Photo: e-Sbírky, Národní muzeum, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Olomouc-born Eliška Junková is regarded as one of the most extraordinary drivers in Grand Prix motor racing history. Although her career was cut short by the tragic death of her husband, a fellow racer, she achieved a remarkable amount in only five years, winning several events and becoming the first woman to ever compete in the infamous Targa Florio, beating 25 other top drivers in the process.
Born Alžběta Pospíšilová to a locksmith as the sixth of eight children, Junková was nicknamed “smíšek” at an early age for her ever-present smile. She had a taste for adventure and in her youth already developed a desire to travel the world, which led her to learn languages and subsequently get a job at a bank at the age of 16.
Her job not only allowed her to travel abroad to France and Gibraltar, but also to meet Čeněk Junek, the man who would later become her husband and introduce her to the world of competitive motor racing. Čeněk had a passion for the high-performance automobiles of the day, and began competing in races in the early 1920s, bringing Eliška, whom he had married in 1922, along with him.
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Authors: Anna Fodor, Daniel Ordóñez