Barbara Cowell
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.[1]
Career
[edit]Mini-rod racing
[edit]She started racing in Mini-rods at Long Eaton in 1973[2] and was British Champion in 1978. She won the British, European and World Titles in 1981.[3]
Tin-tops
[edit]Mini 7 Racing
[edit]By 1984, Cowell had progressed to racing in the Mini 7 Championship.[4]
Production Saloons
[edit]Cowell drove a Gerry Marshall-prepared Vauxhall Astra in the 1986 Production Saloon Car Championship.[5]
She won the Class D title in the 1987 Season, with six class wins, driving a Suzuki Swift.[6]
For the 1988 Season, she switched to a Class B BMW M3. She won her class at Castle Combe.[7]
MG Metro Turbo Challenge
[edit]Cowell raced in the 1987 ESSO MG Metro Challenge.[8]
Her car (#18) was memorably used for a press release featuring future F1 World Champion Damon Hill.[9]
World Touring Car Championship
[edit]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.[10]
British Touring Car Championship
[edit]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.[11]
She switched to a Ford Escort[12] (still in Class D), run by North Essex Motorsport,[13] from Brands Hatch onwards. She came 2nd in her class there and this would remain her best result.[14]
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.[15]
Willhire 24 Hours
[edit]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.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ "Women drivers! - Page 7 - The Nostalgia Forum". The Autosport Forums.
- ^ "December 1973". Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ H-g, Rachel (October 24, 2015). "Speedqueens: Barbara Cowell (Babbage)".
- ^ "750MC Silverstone 13.10.84". March 16, 2021 – via Flickr.
- ^ "Autocar - 19 March 1986". reader.exacteditions.com.
- ^ "Barbara Cowell - Suzuki Swift GTi". March 27, 2020 – via Flickr.
- ^ "Production Saloon Car Championship – MCD/BRDC/BRSCC (1972-2003)". November 7, 2011.
- ^ "Barbara Cowell - MG Metro Turbo". flickr.com. March 30, 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2025 – via Flickr.
- ^ "No title". gettyimages.com. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "Complete Archive of Barbara Cowell". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "1988 BTCC - round 4". touringcarracing.net. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "Barbara Cowell - Ford Escort RS1600i - BTCC Silverstone 1988". April 29, 2020 – via Flickr.
- ^ "Brands Hatch BTCC 1988 - Into Druids Hairpin". September 12, 2012 – via Flickr.
- ^ "1988 BTCC - round 8".
- ^ "1989 BTCC - round 4".
- ^ "Willhire 24 hours 1981/82/83 - Page 2 - TenTenths Motorsport Forum". ten-tenths.com.
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