Despite failing to finish due to mechanical problems with their Peugeot 304 Michle had by now proved her steely determination and the pair went on to compete in several more races for the 1973 WRC Season. Sarah Crofts has been sharing her passion for motorsport with Beaulieus visitors since she first joined as a volunteer in 2007. The 71-year-old race car driver was born in France. [58] As a driver's seven best results counted towards the championship at the time, Mouton would only need a third place in the RAC Rally to take the title even if Rhrl would win. [5] Although Mouton began driving her father's Citron 2CV when she was 14 years old,[6] she did not turn her interest to rallying until 1972, when her friend Jean Taibi asked her to practise the Tour de Corse with him. 10. Michle Mouton was born 23 June 1951 in Grasse, a town on the French Riviera known for its perfume industry, close to the mountain stages famously featured in French rallies. I never wanted or planned to be a rally driver. What was important for me was to do it and to do it well. She kept her hand in with occasional forays into driving but found a real calling in becoming the first president of the women in motorsport commission in 2010. [139] Mouton also serves in the nomination committee of the Rally Hall of Fame. Beginning in 1983, Group B became the craziest and most legendary part of WRC history. Back in the 1970s, France was a motorsport powerhouse. He even formed a racing team, made up of friends and neighbours, and called it Groupe Comptition Grasse. You can review our Privacy Policy, Information on Personal Data Processing, Whistleblower system and Information about processing of personal data through cookies and other web technologies for more information about the usage of your personal data. [64] At the inaugural Autosport Awards gala, Mouton won the International Rally Driver of the Year award. Mouton was still in Corsica and remarked to her boyfriend that "if they stop the Group B now, it will be the end for me. Dale Earnhardt, Niki Lauda, Arie Luyendyk, and Nigel Mansell were also Her acquaintances. She is a celebrity race car driver. [54][55], Audi had not originally planned to participate in the African marathon events, but now found it necessary to enter the penultimate round, the Rallye Cte d'Ivoire, due to their title battles with Opel. [56] After a first day of over 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) of racing in temperatures over 30C (86F), she was eight minutes clear of Mikkola and nearly half an hour ahead of title rival Rhrl. She co-founded the international event Race of Champions. In 1982 she proved beyond doubt that she had earned that respect. Shed look for twisty roads as she drove home from a night of dancing in his Porsche 911, and she eventually transitioned to a motorsport career when a friend invited her to co-drive for him in Monte Carlo in 1973. But as Queen of Speed regularly shows, many of the men around Mouton didnt. For 1981, Audi Sport signed Mouton to partner Hannu Mikkola. She went on to win the 1978 Tour de France Automobile and record consistent results in her home events in the WRC; the Tour de Corse and the Monte Carlo Rally. [19] Mouton joined Freddy Kottulinsky for the final round of the Finnish Rally Championship, the Northern Lights, and also showed encouraging pace on the slippery surfaces. Manufacturers like Ligier and Renault came to the fore across the racing spectrum, with drivers like Franois Cevert, Patrick Depailler and Jacques Laffite becoming grand prix winners and household names. As soon as I started on gravel I liked it because of that. Why WRC trailblazer Mouton has no regrets over missed title bid. The 'Germ Cell of the Nation': The Family in the Third Reich, Lisa Pine, London South Bank University, UK 4. The next year was hard on Mouton. A new film, Queen of Speed, illustrates Moutons inspirational achievements and a force for significant change in motorsport. In 1972, she met a young Italian racer called Jean Taibi and he invited her to Rally Corsica. [7] At the Tour de Corse, her debut in the newer A310 also ended in retirement. [119] She contested the German Rally Championship and two WRC events in a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, with which the marque had captured the previous year's world titles. make family time for them. A little bit no, a lot like thewomen around me today. Although she recorded nine stage wins and Audi took a one-two, she had to settle for fourth behind Rhrl. If not, shed stop. Fans stood inches from them, they waited mid-track to take pictures before throwing themselves out of the way. Girls father doesnt like boy. Even Finnish driver Ari Vatanen, who participatesin the documentary, faced a question about Mouton claiming he said that he would stop racing if a woman ever beat him. Copyright 2021 Beaulieu Enterprises Ltd, Women in Motorsport & Social History: Michle Mouton. Username and password are case sensitive. [61] At the RAC, Mouton edged out Toivonen to take second place behind Mikkola. [10] Mouton, nicknamed "der schwarze Vulkan" (The Black Volcano) due to her temperament and long black hair,[5][120] won six of the eight events in the German championship,[121] including the Rallye Deutschland. Behind the wheel of the monstrous Quattros, she became one of the very few people able to control the car at insane speeds among crowds of crazed fans. Surname Distribution Census frequency by county. In fact she has always maintained that it was her father, who had been a PoW for five years, who was the key to her success; he had a passion for speed but after the war never had the opportunity to compete. [27] She recorded a few top-ten stage times and finished 13th. Personal Life and Legacy While announcing her retirement from rallying, Mouton stated her intention to start a family with Corsican sports journalist Claude Guarnieri. [113] Mouton started well and tied the lead with Toyota's Juha Kankkunen after the first day. [3] She noted that in rallying, time is the most important thing. Back in the 1980s, rallies were more attritional than today, taking in the wilds of Africa and all imaginable terrains, combining perilous roads and questionable safety measures. [147], At the 50th International Emmy Awards in 2022, the documentary Queen of Speed about Mouton's rise to the top of rallying in the 1980s was awarded an Emmy for the Best Sports Documentary. He loved fast cars. Mouton described Audi's call as "a complete shock". [71] David Evans of Autosport described her as "motorsport's most successful ever female driver". Described as one of the best by Sir Stirling Moss and Superwoman by Niki Lauda, Michle Mouton was, and still is, the only woman to win a round of the World Rally Championship, claiming victory for the Audi Factory Team at the 1981 Rallye San Remo together with her team-mate Fabrizia Pons. [98] At the RAC Rally, a slight mistake led to a puncture and Mouton dropped from third to fifth. In the early 1980s rallying rivalled Formula One in popularity. Soon after regaining the lead on stage twelve,[47] she retired with a broken oil pump. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. WRC 11 mo. She withdrew from the event before the start due to apparent engine problems. [83][86] In the season-ending RAC Rally, she started well and held second place after the first twelve stages. Michle Mouton was born in Grasse, a town on the French Riviera known for its perfume industry, close to the mountain stages famously featured in French rallies. It was a great time for women, Mouton, now 70, recalled during the documentary. [117] The Frenchwoman's win irritated some of her male rivals. [39][41] She eventually finished fifth. From one side to the other side. [146], In 2011, Mouton was made knight of the Legion of Honour (Lgion d'honneur) by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. An error has occured while loading the map. It turned out Mouton loved motor racing. The German manufacturer doubtless had one eye on the PR value of a female driver but Mouton was only interested in proving what she could do behind the wheel. The Family in Imperial Germany, Gunilla Budde, Carl von Ossietzky University, Germany 2. JUMP TO: Michele Moutons biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos, net worth, and popularity. [9] Recalling the race in 2008, Mouton said: "It started to rain I remember, and I started to pass everybody. Wrong username or password. [87] An Audi mechanic later accidentally refilled Mouton's fuel tank with pure water which resulted in time-consuming repairs. She co-founded the international event Race of Champions. Mouton became the first president of the FIA's Women & Motor Sport Commission in 2010 and the FIA's manager in the World Rally Championship in 2011. "[30] This would remain her last podium position in the World Rally Championship. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Michelle Mouton. Which makes the ability to see her back in her old steed even more special. Baby Boomers Generation. Girl meets boy. The 71-year-old French race car driver has done well thus far. We felt like drivers, not woman drivers, Pons adds. See Photos. [89] Although Mikkola beat Lancia's Rhrl and Aln to the drivers' title,[89] Audi had lost the manufacturers' title to Lancia after the latter's triple win in Sanremo. View the profiles of people named Michle Mouton. She raced in the World Rally Championship, most notably for Audi, from 1974-1986, where she won four races. Mouton also explains her retirement from rallying to start a family after winning the 1986 German national championship for Peugeot as the Group B regulations were halted for safety reasons. Its the first World Championship race I won at the top level. In 1982 following victories at Portugal, Acropolis and Brazil, Michle was only twelve points off the Championship, with the title going to the German rally driver, Walter Rohrl. Reluctantly she did so and pulled out a huge lead of over one hour on Rhrl, only to lose it all through a sequence of mechanical problems: a new gearbox and fuel injector had to be fitted, there was a broken radiator and driveshaft and at one point her car refused to start. Much as her name may not be familiar nowadays, she remains an inspiration and force for change in motorsport a full 40 years after her heyday in the World Rally Championship (WRC). In 1975, she competed in circuit racing and won the two-litre prototype class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. [101] Outside the WRC, Mouton debuted in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States, driving an Audi Sport Quattro together with her usual co-driver Fabrizia Pons. Michle Mouton reveals how she won Pikes Peak despite some dodgy officials, Why Henri Toivonen is rallying's lost champion, The 5 greatest Group B rally cars of all time. [7] In late October, she signed a contract extension with Audi. Then I arrive at the special stage, it's about 42km long, and I look at Fabrizia and I said "OK, we forget everything, and we are at the first stage of the rally again, because one of us will crash." [82] Her car later caught on fire,[83] but she was able to continue in the event by following Mikkola's advice and driving into a lake. You cannot win all the time. How the electric VW ID. With the challenge accepted Michle began competing in local hillclimbs and rallies and by the time the year was up she had completed her first international rally at the Tour de Corse, where she was placed 12th and by 1974 she was French Ladies Champion. Her personal year number in 2023 is 9. [100] Mouton's results placed her 12th in the drivers' world championship, a point behind Rhrl. [106] She drove both the Sport Quattro and its follower, the Quattro S1 (Sport E2). Mouton is never shown any quarter by her male rivals, nor does she ask any, for she is a rally driver among rally drivers, wrote Motorsport Magazine in 1981.

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