Can anyone name the 7 ladies in the main photo?

This looks like one for conspiricy theorists. Did a google search and found 70 odd links re 'Cheryl Glass'
No photos sadly. There seem to have been several Cheryls. The one we are interested in clearly identified as 'race driver ,fashion designer & businesswoman.' However also found a bridal wear designer who died 'in mysterious circumstances' in 1997. Inference of CIA involvement. Are they the same person.

She did race, and I saw her. It was at Rufforth, of all places, in August 1972 and she was driving Tony Kitchener's Kitchmac F5000 car. She was a , shall we say, large lady, with long blonde hair tucked into a red open face helmet with black spots. She pootled around in mid field and fluffed a few gear changes.

back to Robert(a). His/her case was somewhat of a legal precedent. Robert passed a rigorous RAF medical as a male and subsequently fathered children..so no doubt as to the fact that anatomically he was male. He may have undergone surgery but would never have "gained" the necessary bits to be classified as an anatomical female (ie womb, ovaries in particular). Her birth certificate, incidentally, was changed in May 1951.

THANKS BILL & ROB for your info on this subject

Happy Christmas. eldougo.

I do know that she appeared in a Can-Am race at Dallas in 1984. In a Van Diemen, IIRC!

Allen

Now what message do we get from this?

All the same, she was getting on by 1972, I guess... then again, it might have been uncomfortable the way she was squeezed into the cockpit...

RM Cowell started his motor sport career in 1935 or 36 aged 16( b 1918), commissioned in the RAF at17, raced various cars notably Alta( one of his pushers /polishers was Denis Jenkinson... shown with the 2 litre Alta at Brooklands in a photo on this forum) pre and post war, RAF WW2 and Prisoner of War , raced to about 1948 in UK and Europe before his/her various operations.and wrote "Roberta Cowell's Story, by herself"(Heinemann, 1954). 1935 to 1972 is an admirably long motor sporting career, even with interruptions.

Exceeded by a few others, of course...

Your friend George Reed being one of them. There was a thread last week that delved into long careers...

I am surprised no one has mentioned Lady Victor Bruce, First lady to be convicted for speeding on a motorbike, her parents bought her a car as they thought it safer! Set records at Brooklands and Montlhery, Drove in the Montecarlo Rally, Set Cross channel and other speed records in power boats, Got into flying and flew a small plane around the world, Still flew in her late 80's. Her book nine lives plus is a great read if you can get it
Happy Christmas to all
Peter
http://www.mmcars.co.uk

Hon Mrs Victor Bruce, surely, not Lady?

Hi Guys,

I'm the American lady writing a book on women racers someone mentioned months ago (yes, I've been lurking). I decided to ask you all what you know about AMERICAN women who raced between 1920 and 1945.

I'm coming up with exhibition-only stuff. I know about Helle Nice's US Tour, and Elfreida Mais' pre-war runs, but have little to nothing on her or others after WWI (f'r instance, I know Mais was killed in a stunt crash in Birmingham, AL in 1934, but no other details).

Any comments, references, leads, appreciated. Even if it is exhibition only.... Thanks in advance.

Genny Obert

www.AutoDiva.com

The only one I can come up with immediately is Louise Smith, but she started racing in 1946, which is just outside of your timeline.............

Sorry none here either. I have a database of over 800 women drivers worldwide. I only include those who actually raced (on circuits) none in USA before WW2. As Indianapolis did not allow women in the garages,let alone the track,until forced to by equal rights laws in the 60s,this seems to be a hopeless task. Only possibility is women impersonating men to get acceptance. I have 2 transexual drivers,changed from men into women. Does anyone know if any women ever changed into men in order to get a drive?

Who can lell us about uk women drivers of the 70s & 80s and what are they doing now ? Divina Galica,Tina Cooper,Juliette Slaughter, Janet Brise , Lorina Boughton,Desire Wilson,Alison Davis, and others. How many Women raced at Le Mans and who had the best result ?

Ref Roberta Cowell, the hillclimb film that was mentioned earlier is presumably the Pathe item that can be downloaded from their website. She was driving a borrowed Cooper-Bristol F2 car at Shelsley and won the lady's class. She was also interviewed briefly on the film.

At the risk of being thought ungallant, I wonder why he/she bothered to have the operation.

Another driver I cannot recall having seen in this thread (sorry if I missed it), but was quite accomplished, was Ellen Lohr, who raced in the German Touring car series a few years back.

I have already been taken to task in TNF about my spelling of German names so I guess I shall be again, but it would be interesting to know what happened to Ellen, because I recall that she was a very fast lady (and I mean that in the nicest possible way).

Ellen is still racing in the German Touring Cup, for Super Production type cars.

Actually Darren,Ellen was doing the V8 Stars last season,Claudia Hurtgen did the DTC.

Erm, yes, you would be right there. I will take myself outside, prostrate myself on the ground and administer a whipping for not paying sufficient attention!

Lohr finished outside the top 10 of the V8Star series, her highest position being 8th at Zolder. Huertgen drove a BMW 320i, and won 3 races.

Genny: if you do a BB search on "Taylour" you'll find two other threads which will no doubt be of interest. One on Fay Taylour herself, which will advance the racing date you have for her on your site and another on Women at Indy. Fay was racing well before 1948, on two wheels and four.

If this was aimed at me, sorry! But my intention is not to badmouth those who are too lazy or ignorant of ASCII tables to produce umlauts etc. (that's perfectly okay with me! ), but to provide correct spellings for those who want these small details correct in their databases.

And as for Ellen, she's plain Lohr - no German umlaut-trickery or somesuch...

Yes, I must admit many of the dates on my posted list are only approximate, as I've neglected to update that list as I gather more info. I do have a good deal on Fay, and am somewhat gratified to know the rest of you aren't coming up with a bunch of women I don't already know about. Seems the US orgs were successful in keeping us all out back in the 20s & 30s... and I know that period was pretty wild but I find it hard to believe any woman would transgender for a ride (much easier to simply bind it all down, chop off the hair and smoke enough to ruin the voice)...

Also a comment on name spelling. You wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) the frustrations I have in this department. It's bad enough that women marry 1,2,3 times (ala Gwenda Glubb-Janson-Stewart-Hawkes) but then the variations in spellings in both period materials and later references make me crazy!! Esp. for the earlier women where I have few corroborating references - for example, Mme Depret (GP de Bourgogne 1929) is she the same as Mme Deprez referenced elsewhere? Lucy Schell we all know, but what about Mme Scheel - a mispelling or a different woman? The umlauts, accents, etc are the least of it ....

Genny O.

Hi Genny! Just looking at your list and see you still have Vivian Candy who I am fairly certain is a man. Perhaps our Irish members can confirm this!

Hi Genny

Madame Scheel is obviously a mispelling for Lucy Schell.

We can bet (99%) that "Depret" and "Deprez" are the same woman, but which was the actual spelling I can't tell (I prefer "Deprez", but...)

Vivian (also spelled Vivion) Candy is definitely a man (raced in Aurora F1).

Will you believe me if I tell you that I read in a very "serious" French magazine that Andrea De Adamich was listed as a woman ? I guess the journalist thought that Italian name "Andrea" was a feminine one for having a final "a"... (strangely enough he didn't make the same mistake for De Cesaris)
So : beware of first names !
Myself, I did the same kind of mistake when I thought that Australian driver Lyn Archer was a female...

Cheers

Jimmy

Has anyone here mentioned Christine Gibson, today one of the most inlfuential people in the Australian motor industry?

In 1975 Gibson (then Christine Cole) placed fifth in the Australian Touring Car Championship driving an Alfa Romeo GTV. She did receive some favours though as she was driving a small class car which had it's own points compared to the big V8s. She was second in the class championship after a year long battle with the Escort Twin Cam of Bob Holden.

In 1981 she was one of the original two cars in the six car pile-up that ended the Bathurst 1000 prematurly, she had been sixth at the time.

Inluention? Today she is one of the regular judges of one of the most prestigious awards in motoring, Wheels Car of the Year.

Falcadore,
Another driver frm that same era was Sue Ransom, who also raced small touring
cars amongst others.

Not road racing, but Kelly Linigen at the moment competes favourably amongst the
sprintcar drivers in Australian speedway at the moment.

Graham,
yeah there's a few female racers in sprinters in recent years, Sherri Schaffer and Kathy Kelly amongst them.

None though are a patch on Melinda Dumesny.

Darrilynn Huitt who raced in Sports Sedans here in Aus in the 70's, with PatCrea.

Helene Bittner who raced single seaters here also, her car was called the Rebelle. I think she raced it at a historic meeting in the last 2 years.

what about GABRIELLE KONIG, competing in Midgets internationally,(beeing married to the Nomad racing Mark Konig) and the two Marcos ladies of the FLIRT-team (first ladies international racing team) Hellen COOK and Jacky BOND SMITH.

and nobody seems to have mentioned this charming lady here so far, who is reported to have conquered the heart´s of the spectators at her appearance in her father´s Veritas at the Grenzlandring in 1949!


Anni Roosdorp

It is stated, that she was indeed wearing this dress during the race! So I can really understand the crowd...

oz lady drivers


Right now i would like to add more names to the list
VERONA LARKIN --------f/vee & sports cars
ROBI Hamilton -------- f/ford

TO compile a list of them all from this thread
Christine Gibson ( Cole)
Sue Ransom
Pat Peck
Darrilynn Huitt
Helen Bittner
Joan Richmond
any others road racers to add to the list!!!!!!
_______________________-

Well she is not Australian but LELLA LOMBARDI was my all time favourite lady f/5000
driver she was great to watch at ORAN PARK in the Matich A/50 she qualifyed 4th
an was 2nd in the first corner Warwick Brown leading she gave max & kevin hell that
day until the Motorrrrrrrr blew (oil pumpi think).

Another I can add to this list is my mother Bernadette Dixon.

She commenced racing in Karts as a teenager in the 1960's and was I believe very successful. Some of her successes included the events that used to be held on the oval of the Wayville Showgrounds as part of the Royal Adelaide Show. From memory, I think this event was called the "Battle of the Champions". From stories I have heard many were aghast when she raced a brand new blueprinted Parilla engine on a dirt track .

After leaving Karts, she went into Road Racing. Her first car was a Nimbus Formula Vee kit car. After racing that for a few seasons, she and her father purchased an Elfin Mono that was originally raced by Johnnie Walker. She raced this car on and off for several seasons, Formula 2 and then later Formula Libre configuations. Increased costs and a lack of sponsorship brough about her retirement from Motor Sport in the 1980's.

Other events she competed in were the Powder Puff Derby - an invitational Ladies only stock car race held at Rowley Park Speedway - in which she finished third, and an invitational ladies event at Oran Park (unfortunately I cannot remember any other details about this event off of the top of my head).

She has never lost the love of speed and things mechanical, as she is now "growing old disgracefully" being a active member of the Ulysses Over 50's Motor Cycle Club.

Karen Hyland

She has never lost the love of speed and things mechanical, as she is now "growing old disgracefully" being a active member of the Ulysses Over 50's Motor Cycle Club.

That,s a girl ---GO BERNADETTE ----Disgracefully is the only way to GO.

I haven't seen it mentioned that Divina Galica was a national skiing champion and achieved two Top 10 Olympic finishes. Lots of info about her (and pictures) here:- http://www.kmlracing.com/drivers/divina/Divina.htm

:yawn:
fines (quote)

Well, Lella Lombardi, Divina Galica (how do you pronounce that?) and Desiré Wilson were all promoted by John Webb and his MCD in British F5000 and F1 in the seventies.


DAVINA name been done a while back . She was a good driver.

Good almost full page obituary in todays 'Daily Express' for Anne Hall,50s rally driver.who died on Jan 19 aged 83.
Interesting info also on British Women Racing Drivers site www.chez.com/antonialoysen/ 2 books are to be published on Mar 8. Details to follow,but the launch sounds like a good place to meet lots of old lady racers..

My dear fellow - you meant to say "mature lady racers", not so?

Oh dear! that did not sound right did it? What I meant to say was ladies who no longer race.

What a coincidence. I had a "Mrs A. Hall" listed in my Brands Hatch 1963 results, and discovered her first name and nationality in a mail of Stefan I just processed.
And now this. May she rest in peace.

About Anne Hall,

for those interested, his real name was Anne Newton -becoming Anne Hall by 1952/53, through marriage, I suppose.

Carles.

Did anybody mentioned the Paris - Saint-Raphaël Rally in France?

This event was for women drivers exclusively. It was not just a touristic drive, but included some speed trials. Renée Friderich, daughter of Ernest Friderich, Bugatti's dealer and friend of Ettore, took part in the Monte-Carlo Rally, the Paris-Nice and sadly fatally crashed during the Paris-St-Raphael (1931 or 1932). Ernest Friderich witnessed the crash. She was only 20 or 21 year old.

The May 2003 issue of Classic & Sports Car has two features on Betty Haig, her cars and career.

There's also a piece about the 40th anniversary of the BWRDC. They held a party to celebrate and also as a launch for the book Women in Motorsport by Sue Jameson and Peter Tuthill. Among those present (someone hold fines back please!!) were Anita Taylor and Christabel Carlisle (now Lady Watson). Anita is now 60 and a grandmother and is seen here on the left. I think you will all agree that she has grown old very gracefully!

Apologies for the picture quality, which is blown up from a small magazine picture!

Who's old?

Some of you people have strange ideas... 60 is old? What would Hans think of that?



[smallfont].....Nice pic, by the way, wonder what fee-nes will think?.....[/smallfont]

Okay, can we settle for "grown older very gracefully"?

Dunno, but it struck me that she's actually old enough to be his mother .....

I've quoted you just so this rubs in when he looks at this thread...

Then again, he might like older women?

By any measure, Shirley Muldowney is the standout female racer.

She won three national championships and 18 national events, and set a number of track records.

Women have done moderately well in other forms of racing, but none have succeeded like Muldowney.

And I don't even like drag racing all that well.

Does somebody know what motorracing Miss Duno is doing these times?

Only thing mentioned on her website is the Toyota Pro-Celeb race at Long Beach this weekend!

Along with Leilani Munter and Shawna Robinson.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by lanciaman
[B]By any measure, Shirley Muldowney is the standout female racer.

She won three national championships and 18 national events, and set a number of track records.

Women have done moderately well in other forms of racing, but none have succeeded like Muldowney.


And in her day, she was pretty spunky too.