Kay Petre

Kay Petre, she was born Kathleen Coad Defries in 1903 in York, Ontario and moved to England with her husband Henry Petre in 1930. Kay took an interest in motor racing after being events held at Brooklands, a circuit that also had an airfield where her husband would often fly.

Henry bought Kay her first car for her birthday – a Wolseley Hornet Daytona Special that she landed on the podium in her first two races. By 1933 she was ready for something more and upgraded to a far more capable 2 litre Bugatti.