66 replies to this topic

[Xaxor]

I was surprised to find that Speedvision's host on Legends of Motorsport, Alain de Cadenet, is a legend himself. He has had a number of top finishes in the WCM series in the late 70's and early 80's driving a deCadenet-Cosworth. Considering that much of the competition were F1 drivers and Walter Rohrl, this is quite an acomplishment. What's most interesting, deCadenet's co-driver was Mrs. Wilson! Anyone have any info on Mrs. Wilson? I have never read a thing about her.

[Don Capps]

Some years ago in the Autosport feature, My Greatest Race, Alain de Cadenet wrote about his race at the Monza 1000 kms in his own car (he won two rounds that year in the championship) and gave due credit to his co-driver, Desire Wilson. She was one of the few women - Lella Lombardi was another -- that could hack it at that level.

She also won a round in the Aurora AFX F1 Championship to become the only woman to win an F1 race.

Thanks, Xaxor!

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Yr fthfl & hmbl srvnt,

Don Capps

[Xaxor]

Thanks Don, most interesting. It seems to me that the liberal media here in North America (and maybe elsewhere) tends to supress achievements of women unless those achievements are due to affirmative action and with some kind of feminist agenda. This is unfortunate.

[bira]

Desire Wilson indeed won the Aurora Formula One series in the UK, which then led her to attempt to qualify for the British Grand Prix. It was later discovered that she was given an an old, inferior Williams and was never given any chance (on purpose) to actually qualify. It's a shame, because from what I read she was hugely talented.

[MattC]

I know that a couple of GPs have featured female drivers in the past, but I don't recall much praise being heaped on them. So could Mrs Wilson be considered the best chance the fairer sex has had of achieving F1 glory?

[Don Capps]

I saw a re-run of the Goodwood show on Speedvision the other night and the little bit that Ms. Wilson & de Cadenet did about their 1980 season. It was a good season for her since she not only won two races in the sports car championship with de Cadenet, but a round in the Aurora AFX F1 championship as well if I recall. And then....zero.

Bira is correct about the car that Ms. Wilson ended up with at the British GP, it was dog and although she flogged it mightily, it doubtful even Moss or Stewart could have done much more to get it in the field. However, there is no refund if the car craps out, so...

It is a never ceasing wonder to me why there aren't just women in motor racing, but not lots of women in motor racing. I think there should be some sort of Lella Lombardi Memorial Trophy scheme to get young women into the sport and into the cockpit of good cars. In another interview - I think it was in Autosport - de Cadenet was very generous about Wilson' driving abilities. When they won Monza, it was definitely an upset in the first degree, a true "who wodda thunk it?"

Too bad there aren't more like that great lady Lucy O'Reilly Schell, Harry's Mom, who could not only manage a racing team, but knew what it was like out on the track - she drove a Bugatti 35 in a number of events in the 20's & '30s.

I think that the next generation of female drivers will make their impact in the USA rather than Europe, because the number of female NASCAR fans is very large - close to half, and they could probably find the opportunities and the sponsorship.

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Yr fthfl & hmbl srvnt,

Don Capps

[Racer.Demon]

To my amazement Desire and the De Cadenet-Lola (chassis GLC913) were reunited at last spring's Festival of Speed at Goodwood.

It was the first time I saw the car at eye's distance and its very low line struck me as quite unusual compared to a 956 but being some sort of a Le Mans special, just as the Rondeau, I guess it suited the Mulsanne Straight. It didn't look very pretty, considering this was in fact a Gordon Murray design!

Back then, Desire was good, mind you, and she still has it. On Sunday, we sat down near the top of the hill, just before the fast all-out left-hand corner towards the finish and she was one of the few who didn't lift. The car went up and down with the tail wagging about but she kept it on the road to set a respectable sub-minute time up the hill. Very enjoyable stuff.

The Ford-powered car is now owned by Lola director Martin Birrane. Desiree and Alain de Cadenet finished 7th with it at Le Mans in 1980. Not too bad for a privateer effort...

A bit more on Ms Wilson (not that much more than already described above, I hasten to add) is found here: http://www.racer.dem...8w/8w-1098.html

Enjoy,
Mattijs


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[Don Capps]

Speaking of women drivers, BTW, (see Denise McCluggage and her polka dot helmet in the Cadillac/Cunningham thread) does anybody remember Donna Mae Mims and "Think Pink" and her pink Sprite?

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Yr fthfl & hmbl srvnt,

Don Capps

[David M. Kane]

Donna Mae Mims was a very, very popular and active SCCA racer.
She was constantly in the news during her era. She won a LOT of
races if I remember correctly.

[quintin cloud]

You have a look at my web page for the Aurora results from 1978 to 1980

[Darren Galpin]

Wilson, Desiré (ZA)
b 26/11/1953 (Johannesburg)





South African who became the first woman ever to win a F1 race of any kind in the Aurora F1 series at Brands Hatch in 1980. Also races sportscars at Le Mans.


1980 - DNQ for British GP (Entrant: Brands Hatch Racing). Sportscars (De Cadanet Cosworth): Won at Monza and Silverstone with Alain de Cadanet
1983 - 8 Indycar races (March-Ford)
1984 - Sportscars (Porsche)
1986 - 3 Indycar races (March-Ford)
1993 - IMSA, drove Mustang at Daytona
1997 - North American Touring Cars (Mazda Xedos 6)
Apr 13 Long Beach 6th, 22 laps
Apr 13 Long Beach >6th




http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport

[Flicker]

My info is a bit differ...
(and another variation of Desire's Portrait )

26-11-1953 Brakpan, ZA

1973 - 4th SouthAfrican F-Vee
1974 - Vice-champion ZA F-Vee
1975 - ZA Champin F-Ford
1976-77 - starts in rally and hillclimbs
1978 - 10th in British Aurora F1 (once 3rd place)
1979 - 7th in British Aurora F1 (four 3rds, 1 FL in Zolder)
1980 - F1 - team Brands Hatch Racing
- British Aurora F1 - 1 win, one 2nd, one 3rd
- Winner of Monza 6th Hours (SC), Silverstone 6th Hours(SC)
1981 - starts in non-championship ZA F1 GP, 24H Le Mans
1982 - 24h Le Mans
1983-86 - 11 starts in CART races
1984 - Porsche Sportscars races
1987-93 - starts in F-Atlantic, Indy Lights, IMSA
1996 - driver of safety (pace) car in CART
1997 - starts in saloon races NATS
1999-2000 - director (sorry, don't know whou to name it in english - may be: manager) of one of stages in women WGGTS championship.


Desire in non-championship 1981 South African GP

[Megatron]

Lella died of cancer didn't she?

[Darren Galpin]

Yes

[Frank de Jong]

Desiree drove in 1977 in the Dutch and Benelux FF2000 championship. IIRC a pole-position and a race-win.

[ry6]

Desire was a top class Vee and then F Ford driver in South Africa some time ago.
Don, do you perhaps know Alan Wilson the husband of Desire.
He was a good buddy of mine until he went to the UK then America.
When I last communicated with him in the early 90's he was organising "street" races in the USA.
I would like to contact him.
Regards
Rob

[David McKinney]

Desiré contested the New Zealand international Formula Pacific (F/Atlantic to the rest of the world) championship one year (1980??). She drove an ageing March 77B and acquitted herself well against the newer Ralt RT4 and Chevron opposition. She impressed me far more (as a driver) than others I had seen, such as Divina Galica and Lella Lombardi. Pity she never got a fair crack at WC Formula 1.

[FLB]

Originally posted by ry6

Don, do you perhaps know Alan Wilson the husband of Desire.
He was a good buddy of mine until he went to the UK then America.
When I last communicated with him in the early 90's he was organising "street" races in the USA.
I would like to contact him.
Regards
Rob

Alan Wilson sometimes posts on the Speedvision World Challenge board at www.sccapro.com

[Frank de Jong]

Originally posted by Frank de Jong
Desiree drove in 1977 in the Dutch and Benelux FF2000 championship. IIRC a pole-position and a race-win.

I've looked it up and yes, in 1977 she had a pole and a win; 2nd: a certain Michael Bleekemolen, 3rd Arthur van Dedem, followed by amongst others, the complete Vermeulen family (Huub, Jim and Loek).

[Mike Argetsinger]

Frank - just curious - was that race at Zolder and was it on April 3? I saw that race (there was a round of the Benelux Championship for FF1600 the same day that I was in) and remember Desire making a brilliant two-car pass for the lead - that involved some serious kerb jumping! Was that the race she won? I believe it was. She was a terrific driver in any car she ever sat in.

[Frank de Jong]

Mike, the race I referred to was in Zandvoort, Final Races October 2nd 1977. Quite possible that she won a race at Zolder as well though.

[Marcor]

Here's another bio of Desire Wilson.
Desire Randall was born on 26 November 1953 at Brakpan (near Johannesburg) in South Africa. She married Alan Wilson and she was mainly known as Desire Wilson. She began to race in his native land, taking part in Formula Vee races and winning the South African Formula Ford championship. She came in Europa and took part in the Bénélux Formula Ford 2000 championship. She also won Formula Ford 200 races in England.

She started to race in F1 in 1978, not in Grand Prix but in the British Aurora AFX Championship. She drove an aged Ensign N175 MN04 Cosworth and in his first race at Oulton Park (24 June) she retired. Geoff Lees failed to qualify the same car in the British GP three weeks later. Desire Wilson finished the next races she took part: she was 6th at Mallory Park, 4th at Brands Hatch, third (and first podium) at Thruxton and 6th at Snetterton.

In 1979 the Aurora Championship became more international. The first round was at Zolder in Belgium and the championship came three time in the Continent, also at Zandvoort for the seventh round and Nogaro (France) for the tenth round. Desire Wilson was entered by the Melchester Racing and drove the Tyrrel 008/3 (ex Patrick Depailler in 1978). At the opening race, Wilson knew the circuit and was one of the fastest during the practice. For the race it rained and the Tyrrel had the best tunings. Desire took the lead but spun. She finally finished third and scored 5 point (4 + 1 for the fastest lap). Desire Wilson finished again third at Oulton Park and ninth in the race of champions at Brands Hatch (but third of the Aurora contenders). The rest of the season was not so brilliant and she was classified 7th in the championship, scoring 8 times.

1980 stayed as one of his best season. She took part again in the Aurora championship, driving the Wolf WR4 Cosworth. On April 7 she became the first - and to date, the only - woman to win a F1 race, the second round of the Aurora championship at Brands Hatch. She led from start to finish. Later that year she won with Alain de Cadenet the Monza 1000km and Silverstone 6 Hour World Endurance Championship events (de Cadenet-Cosworth).

She got an entry for the British GP at Brands Hatch with a Williams FW07 run by John Macdonald's RAM team. In unofficial testing, with the full field present, she was an excellent 12th faster. It was the first time she'd drive a sliding skirt ground effect car. Then it came the official qualifying two weeks later. She noticed immediately that she didn't fit the car properly. In fact she didn't drive the same car. It was a different chassis number. When shed got out on the track, it was a million miles away from the car she'd driven before. She was two seconds slower that she'd been then and didn't qualify. After Wilson knew the truth. The car she'd driven in the test was the Williams FW07 that Emilio de Villota used for a few GP that year. For the British GP she'd been given Eliseo Salazar's Aurora car which had been set up to run without the skirts which were banned in that series. The team just fitted the skirts and delivered it to the track. No wonder it didn't work.

In February 1981 the war FISA-FOCA was at its height. The South African race was held under the FOCA banner and "regulations": wings but no turbo (Ferrari, Renault and Alfa Romeo were not present). It was a dress rehearsal for the Cosworth-engined teams. Four drivers were making their GP debuts, including Désiré Wilson in the second Tyrrel 010. She qualified 16th in 1'15"56, just 0.59" adrift of experienced team-mate Eddie Cheever. This despite not having sat in the car before practice, not having sat in any race for 5 months. In the race, our novice stalled at the start and had to be push-started into action, with the rest of the field long-gone. The number 4 Tyrrel set off with a purpose and as rain began to fall, Wilson felt all was not lost. Not only did the car subsequently catch the end of train, it the began to pick other off. Fellow debutantes Siegfried Stohr and Eliseo Salazar were the first to fall. Cheever, his own team-mate, was the next. Then the rain stopped and Wilson, now on the wrong tyres, slid back down the order, briefly emerging on top in a tussle with a tyre troubled Nigel Mansell before getting on the power a little too hard and early and smiting the wall into retirement after 51 laps (the gearbox was damaged).

Ken Tyrrel when he entered Desire Wilson was not paid off. He was looking for sponsors. For the next races the wealthy Argentinean Ricardo Zunino was on the seat of the second Tyrrel. Later in the season Ken would prefer a young Italian called Michele Alboreto.

Wilson then moved to the United States of America, where she also drove Indy cars for a while. In May 1982, Desire was the second woman (after Janet Guthrie) to enter the Indy 500 and the second to pass the rookie test. She made one unsuccessful attempt to qualify, but set a then-record for a woman driver at Indy at 191.042 mph on the third lap of his qualifying run. She pulled off with one of her six engine failures that month.

In 1983 she entered Indy again but didn't complete a rookie refresher test. The same year she competed in 8 Indy-style races with a March-Ford. A 10th-place finish in the Cleveland 500K on a steamy hot August 3, 1983, in her debut turned out to be her best.

In 1984 she passed rookie refresher but didn't make a qualification attempt. She drove a Porsche in the Sportscars World Championship.

In 1986 she made three other Indycar races (March-Ford) and her final Indy race was October 12, 1986 at Laguna Seca. The Indy statistics showed that she won $102,765 during her career.

She continued racing in many forms of motor racing including outings at Le Mans and Daytona. In 1997 she drove the Pace car at Homestead which prompted the formation of the female PPG Pace Car Team. Recently, she has worked with her husband Allen Wilson running a motorsports consulting business.

This is my answer in a previous 8W-game, the special non-championship.

[Mallory Dan]

As this quick lady has just been subject of a good MS feature, what do we think of her, 25 years or so on. I see that Alain de C reckons she was a possible GP star and race-winner. I'm not sure about that at all, given her Aurora history. I accept that she went reasonably in outmoded cars, and did well in the de Cad G6 car, but a potential F1 race winner, I don't think so. Any views ??

[ian senior]

Hard to tell. Given that other drivers have arrived in F1 without distinguishing themselves too much in lower formulae but have gone on to become winners, she could easily have turned out to be worthy contender if not actually a winner. But I do think she would have been a much better prospect than some female drivers we have seen in F1.

[BRG]

In 1980, she won an Aurora round at Brands Hatch in a Wolf WR4 setting a FL of 1 min 20.91 secs.

But she DNQ’ d a Williams FW07 in the 1980 British GP, also at Brands, with the slowest qualifying time of 1 min 16.315 secs.- 5.311 secs off Pironi’s pole time. By comparison, Rupert Keegan (not the most stellar of drivers, though respectable) qualified a similar car some 2 secs faster. Pick the bones out of that!

My take would be... pretty good, but not a potential GP winner.

[Hieronymus]

Not sure of being a GP winner in the end, but Desire has always been a very special one. Surely one of the fastest women racers of her time. Still think she is far superior racer compared to several wimps that featured in World Championship F1 races in recent years…then she is also a most charming and honest person. Characteristics sadly lacking in many a “GP star” these days.

The fact that she is a woman and a South African didn't help her to greater heights in the end...

[Macca]

Yeah, but she was stuffed at Brands.............she'd been testing a FW07 and doing good times, and when she turned up for qualifying found she was in a different car, to Aurora spec - and the team tried to tell her it was the same one she'd driven before.

The SAGP-that-never-was gives a better idea of her form, I think - with a few more races and a decent car I think she might have got to the level of an occasional GP winner.


Paul M

[Mallory Dan]

On the '1980 GP RAM stitch-up job' matter, I was surprised this wasn't brought up in the MS feature. Re her being a woman, I'd have thought this factor was a positive factor in her career development, rather than a negative. With her having close links to John Webb too, this can't have been much of a hindrance I'd have thought. Nonetheless I always rated her to an extent, but less so than certain contempories, eg Lees/Henton/South/Warwick etc.

[David M. Kane]

Given the crap my wife has to put up with in "Vintage/Historic" racing, I can only imagine the stuff Desiree endured in the day. It's really tiring after awhile, besides being very disappointing. Apparently, we haven't progress very much given the Danika Patrick situation, the boys are doing a lot behind the scenes that doesn't get out according to some IRL mechanics I know.

We recently did the Les Legendes at Mont Tremblant and Bobby Brown went on at some length over the skills of "Galactica"...and she was supposed the lesser of the two!

I think Lella Lombardi got a pretty short stick. Face it there are a lot of insecure guys...and gals out there. It's the nature of people who are competitive to stick sticks in other kids bike spooks.

Put her in the new Legend GP series and see how she goes?

[Rob29]

She is doing the Goodwood revival with Lyn St.James.

[Kuwashima]

What a co-incidence, I was just about to bring this thread back again, only to find that it has already been brought back.

I was unaware that MS has just done a feature on Desire, but so have we over at F1 Rejects! We have just done an interview with her, which we think makes for interesting reading. She talks about how disappointed she was with the 1980 British GP and subsequent Indy 500 attempts, and also talks about winning with de Cadenet, and the difficulties of being female and Sth African in the 1980s.

You can read the interview here.

Hope you enjoy it!

Cheers,
Jamie.

[Mallory Dan]

Interesting article Jamie, though most of the detail is quite well known. I see that she sees her 1980 British GP affair as a "conjob", which, from afar, I tend to agree with. Not the first time I believe that Mr MacD-----d gave someone a tough time...

Given that she knew the track very well, I reckon she'd have made the grid comfortably if she'd had anything like a decent car. Lets not forget that those RAM FW07s struggled later that year with Keegan, and that even Lees struggled with one late on that year.

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by Hieronymus

The fact that she is a woman and a South African didn't help her to greater heights in the end...

Nice Interview Jamie.

Not difficult to predict that Desiré would almost quote my exact words in my earlier post.

The blame for this must be thrown at the doors of our compatriots. South African companies have never been eager to promote the careers of racing drivers. Then again a major company like SASOL would rather waste their money on sponsering a chap like Eddie Jordan...or like in recent times, the national rugby team. Sport is unfortunately all about the latter in this country.

Here someone with vision could have made a name for his company in the 80's. Sponsering a fast South African girl...perhaps a GP podium finisher in the end.

[WGD706]

http://www.youtube.c...player_embedded
Video: Driven by Desire - The Desiré Wilson story
Publication Date: October 1, 2011
The story of the driver rated by many as the best woman ever to race cars, and the most capable ever to have driven in Formula One. Her 50-year career began at the age of five in South Africa, moving to Holland and England and then the USA, before gaining renewed life at the famous Goodwood Revival historic race events. This fascinating story shows that a woman can, and did, fight her way to the top of motorsport.

[LotusElise]

Was it two Revivals ago that she was driving the guts out of an ailing Gordini in the Freddie March Memorial Trophy? She was driving like a demon and it was a crying shame that the car gave up long before she did.
Given a consistent run in a reliable car, I think she could have been an F1 contender, easily. Her lack of sponsorship mean that she hopped teams quite a lot, and couldn't get into the test-development-race cycle that you need to run a car really well. I suspect her being a white African did not help her case at all. Even now, they are one of the few groups it is okay to discriminate against in many places.

[Alfie]

I had the very great pleasure of working with her during her time co-driving the de Cadenet cars and I can honestly say I believe her to be the best woman driver I have seen.

She did not have the backing of some of the more headline worthy types who had been around earlier and who followed on later, but she had real car control and innate speed.

She had the misfortune to throw the de Cadenet into the kitty litter at Le Mans during practice, leading to one of the more famous photos of the two, where Alain appears to be giving her a telling off. Nothing could be further from the truth as I also know Alain has a huge chunk of respect for her.

[Marc Sproule]

So far, this is the only one of her from her CART days that I've scanned and uploaded. Eventually there will be a few more.....

http://www.flickr.co...157623324227456

[Robin Fairservice]

For some years in the 1990's Desire Wilson managed the team of female race drivers who drove the PPG pace cars giving VIP rides at CART race meetings.

Edited by Robin Fairservice, 09 September 2011 - 15:33.

[Doug Nye]

Has anyone anybody mentioned that Desi is launching her new book at the Revival Meeting?

DCN

[Phil Rainford]

Has anyone anybody mentioned that Desi is launching her new book at the Revival Meeting?

DCN

PAR

[southcoast]

Desire was at the Superprix at Brands earlier this year.

She had a drive in the E-Type race and signed autographs behind the Desire Wilson Grandstand during Sunday's lunchbreak !



Here she is, next to the 48 car before heading out for qualifying.

[elansprint72]

It is a good thing that The Goodwood chicane is not still made of concrete blocks!

[David Lawson]

Desire was at the Superprix at Brands earlier this year.
She had a drive in the E-Type race and signed autographs behind the Desire Wilson Grandstand during Sunday's lunchbreak !
Here she is, next to the 48 car before heading out for qualifying.

I was in that assembly area when the Jaguars finished their practice, Desire got quite feisty and irrititated with her car not engaging reverse as she tried to park it. Seeing how fed up she was when she got out of the car I decided not to point a camera at her....


A photograph I took of her at the 1980 British Grand Prix. Apologies for the poorly scanned under-exposed slide.

David

[E1pix]

Desire may have been one of a kind, and I'd sure like to see another woman have a chance at F1. I admire Lady drivers even more than us Guys.

To those who don't know, Alan Wilson has also designed several street, road race, and karts circuits here in the States. A kart track he designed is 15 miles from me. He's old friends with a longtime friend of mine and has since moved to Utah. I met him briefly a long time ago, seemed like a nice fellow.

http://www.wilsonmotorsport.com/

I considered contacting him a couple years ago when I was designing a new kart track here, but the banking crisis stopped that project.

[elansprint72]

A photo illustrating the missed chicane at Goodwood:

C&SC Goodwood

Scroll down a bit.

[P.Dron]

A photo illustrating the missed chicane at Goodwood:

C&SC Goodwood

Scroll down a bit.

If my eyesight is not failing me, she did not miss it.

[Giraffe]

Desire was scheduled to share Shaun Lynn's Cobra in the TT Celebration race today but handed the drive to Roger Wills as she felt she had experienced one incident too many recently.....


By giraffe138 at 2011-09-18

Edited by Giraffe, 18 September 2011 - 23:22.

[HistoryFan]

Has anyone a race report about the Aurora F1 race in Brands Hatch she won? I coudn't find anything on the web and I don't have her book. What were the circumstances of her win? How good was that win? Was that a lucky victory?

[HistoryFan]

Okay, sorry I found one

[GMiranda]

Lella died of cancer didn't she?

Yes. Lella Lombardi passed away due to breast cancer early in 1992.

While doing research for my Master's thesis, I discovered she had been battling with the disease for quite a long time. In 1985, she was absent for the Estoril ETCC round, and it was said she was submitted to surgery due to an injury from her seatbelt. If I'm not mistaken, it was when the cancer was discovered. She retired in the Spring of 1988 because it came back, and she would have to do treatments. The age also took her toll, so she left and created a small team. Sadly, she lost her battle in 1992.