Favorite Racecar? 1989 Porsche 962

I’ve driven many racing cars during my career and, for me, a great racecar has to have exceptional acceleration and handle extremely well. These qualities are uppermost for any racing driver, be they male or female.

The year 1980 was the most incredible year of my career; I was driving in the British-based Aurora F1 series which ran year-old F1 cars. I had joined the Theodore team, run by Teddy Yip, and drove a Wolf WR3-Cosworth; my teammate was Kevin Cogan. I remember the day well, it was April 7th, and we were racing at Brands Hatch. In Round 2, I led from start to finish. I knew in my mind, if I was able to get to the first corner in the lead, I would win—my confidence was so high. Of course, I did exactly what I had in my mind to do; not only did I win the race, I also got the fastest lap of the meeting. I became the first woman ever to win a Formula One race, an accolade I’m proud of.