A very happy birthday to Desiré Wilson, the only ever woman to win at an F1 race. She did so in the British F1 championship, also known as Aurora AFX, which briefly shone in the late '70s. As Gary Watkins describes in today's Great Read, those who thought Formula 1 racing at Oulton Park and Mallory Park had been consigned to history were startled in 1978, when John Webb made this dream happen all over again
Kids can be so greedy. Surely the spectacle of Gilles Villeneuve dragging half his Ferrari around Zandvoort and Alan Jones notching up a third straight win in the new-fangled Williams FW07 was enough for any motor sport-mad child? Not for one 12-year old, just back from his first trip to an overseas grand prix. A second fix of Formula 1 was clearly required that Bank Holiday weekend, especially when it was on offer just 10 miles down the road.
These days, the powers-that-be keep reminding the British motor racing fan that he has no God-given right to his annual dose of F1, whether it be at Silverstone, Brands Hatch or Donington Park. Twenty years ago, though, he could hear the scream of a gridful of Cosworth DFVs at all those venues, and a few more besides. Back in 1979, the year of my trip to the Dutch Grand Prix, Britain had its own F1 championship. And it was positively thriving...
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