Desiré Wilson facts for kids
The Spice SE90C of Desiré Wilson, Cathy Muller and Lyn St. James at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans
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| Born | 26 November 1953 Brakpan, Transvaal, Union of South Africa |
|---|---|
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  South African citizenship |
| Active years | 1980 |
| Teams | non-works Williams |
| Entries | 1 (0 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1980 British Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1980 British Grand Prix |
Desiré Wilson (born 26 November 1953) is a famous former racing driver from South Africa. She is one of only five women who have ever raced in Formula One, the highest level of motorsport. Desiré made history by becoming the only woman to win a Formula One race of any kind. This happened at Brands Hatch in England in 1980.
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Desiré Wilson's Racing Journey
Desiré Wilson has been known as one of the most successful female racing drivers in the world since 1978. She is the only woman to have been allowed to drive in a CART Indycars event. She also held a special license called an FIA Super Licence. This license let her race in the top-level FIA Formula One World Championship.
In 1980, she won two big races: the Monza 1000km and the Silverstone 6 Hours. These were part of the World Championship for Makes. This made her the first woman to win a race outright in any FIA World Championship.
Starting Young: From Midget Cars to Formula Ford
Desiré started racing very young. In 1967, when she was just twelve, she came second in the South African national midget car championship. By 1972, she began her full racing career. She finished fourth in her first season of the South African Formula Vee Championship.
After two more seasons in Formula Vee, she decided to aim for international racing. She won the South African Formula Ford Championship in 1975. She won it again the next year. This also earned her the "Driver to Europe" award. Because of this, Desiré moved to Europe in 1977. She mostly raced in Formula Ford 2000 events. She won races at Zandvoort and Colmar-Berg.
Breaking Barriers in Formula One
In 1978, Desiré took a big step forward. She raced a Formula One car in the Aurora AFX F1 Championship. She impressed many team bosses. Her best finish was third place at Thruxton Circuit. As she learned more about the European tracks, her results got better.
In 1979, she made history again. She became the first woman to lead a Formula One race. This was at Zolder in Belgium. Even though she spun out near the end, she fought back to finish third. She also set the fastest lap of the race. She had three more third-place finishes that season. She ended the year in seventh place overall.
The year 1980 was a huge one for Desiré. She joined Teddy Yip's Theodore Racing team. In the second race of the Aurora series, she won the Evening News Trophy at Brands Hatch. She beat other top drivers like Norman Dickson and Eliseo Salazar. This win made her the first, and so far only, woman to win a Formula One race. She also got two more podium finishes that year.
Her success continued in 1980 in sports car racing. She teamed up with Alain de Cadenet. They finished third in the Brands Hatch 1000km. Then, they went on to win both the Monza 1000km and the Silverstone 6 Hours races.
Desiré's victories caught the eye of the RAM Racing F1 team. She tested a Williams FW07 car and looked very promising. However, for the 1980 British Grand Prix, she was given a different, less powerful car. Because of this, and her limited experience at that level, she did not qualify for the race.
She got another chance to race in Formula One at her home Grand Prix in South Africa. This race was not part of the official 1981 World Championship. Still, many strong drivers took part. Desiré qualified 16th. She moved up to sixth place in wet conditions. She eventually had to stop due to gearbox problems. But she had impressed Ken Tyrrell, who offered her more races. Unfortunately, due to a lack of sponsors and the political situation in South Africa at the time, she could not accept the offer.
Racing in America and Beyond
After her Formula One attempts, Desiré focused on other types of racing. She raced in CART events in America and sports car racing.
In 1982, she tried to qualify for the famous Indianapolis 500 race. She passed her rookie test easily. She even set the fastest lap ever by a female racer during qualifying. But she couldn't qualify for the main race due to engine problems. She tried again in 1983 and 1984 but did not qualify. However, she did race in eight other Indycar races. Her best finish was 10th in the Grand Prix of Cleveland.
During this time, she also continued sports car racing. In 1983, she achieved a great result at the Le Mans 24-hour race. She finished seventh, sharing a Porsche 956 with two German drivers. In 1984, she took a Porsche 956 to fourth place at the Brands Hatch 1000km race.
Even as her international racing schedule slowed down, Desiré's competitive spirit remained strong. In 1987, she won a class race at Sears Point in a Saleen Mustang. She also won a class race at the Sebring 6 hours. Her last attempt at Le Mans was in 1991. She was part of an all-female team, but their car crashed out early.
Desiré Wilson still occasionally races at the Goodwood Revival, a historic motorsport event.
Personal Life
Desiré Wilson is married to Alan Wilson. He is also from South Africa and designs race tracks.
Images for kids
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The Spice SE90C of Desiré Wilson, Cathy Muller and Lyn St. James at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans.
See also
- List of female Formula One drivers
