Lift the ban on woman drivers! (UPDATE on Bill Bilney)

It wasn’t until 1932 that the BARC (the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club) allowed woman drivers on the track. One of the enthusiastic women who jumped at that chance was Joan Richmond, an Australian girl who had been a jockey, but was banned just for being a woman. She then went from racing horses to racing cars and with success: a fifth place in the 1931 Australian GP, then the Rally Monte Carlo and from there to Brooklands. Together with Elsie Wisdom she took first place in the 1932 JCC 1000 mile race. A female first! Many other cars and successes followed and in 1935 she gained fame as one of George Eyston’s Dancing Daughters, the all-girl MG-team entry for LeMans. And as a coincidence, when browsing the catalogue for Artcurial’s sale on February 8th, we just stumbled upon the A.C. 16/90 that she drove together with Bill Bilney during the Donington Twelve Hours in 1936. (photo courtesy Motormarques)

Update by Derry Aust: "Sadly Bill Bilney was killed in that Donington event. She was engaged to him at the time and they had already competed at Le Mans in a Model C Ford Ten together."

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