Kathleen Coad Petre (' Defries; 10 May 1903 – 10 August 1994), known as Kay Petre, was an early
motor racing
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...
star. She was born in
York, Ontario, now part of
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
.
Family
Kathleen Coad Defries was the daughter of Robert Leo Defries KC (died 1957) and his wife, Annie Gray. Her father was a barrister in Toronto. She spent her later schooldays in England, but returned to Canada in her twenties. After a period studying art in Paris, she returned to Canada to marry Langlois D. Lefroy, the son of A.H.Frazer Lefroy and Dora Strathy, in 1924. She was widowed two months later. In 1929, she married, secondly, to the Englishman
Henry Aloysius Petre (1884–1962), who forsook a law career to pursue an interest in aviation. They had no children.
[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]
Retrieved 10 May 2018.
Racing career
Petre was a star at the English Brooklands track, and the exploits of this 4' 10" lady caused a media sensation at the time. The abiding image of Petre is a tiny woman seated in a huge 10.5 litre V12
Delage
Delage was a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delâge in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953.
On 7 November 2019, the association "Les Amis de Dela ...
. This was the car in which she battled for the Women's Outer Circuit Record at
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...
with
Gwenda Stewart. Petre gained the upper hand on 26 October 1934 with a 129.58 mph lap, but in August 1935 Stewart fought back with a faster lap. A determined Petre took her record back the same day with a 134.75 mph pass but Stewart, driving the Derby-Miller, had the last laugh three days later at 135.95 mph.
At Brooklands: "Kay Petre got three lap records, her first two in 1934, first in a Bugatti at 124 mph then in a Delage at 129.58 mph. In 1935 she used the Delage to achieve 134.75."
Although she is always associated with the Delage, Petre started racing in a
Wolseley Hornet Special bought for her by her husband. She also raced an
Invicta and a
Bugatti
Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars w ...
in which she won a
handicap race in 1935. However, she was most successful in a series of Rileys. She was ninth in the Mountain Grand Prix at Brooklands in a
Riley 1.5 in 1934, against tough opposition. Her first visit to
Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
was also that year. She and
Dorothy Champney
Dorothy Conyers Nelson Champney became Dorothy Riley (7 March 1909 – 22 July 1968) was a British rally driver who drove the fastest car by a woman in the 1934 Le Mans 24 hour race partnered by Kay Petre.
Life
Champney was born in Scarborough i ...
finished 13th, driving a Riley Ulster Imp. The Riley connection continued next year, but Petre and
Elsie "Bill" Wisdom failed to finish with a blown engine.
Between 1934 and 1936, Petre was a regular at all the big British races like the Brooklands 500 Miles and Double Twelve Hours, plus
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
races at
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...
and
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
. She partnered some big names, such as
Dudley Benjafield
Joseph Dudley "Benjy" Benjafield, MD (6 August 1887- 20 January 1957) was a British medical doctor and racing driver.
Career
Benjafield was in born in Edmonton, London, UK. He attended the University of London and received his MD from Universi ...
and
Prince Bira
Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh ( th, พีรพงศ์ภาณุเดช; ; 15 July 191423 December 1985), better known as Prince Bira of Siam (now Thailand) or by his ''nom de course'' B. Bira, was a member of the Thai royal ...
of
Siam
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...
. She also drove in rallies and was an accomplished
hillclimb driver, claiming the Ladies' Record at
Shelsley Walsh
Shelsley Walsh is a small village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, on the western side of the River Teme. For administrative purposes it is presently located in the Teme Valley ward of the county’s Malvern Hills district. In the 2011 ...
twice.
In 1937 Petre travelled to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
for the
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition, has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as early as 1894. It quickly evolved from simple road races from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car an ...
season with her Riley. Here she befriended
Bernd Rosemeyer
Bernd Rosemeyer (14 October 1909 – 28 January 1938) was a German racing driver and speed record holder. He is considered one of the greatest racing drivers of all time. Though he was not a member of the Nazi party, he was made a member of the ...
, who was racing for Auto Union. Competing against him and other top drivers of the day, she drove in three Grands Prix, scoring a sixth place in the Grosvenor GP at Cape Town, but failing to finish the others. In September 1937, she went to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
to race a "Grasshopper"
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
in the
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
to
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
rally.
She was driving for the works
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
team at Brooklands in September 1937 when her career was ended by a terrible accident. During practice for the 500 Kilometre race,
Reg Parnell
Reg or REG may refer to:
* Reginald (disambiguation)
* Reg or desert pavement
* Raising for Effective Giving, a charity
* Random event generator (parapsychology)
* Raptor Education Group
* Regal Entertainment Group
* Regular language
* .reg MS Wind ...
misjudged an overtaking move, lost speed, slid down the banking and hit her Austin Seven from behind. She crashed badly and was seriously injured. She never raced competitively again.
Journalism
After this accident Petre turned to journalism. She wrote for the Kelmsley newspaper group, including the
Daily Sketch
The ''Daily Sketch'' was a British national tabloid newspaper, founded in Manchester in 1909 by Sir Edward Hulton.
It was bought in 1920 by Lord Rothermere's Daily Mirror Newspapers, but in 1925 Rothermere sold it to William and Gomer Berry ...
.
On 20 January 1939, whilst covering the
Monte Carlo rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...
, the car she was driving was involved in an accident in
Amberieu-en-Bugey near Lyon in France. Her passenger, fellow journalist Reggie Empson was killed instantly and Petre was badly injured. Petre and the driver of the lorry were charged with manslaughter, but no further legal action was taken against Petre as she had returned to the UK and the Second World War had broken out. Reggie Empson's widow Stella Empson (née Pierres), a former actress known as the ''Modern Venus'', started proceedings against Petre and after a long battle received an out of court settlement of £4,000.
During the Second World War Petre was a food writer,
but then became motoring correspondent for
The Daily Graphic
''The Daily Graphic: An Illustrated Evening Newspaper'' was the first American newspaper with daily illustrations. It was founded in New York City in 1873 by Canadian engravers George-Édouard Desbarats and William Leggo, and began publication ...
magazine.
Design career
In the early 1950s, Petre was employed by Austin as a "colour consultant" to suggest colours and combinations for the new
A40/A50 Cambridge. Many of her ideas, such as bright blues and pinks and following the clothes fashions of the day using brown, dark red and
rust
Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH ...
were not adopted, but her ideas for the cars' interior colours and fabrics were adopted. Later
Leonard Lord
Leonard Percy Lord, 1st Baron Lambury KBE (15 November 1896 – 13 September 1967) was a captain of the British motor industry.
Background and education
Leonard Percy Lord was born on 16 November 1896 and was the youngest child in his family ...
appointed her as a colour consultant to the
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) was a UK-based vehicle manufacturer, formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris and Austin businesses.Morris-Austin Merger Company Named. ''The Times'', Friday, 29 February ...
, charged with brightening up the
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
image to appeal to women drivers. She also designed fabric patterns for the interior of the
Mini
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
.
Later life
After her husband's death she lived alone in
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...
, London, then as a resident in a care home, Parkwood House,
Camden, where she died on 10 August 1994. She was cremated at Golders Green crematorium.
Complete 24-hour Le Mans results
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petre, Kay
1903 births
1994 deaths
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
Brighton Speed Trials people
Brooklands people
Canadian female racing drivers
Canadian expatriates in England
English people of Canadian descent
English racing drivers
English female racing drivers
Grand Prix drivers
Racing drivers from Ontario
Sportspeople from Toronto
British motoring journalists
British women journalists