FORMULA 1
THE ‘ RACEY ’ DOGHOUSE GIRLS
OF MOTOR SPORT
The good old days of motor racing were full of camaraderie and bravado , beautiful women of course , and larger than life personalities like Stirling Moss , Graham Hill , John Surtees and Jackie Stewart . But , all that glitters is not gold and believe it or not , life was not always the same paradise as it is for the Lewis Hamiltons and Charles Leclercs of today with their multi-million euro contracts . Certainly not moneywise anyway , especially in the UK . You hear the same stories about the great tennis players of old too ; legends playing for pennies paving the way for the sports multi-millionaires of today . These were pioneering times ; life was sometimes really tough with many more accidents and hard-life stories on and off the track . Difficult to believe compared to today . But nearly 60 years ago in Britain , there were often no social facilities nor infrastructure near the racing tracks .
AN ERA OF TERRIFYING ACCIDENTS AND FIRES
Nowadays every racer tends to have his own motorhome and massage therapists . They own planes , use advisers and staff services . Things were different back in the day , however . According to renowned racer Jackie Stewart : ‘ I ’ ve attended more funerals and memorial services than anyone else I know . It was terrifying to see other drivers burn alive in their cars . Many accidents involved fuel fires when the racer died before anyone could even do anything . Roger Williamson , Lorenzo Bandini — they all lost their lives to car fires . The Nürburgring track had the worst reputation . There were no fences or barriers . We were racing at a speed of 300 km / h , in the midst of a forest , with only 50 metre visibility . One of the laps counted 178 turns . Even in good weather your car would fly up to 13 times . ‘ Racing cars do have a nice take-off , but they never land well ,’ says Jackie Stewart .
And so an historic institution ‘ the Doghouse Owners ’ Club ’ was born , founded on 7 February 1962 ( more formally known as the Women ’ s
Motor Racing Associates Club ) — basically some heroic British wives decided to group around what was primarily a Charitable cause — taking care of those families in the racing community stricken by accident , misfortune and grief . Under the chairmanship of Sheila Van Damm , the founding committee comprised Mrs Colin Chapman , Mrs John Cooper , Mrs Gregor Grant , Mrs Graham Hill and Mrs John Webb .
And it became very personal for the most current President of the Club , Shirley Procter whose husband Peter was injured in 1966 and took great comfort in the support of her Doghouse Owners ’ Club fellow-women .
The original ‘ Benevolent Fund ’ for stricken racing families no longer exists after having helped many in those early days
© WMRAC when it was needed . Six years passed since the last time a Formula-1 driver has lost his life . It was Jules Bianchi in 2015 . In 1994 , the legendary Ayrton Senna died in a crash . For comparison : 1968 was fatal to four racers : Jim Clark on April 7 , Mike Spence on May 7 , Ludovico Scarfiotti on June 8 , Jo Schlesser on August 7 .
What remains , burning just as brightly , is the Charitable mission of ‘ the Doghouse Owners ’ Club ’. They do just about anything
58 / Hello Monaco Spring 2021 www . hellomonaco . com