the unsung black pioneers of motorsport
Everyone has heard of Lewis Hamilton, but who were the black pioneers in motorsport who helped pave the way for him?
Black history in motorsport is a topic so rarely spoken about, one in which very little research has taken place. Surely Lewis Hamilton can’t be the only successful Black man in motorsport?
A representative from Black History Walks said ‘Black history is important as the activities of people of African descent are too often marginalised leading to bias, misinformation and prejudice’.
In today’s world, the topic of diversity has become increasingly spoken about. We discuss institutional racism that is ingrained in society, the ignorance of Black history, and we’ve begun putting the building blocks in place to become better and engross ourselves in the cultures and history of others.
Just a bit of digging online shows that the seven time world champion was not the first Black driver to step on track.
A TIMELINE OF BLACK PIONEERS IN MOTORSPORT
Image via Pourgiel Collection
Dewy Gatson
The black motorsport story begins with Dewy Gatson who was known to his racing peers as ‘Jack DeSoto’. He was racing in stock cars in the 1920s up and down the West Coast winning wherever he went.
As an African American in the 1920s, he was only allowed to race due to the respect he had gained from his peers, however, when it came to getting onto the grid to race, he often had to claim he was Portuguese or Native. Gatson was regularly subjected to racial abuse, there was one instance where he was refused service at a restaurant whilst out for dinner with his racing peers, but they came to his defence rallying together telling the staff that they would all be served or they would all leave highlighting the respect he had gained due to his racing talent.
Charlie Wiggins
Next came Charlie Wiggins, a mechanic who won the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes four times. The racial prejudice at the time meant that Wiggins wasn’t allowed to race in ‘white-only events’ therefore never got to compete in the prestigious Indianapolis 500, however, he did get close to the track acting as the team janitor.
He competed in the inaugural Coloured Speedway Association where he went from success to success. Popular media dubbed him the ‘Negro Speed King’. Despite the title having to include his race, the recognition from the media showed a change in attitudes towards African-American sport personnel.
Image via Ms Mildred Overton / Todd Gould
Roie Ray
The next decade was tough on the Black Motorsport community. Between 1937 and 1947, black drivers were racing with little to no publicity. This decade is considered the lost years in motorsport where the Black racing community began to be erased. This was a period of difficulty and many Black drivers stopped racing due to how difficult it was for them to move anywhere throughout the ranks.
Roie Ray was the first African-American driver licensed by the American Automobile Association. He was one of the first African-Americans to race in NASCAR, one of the top racing series in America however information about his career is very sparse just like most Black history in motorsport.
Image via Getty Images
The next few years saw more and more Black racing drivers come to the sport. We had Wendell Scott, a winner of a NASCAR race and Willy T. Ribbs, the first black driver in the Indy 500 and first Black driver to test a formula 1 car.
Lewis Hamilton
Finally, we reach Lewis Hamilton. The most successful racing driver of all time and the first Black Formula 1 race winner, pole sitter and world champion. Lewis Hamilton is dubbed the greatest of all time and he is proving that the racial abuse these Black pioneers suffered before him wasn’t for nothing and that it pathed the way for him. Hamilton is not only still racing, he is also continuing in the fight for equality in motorsport.
Image via Formula1.com
Elias Bowie and Willy T. Ribbs showed that Black drivers can race in premier classes, Charlie Wiggins showed that you can gain positive publicity, and Lewis Hamilton showed that you can do absolutely anything regardless of your skin colour.
Dewy Gatson wasn’t the first and Lewis Hamilton certainly won’t be the last. Motorsport is changing, diversity is increasing and equality is becoming a norm.