50 Years of The BWRDC

We are very proud to be celebrating 50 years of the BWRDC in 2012. 50 of our members have been chosen to represent the wealth of talented women who have been BWRDC members over the decades.

The women you are about to meet have held their own in every form of our sport, from racing to hillclimbing to rallying, from Monte Carlo to Silverstone to the Nurburgring. They have set records, inspired trophies, won championships. They speak for all women involved in motorsport and for every woman who has dared to dream of glory. Now they inspire a new generation of ambitious women.

The Women of 1960

1962
Lady Christabel Watson (Christabel Carlise)
Lady Christabel competed from 1960 - 1963 in a Mini. Her first race was at Silverstone in June 1960. By June 1961 she had an International licence and at Brands Hatch that year she finished second between Vic Elford and Steve McQueen.

1963
Sheila Tiller
Sheila competed from 1962 onwards in hillclimbs and sprints and from 1972 to 1975 was the fastest lady at the Brighton Speed Trials in her Allard. In 2000 she took the Allard to Bonneville Salt Flats where Sheila clocked 152mph on her only run.

1964
Joey Freeman
Joey competed from 1957 to 1970 in sprints and circuit racing firstly in a Morris 1000 and then a Sprite, in which she won class and ladies awards. The real highlight though was winning the AMOC Horsfal Trophy in 1964. She donated the first BWRDC club trophy, and was a founder member & the first secretary of the club.

1965
Jean Denton CBE (Baroness Denton of Wakefield)
Jean competed on circuits and in marathon rallies,once finishing 18th out 96 starters in the Mexico World Cup rally having covered some 16,000 miles. She was twice BWRDC Race Champion (in '67 & '68) and was also the Lord Wakefield Trophy winner in 1984. She was also the first BWRDC PR officer. She was honoured with a CBE in 1990, and made a Freeman of the City of London in 1991. As well as her successes in both racing and rallying, Jean had a successful political career and was Northern Ireland Minister from 1994 to 1997, the first woman to hold a ministerial post at the Northern Ireland office. Jean sadly died in 2001.

1966
Anita Morrell
Anita raced from 1960 to 1967. By 1963 she was winning races in Jim Clark's old Lotus Elan. In 1965 she drove for Ford in a Broadspeed Anglia and in that achieved her first International status win at Silverstone. Anita also raced an Alan Mann Lotus Cortina and a Mustang 350 GT.

1967
Natalie Goodwin
Natalie is a founder member of the club and competed in National and International circuit racing from 1961 to 1969. In just two seasons she amassed nineteen wins, twelve second places and fourteen third places in an Austin Healey 3000, Marcos 1800 and 1250 Mini. She was three times BWRDC Champion (in '64, '65 & '66) and she presented the club with the three perpetual trophies that racing members now compete for in the BWRDC Championship - the Goodwin Trophies.

1968
Gabriel Konig
Gabriel's racing career started at Goodwood in 1962 in a Lotus Elite. She also competed in an Elan, Nathan Imp, Sebring Sprite and MG Midget. In 1968 Gabriel collected 18 wins and 9 lap records and won the prestigious BWRDC Embassy Trophy and the BWRDC Championship in 1968. She is also a founder member of the club.

1969
Judy Andreason (Judy Vickery)
Judy raced a Marcos at Brands Hatch and also competed in Hillclimbs, sprints, circuit races and rallies. She was Chairman of the club from 1975 to 1977. In 1970 she won the Sprint Trophy. Her road-trim Marcos,with the registration HOTIE, famously helped her amass some 200 trophies during her career