That meant Formula Ford, where Alan and Desiré were competing together.
But, shortly after her eighteenth birthday(the
legal driving age in South Africa), Desiré's father, Charlie, saw an opportunity.
At five years old, Desiré Wilson(née Randall)
was behind the wheel of a go-kart at local South African tracks.
Despite not being behind the wheel for almost six years, Desiré started immediately lapping faster than the regular season driver.
After marrying Alan Wilson,
the family got together and decided that it was time for Desiré to make take the next step in her career.
Her husband recounts stories of her threatening drivers twice her age and
size after races because they made the mistake of thinking they could mess with Desiré.
In 1980, the series saw South African Desiré Wilson become the only woman to win
a Formula One race when she triumphed at Brands Hatch in a Wolf WR3.
Following an invitation from Vermeulen and the endowment of the Driver to Europe Award(which funded a young South African hopeful's
chances at racing success in the big leagues), Desiré found herself making her way to the Netherlands.
That first year wasn't a massive success for Desiré, but it did give her access to a series in which she competed for the next few years,
gaining important skills that would benefit her racing throughout her career.