Driven by Desire: The Desire Wilson Story

Alan Wilson

Veloce Publishing Ltd, Oct 15, 2011 - Biography & Autobiography - 160 pages

From a five-year-old girl racing 60mph micro-midgets in South Africa, to a Formula One driver in the British Championship during her first full year of racing in the UK, and on to becoming the first and only woman ever to win a Formula One race, Desire Wilson was a winner bested by very few of her male rivals. But single-seater racing was just the start of Desire's ascent in motorsport. She won two FIA World Championship Sports Car Endurance races in 1980, and went on to compete in well over 120 types of race car at more than 100 race tracks around the world. Always competitive, she earned a reputation for an intense, no-nonsense approach to racing, shrugging off the media glamour to focus on the hard grind of staying competitive in one of the world's toughest sporting arenas. Moving to the male-dominated world of North American racing, Desire became a pioneer for women racing in the harsh world of Indy Cars, facing discrimination, financial problems, and other obstacles ranging from tragedy to farce. Her career is unique in the world of racing, encompassing everything from club racing to Formula One and World Championship sports cars, to the evil monsters of the IndyCar World Series - the world's fastest race cars. Hers is a story of hardships, fun, tragedy, perseverance, injury, and the amazing behind-the-scenes world masked by the public face and glamour of racing. It tells, too, of the consequences of politics and discrimination in the male world of professional auto racing.

Contents

• Fastforeword by Derek Bell: 6
• Thanks: 7
• Acknowledgements Foreword by the Earl of March and Kinrara 5 6 7: 8
• 10: 9
• Prologue: 10
• Put this car on its wheels and push: 12
• South African champion: 19
• Media matters: 24
• Its a girl: 27
• Jeremys sorry he wont do it again: 33
• The closest race: 38
• Get the fk out of South Africa: 40
• The charm school: 43
• From zero to hero: 49
• The lioness of Africa: 55
• A little bit of history: 62
• You drive this car its going to kill: 68
• British Racing Green and French racing blues: 73
• From Hero to Zero: 79
• Just a hundred thousand pounds: 85
• Tragedy and trauma at the brickyard: 90
• CART racing: 98
• Fg fast hausfrau: 107
• The big sports cars: 110
• Tickled pink at Le Mans: 120
• 33: 121
• 55: 125
• Slow down and let Parnelli catch you: 128
• A new tank of 132: 132
• Sponsorship politics money and sex: 138
• Women drivers: 144

About the author

Alan Wilson has been in the business of motorsport since 1969. He has raced cars and motorcycles, and developed and managed major international race facilities, race series and events. After marrying Desireacute; in 1975, he and his racing wife moved from South Africa to Holland, and then the UK, where he became a director of the Brands Hatch companies before moving to the USA in 1983. Wilson Motorsport Inc., the track design company Alan and Desireacute; established together, has developed many different race facilities, including the award winning Miller Motorsports Park. Alan has been Desrsquo; partner in her racing and her life for over 35 years.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Driven by Desire: The Desire Wilson Story
• Author: Alan Wilson
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Veloce Publishing Ltd, 2011
• ISBN: 1845843894, 9781845843892
• Length: 160 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / General; Biography & Autobiography / Sports; Biography & Autobiography / Women; Social Science / Women's Studies; Sports & Recreation / Motor Sports / Automobile Racing; Sports & Recreation / Motor Sports / General; Transportation / Automotive / General