Brooklands, and lapped the circuit at 90 miles per hour. The BARC, the governing club, had only just permitted female teams to enter their events, and Joan and Elsie were the circuit’s first major female winners.

In 1933, Joan purchased a 3000cc Ballot from 1921, previously raced by Malcolm Campbell. Although she impressed onlookers with her handling of the car, it was unwieldy and unreliable, as well as being out of date, and she was not able to challenge for victories. Never one to take the easy way out, she persevered with the Ballot for two seasons, but did not achieve anything notable. It was sold in 1935. The Riley was retained for rallies, and gave Joan a thirteenth place in the Light Car class of the 1933 RAC Rally, navigated by Kay Petre.

Joan’s next car was a Triumph, which she used in a JCC relay event at Brooklands. Later in the year, she drove a Frazer Nash in a Ladies’ Mountain Handicap, and was second. In between, she made the trip to Le Mans with Eveline Gordon-Simpson, as part of the “Dancing Daughters” MG works team. Their car was a P-Type and they were 24th overall, the first “Daughters” car home.

In 1936, it was back to competing at Brooklands in the Triumph. She also entered the Tourist Trophy in Ireland with Francis Monkhouse, but did not get to drive their Aston Martin. As well as her circuit-based activities, she attacked the rally calendar with relish, tackling the Monte Carlo, RAC and Scottish rallies, as well as the Land’s End Trial. In the Triumph, she was third in class in Monte Carlo and won her class in the RAC.

The Triumph too was sold for the 1937 season, and Joan did some Brooklands events in an HRG. However, this car was not quite up to the fast-advancing standards of modern racing vehicles, and she was not terribly competitive. Back at Le Mans, she fared better, sharing Bill Bilney’s Ford Ten and finishing fourteenth. She and Bill were an item at the time, although the relationship was short-lived, as he was killed in an accident later in the year at Donington. Joan was his co-driver, in her own AC. Her involvement with motorsport continued, but on a lesser scale than before, up to 1939. She is recorded as a finisher in the 1938 Imperial Plate at Crystal Palace, driving a Frazer Nash. Throughout her career, she drove in trials and speed events, and in 1937, she teamed up with Robert Waddy to drive his twin-engined “Fuzzi” special. She was third in class at Shelsley Walsh, but could not catch Kay Petre for the Ladies’ Record.

During the war, Joan worked in aircraft manufacturing, like many of her contemporaries. After peace was restored, she did not return to motor racing, and settled once more in Australia, where she died in 1999.

(Image from http://www.sportscars.tv/)

Pre 1950 Female Drivers: "Les Autres"

Joan Gerard

This post covers a few pre-1950 female drivers who do not fit into any of the other categories, chiefly those who competed in British National events in the late 1940s, and one driver who raced earlier, but not at Brooklands. US-based racers of the 1920s can be found here. Lady Mary Grosvenor now has her own post.

Nancy Binns - included in this section as she appeared on the scene in 1949, coming second in three different British National races at Silverstone and Goodwood. Her cars were two different Rileys. The following year, driving a Riley Sprite, she won several races at various meetings at Goodwood, Gamston and Silverstone. She changed to a Jaguar XK120 for the 1951 season, and was rewarded with a second and two thirds at Silverstone, but no wins. After this, she disappears from the entry lists.

“Miss D Chilton” - raced an Arrol-Johnston in the UK in the 1920s. She was second in the Unlimited class of the 1922 Sutton Coldfield Hillclimb. By this time, the car would have been quite old. Photographs of it exist and describe it as a 15.9 bhp model. She may have been related to John Chilton, who was advertising his Arrol-Johnston dealership in Worcestershire in 1910. In 1922, the Arrol-Johnston concern was being taken over by the women-run Galloway company, of which Miss Chilton may have been part.

Joy Ching – mostly competed in sprints and hillclimbs, but occasionally raced on the circuits. She took part in a VSCC Handicap at Silverstone in 1949, driving a Bugatti T37, but was not among the front-runners. As well as the Bugatti, she drove a BMW and an Alfa Romeo on occasion, both of which she shared with her husband, John, a car collector who raced himself. The Bugatti had previously been raced by May Cunliffe. Joy was a regular at the Brighton Speed Trials in the late 1940s, and usually did well in the Ladies’ classes.

Marguerite Dupêchez – winner of the Coupe de l’Auto Club at the first Journée Féminine de l’Automobile, in 1927. Her car was an Amilcar. The same year, she took part in a Ladies’ Handicap, also held at Montlhéry, and appears to have won. 1927 was not her first year of competition; she drove the Amilcar in the 1926 Rallye Féminin between Paris and La Baule. She was eleventh. In 1928, she competed in the mixed Paris-Nice Trial, still in the Amilcar. After this, she disappears from the entry lists.

Joan Gerard - one of the first lady drivers to resume motorsport after WWII. She was second in a British National race for 1500cc cars at Gransden Lodge, driving a Riley Sprite. Later, she used the White Riley, once raced by Kay Petre, in speed events. She also took part in a Ladies' race at Brands Hatch for 500cc Formula Three cars in 1950, and was third. She always competed alongside her better-known husband, Bob Gerard.

Marie Jenkins - one of Australia’s earliest female racing drivers. She drove a Bugatti Brescia at Sydney circuits in 1925 and 1926 and was the first woman to win a race at Maroubra Speedway. Her victory was in January 1926 in a “Motor Car Handicap” for cars between 1250 and 2000cc. She won her heat and the final convincingly, taking advantage of a generous handicap. This was her second race win, having won a Two-Litre Handicap at Aspendale in March 1925. Reports suggest that she was already a familiar name by then and she was sometimes described as being from Victoria. She was third in another handicap at Maroubra in December 1925.

Estelle Lang – raced and rallied in France in the late 1920s and early 1930s. She finished fifth in the first edition of the  Paris-St. Raphaël women’s rally in 1929. The same year, she entered the Journée Féminine de l’Automobile, and was one of the leading drivers, in a Rosengart. In a similar car, she won the 1931 Paris-St. Raphaël Rallye, after winning her class. She was a semi-regular in French races at the time, and a rival to both Violette Morris and Hellé-Nice at different times. In 1930, she entered the Tour de France Auto, in a Rosengart, and won her class at least. 

Lilian Heimann-Mayer – raced a 500cc BMW-engined Condor in German Formula 3, in 1949. She managed to finish a race at Schotten, but was not classified. She entered the Kölner Kurs race later in the year, but did not finish. Photographs of her exist at the Nürburgring that season as well, but no results. Later, in 1953, she drove a BMW in the Gaisbergrennen hillclimb, and won her class.

Yvonne Morel - MG owner and racer, active in the late 1930s. She competed in speed trials and hillclimbs mainly, including the 1937 Whitchurch Speed Trial, but also raced at circuits. In 1938, she drove a 1500cc MG at Crystal Palace for the Crystal Palace Plate handicap

(Image source unknown)

Female Rally Drivers Before 1950: Part II

Lucienne Radisse, as an actress

Morna Vaughan now has her own profile, as do Katherine Martin, Dorothy Patten and Marie-Jeanne Marinovitch.

“Mademoiselle Mertens” (or Mertëns) – Belgian driver who competed mainly in France, in the 1920s. She was second in the 1925 Monte Carlo Rally, driving a Lancia Lambda. This remains the highest-ever finish for a female driver. Later, she took part in the women’s races and rallies that centred on Paris in the late 1920s. She was a regular at the Journée Féminine de l’Automobile, although not one of the winners, and took part in several of the early runnings of the Paris-Saint-Raphaël Rally. Again, she was not among the class winners. No biographical information about her is readily available, and her given name is never used.

Millicent (Miss M.V.) Milne - drove in rallies and trials in the 1920s and 1930s. Between 1926 and 1928, she is recorded as an entrant in trials in an Austin Twelve. Some of these appear to be Women’s Automobile Sports Association events. Later, in 1932, she appears as a rally driver, although she may have begun this earlier. That year, she drove in the RAC and Scottish rallies, in an Austin. This was replaced by a small Armstrong-Siddeley in 1933, in which she was 74th in the RAC Rally. She also entered the Scottish Rally again. She disappears from the entry lists after that. Her given name is seldom used.

Margaret Montague-Johnstone - winner of the WASA Wakefield Trophy in 1932, in recognition of her performance in the Monte Carlo Rally. She drove a Riley and scored a clean run with no penalties. In 1933, she finished again, in a Riley 9, having started from John O’Groats. She sometimes drove with her husband, Alistair, like on the 1933 Scottish Rally and the 1934 Monte, when they used a Triumph Gloria. Margaret drove the Triumph herself in Scotland in 1934. She and Alistair had been active in Riley club events since at least 1931.

Hélène Morariu-Andriewitsch – early rally driver who competed just before the First World War. She was the first woman to enter the Alpine Trial, in 1912. Her car was a Puch. Unfortunately, she retired on the fifth stage, after hitting a rock. In 2013, she drove the Puch again, competing under her married name of von Stamati-Morariu. She appears to have finished, but not win any of the awards. Away from motorsport, Hélène studied philosophy.

Aileen Moss - British trials and rally driver in the 1920s and 1930s. She often drove a Marendaz Special, but sometimes used other cars, such as the MG Midget she drove in the 1933 Brooklands Rally. The Marendaz was preferred for that year's RAC and Scarborough rallies. Aileen is, of course, the mother of Pat Moss-Carlsson and Sir Stirling Moss.

Lady Margaret Oldham - rallied a Vauxhall around the UK in the early 1930s. In 1932, she took part in the RAC and Scottish rallies. The following year, she managed to finish the Scottish Rally. Her usual start point was London.

Billie Reece - entered the RAC Rally in a Ford in 1932, starting from Liverpool. She is also recorded as a finisher in the 1933 Ulster Rally. Her car was a Riley this time and her start point was London.

Jean Robertson - entered her first rally in 1932. She drove overland to Monte Carlo from Australia with Joan Richmond, as part of a group of Riley drivers, and was 19th in the Light Car class. She also entered the RAC Rally in the Riley. After her motorsport adventures in 1932, she does not appear to have competed.

Lilian Roehrs (Röhrs?) - competed in European rallies in the 1930s. She drove a Hanomag in the 1931 Coupe Internationale des Alpes and a BMW in the 1934 event. Her navigator in 1934 was Rembach.

Lilian Roper - competed throughout the 1920s and 1930s in the UK. Her first major achievement was the Shelsley Walsh Ladies' Hillclimb record in 1923, driving an AC. Later, she was a regular participant in rallies in the UK. In 1932 and 1933 she used an Armstrong-Siddeley. This was changed for a Triumph in 1936, then an MG VA for the 1938 and 1939 seasons. She does not appear to have competed abroad.

Marie Seeliger – competed in the 1929 Monte Carlo Rally, driving a Mercedes-Benz. She started from Berlin. Starting from Stavanger in Norway this time, she also drove the Mercedes in the 1931 Monte, and seems to have finished. Little other information seems to exist about “Frau Seeliger”. Her title suggests that she was German.

Eva Stackelberg - first seems to have competed internationally in the 1932 Monte Carlo Rally, driving a Hupmobile. She drove the same car in the 1934 Monte, again starting from Umeå.

Eve (Mrs C.S.) Staniland - did at least one season of rallying in the 1930s. She drove a works Riley in the 1932 Monte Carlo Rally, finishing tenth in the Light Car class. Margaret Allan was her navigator. It was presumably the same car that she used to take part in that year's RAC event. Mrs Staniland's given name is not often given.

Muriel Stanton - rallied in the UK and Europe in the 1930s. She first appears on the entry lists in 1932, driving a Riley in the RAC Rally. She returned to the event in 1933, in the Riley, and was 99th, starting in Harrogate. She entered the Riley into the Monte Carlo Rally in 1934, starting at Umeå, and was 48th. This seems to have been her last major rally.

Helene Veniel - competed in and around Paris in the 1930s, mainly in rallies. As well as events such as the Paris-St. Raphael, she entered mixed rallies, including the Tour de France in 1932 and 1933. Her car in 1932 was a Chenard & Walcker, which she had had for some time, winning the Coupe du Journal at the 1930 Journee Feminin de l’Automobile in it. She drove  in the 1933 Tour de France, which also visited Belgium, in a Peugeot 301, which she may also have used in the Journee Feminin, as Peugeot were using female drivers to promote that model.

Lady Patricia Waleran - entered British rallies in the early 1930s. She is recorded as an entrant in the 1933 RAC Rally, driving an Alvis. She stopped competing in 1934, after her divorce from her husband.

“Miss EV Watson” - rallied in the 1930s. In 1932, she drove a Wolseley Hornet in the RAC Rally, and an Invicta in the Scottish Rally. She used the Invicta in the 1933 RAC Rally too, and was 45th. Driving a Bentley, she won her class in the 1935 RAC Rally. She disappears from the entry lists after this, at least under that name.

Joyce Watson - rallied in the 1930s. She drove a Riley in the RAC and Scottish rallies in 1932. The following year, in an Aston Martin, she was seventh in the Light Car class of the Scottish Rally. After this, she disappears from the entry lists. She may have been related to the Miss Watson above.

Joan Weekes – drove in rallies and trials in the 1930s. She first appears in 1932, driving a Salmson in speed trials at Lewes and Brighton, and winning her class. She also drove a Ford V8 that year, in which she won the Ladies’ Cup in the London-Gloucester Trial. She continued to trial both the Salmson and the Ford, with great success in her class. In 1934, she competed in the RAC Bournemouth Rally, although in which car, it is not quite clear. She won a Second Class award in the Brooklands Rally in 1936, driving a Ford.

Monica Whincop - competed shortly after the Second World War, in the UK. Her most high-profile appearance was in the International Sportscar race at Gransden Lodge in 1947. She won the 1100cc class in her Fiat Balilla. That year, she also drove in the Brighton Speed Trials, presumably in the same car. Photographs exist of her driving at Shelsley Walsh, but no results or dates have come to light. She may have been driving her husband Geoff Whincop’s Bugatti T51.

Violet "Midge" Wilby - rallied a number of cars during the 1930s. In 1933, she was 51st in Class Two of the RAC Rally in a Wolseley Hornet, and she used the same car on the Scottish Rally. Later, she used an Armstrong-Siddeley model and is recorded as a participant in the 1936 RAC and 1937 Monte Carlo rallies. She was sixth in the Monte Carlo Coupe des Dames. Shortly afterwards, she became heavily involved with Atalanta cars, as a patron, company director and works driver. She drove an Atalanta on the 1939 Scottish Rally.

Stella Zagórna – Polish driver active during the 1930s. She competed in the Monte Carlo Rally three times, in 1936, 1937 and 1939. The first two times, she started from Bucharest, and drove a Chevrolet. She was 24^th in 1936, and in 1937, 21^st overall, in a rally of high attrition. In 1939, she changed her start point to Tallinn, still in the Chevrolet, but did not make the finish, having crashed into a telegraph pole just before reaching Monte Carlo. She was unhurt, and returned to rallying in the summer, entering the Liège-Rome- Liège Rally. Unfortunately, she had another accident and ended the event in a ditch.

(Image source unknown)

The Belles of Brooklands, Part II

Ruth Urquhart-Dykes in 1927

More of the lady drivers of Brooklands. Jill Scott-Thomas and Irene Schwedler now have their own profiles.

“Mrs K.N. Roe” – raced a Lea-Francis at Brooklands. In 1933, she won a Novice’s Handicap at the Inter-Club Race Meeting in July. During the race, she reached a maximum speed of 85.13mph. Later in the year, she entered the Ladies’ Handicap at the Mountain Championship Meeting, but does not appear to have finished.  She does not appear to have continued racing in 1934. Mrs Roe was possibly a member of the “Avro” Roe family, who were prominent at Brooklands.

Barbara Skinner - became associated with Morris Minors in the 1930s, including a "White Minor" Special in which she set the Ladies' record at the Shelsley Walsh hillclimb in 1934. She excelled at hillclimbs and sprints and competed all round Britain, although Shelsley Walsh was her home track. In 1933, she also entered her Morris in the RAC Rally and came 30th overall. She occasionally raced at Brooklands, reasonably competitively, and made the trip to Le Mans in 1935, as part of the legendary "Dancing Daughters" MG works team. She and Doreen Evans were 25th. Later, Barbara married racer and motoring writer John Bolster. She continued to compete under her married name, in either the Morris or her family's Skinner Special. She was killed in a traffic accident in 1942.

Laura B Starkey – drove a Sunbeam, mostly in hillclimbs, in the 1910s. She broke Dorothy Levitt’s long-standing ladies’ record at Shelsley Walsh in 1913. Her car was a Sunbeam 12/16hp. In 1912, she won the Closed section of the Caerphilly hillclimb outright, in the Sunbeam. That year, she used the Sunbeam at Brooklands, in the RAC Associates club meeting. She was second in the Skilful Driving race, and third in the hillclimb. In hillclimbs, she scored first or second places in class in Leicestershire and Hazelwood. Back in Wales, she competed in the Portcawl Speed Trials, held on the beach. She won Class 9.

Olive Stewart-Menzies – one of the earliest female winners at Brooklands. She won one race at the Surbiton Motor Club meeting in 1923, and was second in another, driving the 1913 “Bebe” Peugeot. In 1924, she drove the same car in the Shelsley Walsh hillclimb. In 1925, she raced an Itala at Brooklands, during the Essex Motor Club’s meeting, but did not finish. Her father was a Peugeot enthusiast who owned several pre-war racing Peugeots, hence Olive’s use of the Bebe GP car.

Dorothy Summers – raced a Marendaz Special at Brooklands, between 1931 and 1936. In 1934, she was third in the BARC Novices’ Handicap. That year, she was quite active, competing in the August Bank Holiday Meeting and the Autumn Meeting.  She won the March Short Handicap in 1936, the first such win for a Marendaz car. She competed alongside Aileen Moss, possibly in trials, at some point. Dorothy worked for Donald Marendaz himself, and was his long-term companion as well as a director of his engineering companies.

Fay Taylour - Irish speedway rider, circuit racer and rally driver from the 1930s onwards. She was the winner of some Brooklands races and often finished well in rallies, in the UK and abroad, both as driver and navigator. She was the winner of the Ladies' Prize in the 1933 Brooklands Rally. In 1934, she had her biggest victory, a win in the Leinster Trophy at Skerries, driving an Adler. She continued to race after the Second World War, despite being imprisoned for much of it due to her membership of the British Union of Fascists.

Sheila Tolhurst - raced at Brooklands in the early and mid-1930s. She won a handicap race there in 1932 in a Riley, at the Inter-Club meeting. Her average speed was 81mph. Later, in 1934, she was part of the Singer team for the annual Light Car Club relay, with Kay Petre and Eileen Ellison, driving a Singer Le Mans. They were fifth overall after deliberately sandbagging, in order to secure the Ladies’ award which could not go to any team in the top three. Further details of her motorsport activities have proved elusive. She died in 1981.


Part One

(Image copyright LAT Archive/www.austinharris.co.uk)

The Belles of Brooklands

Ivy Cummings

The Brooklands circuit in Weighbridge was the UK's first purpose-built full racing circuit, and was in operation between 1907 and 1939, when it was partially demolished and used as an aircraft manufacturing centre for the war effort.

The Brooklands organising club, the BARC, only sanctioned two races open to women there before the First World War: the 1908 Ladies' Bracelet Handicap and a match race between two of its leading competitors, Muriel Thompson and Christabel Ellis. This was in spite of the presence and influence of Ethel Locke King, wife of the circuit's owner, Hugh. She herself raced in the Bracelet Handicap.

Other clubs that used the circuit allowed women to race, either against other women, or against men.

During the 1920s, the various motor clubs that ran races at Brooklands relaxed their attitudes to women drivers, and during the 1930s, the BARC followed suit. Female racers were a common addition to meetings, winning some titles in the process.

Below is an alphabetical selection of the previously unprofiled ladies who raced at Brooklands, and some of their achievements.

Daisy Addis Price – raced at Brooklands in the 1920s. Her first major result was a second place in the JCC Ladies’ Handicap in 1920. This was one of the first women’s races held since 1908. Her car was a Douglas, which she continued to race until at least 1923, when she entered it into the JCC 200 Mile race. In 1922, she did take part in a “lesser race” in the Douglas, but further details are not forthcoming. Other drivers sometimes raced Miss Price’s Douglas on her behalf, and she commissioned and designed coachwork for at least one car.

Psyche Altham – raced at Brooklands in 1933, finishing third in a Ladies’ Mountain Handicap in an MG Magnette, behind Rita Don and Kay Petre. Earlier in the year, she won her class in the Brighton Speed Trials, in a Magnette, and entered a hillclimb at Shelsley Walsh. She did not record a time, due to a problem with the Magnette’s carburettor. After the 1933 season, she disappears from the motorsport scene. Away from the track, she was a dancer and actress. In contemporary reports, she is referred to as “the London dancer, Psyche Altham.”

“Mrs G. Briggs” – raced a Riley 9 Brooklands at Brooklands itself in 1936. Her first race was the First Mountain Handicap at the March Handicap meeting, in which she was unplaced, but only a month later, she won the First Easter Sports Handicap. At the Whitsun meeting, she was second in the First Short Handicap. Despite her obvious skill, and the praise she received from the likes of Motor Sport, her last race seems to have been the Second August Short Handicap, in which she was unplaced. Her husband, whose car the Riley was, also disappears from the entry lists.

“Miss D.M. Burnett” – drove in the 1930 Brooklands Double Twelve, sharing her own Aston Martin with Goldie Gardner. They did not finish, due to a broken valve spring. This was not her first foray into motorsport; she was disqualified from a Ladies’ Race at Brooklands in 1929 for jumping the start. Even earlier, in 1928, she entered the JCC’s High Speed Trials at the Weybridge circuit, driving an Alvis. Later, in 1932, she attempted the JCC 1000 Mile race in a Riley 9, partnering P.R. Mitton-Waterfield. They did not finish.

“Miss D Chaff” (Dinah?) – raced a Fiat Balilla at Brooklands. In 1936, she led an all-female team of Balilla drivers to fourth place in the LCC Relay, with Elsie Wisdom and Mrs Lace. She first appears on the Brooklands entry lists in 1935, as an entrant in the Ladies’ Mountain Handicap, although her finishing position is not given. In March 1936, she took on the Mountain circuit again in an open race, but does not seem to have finished. She also raced at Donington, but retired with a broken trackrod. Her given name is never used.

Cecil Christie (often credited as “Mrs. C. Christie”, although Cecil was apparently her given name) - South African driver who raced at Brooklands in the 1920s, although not in any of the major races. She was a member of Southport Motor Club and drove in the their beach race in 1926, using a Vauxhall. The previous year, she had won a beach race at Skegness, also in the Vauxhall. 

Dorothy de Clifford (“Lady de Clifford”) - initially a Brooklands hanger-on, who later became a race and rally driver. She first appears in Barbara Cartland’s 1931 “Society Ladies’ Private Handicap” film hoax, as riding mechanic to Princess Imeretinsky, who appeared to win the staged race. In 1932, she raced an MG in the Duchess of York’s race for lady drivers, at the Guys Gala at Brooklands. Also that year, she entered the RAC Rally, driving a Lagonda. Her finishing position is not recorded.

Violette Cordery - most famous for her record-breaking exploits in Invicta cars in the late 1920s and early 1930s. She set records for speed and endurance around the world, sometimes assisted by her sister, Evelyn. In the 1920s, she won a number of club races at Brooklands, also in Invictas, but was forbidden to take part in major events. Later, she was tenth in the Large Car class of the 1933 Scottish Rally, driving an Essex Terraplane.

Rita Don - winner of a ladies’ race over the Brooklands Mountain circuit in 1933, defeating the favourite, Kay Petre. She was driving a Riley 9 belonging to Freddie Dixon (sometimes described as her brother, which he was not). Dixon acted as her riding mechanic, and stories abound of his pricking her with her hatpin when she needed to go faster. Photographs of her in 1934 appear to show her ready to race, at Brooklands, chatting to Kay Petre, and she did indeed race a Marendaz, a Lea-Francis and the Riley that year. She entered the Ladies' Mountain Handicap again, but was unplaced. She was the sister of Kaye Don, and her married name was Livesey.

Bessie Duller - raced at Brooklands and in the south of England in the 1920s. In 1923, at Brooklands, she won an "Impromptu Handicap for Any Car or Motorcycle", then in June, she won one of the Surbiton Motor Club's Brooklands races, both in an Amilcar. In 1925, she appears on the start list for a ladies’ race in Kent, driving a Lancia. In 1926, she raced an Austin Seven at Brooklands, in the Surbtiton 150 Mile race. She was often credited as “Mrs. George Duller”.

Colleen Eaton – Australian racer who competed at Brooklands and Le Mans, occasionally as an MG works driver. She was Margaret Allan's team-mate for MG at Le Mans in 1935, and they were 26th.

Marjorie Eccles - raced between 1934 and 1939, often alongside her husband, Roy. She was an occasional entrant in Brooklands races of the time, driving a Singer, or the "Eccles Rapier" Lagonda special, which she also raced at Brooklands in 1935, and Crystal Palace in 1936. After 1936, her profile becomes higher. She partnered Roy at the Ards Tourist Trophy in a Singer that year, then drove at Le Mans in 1937 in a Singer Nine, with Freddie de Clifford. They did not finish. Later, she turned to rallying exclusively, after Roy's untimely death early in 1938. In 1938 and 1939, she entered the RAC Rally. Her car in 1939 was a Daimler.

Mamie Frazer Nash - raced a GN in the Brooklands ladies’ races in the early 1920s. She was one of three women who entered the BARC’s second official ladies’ event in 1920. She raced the GN again in 1922, in another ladies’ race, but did not finish. She may have also competed in hillclimbs. Mamie, born Alice, was married to Archie Frazer Nash of the eponymous car company, who also owned GN. Mamie became a director of Frazer Nash in 1932.

“Miss G" (Geraldine) Hedges – raced in and around Brooklands in the 1930s. She first appears in the entry lists in the JCC’s High Speed Trial, in 1932, driving a Riley, but she was most associated with Talbot cars, one of which she owned jointly with Patricia McOstrich. In 1932, she scored her first Brooklands win, in a Talbot 90, the Sports Long Handicap at the Inter-Club Meeting. Other notable results include a second in the Cobham Long Handicap in 1933, and third in a 1933 Lightning Short Handicap. Later on, she raced a Singer and a Frazer Nash-BMW, in which she was part of a Frazer Nash team with Kay Petre, for the Light Car Club Relay in 1936. She was also active in rallying in the UK, with Patricia McOstrich and Lady Iris Capell. She had been an ambulance driver during WWI and worked as a "motor consultant", advising her customers on car purchases, modifications and repairs. She opened her London garage in 1935 by holding a well-publicised party in it.

Joyce Houldsworth - raced a Bugatti at Brooklands and in hillclimbs. She first raced in 1933, in the Ladies’ Mountain Handicap. In 1934, she was second in the novice class of the Bugatti Owners’ Club hillclimb at Lewes. That year, she also raced the Bugatti at Shelsley Walsh, and in a second Ladies’ Mountain Handicap at Brooklands. She returned to Shelsley Walsh in 1935, driving a Houldsworth Special. Her husband, John, was also a racing driver. Joyce continued to compete in his car after his death in an accident in 1934.

Henrietta (Mabel) Lister – owned and raced an Aston Martin in the 1920s. Pictures of her in racing garb, next to a car at Brooklands, exist from 1924, but no race results. In 1925, she was second in two editions of the Essex Long Handicap. Similar pictures show her car in action at meetings of the Essex and Middlesex Motor Clubs. In 1928, she was one of the entrants in a Surbiton MC Ladies’ Race. There is some confusion about when exactly Henrietta competed, as other drivers often used her car, and she was named as the entrant. The car itself was sometimes looked after by Jack Waters, who would later find fame as the actor Jack Warner. After her time as a racing driver, she married William Burrill-Robinson and took up watercolour painting, exhibiting regularly in Yorkshire. She had previously been a ballet dancer, using the name "Henrietta Listakova".

"Miss MJ Maconochie" (Margaret?) - winner of the first official BARC race for lady drivers at Brooklands, in 1927. Her car was a Salmson. She had previously won gold medals in high-speed reliability trials, and continued to race after her 1927 appearance. In 1928, she took an Amilcar to Boulogne for the Coupe Georges Boillot.

Patricia Oxenden – Jersey-based driver who raced at Brooklands, as well as on short tracks in Midget cars, and on Jersey itself. Her usual car for Brooklands was an Alta, in which she won a Ladies’ Mountain Handicap in 1935. As well as races, she also occasionally competed in trials at Brooklands, in the Alta. Another of her cars was an SS90, which she has said to have used in Jersey. As well as motorsport, Patricia (sometimes referred to as “Dot”) was involved in the early surfing scene in the UK, alongside her husband, Jeremy.

Winifred Pink - raced a number of cars in the UK in the 1920s. She was an expert at beach racing and competed at Skegness in 1926, driving an AC, and at Southsea in 1923. One of her earlier cars was a Horstman, in which she won BARC Ladies’ races at Brooklands in 1922 and 1923. She used this car in hillclimbs at Shelsley Walsh, Caerphilly and other venues. Later in her career, she hillclimbed an Aston Martin and an Alvis. In the late 1920s, she wrote quite extensively on the motor racing for women, claiming that most women were not strong enough to drive the fastest cars. She suggested smaller touring cars instead. In 1927, she was elected President of the Ladies’ Automobile Club.

Part 2

(Thanks to Naomi Clifford for information on Geraldine Hedges)

(Image copyright Octane)

Kay Petre

Kay at Brooklands

Born in Canada but living in England, Kay was an early motor racing star at the legendary Brooklands track. The exploits of this 4'10" speedqueen were big news at the time, although she is a relatively obscure figure in racing history now.

Born Kathleen Coad Defries in 1903, she moved to England in 1930, following her marriage to Englishman Henry Petre in 1928. Henry was a keen flier, who regularly took off from the Brooklands airfield, and it was here that Kay first became interested in motor racing. She had always been a skilled and competitive sportswoman back at home, especially in ice-skating. Henry bought Kay her first car for her birthday, a Wolseley Hornet Daytona Special in red. She had already learned to drive in an old Ford in about 1919, but Henry did not like the way she crashed up and down the gears in his Invicta, so he gave her a car of her own.

After some tuition from a family friend, her racing career began, with a third and a second in her first two races. One of these may well have been the Inter-Club Novices’ Handicap at Brooklands, in which she was indeed third in a Wolseley, in 1932. The same year, she drove in the Light Car Club’s International Relay, as part of a three-car Hornet team with C. Palmer and T.W. Storey. They were just classified, although down quite a few laps on the leaders.

She continued with the little Wolseley as her main car for the rest of the season, although she always took the opportunity to borrow other cars and experience the track in them, too. As Kay was pretty and lively and "had a way with men", she had no shortage of offers of drives, or expert coaching. Among these cars were an Austin, borrowed from another competitor, a Miss Paterson, who did not qualify for a Ladies' race, and an Invicta, in which she won her class at the Brighton Speed Trials.

In 1933, Kay purchased her first "proper" racing car, a 2-litre Bugatti. Her first outing in it seems to have been the Lewes Speed Trials in May, where she was third in class. She used it to good effect in the regular handicap races at Brooklands, quickly adjusting to the handling and the increased speed. It was in this car that she first tackled the Brooklands Mountain circuit, a newer track layout which was much trickier than the original banked oval. The first Ladies' Mountain race was tipped as a certain win for Kay, but Rita Don won on the day, driving a Riley. She had a slightly unfair advantage in that her partner, racer Freddie Dixon, was clandestinely controlling the car's throttle from the riding mechanic's seat, unknown to even Rita herself to begin with. Earlier, the Whitsun meeting had been a disappointment, with two non-finishes.

That year, Kay appears to have finished her first international rally. She navigated for Joan Richmond on the RAC Rally, in a Riley. They were thirteenth in Class Two.

In 1934, she achieved her first Brooklands win, in the Bugatti. She finished first in the Fourth Walton Scratch Sprint. Only a couple of months later, she won again in the Merrow Senior Short Handicap. In October, she bypassed the Ladies' Mountain Race at the BARC Autumn Meeting, and was second in the Second Kingston Senior Long Handicap. As well as circuit racing at Brooklands, she took part in speed trials and hillclimbs, winning the Ladies' class at Brighton.

Trickery and mild controversy never seemed to be far away when Kay was around, and the media loved her even more for it. It caught up with her again at the 1934 Light Car Club Relay at Brooklands, where the works Singer team she was driving for was involved in the sort of gamesmanship more associated with modern Formula One teams. The Singer squad's arch-rivals were the also all-female MG team of Irene Schwedler, Margaret Allan and Doreen Evans. Both were competing for the Ladies' Prize, which normally meant an invitation to the Le Mans 24 Hours. Preparations for the race were underway when one of the Singer crew came across a copy of the MG team's race strategy and pit notes. During the race, a spy kept an eye on the MG pits and successfully intercepted all of their pit signals, allowing the Singer team of Kay, Sheila Tolhurst and Eileen Ellison to keep right on their tail. When a couple of accidents dropped the team down the order, team boss Sammy Davis decided to exploit a loophole in the rules which meant that the Ladies' Prize could not be awarded to a team finishing in the top three. The Singer ladies backed off and finished fifth, securing the Ladies' Prize.

Kay did go to Le Mans that year, but in a Riley Ulster rather than a Singer. Her co-driver was Dorothy Champney, another British-based driver who specialised in rallies. The race was run at much higher speeds than before and a number of the larger cars ran into trouble, both mechanical and the accident-related type. Kay and Dorothy had an uneventful race, maintaining a steady 60mph, and ended the 24 hours in thirteenth, with a team prize for Riley for having all of their cars make it to the finish.

Later in the year, at the BARC Autumn meeting at Brooklands, Kay was second in the Second Kingston Senior Long Handicap. She was driving the Bugatti and finished ahead of John Cobb, in an Alfa Romeo.

Among her other activities that year were a set of record attempts. She managed to set some new class records at Brooklands in a Bugatti belonging to Dick Shuttleworth, and began her battle for the Ladies' Outer Circuit record with Gwenda Stewart. One of the most recognisable images of Kay is her seated in the big 1924 Delage, a 10.5 litre V12-engined former Grand Prix car she had been using. She threw down the gauntlet to her France-domiciled rival on 26th October 1934, clocking 129.58 mph on a flying lap. The record stood until the August of 1935, when Gwenda challenged again, setting a new benchmark marginally faster. Not to be outdone, Kay jumped straight in the Delage and beat the record the same day, lapping at an average of 134.75 mph. this was the first time that a female driver had earned the Brooklands badge for a lap at 130 mph or over. Gwenda, driving her Derby-Miller special, joined that exclusive club three days later, hitting 135.95 mph. Kay admitted defeat graciously and went back to her own racing. Gwenda pocketed the 50 sovereign stake and returned to France. The outright record at Brooklands was not that much higher; the famous Napier-Railton car was capable of around 143 mph, and holds that record in perpetuity.



Although her grudge match with Gwenda was over, Kay continued to break records in 1935. She set a new ladies' record at the Shelsley Walsh hillclimb, driving her newly-acquired White Riley. This car was not the largest but was nevertheless a good buy. She drove it to third place in a Ladies' Mountain race in October, finishing ahead of Gwenda and her good friend, Elsie Wisdom.

The Riley 9 Le Mans Replica that Kay and Elsie "Bill" Wisdom took to Le Mans that year was not as reliable. The duo only lasted for 38 laps before its engine blew. Kay had similar bad luck with former "Bentley Boy" Dudley Benjafield in the 500 Mile race at Brooklands. Their Alfa Romeo 8C went out with after a gasket failed.

Happily, she had better luck in other cars. Another outing in the Delage gave her a third place at the Whitsun Meeting at Brooklands, and she won the Easter Junior Long Handicap, in a Bugatti. The trusty Bugatti, although much smaller in engine capacity than the Delage, was a better racing car; the Delage was more suited to record breaking.

The 1936 season was also up-and-down. Kay could not finish the International Trophy at Brooklands after spinning and then stalling her ERA, a car she did not like and never got to grips with. Teaming up with Bill Wisdom again, for the 500 Mile race, led to another non-finish; their usually-reliable Riley suffered valve gear trouble and eventually sheared a rocker shaft. To add insult to injury, when Kay raced the car again at Donington, a broken oil pipe showered her with heated oil. Thankfully she was unhurt.

Less dramatic, but still disappointing was her visit to Ireland for the Tourist Trophy at Ards. She was scheduled to share a BMW with B. Bira, the Thai prince who had made a name for himself as a driver. In the end, her services were not needed and she sat the race out.

Always up for trying out new cars, she did some events in a Frazer Nash in 1936. As part of Miss Hedges' Frazer Nash team for the LCC's Relay, she did not finish, assisted by Geraldine Hedges and a Lady Makin. She had better luck at the Brighton Speed Trials, where she won her class.

Saving the best until last, she waited until the final meeting of the season before completing her Mountain win in the White Riley. Earlier in the season, she had finished ninth in the Mountain Grand Prix, driving the same car.

1937 was an exciting year. It began with a trip to South Africa for the Grand Prix season there. A 1.5 litre Riley was shipped over with her but the new engine she intended to have fitted did not make it, meaning she was down on power. She could not finish the South African or Rand Grands Prix but was sixth in the Grosvenor event. Her disappointment was tempered by excitement though, as here she befriended Bernd Rosemeyer, the legendary Auto Union driver from Switzerland. Their friendship led to Kay testing an Auto Union C, a monstrous, ahead of its time Grand Prix car with a 6-litre V16 engine. Of course, this being Kay, rumours of an affair started. These have been denied by Rosemeyer's wife, the aviatrix Elly Beinhorn. Elly always spoke kindly of Kay and would not entertain the idea of her husband and her friend deceiving her.

Back in England, Kay was now a member of the Austin works team. She normally drove the 500cc side-valve car, showing her normal fearlessness when up against larger machinery. Her first race as an Austin driver was the British Empire Trophy at Donington, which she did not finish, due to a broken carburettor jet.

Austin had entered her for all the major races, including Le Mans, where she shared an Austin Seven Grasshopper with G Mangan. They failed to finish, but elsewhere Kay had more luck. At the Coronation 100 Miles at Donington she was sixth overall and later in the season she was fifth again at the same track. Her biggest achievement was probably her outright win in the JCC Relay, with her Austin team-mates, Hadley and Goodacre. They started on scratch, and were four minutes ahead of their nearest rivals. The three locked out the 750cc class at Shelsley Walsh that year, with Kay breaking her own Ladies' record.

Driving with a young racer named P Stephenson, she was sixteenth at the Donington 12 Hours, although they were against much bigger and more powerful cars, and were actually fifth in the up to one litre class. Back at Brooklands, she was running as high as second in the Nuffield Trophy when an oil pipe broke and she suffered a repeat of the incident with the Riley the previous year. Again, she was not seriously hurt. In August, she travelled the short distance to the new Crystal Palace circuit, and was fourth in the Crystal Palace Cup.

Sadly, September 1937 is where Kay's circuit racing career ends. During practice for the Brooklands 500 Miles, she was involved in a dreadful accident. Reg Parnell stalled above her on the banking, slid down and hit her Austin Seven, rolling it down the banking and crushing Kay underneath it. She suffered severe head injuries and was lucky to survive. After being in a coma for a few days and undergoing surgery to her head and face, she eventually made a good recovery, the only permanent damage being some paralysis of one side of her face.

After her recovery, Kay made one final appearance at Crystal Palace in 1938, driving the White Riley. She was second in the Ladies' Race held at the London Grand Prix meeting. Although she was cheered enthusiastically by the crowds, she had lost her nerve, and did not race wheel to wheel again. At this time, she was campaigning for Reg Parnell to have his racing licence returned. The authorities blamed him for the accident and revoked it, although Kay herself never held him responsible, and eventually he was allowed back behind the wheel. Her views were "if you race fast cars, one of the risks you take is that one day you might cop it!"

After retiring from circuit racing, she could not get the motorsport bug out of her system. Even before her Crystal Palace farewell appearance, she had got herself back up to speed with some competition in France, contesting the Paris-Nice Trial and the famous La Turbie hillclimb, in an Austin. She was not among the front-runners, but did better at the more familiar Shelsley Walsh climb, winning the 1938 Ladies' Challenge Trophy.

A little later, she returned to rallying, first as a navigator. Only a year after her accident, she is listed as an entrant for the RAC Rally, apparently in an MG SA. It is possible she was navigating for Joan Chetwynd. She competed at home and in Europe, with the Alpine Rally being her favourite. One of her co-drivers was the French racer Anne-Cécile Rose-Itier, who partnered her for the Monte Carlo Rally one year.

Her competition career received another huge blow in 1938. She had been spectating at Brooklands when a car slid down the Byfleet banking and crushed her and some other colleagues. She suffered more head and facial injuries, although she did manage to recover later.

It was at this time she began her second career as a motoring journalist, which she continued after the war. This part of her career started under a dark cloud in 1939, when she was sent to cover the Monte for the Daily Sketch. She was driving Major Reggie Empson, a former racer and another journalist, to Monte Carlo, when they crashed into a lorry. Kay received even more facial injuries, but recovered again. Empson was killed instantly. A lengthy court battle between Kay and Empson's family followed; she was initially charged with manslaughter, but was not convicted. The driver of the lorry was also charged. The case was eventually settled, and Kay was ordered to pay over £4000 in damages to Stella Empson, Reggie's widow.

Despite this considerable setback, she carried on as a journalist, and was a staff writer for the Sketch. During the war, she shifted the emphasis of her writing from motoring to cookery. She worked for the Ministry of Food as her contribution to the war effort.

Much later, she was employed by Austin as part of its design team, selecting colours for the interior of the Mini, amongst other models. She retired in her mid-fifties, due to headaches and memory problems. These were the result of her earlier head injuries.

Henry Petre died in 1962. Kay never remarried, and made her home in London, after a brief sojourn back in Canada. Although very private, she remained interested in motorsport and still attended race meetings for a long time. Towards the end of her life, she became more reticent in talking about her sporting past. She died, at the age of ninety-one, in 1994.

(Delage photo by Mike Jackson.)

Elsie Wisdom

Known affectionately as "Bill", Elsie Wisdom was one of the first female winners in a mixed race at Brooklands, and probably its most prestigious female victor. In 1932, she and Australian Joan Richmond won the JCC's 1000 Mile Race in fine style. They drove a Riley Brooklands 9 at an average speed of around 90 mph for the best part of twelve hours, recovering from a spin and other mishaps. The win, in one of the longest races held at Brooklands, was rightly celebrated.

Elsie was married to motoring journalist and gentleman racer Tommy Wisdom. She began racing after her marriage. Her first notable results appear in 1931, when she was driving a 1500cc Frazer Nash Boulogne II. In this car, she set the Ladies' Record at the Shelsley Walsh hillclimb, and entered the Brooklands Double Twelve Hour Race with Don Aldington. Like many others, they failed to finish.

A switch to a Riley gave "Bill" and Joan Richmond their historic win the following year. 1932 also shad Elsie driving a Leyland-Thomas special, solo. In it, she entered a Ladies’ race at the Autumn BARC meeting at Brooklands. Tommy also drove the car during that meeting. She also drove an Invicta in the Duchess of York’s race for lady drivers, losing out to Eileen Ellison.

In 1933, she scored another top-three finish in a prestigious Brooklands race. Driving an MG Magnette, she was third in the JCC International Trophy, behind Brian Lewis and Eddie Hall. That year’s race was a real war of attrition over 250 miles. There were seven finishers out of at least 28 starters.

The following year, she drove a Talbot in a Ladies’ Handicap over the tricky Brooklands Mountain circuit. She was third behind Doreen Evans and Fay Taylour.

Elsie often drove a Riley and was an occasional member of the works team. In 1935 she and Kay Petre raced for the squad at Le Mans, but retired with engine trouble. The following year, the pair scored another DNF in the Brooklands 500 Mile race, in a works Riley 6.

Elsie's first attempt at Le Mans had been in 1933, when she shared an Aston Martin with Mortimer Morris-Goodall. The car's bearings failed. She had another start in 1938 in an MG Midget PB with Arthur Dobson, but clutch trouble and an empty radiator put paid to that attempt.

Elsie drove a variety of cars during her career. She raced several different MGs, including a Magnette K3 in the 1935 Brooklands 500 Miles. This was Reg Parnell’s car, and she drove alongside him. A timing gear problem put them out of the race. Later, she drove a PB in the 1938 Irish Tourist Trophy with Dorothy Stanley-Turner. They came 23rd. On the 1937 Mille Miglia, Elsie and Tommy drove a Tipo SA Berlina together, but crashed out in an accident involving a lorry.

Arthur Dobson’s Fiat 508S had been her chosen car for the 1936 Tourist Trophy, but Elsie and her co-driver Mrs Dobson did not finish. She also raced an Alta at Crystal Palace, most famously in a high-profile ladies' race.

It was not just racing that she excelled at. In 1936 she and Tommy won the tricky International Alpine Trial, a mountain rally, in a Jaguar SS100. Elsie had driven in major rallies since at least 1933, when she entered the RAC Rally in an Armstrong-Siddeley. That year, she and Tommy tackled the Alpine Rally together in an MG. They finished the same event together with no penalties the following year, in a Talbot this time. In 1935, Elsie used a Chrysler and the Jaguar SS on the Monte Carlo and RAC rallies, respectively. After a season’s break, Elsie drove the SS herself for the 1938 and 1939 RAC Rallies, although she retired in 1939. In between, she used a Vauxhall for the 1939 Monte.

After World War II, Elsie concentrated exclusively on rallying, with some good results. One of her later finishes came on the Monte Carlo Rally, driving a Morris Minor with Betty Haig and Barbara Marshall, in 1948. She and Barbara drove again together on the 1950 Monte, but in a Vanguard this time.

She continued to compete regularly until 1951, when she temporarily called it a day after a serious crash involving her and Tommy on the Alpine Rally. They were no stranger to scrapes and had survived some previous rally disasters, including a crash on the 1949 Rallye des Alpes Francaises, so perhaps Elsie didn't want to tempt much more fate. Fittingly, the pair had won a Coupe des Alpes together earlier in the season on the French Alpine, in an Aston Martin. Elsie had competed with Sheila van Damm on the RAC and Monte Carlo rallies, in a Hillman Minx.

Both Elsie and Tommy continued to enter occasional rallies, but not together. Elsie was part of a three-woman crew for a Sunbeam Talbot on the 1952 Monte, along with her earlier colleague, Sheila van Damm, and Nancy Mitchell. In 1955, Elsie drove an Austin to 68th place on the Monte.

Elsie died in 1972. Her daughter was Ann Wisdom, navigator to Pat Moss in the earlier part of her rally career. After 1956, it was left to her to uphold the name of Wisdom on the stages.

(Image by Bassano, from the collection of the National Portrait Gallery)