Desiré Wilson (née Randall), born 26 November 1953,[1][2] is a former racing driver from South Africa and one of only five women to have competed in Formula One.

[3]: 62–68  Born in Brakpan,[2] she entered one Formula One World Championship Grand Prix in 1980 with a non-works RAM Racing-prepared Williams FW07, but failed to qualify.

[6] She became the only woman to win a Formula One race of any kind when she won at Brands Hatch in the short-lived British Aurora F1 Championship in 1980.

By 1972, she had made her full racing debut and was fourth in her first season of the South African Formula Vee Championship.

She won the South African Formula Ford Championship in 1975 and defended the title the following season, as well as securing the "Driver to Europe" award.

Yip's faith was repaid by round two, when Wilson won the Evening News Trophy at Brands Hatch, beating Norman Dickson and Eliseo Salazar.

However, by the weekend of the British Grand Prix, the car had been replaced with an inferior model, which she had been beaten in several times in the Aurora AFX series.

[6][8][10] This run of bad luck did not stop at Brands Hatch; after a practice accident for the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans, she and de Cadenet were not allowed to start in view of this earlier incident, despite setting eighth fastest lap in qualifying.

However, the ongoing FISA–FOCA war within F1, led to the 1981 South African Grand Prix being a non-championship race, which nevertheless still attracted a strong field.

Due to lack of sponsorship and political situation, she was unable to take up Tyrrell's offer and the drive went to Ricardo Zunino, and then Michele Alboreto.

Back with Teddy Yip's Theodore Racing, she passed her Indianapolis 500 rookie test without a problem, and during qualifying set the fastest ever lap by a female racer (191.042 mph).

She was an impressive novice, especially considering her rapid recovery from a broken leg suffered in a terrifying crash in an IMSA race at Brainerd International Raceway.

She competed around the world in various series and cars, scoring some decent results in the process, but the highlight of 1983 was her 7th place at Le Mans, sharing an Obermaier Racing entered Porsche 956 with Axel Plankenhorn and Jürgen Lässig.

[6][10] Although her international racing schedule started to thin out, her competitive spirit remained and in 1987, Wilson took a class win in the SCCA/Escort Endurance Challenge at Sears Point, sharing a Saleen Mustang with Lisa Cacares.