Happy birthday to Desire Wilson

Desire Wilson was born 1953 in Johannesburg. She is the only woman to win an F1 race of any kind, achieving victory at Brands Hatch in the short-lived British Aurora F1 series in 1980. The daughter of a South African motorbike champion, she attempted to qualify for the 1980 British Grand Prix but failed to make the grid, calling it “the most disappointing weekend of my life” due to a substandard car she described as “a con.” A year later, she raced a Tyrrell in the South African Grand Prix, moving up to ninth place from the back of the grid before spinning out. Although initially a championship race, it was later downgraded due to political issues in the country.



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I never knew that. Thank you for the background.

 

I think I vaguely remember that issue of CCC, a long time ago though.