Claire Greig’s need for speed runs in the family. Her grandfather, the legendary Lex Davison, won the Australian Grand Prix four times and competed at the Geelong Speed Trials in the 1950s, while her grandmother, Diana (Di Di) Gaze, put her 1928 Alfa Romeo through its paces over the same course in the 1980s and ’90s, as well as competing in the Rob Roy Hillclimb, Targa Tasmania and other motoring events.
“We even have photos of my great-grandfather driving in the 1920s,” Greig says of the family history. “Today my cousins Alex and Will Davison drive in the V8 Supercars series and another cousin, James, drives in the US. My uncle Richard was also a well-known driver of formula one cars in the 1980s and now competes in the historic category in a formula 5000.
“My dad, Chris, my husband, Johnny, and I are driving in the Historic Formula Ford category in 1984 FF Reynard open-wheelers. Johnny and I also ride motorbikes, I ride a Ducati Monster.”
Greig grew up in Holbrook, New South Wales, on the family’s beef cattle property, before going to boarding school at Geelong Grammar. She studied natural resource management at university then worked on large-scale biodiversity projects for a landcare group.
Today, Greig and her husband Johnny Greig run Greig Design and Construction at Barwon Heads, specialising in designing and constructing new homes, extensions and renovations.
It is only recently that Greig has taken up competitive motorsport. “My first time was at the Geelong Sprints in December 2012 and it immediately brought back memories of my grandmother,” she says. “I’m 38 and we have two young children and I look at how amazing my grandmother was as at the same age after Lex died in a crash in 1965, and she had seven children and a business to run.”
Competing alongside Greig’s grandfather at the Geelong Speed Trials in the ’50s was Tony Gaze, the first-ever Australian formula one racing car driver to compete internationally. Greig’s grandmother married Gaze after her first husband’s death. In memory of her grandmother, Greig has “For Di Di” printed on her racing helmet.
“Di Di died in early August 2012. After she died, I grieved terribly and I still miss her,” she says. “Sadly she never saw me race, but it was amazing getting up on that line at Geelong last year and taking off thinking, ‘Here I am doing the same as Di Di so many years later’ – it was quite overwhelming.
“It’s amazing I feel so calm as soon as I’m in that car and have an immediate connection with my grandmother, I feel a little bit intimidated by the challenge it brings but I really enjoy it.”
Mostly though, it’s the family involvement – she recently completed with her husband and father recently at Winton Motor Raceway – that brings so much joy for Greig. She was thrilled to overtake her dad, even if he did catch her later.
“I’m in awe of everything my family has achieved, and is still achieving, in motorsport but I’m doing it because it’s always something I wanted to have a go at. It’s great to have that family support – even the kids get out with a rag and give the car a polish!”
At Winton this year, the memories also flooded back for the family when the 1928 Alfa Romeo Greig’s grandmother used to race competed in the historic category. Lex Davison’s father brought the car out from England in 1928 and it was the family car until Davison decided to race it. Di Di later raced it, as did Greig’s dad.
“I’m going to do the Rob Roy Hillclimb in the Yarra Valley this year where they have the Diana Davison/Gaze trophy for the fastest woman,” says Greig. “I’ve seen some footage of the event and it’s completely terrifying; you just go up the hill as fast as you can.”
Greig says Di Di started Women for Wheels in the 1950s and recently a committee has been formed, Women of Australian Motorsport, to further promote female participation. “I’d love to be able to get out and spruik about women challenging themselves and give something back the way my grandmother did.
“It was also special to have mum there on the sidelines, both at the Phillip Island historic racing in March … and the Geelong Sprints. Mum is disabled, but she absolutely loves seeing us doing what we love. She is our inspiration.”
