GRR

Doug Nye: Goodwood's original queens of oversteer

18th January 2019
doug_nye_headshot.jpg Doug Nye

With Formula W being launched this year to encourage and promote opportunities for female racing drivers I thought it might be an interesting exercise to look back upon the girls, and ladies - whatever today’s politically-acceptable term might be (search me) for female racing drivers - who competed at Goodwood during its front-line era, from the inaugural meeting in September 1948 to closure in the high summer of 1966.

Christabel Carlisle graduated from club racing at genteel Goodwood to International racing as a BMC works team driver - here at the 1963 Sebring 12-Hour race in America.

Christabel Carlisle graduated from club racing at genteel Goodwood to International racing as a BMC works team driver - here at the 1963 Sebring 12-Hour race in America.

I would very much appreciate some feedback help here, because some of the names encountered from race programmes and from Robert Barker’s great book “A Record of Motor Racing at Goodwood” (St Leonard’s Press, Bradford, 1998), have - I must admit - left me in some doubt about the listed driver’s gender…

It’s perhaps a bit embarrassing to admit as much, but when I see such potentially dual-gender names as ‘Bunny’ or ‘Jocelyn’, or ‘Viv’ or ‘Georgie’ or ‘Shelley’, for people I do not personally remember, I am afraid I cannot say, hand on heart, yes - she qualifies under this heading.

I do remember - or think I remember -that Jacqui Cook became Jacqui Bond-Smith and she might have become confused with an otherwise fictitious ‘Jacqui Smith’ who appeared on occasion, but again I cannot as yet confirm whether Ms Bond-Smith and Ms Smith were one and the same, or two different people.  And so, if you are out there - or if you know for sure - please do let us know.

Anyway, here’s the list I have come up with so far.  Perhaps it is significant that after no girls/ladies appear to have competed in any of the Goodwood race meetings in 1954, a ladies-only race brought up the numbers immensely - to no fewer than 29 - in 1955. Through the era overall, just like their male competitors, the girls were variably talented, and variably serious about race driving. 

The very best I personally recall were Pat Moss - Stirling’s sister - the wonderfully charismatic Christabel Carlisle, and the simply startling Anita Taylor and Gabrielle Konig, while Jean Denton was fearsomely determined - as her subsequent business career confirmed.  But here’s the listing…  Any memories? Do tell…

Christabel Carlisle’s driving gained real respect for extracting absolutely everything that her BMC Mini ‘CMC 77’ could possibly offer…

Christabel Carlisle’s driving gained real respect for extracting absolutely everything that her BMC Mini ‘CMC 77’ could possibly offer…

1948-1949

Nancy Binns

Betty Haig

Peggy Lambert

Dorothy Patten

Monica Whincop

 

1950

 

Nancy Binns

Mrs M. Gilbert

Lady Mary Grosvenor

Betty Haig

Mrs M.K. Harman

Peggy Lambert

Barbara Marshall

Jean Mortimer

Mrs J.P. Treen

1951

Miss J.M.Bode

Mrs M. Gilbert

Lady Mary Grosvenor

Monica Whincop

1952

Mrs J. Bode

Bluebelle Gibbs

1953

Miss B. Carlyon

Hazel Dunham

Bluebelle Gibbs

Betty Haig

Rosemary Seers

1954

None that I can trace…

The contemporarily far more usual picture of girls’ activities in the Goodwood paddock of the 1950s - presiding over the picnic lunch...

The contemporarily far more usual picture of girls’ activities in the Goodwood paddock of the 1950s - presiding over the picnic lunch...

1955

Margaret Ashby

Jean Bloom

Angela Brown

Patsy Burt

Mrs J. Deeley

Hazel Dunham

Miss A.L.Field

Annette Firth

Carol Fisher

Bluebelle Gibbs

Betty Haig

Mrs R.V. Harvard

Miss J. Heaslip

Michaela Hornby

Lady Jane Howard

Hazel Innes

Wendy Knight

Angela Lane

Miss J. Leavens

Nancy Mitchell

Jean Mortimer

Mary Morton

Pat Moss

Sally Noel-Buxton

Sheila Park

Rosemary Sears

Lorna Snow

The Hon Brigid Westerna

Joan Winterbottom 

1956

Margaret Ashby

Jean Bloom

Patsy Burt

Dorothy Champ

Sheila Darby

Hazel Dunham

Carol Fisher

Bluebelle Gibbs

Betty Haig

Miss C.D.Hailwood

Michaela Hornby

Jane Howard

Beatrice Naylor

Bunny Munns (not sure of gender!)

Avril Scott-`Moncrieff

Mary Seed

Rosemary Seers

Gillian Spooner

1957

Margaret Ashby

Jean Bloxam

Patsy Burt

Dorothy Champ

Hazel Dunham

Bluebelle Gibbs

Betty Haig

Mrs A. Hayward

Bunny Munns (still unsure of gender?)

Beatrice Naylor

Avril Scott-Moncrieff

Rosemary Seers

Lorna Snow

Gillian Spooner

1958 

Margaret Ashby

Jean Bloxam

Patsy Burt

Phyllis Cornell

Miss J. Covell

Georgie Delaroche (probably female?)

Bluebelle Gibbs

Lady Jane Howard

Kathleen Howard

RosemaryMassey

Bunny Munns (jury still out?)

Beatrice Naylor

Avril Scott-Moncrieff

Rosemary Seers

Mary Wheeler

1959 

Margaret Ashby

Jean Bloom

Jane Covell

Jocelyn Freeman (wife of John Freeman I think?)

Bluebelle Gibbs

Kathleen Howard

Rosemary Massey

Beatrice Naylor

Rosemary Seers

Rosemary Smith

Mary Wheeler

Pat Moss (left) and Ann Wisdom (right) with Monte Carlo Rally winner - and inventor of the ‘Gatso’ speed camera - Maurice Gatsonides.  Pat was sister of Stirling Moss, Ann daughter of Tommy Wisdom, racers both.

Pat Moss (left) and Ann Wisdom (right) with Monte Carlo Rally winner - and inventor of the ‘Gatso’ speed camera - Maurice Gatsonides. Pat was sister of Stirling Moss, Ann daughter of Tommy Wisdom, racers both.

1960

Sally Bealey

Jean Bloxam

Jocelyn Freeman?

Mrs P. Gammon

Bluebelle Gibbs

Kathleen Howard

Elizabeth Jones

Bunny Munns (again)

Beatrice Naylor

Viv Sakal?

Avril Scott-Moncrieff

Mary Wheeler 

1961 

Jean Bloxam

Christabel Carlisle

Patricia Coundley

Bluebelle Gibbs

Kathleen Howard

Elizabeth Jones

Shelley Marten?

Bunny Munns?

Beatrice Naylor

Joy Pitman

Viv Sakal?

Rosemary Seers

Mary Wheeler

1962

Miss K. Burley

Michelle Burns-Greig

Christabel Carlisle

Patricia Coundley

Bluebelle Gibbs

Wendy Hamblin

Gabrielle Konig

Jenny Tudor-Owen

Mary Wheeler

Mrs V.M. Wylie

1963

Christabel Carlisle

Patricia Coundley

Val Gardner?

Bluebelle Gibbs

Wendy Hamblin

Gabrielle Konig

Jenny Tudor-Owen

Mary Wheeler

1964

Patricia Coundley

Jean Denton

Mrs J.A. Freeman

Bluebelle Gibbs

Natalie Goodwin

Wendy Hamblin

Elizabeth Jones

Gabrielle Konig

Valerie Pirie

Anita Taylor

Jenny Tudor-Owen

Mrs F. Waters

From our friends at the Revs Digital Library - 1969 World Championship of Makes-qualifying Targa Florio in Sicily with Gabrielle Konig driving husband Mark’s gorgeous Nomad Mark 2.

From our friends at the Revs Digital Library - 1969 World Championship of Makes-qualifying Targa Florio in Sicily with Gabrielle Konig driving husband Mark’s gorgeous Nomad Mark 2.

1965 

Jacqui Bond-Smith

Michelle Burns-Greig

Jean Denton

Natalie Goodwin

Wendy Hamblin

Gabrielle Konig

Miss L. McKechnie

Claire Newbold

Anita Taylor

Jenny Tudor-Owen

Mary Wheeler

1966

Jacqui Bond-Smith

Jacqui Cook

Jean Denton

Mrs J.A. Freeman

Wendy Hamblin

Gabrielle Konig

Claire Newbold

Wendy Paget

Mrs D.G.T. Russell

Photography courtesy of The GP Library.

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