Rosemary Smith Husband, Kids, Age, Biography, Parents, Obituary, Death Cause & More
Rosemary Smith (born 7 August 1937 – died 5 December 2023, Aged: 86 years old), the Irish rally driver who won the prestigious Tulip Rally in 1965 and became the oldest person to drive a Formula One car in 2017, passed away on 5 December 2023 after a battle with cancer. She was 86 years old.
Early Life and Career
Rosemary was born on 7 August 1937 in Dublin, Ireland. She initially trained as a dress designer and worked in her fashion boutique. She entered her first rally as a co-driver but soon realized that she preferred driving to navigating. She caught the attention of the Rootes Group’s Competition Department, which offered her a works drive.
Smith competed in various rallies across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. She drove different models of cars, such as Hillman Imp, Sunbeam Rapier, Sunbeam Alpine, Sunbeam Tiger, and Renault Alpine. She was known for her speed, skill, and determination, as well as her glamorous and stylish appearance.
Achievements and Awards
Smith’s most notable achievement was winning the Tulip Rally in 1965, driving a factory-entered Hillman Imp with Valerie Domleo as her navigator. The Tulip Rally was a four-day event that covered roughly 1,800 miles across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France. Smith and Domleo beat 158 other competitors from 16 countries, becoming the first all-female crew to win an international rally.
Rosemary Smith also won the ladies’ prize several times on the Circuit of Ireland Rally, the Scottish Rally, the Alpine Rally, and the Canadian Shell 4000. She also had numerous class wins to her name. She was controversially disqualified from the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally after winning the Coupe des Dames, the ladies’ class, along with 10 other cars. Smith protested the decision and threatened to quit rallying.
Smith’s other notable achievement was driving a Renault Formula One car on the Circuit Paul Ricard in France on 10 May 2017, at the age of 79. She was invited by Renault as part of a filming day to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their involvement in Formula One. Smith became the oldest person to have driven an 800bhp racing car, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
Smith received several awards and honors for her contribution to motorsport. She was inducted into the Irish Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2016. She was also awarded the FIA Women in Motorsport Award in 2017 and the Motorsport Ireland Hall of Fame Award in 2018. She was nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1965 and 2017.
Rosemary Smith Wiki/Bio
| Name | Rosemary Smith |
| Date of Birth | 7 August 1937 |
| Place of Birth | Dublin, Ireland |
| Date of Death | 5 December 2023 |
| Place of Death | Dublin, Ireland |
| Cause of Death | Cancer |
| Age at Death | 86 years old |
| Occupation | Rally Driver, Dress Designer, Driving Instructor, Author |
| Spouse | John Smith (m. 1972) |
| Children | David Smith, Alison Smith |
| Grandchildren | 4 |
| Great-grandchild | 1 |
| Siblings | John Smith, Audrey Smith |
| Parents | John Smith, Mary Smith |
| rosemarysmith_rally | |
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| Wikipedia | Rosemary_Smith |
| Homepage | newsunzip.com |
Family Details
Smith had a difficult relationship with her parents and siblings. Her father, John Smith, was a Protestant who married a Catholic, Jane Smith, in Ireland. This caused some tension and discrimination from the Catholic community and the nuns who taught Rosemary at school. Her mother, Jane, was a controlling and domineering woman who lived her life through Rosemary and often criticized her appearance, intelligence, and choices. Rosemary’s mother also had an affair with another man but stayed with her husband for the sake of the children.
Rosemary was the youngest of three children. She had a sister, Pamela, and a brother, John. Rosemary did not get along well with her siblings, either. She felt that they were favored by her mother and that they did not support her passion for driving. She once said,
“My sister and brother never came to see me drive. They never came to see me win anything. They never came to see me do anything”
Rally Successes and Controversies
Smith competed in over 100 rallies across Europe, Africa, and North America, driving various models of Hillman Imps, Sunbeam Rapiers, and Sunbeam Tigers. She won the ladies’ prize on the Circuit of Ireland Rally four times, the Scottish Rally three times, the Alpine Rally and the Canadian Shell 4000 twice each, and the Acropolis Rally once. She also achieved numerous class wins and podium finishes in other events.
Her most remarkable victory was the outright win in the 1965 Tulip Rally in the Netherlands, where she and her co-driver Valerie Domleo beat 159 cars from 16 countries, driving a factory-entered Hillman Imp. She became the first and only woman to win an international rally outright, a feat that has not been repeated since.
However, her career was also marked by some controversies and challenges. In 1966, she was controversially disqualified from the Monte Carlo Rally after winning the Coupe des Dames, the ladies’ class. Ten cars in total were disqualified, including the first three finishers, for using non-standard headlights. Smith protested the decision and threatened to quit rallying unless it was reversed. The decision was later overturned by the French courts, but the controversy tarnished the reputation of the event and the sport.
Smith also faced sexism and discrimination from some of her male competitors, officials, and sponsors, who did not take her seriously or respect her abilities. She recalled in her autobiography that she was often harassed, insulted, and sabotaged by some of her rivals, who tried to intimidate her or damage her car. She also had to deal with the lack of support and funding from some of her sponsors, who did not believe that a woman could succeed in a male-dominated sport.
Despite these obstacles, Smith persevered and proved herself as a talented and determined driver, who earned the admiration and recognition of many of her peers and fans. She was awarded the International Rally Driver of the Year in 1965 and was inducted into the Irish Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2017.
Later Life
Rosemary Smith retired from professional rallying in 1978 but continued to participate in historic and charity events. She also founded a driving school in the 1990s, where she taught advanced driving skills and road safety to thousands of drivers, especially young and female drivers.
In 2017, at the age of 79, she made history again by becoming the oldest person to drive a Formula One car, when she tested a Renault F1 show car at Circuit Paul Ricard in France. She described the experience as “absolutely amazing” and “a dream come true”.
Smith was also a passionate advocate for women’s rights and empowerment and supported various causes and organizations that promoted gender equality and diversity in motorsport and society. She was a patron of the Women’s Sports Foundation and a mentor for the Dare To Be Different initiative, which aimed to inspire and encourage more girls and women to pursue careers in motorsport.
Smith published her autobiography, Driven, in 2018, where she shared her life story, her achievements, and her challenges. She also revealed some of her struggles, such as her failed marriage, her miscarriage, and her battle with depression. She wrote candidly and humorously about her experiences and offered some advice and wisdom to her readers.
Personal Life, Kids, and Spouse
Rosemary Smith was married to David Harris, a former rally driver and journalist, from 1970 to 1978. They had no children. Smith later had a long-term relationship with Maurice Mabasa, a South African rally driver, who was killed in 2015. Smith founded a driving school in the 1990s and taught thousands of people how to drive safely and confidently.
Death Cause & Obituary
Smith was diagnosed with cancer in 2020 and underwent chemotherapy and surgery. She continued to drive and attend events until her health deteriorated. She died on 5 December 2023 at her home in Dublin, surrounded by her family and friends. She is survived by her sister, Audrey, and her nieces and nephews.
Legacy and Impact
Smith is widely regarded as one of the greatest rally drivers of all time and a pioneer for women in motorsport. She inspired generations of female drivers and challenged the stereotypes and prejudices that existed in the male-dominated sport. She was also a role model for young girls and women who wanted to pursue their dreams and passions.
Smith was admired and respected by her peers and fans for her courage, charisma, and kindness. She was described as a “trailblazer”, a “legend”, and a “national treasure” by various media outlets and personalities. She was also praised for her humanitarian work and her support for various causes, such as road safety, animal welfare, and cancer research.
Smith’s life and career were documented in several books, films, and television programs. Some of the notable ones are:
- Rosemary: Driven, a biography written by Ann Ingle and published in 2018.
- Driven: The Rosemary Smith Story, a documentary film directed by Vinnie Murphy and released in 2019.
- Smith: The First Lady of Rallying, a television documentary produced by RTÉ and aired in 2020.
Smith’s social media accounts, such as Instagram and Twitter, have thousands of followers and showcase her achievements, adventures, and personal moments. She also has a Wikipedia page that summarizes her life and career.
Rosemary was a remarkable woman who broke barriers and made history in the world of motorsport. She was a fearless and talented driver who competed and won against the best in the sport. She was also a gracious and generous person who touched the lives of many people. She will be remembered as a legend and an icon of rallying and Formula One.
