Nicole Drought named as Rosemary Smith Award winner
Tipperary-born Nicole Drought was announced as the recipient of the Rosemary Smith Award at the Motorsport Ireland Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards 2025 in Dublin last week.
The award was commissioned in 2024, and it honours the legacy of Rosemary Smith, who passed away in 2023. It is presented annually to a female driver who carries on her spirit and legacy.
Nicole Drought (second from left) with the members of the Motorsport Ireland Womens’ Commission who selected her for the award.
Smith was a winner on the race circuits and rally stages, not just in Ireland but on the European and the World stage during her glittering career. Long after she had retired from competitive competition, she was invited by Renault to test drive their F1 car in France and, aged 88 at the time, she remains the oldest person ever too drive an F1 car.
“I’m really happy with this award,” Drought said. “Rosemary was an inspiration to me growing up and I was lucky enough to meet her on a number of occasions in more recent times. We had lunch a few times in Dublin and she always offered me advice and support. We even starred together in a TV Ad for Tesco for International Women’s Day back in 2020!
“I have been lucky enough to collect quite a few awards during my motorsport career but I really do think this one tops them all. I would like to say a sincere thank you to Motorsport Ireland and the MI Womens’ Commission for recognising my achievements this far and giving me an award I will treasure.”
Drought is backed by Gem Oils, ITM Naas, Siltex Safety, Joe Mallon Motor Group, RAC Air Conditioning, Mondello Park and IEC Solutions.