Rosemary Smith, Rally Driver

Rosemary Smith is a phenomenally successful rally driver.

In school, the nuns who taught Rosemary told her father she was stupid. Rosemary knew they meant that she had no interest in learning. To this day, if she isn’t a hundred percent interested in something, her tendency is to switch off. The one thing Rosemary was always good at was dress designing. She went to study design in the Grafton Academy. One of her first clients was an amateur rally driver. Rosemary already had a huge interest in rally driving, as her father was a rally driver. When her client asked Rosemary if she’d accompany her on a rally, Rosemary didn’t hesitate in saying yes. Together the duo began to win races and get noticed. Rosemary was approached by the Rootes Group, the well known British car manufacturer, to be their works driver. From there began a phenomenally successful career. Her highlights include the rallies of Monte Carlo, the Circuit of Ireland, the Safari, London-Mexico, and the 17000kmLondon-Sydney rally.

 The number of women rally drivers working today remains vanishingly small. This makes Rosemary Smith’s achievements all the more impressive

Photo: Beta Bajgart