Barbara Cowell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958 (age 67–68) |
| Other names | Barbara Babbage (nee Cowell) |
| Occupation | former racing driver |
| Years active | 1973–1993 |
| Known for | one of the first female members of the British Racing Drivers' Club |
Barbara Babbage (nee Cowell) (born 1958) is a British former racing driver.
She is one of the first female members of the British Racing Drivers' Club.[ citation needed ]
She started racing in Mini-rods at Long Eaton in 1973 and was British Champion in 1978.[ citation needed ] She won the British, European and World Titles in 1981.[ citation needed ]
Cowell raced in the Mini 7 Championship from 1982 to 1984.[ citation needed ]
Cowell drove a Gerry Marshall-prepared Fiat Strada in the Uniroyal Production Saloon Car Championship in 1985 and switched to a Vauxhall Astra for 1986.[ citation needed ]
She won the Class D title in the 1987 Season, with six class wins, driving a Suzuki Swift.[ citation needed ]
For the 1988 Season, she switched to a Class B BMW M3. She won her class at Castle Combe. [1]
Cowell raced in the 1987 ESSO MG Metro Challenge.[ citation needed ]
Her car (#18) was memorably used for a press release featuring future F1 World Champion Damon Hill.[ citation needed ]
Cowell drove a Toyota Corolla in the 1987 RAC Tourist Trophy, sharing with Geoff Kimber-Smith, but they didn't finish. They entered the Tourist Trophy again in 1988 but did not race. [2]
Cowell raced in the 1988 British Touring Car Championship. She won Class D in the Donington 1 Hour Endurance race in a Toyota Corolla, sharing with Kimber-Smith. [3]
She switched to a Ford Escort [ citation needed ] (still in Class D), run by North Essex Motorsport,[ citation needed ] from Brands Hatch onwards. She came 2nd in her class there and this would remain her best result. [4]
Her sole outing in the 1989 British Touring Car Championship would be the Endurance race at Donington, once again sharing a Toyota Corolla with Geoff Kimber-Smith. A misfire forced them to retire after 4 laps. [5]
Barbara finished 4th in the 1993 Willhire 24 Hour race at Snetterton. She formed part of an all-female team with Clare Redgrave and Kirsten Kolby, driving a Honda Civic.[ citation needed ]
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