Why you should love...Elsie 'Bill' Wisdom

27/08/2012

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Joan Richmond & Elsie Wisdom: Brooklands 1932
Like many of Britain’s pre-war motorsport heroes, Bill Wisdom became a racing name at Brooklands.

But unlike many of Britain’s pre-war motorsport heroes, Elsie “Bill” Wisdom was a woman.

In 1904, Elsie Wisdom was born, one of seven children and the family’s only girl. She spent her childhood playing with her brothers and their friends, and was quickly given the nickname Bill, as her competitive spirit and rough and tumble style of play was more suited to a boy than a girl. Or so they thought at the time, the mores of the era being somewhat different. 

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Why you Should love Elizabeth Junek

21/06/2012

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Few countries can boast that their most famous driver is a woman. But Alzbeta Junkova, born in what was then Moravia, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is that Eastern European nation’s most famous pilot, although most know her as Elizabeth Junek.

Junek was born in 1900, daughter of a blacksmith and one of eight children, of whom only four lived to adulthood. All of the surviving children were destined to spend their lives working in banks. But a life behind the cashier’s desk was not the one young Elizabeth had dreamt of. Obsessed with travel, she learned English and German – among others – in the hopes that her language skills would take her overseas.

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Why You Should Love... Isaac Newton

22/03/2012

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This week saw the 285th anniversary of Isaac Newton's death. F1Kate is back on Squeamish Bikini to tell us why we should love Isaac Newton. 
A 17th century scientist might not seem like the most obvious inclusion in a motorsport light relief column, but you should have worked out by now that I try to avoid the obvious.  

Sir Isaac Newton is among the most influential minds in human history. His work in mathematics, physics, astronomy, and a host of other disciplines has had far-reaching consequences in the knowledge we hold to be true today. The publication of Newton's Principia Mathematica was one of the defining moments of the Enlightenment, and many associate the book with the dawning of the Age of Enlightenment.
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Why You Should Love... The Speed Sisters

19/01/2012

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It takes balls to be a racer, whether you're male or female. One of the best compliments I've been given this season was when a respected colleague told me I had bigger balls than he did, I just wore them somewhat higher up my torso.

But my balls are nothing compared to those possessed by the Speed Sisters, an all-female team of Palestinian racers.

Whatever issues Western women face in pursuing their motorsport goals pale into 
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Why you should love...Divina Galica

17/11/2011

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To a mere mortal, becoming an Olympic athlete is an insurmountable goal, one that takes dedication, focus, and talent. And to make the move from Olympian to F1 driver – and back again! – is simply mind-boggling. But Divina Galica achieved both.

At the age of 20, Galica represented Great Britain in the downhill skiing and slalom events at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Four years later, she was back, as captain of the British Women’s Olympic Ski Team, and finished eighth in the giant slalom. At the 1972 Winter Olympics she again captained the British women’s squad, and finished seventh in the giant slalom. For many years she held the he British women's downhill skiing speed record, with a top speed of 125mph.
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