Dubliner Rosemary Smith has never shirked a challenge. In her heyday, she saw off the top men and women in Europe to win the Dutch Tulip Rally, she took part in the 7,000-mile London to Sydney Rally through countries like Iran and Afghanistan and won numerous other iconic rallies.
Having left behind a career in dressmaking, she never looked back. She brought determination and glamour to the world of rallying and was always a formidable competitor.
Now at the age of 79, she has fulfilled a lifelong ambition - to drive a Formula 1 car. These cars are capable of speeds of over 300 KPH. At her age, she says, she should have been at home knitting, but on she pressed when offered the challenge.
Rosemary told RTÉ Motoring she was "utterly terrified" when she arrived at the Circuit Paul Ricard track last month. "I'd never driven anything like this before. I was utterly terrified until I settled into the drive. I did about 15 laps. I don't even know what speed I was doing because I could just about see over the top of the steering wheel but it was a brilliant experience. The people at the track were great - we had helicopters filming and drones. I even had a personal make-up person - I'm just not used to that".
Rosemary has now reverted to the more sedate - but sometimes equally challenging - role of instructor at her driving school for young people in Kildare and is now a brand ambassador for Renault.
