Lorina Boughton McLaughlin was the first woman to ever win the “Man of the Meeting” Award given regularly by BP and Alcoa in British race events in the 1970s and 1980s! She is also one of the very few female full members of the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC). With husband David, she now runs the FORCE, The Historic European Formula One Race Car Entrants. She has raced almost every year since 1969, when she started in Formula Ford, progressing through F3, F4, F.Libre, F.Ford 2000, Modified Sports, Formula Junior and, eventually, Historic F1. She was a regular winner of the British Women Racing Drivers Club Embassy Trophy, winner of championships at individual circuits, 2nd in the Historic Formula Junior Championship, and has had many, many outright race wins, fastest laps and circuit records. She has spent the last year not only continuing to do well with the McLaren M23 which she has had for many years, but has also been dealing with cancer, which she refused to allow to interfere with her racing. Shortly after this interview with European Editor Ed McDonough, she was off to drive at the Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca, where she became the first woman to race a Grand Prix car in the USA.
Let’s start with the obvious question…how did you get started in racing?
McLaughlin: I was taken to a race meeting when I was about 14 by a boyfriend and I loved it, and I thought then that when I grew up I was going to be a racing driver. I had tried everything else…horse riding, ballet, but nothing else had done it for me until I saw my first race and I knew that was my vocation. That was at Goodwood…I hope no one can figure out my age from this!
