The remarkable achievements of Joan of Oz

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Europe had many great female racing drivers before the Second World War. Britain gave us ladies such as Kay Petre, Doreen Evans and Violette Cordery. France had Camille du Gast and Hélène de Rothschild. From Italy came Maria Antonietta Avanzo, Spain had Lilí Álvarez and Czechoslovakia Eliška Junková.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, there was Joan Richmond, who is the lovely lady seen here with some of the trophies she collected behind the wheel of her sports-cars. After women were banned in horse racing in Australia, she decided to change to motor-cars instead, reputedly since car clubs wanted to encourage membership as few people owned cars. Richmond would soon finish fifth in the 1931 Australian Grand Prix at Philip Island, out of 19 starters.

Only a year later, at the age of 27, she would become the first woman to win a major motor racing title, but by that time she’d moved from Down Under to Great Britain. She underwent a certain change of style, too. With backing from Riley Motor Cars, Richmond made the first overland car journey from Australia to England, having simply written a letter to Riley to see if it would be interested in sponsoring a trip like that. The company liked the idea and provided no fewer than three cars for the journey, and the Aussie girl gave them some great publicity for their generosity.

Once in Europe, our dear Joan tackled the Monte Carlo Rally in the same Riley, adding another 1,100 miles to the odometer in just 52 hours time. A lengthy stay in the UK of several years, made possible by Riley also, saw her race at the Brooklands circuit where she and her co-driver Elsie Wisdom took first place in the 1,000 Miles. She tackled several more Monte Carlo Rallies and even some 24-hour races at Le Mans in 1935, 1936 and 1937. She drove for Riley’s works team but also for MG, Frazer-Nash, HRG and Triumph, and it’s in a Triumph we find her here.

Richmond returned to Australia after the Second World War, where she soon gave up her racing career. She died in 1999 in Melbourne at the age of 94.

Words: Jeroen Booij; pictures: National Museum of Australia
 

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