Michele Mouton

S

skp115

Member
Tadpole
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Mar 29, 2004
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Location
Parramatta, Sydney
Hi

Does anybody know any details of a famous female rally driver in the 80's who came close to winning the Group B rally championships in 1982. She was a frog by the name of Michele Mouton, known as the fastest woman in the world at that time

Cheers :cheers:
 
This section lists some of the many and varied achievements by women in motorsports.

1899
Mme Labrousse became the first female racing driver when she entered the Paris-Spa race. She finished 5th in the three seater class.

1900
A Ladies Race was organized at the Ranelagh Club London. The event was won by Miss Wemblyn from three other women.

1901
Camille du Gast entered the Paris-Berlin Race driving a Panhard, finishing 33rd out of 122 entrants

1903
The Ladies Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland was formed, affiliated to, but separate from, the Royal Automobile Club. The President of the Ladies Automobile Club was the Duchess of Sutherland.

Dorothy Levitt won her class at the Southport Speed Trials

1904
Dorothy Levitt races one of the officially entered De Dion cars in the Hereford 1,000 mile trial.

1906
Dorothy Levitt breaks the women's world speed record recording a speed of 96m.p.h.

1909
The Women's Motoring Club is formed in the United States of America and organizes an all-woman race to be run from New York to Pennsylvania and back again, there were twelve entrants.

1921
Italian, Baroness Maria Antonietta d'Avanso wins the Coppa delle Dame at the Brescia Speed Week

1931
Barbara Cartland organizes a women's race at Brooklands.

1935
Kay Petre races at Brooklands

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1958
Maria Teresa de Filippis becomes the first women to race in Formula One since the introduction of the World Drivers Championship in 1950. She raced in three Grand Prixs for Maserati, posting a best finish of 10th at the Belgium GP, two laps down.

1959
Maria Teresa de Filippis retires from racing after failing to qualify an F2 Porsche at the Monaco GP, a retirement influenced by the death of her mentor, French racing driver Jean Behra.

1962
The British Women's Racing Drivers Club is formed.

1975
Maria Grazia (Lella) Lombardi races for the March Racing Team (12 GPs during '75 and '76) becoming the first woman to post a top sixth placing, 6th at the shortened Spanish GP. Due to the race being ended prematurely after a crash the finishers are awarded half points and Lombardi's 6th earns her 0.5pts.

1976
British driver Davina Gallica fails to qualify for the British GP.

1977
Janet Guthrie becomes the first woman to qualify for the Indy 500 at a speed of 188.403m.p.h. She finished the race 29th.

1978
Janet Guthrie finishes the Indy 500 in 9th place.

1980
South African, Desire Wilson fails to qualify for the British GP driving for Williams but wins the Aurora AFX round at Brands Hatch.

1981
Michele Mouton becomes the first woman to win a round of the Rally World Championship with a victory at the San Remo Rally.

1982
French rally driver, Michele Mouton and her co-driver, Fabrizia Pons win the rallies of Portugal, Brazil and Acropolis and finish second overall in the Rally World Championship.

1983
British rally driver, Louise Aitken-Walker becomes the first woman to win a national championship round outright in Britain and also wins the Coupes des Dames at the Monte Carlo Rally.

1984
Lyn St.James is awarded the IMSA Camel GT Rookie of the Year

1985
Lyn St.James is named IMSA Norelco 'Driver of the Year'.

Michele Mouton becomes the first women to win the Race of Pike's Peak.

1987
Louise Aitken-Walker is voted National Driver of the Year by readers of the British magazine, Autosport.

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1990
Louise Aitken-Walker wins the Ladies World Rally Championship

Lyn St.James becomes President of the 'Women's Sports Foundation' which provides opportunities and support for female athletes in many sports.

1991
Louise Aitken-Walker wins both the Jim Clark Trophy and the Seagrove Trophy.

1992
Giovanna Amati signs to race F1 with the Brabham team but leaves after failing to qualify for the first three races of the season.

Lyn St.James is the first woman to awarded Indy 500 'Rookie of the Year'.

1993
The Lyn St.James Foundation is established to raise awareness of automotive safety and driver development, especially for budding female race drivers.

1996
Amanda Whitaker becomes the first female to win a British National Single Seater Championship winning the Monoposto Championship.

1997
Piero Liatti and his female co-driver, Fabrizia Pons win the Monte Carlo Rally.

The PPG Pace Car Team use female drivers for their CART event pace cars - a team of twelve female drivers cover all CART events to date (2000)

2001
Jutta Kleinschmitt of Germany becomes the first female driver to win the Paris-Dakar Rally driving a Mitsubishi Pajero in 70 hours 42 mins 8 secs.
 
The only thing I know about Michelle Mouton apart from what she did in the awesome Group B rally cars is that she organises the Michelin Race of Champions each year in the Canary Islands. The official website is: www.raceofchampions.com
 
Fabrizia Pons is still navigating - for Jutta Kleinsmitt in the VW in Paris-Dakar.
 
Michelle Mouton competed in the London to Sydney rerun a couple of years ago driving Francis Tuthill's 911 ( the car that won the '93 event).
I remeber seeing the fireworks going off inside the car when she backed it into a ditch (Michelle not Francis) I have the footage at home some where - These are the great events MMMM Stig Blomquist in the Perana Capri & Hannu Mikkola & Roger clark in the Mk 1 escorts
as well as a smattering of 504's
 
RSCLIO said:
Michelle Mouton competed in the London to Sydney rerun a couple of years ago driving Francis Tuthill's 911 ( the car that won the '93 event).
I remeber seeing the fireworks going off inside the car when she backed it into a ditch (Michelle not Francis) I have the footage at home some where - These are the great events MMMM Stig Blomquist in the Perana Capri & Hannu Mikkola & Roger clark in the Mk 1 escorts
as well as a smattering of 504's
Click to expand...


Roger Clark had died before the 2000 event. The Escort was driven by his son Ollie, and very well driven too, I might add.
Yes, I have a tape of this too, taken from the three 1 hour channel 10 programs.

Graham Wallis
 
I've got a video on the Grp B rally cars and if I remember right, the 1982 championship when down to the wire in the last rally of the season, the Ivory Coast rally.
Moutons father was terminally ill and she considered pulling out (who can blame her), be her dad wanted her to push on.
She had a several minute lead going into the last day but unfortunately the Audi wasnt up to the job on the punishing and rough rally, braking the gearbox (?) and retiring from the rally. :cry:
Really sad moment really, would have been fantastic for her to win the World Rally Championship.
 
Yeah IKnew it was his son in 2000 great tape those 3 hours
I actually officated on the '93 event and have a bunch of photos of the cars in the snow near Omeo - Roger did actually drive this event he won the stage we were on this was theevent which was won by Francis Tuthill
 
RSCLIO said:
Yeah IKnew it was his son in 2000 great tape those 3 hours
I actually officated on the '93 event and have a bunch of photos of the cars in the snow near Omeo - Roger did actually drive this event he won the stage we were on this was theevent which was won by Francis Tuthill
Click to expand...


I was at Omeo too.
I remember Andrew Cowan offered $250 to anyone would change his flat tyre. Unfortunately this was prohibited by the regulations, otherwise I was set to make some quick dollars!
What were you driving? I was in a green 505 GR.

Graham Wallis
 
I was in a maroon 180B SSS about 40 KM along Nuniong Road.
We went in the night before and camped and it snowed on us - I was wondering what the Pht noise was that kept happening through the night - it was the snow sliding off the tent.
I pushed the " Coco Pops " Monaro off a snow bank. It was pretty tricky coming back down Nuniong road after all the rally cars had run up it we had 2 rally tyres on the car which helped a little.
Absolutely magic event though - too bad this years one isn't coming anywhere near Vic. I was having a look at regs and entry details
Modern car class- 2 litre normally aspirated 2 wheel drives - sounds like Clio heaven. I even check out cars that had entered a few corolla's and a bunch of integra's. Surely in rally conditions the torque of the Clio would be much better than the top end of the integra - My wife wasn't too keen on the entry fee though
cost nothing to dream I guess.
:cheers:
 
parry said:
This section lists some of the many and varied achievements by women in motorsports.
Click to expand...

Gee, the list is good but misses quite a few.

There was another french woman who was the European Rally champion
in the late 50s early 60s, there was also the famous Pat Moss and a few
other that the list doesn't contain.

For me, Michelle is most famous for winning an event in the A310 Alpine
but then I am biased...

Mike
 
I know quite everything abuot her, she won Sanremo, Portugal, Acropoli and Brasil, but she almost won the title for pilots and she had to give in 500 Kms before the finish line at the bandana rally, not for her fault, but her machanics'. they substituted a differenziale (I don't know the english word) that perfecly worked just to assure her the victory, but something went wrong and she lost all the advantage on Rohrl, her adversary. She decided to go on, nothing would have taken her the victory away, apart misfortune and her team unexperience.Trying to recover the disadvantage she had an accident, she started again, with a broken hand, finally her car boke up and she had to give up. The day before the race started her father had died. She had been simply great. Every headline entitoled her the articles and she was finally cosidered one of the best drivers of the WRC. She was my idol, and I still remember the emotions she gave me when she cut the roads as she did, she drove really fast, Toivonen, who died some years later wrote about her that she was incredibly brave, once, trying to surpass each other they were almost falling down from a high hill. they stopped their wheels few centimeters from the void. Madam Mouton left immeditely faster then before, Toivonen stayed there for some time thinking about the risk just occurred... That was Michele Mouton...
And I still dream about knowing her sooner or later. I've never seen her live, I was only 15 at that time, but she's unforgettable...
 
Americans banning people for burn-outs ?? Are you serious

I have heard many stories of people (like Atte) feeling awed by her presence. I watched some of Michael's (Gti138) GroupB DVD's and i can see why. Atmosphere - No better way to drive people into a fanatical frenzy. The rapid development of stupendously quick cars stunned crowds and brought drivers very close to the brink of nervous breakdowns.

I still like the interview in which she says she is at the start line for a competitive stage and as the starter is counting down 5,4,3... some guy opens her door just so he could touch her.
 
I recall reading about this lady in an early 80s copy of Wheels. If I recall correctly she was driving an Audi Quattro. It was a great article, especially the battle between the Quattros and Celicas. I think Mouton was in the lead for much of the rally, but not as far ahead of the Celicas as she should have been, since she was in a 4wd turbo car.

I might be able to find the article if you are really interested.
 
XsaraVTS said:
Americans banning people for burn-outs ?? Are you serious

I have heard many stories of people (like Atte) feeling awed by her presence. I watched some of Michael's (Gti138) GroupB DVD's and i can see why. Atmosphere - No better way to drive people into a fanatical frenzy. The rapid development of stupendously quick cars stunned crowds and brought drivers very close to the brink of nervous breakdowns.

I still like the interview in which she says she is at the start line for a competitive stage and as the starter is counting down 5,4,3... some guy opens her door just so he could touch her.
Click to expand...


That was because she almost ran over someone in the pits.
I was in NZ in 1983 for the WRC round.
Mouton was first car on the road at a Turn Hard Right intersection.
The Quattro obviously wasn't going to get around because of the locked centre differential (clumsy first generation 4wd technlogy) so what does she do, drives straight over a steel road sign to get a wider line!
Great to see and an indication of her committment.
Graham
 
parry said:
This section lists some of the many and varied achievements by women in motorsports.

1899
Mme Labrousse became the first female racing driver when she entered the Paris-Spa race. She finished 5th in the three seater class.........................
........2001
Jutta Kleinschmitt of Germany becomes the first female driver to win the Paris-Dakar Rally driving a Mitsubishi Pajero in 70 hours 42 mins 8 secs.
Click to expand...

Parry thanx a lot for the valuable information! Do you happen to know where I can find some more for each event?
I am trying to create a database with information about the history of Women in Motorsports in order to educate more women about it could you please help?

Another thing now... Does anyone have any video with women drivers? (Michelle's would be the most probable to find I guess...)
 
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