by Brian Goulding
A few years ago, while working for the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC), I received a phone call from a journalist. The bloke was writing an magazine article on female competitors in Bathurst’s Great Race. I suspect he thought we could just press a button and print out a list for him.
We talked about high–profile women drivers like Christine Cole/Gibson, Sue Ransom, Janet Guthrie and Melinda Price. Eventually, we decided that since 1963 there have been 12 or 15 females enter the race. I decided to research the grids to see what the real figure was.
I was surprised to find that no less than 32 women have entered the Bathurst enduro since 1963, with varying degrees of fanfare and success.
Australia’s great touring car race came to Bathurst in 1963 (from Phillip Island) and the only woman competitor was regular clubman driver Lorraine Hill in a Morris Major Elite. She finished 35th overall and 16th in class. That was it for four years.
An all–woman crew tackled the race in 1967 in, of all things, a Morris 1100S, complete with ‘big block’ 1275 engine. Jane Richardson and Midge Whiteman achieved a very respectable fourth in class. The next year Midge teamed up with Christine Cole in a Mini to score fifth in class. After marrying Fred Gibson, Christine was to enjoy a long Bathurst career racing under her married name, Christine Gibson, until 1984.
In 1969 Diane Dickson teamed with her husband in a Ford Cortina 240 to score sixth in class and 31st outright. In those days you could still buy a new car, run it in and then take it to race at Bathurst. Sandra Bennett made her Bathurst debut in that same year finishing fourth in class driving a Mini K. Two all–female crews failed to finish. Anne Thomson and Carole Corness lasted 82 laps in a Cooper S, while Christine Cole and Lynne Keefe were out when their Fiat 125 crashed on lap 48.
In 1970 Christine Cole and Sandra Bennett scored a fabulous 13th outright in a Torana XU1. This was the best result for a female up to that time and was way ahead of the other 1970 women Lynne Keefe (36th) and the team of Carole Corness/Gloria Taylor (42nd).
In 1971 Pat Peck and Jan Holland drove an XU1 into 29th place, but the next year Jan joined Christine Cole in a Torana 2850 leaving Pat to do the race solo. Both Toranas failed to finish.
For 1973 Pat Peck had sports sedan VW Beetle driver Darrilyn Huitt as co–driver but the Torana only lasted three laps before the engine failed. Well-known female racer Sue Ransom made her Bathurst debut with Christine Cole in an Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV, but they had fuel problems and only did five laps. Caroline O’Shanesy teamed with Peter Williamson in a Cooper S but they finished a lowly 26th.
1975 was a great year – the three females entered all finished. Caroline O’Shanessy was 27th in a Cooper S, Sue Ransom 11th in an Escort RS2000 and French girl Marie–Claude Beaumont scored a sensational sixth outright and first in class with John Leffler in an Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV. The reverse happened in 1976. Three women entered and all DNF’d. Marie–Claude teamed with Christine Gibson but they only lasted 52 laps. This was better than Caroline O’Shanessy who was out by lap 27.
For the 1977 race one of the great female racers, Janet Guthrie, paired up with fellow Indy legend Lone Star JR – otherwise known as Johnny Rutherford – in a Torana A9X. They only lasted 13 laps before JR ran into a bank on the top of the mountain while the only other female in the race, Sue Ransom, completed insufficient laps to be classified.
Who remembers Robyn Hamilton?
Perhaps you remember her by her assumed name “Charlie”, the result of a sponsorship deal with a perfume distributor. Robyn made her one and only Bathurst appearance in 1978 and along with the only other woman racing that year, Sue Ransom, retired late in the event.
Sue was back in 1980 for her last Great Race appearance along with debutant Alexandra Surplice who had made a name for herself in production car racing. Both women finished but towards the tail of the field. Alexandra tried again in 1981 but the alternator failed on her Celica on lap 88.
In the crash shortened 1981 race Christine Gibson was classified sixth with Joe Moore in his Falcon. Christine Gibson shared a Nissan Pulsar Exa with Bob Muir in 1983, but the car broke a driveshaft on lap 14.
For the last year of group C, 1984, Chris was back in the Exa driving with a young guy who had the look of a future champion, Glenn Seton. This time the driveshaft lasted 76 laps before it broke. At least Alexandra Surplice could say she finished what would be her last Great Race, albeit in 26th.
There was no female participation in 1985 or 1986, but in 1987 the Great Race was a round of the first World Touring Car Championship. Consequently, we saw three world standard women compete, and one of them became the world champion in the under-1600 class.
BMW had two women in their works team: Annette Meeuvissen and Mercedes Stermitz had considerable racing experience in Europe and teaming them together at Bathurst was definitely not just a publicity stunt. They crashed their M3 in practice so badly that the TAFE boys had to source a new body to repair the car. These women didn’t really get a chance to show off their talent as the gearbox failed on lap 45.
The other female racer in 1987 was also an international. Daniele Toffoli partnered Giorgio Francia in the works Alfa Romeo 33. They came to the last two rounds of the championship at Bathurst and Calder in the lead of the series, but they needed to start every race to guarantee the title. They only lasted 55 laps before the engine failed: enough to make Daniele world champion in the under 1600 class.
It wasn’t until 1990 that another woman tackled the mountain. Heather Spurle came from New Zealand to co–drive the Bob Jones VL Commodore. They finished an uninspiring 26th.
In 1993 Tania Gulson entered the race with her father Ray and brother Paul to drive the family BMW 635Csi which had been racing in Group A since 1984. Given Tania’s limited experience it proved too much of a challenge to qualify in the old car.
1994 was the last Great Race to mix V8s with smaller cars and it was the year that the talented Melinda Price made her debut.
Actually, she didn’t even get to drive the Corolla in the race. Co-driver Garry Jones crashed it on lap 16 at Forrest’s Elbow.
In 1997, 1998 and 1999 there were two races each year at Bathurst – one for Super Tourers and one for V8 Supercars.
Jenni Thompson ran in all three Super Touring events but only finished in 1999. Heidi O’Neil and Paula Elstrek shared a Ford Mondeo in 1998, but a tyre failure on lap 78 put them out.
Over at the V8 race Melinda Price and Keryn Brewer teamed up as all–female Castrol Cougars in 1997 and 1998 and Melinda continued to compete with male co–drivers in 1999 and 2000.
In the noughties Leanne Ferrier made two appearances in 2001 and 2009. A DNF and an 18th place were the results.
In 2015 money from retailer Harvey Norman was used to arrange a drive for two female racers in a Pro Drive Ford Mustang. One was local Super 2 driver Renee Gracie while the other was Swiss/Italian Simona de Silvestro who had some Indycar and other American experience. They finished 21st a whopping 40 laps behind the winner after a long delay for repairs. In 2016 they were both back in a Nissan Motorsport Altima, once again using Harvey Norman money. They enjoyed a much better run. After qualifying 26th they finished 14th only two laps behind the winners.
In 2017 Simona teamed with local driver David Russell but they failed to finish after completing 152 laps. She was back with Alex Rullo in 2018 and although they were only placed 14th they finished on the same lap as the winner.
2019 was to be Simona’s best result at Bathurst to date. She qualified the Nissan Altima in a creditable 16th spot and with driving partner Rullo they finished 13th only one lap down on the winners.
After five straight years Simona’s participation in the Bathurst 1000 appeared to be over. However, in 2023 with support from Supercars Australia she secured a wildcard entry with Dick Johnson Racing. The category owners wanted female participation and Simona was still one of the best female drivers in the world. Unfortunately, she did not enjoy a great result when teamed with rookie Kai Allen. They finished 20th one lap down on the winner.
So who gets my vote for the best result by a female in the Great Race?
No contest. It has to be Marie–Claude Beaumont for that brilliant sixth place outright and first in class in 1975 driving with John Leffler in the Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV. It is true that Christine Gibson also scored sixth outright in the crash shortened 1981 race. However, that was in an outright class car so less of an achievement than Beaumont’s sixth in the little Alfa.
As for the most Bathurst starts by a female, that award would go to Christine Cole/Gibson with eight ahead of Simona de Silvestro on sixth.
Today, there is only one female driver in top level Australian racing. Renee Gracie, who is competing in the Australian GT Championship, the same driver who partnered Simona de Silvestra in the Bathurst 1000 in 2015 and 2016.
Renee came up through the normal pathway of Formula Ford, Super 3 and Super 2. Her career hit a brick wall after 2016 due to a lack of funds. In the last few years, she has funded her GT racing in an Audi R8 by creating a YouTube channel.
Renee is a talented driver, but like all would be champions, she needs sponsorship to reach the top.
