Michèle Mouton
Encyclopedia
Michèle Mouton is a French
former rally
driver. Competing in the World Rally Championship
for the Audi factory team, she took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers' world championship in 1982. She is still the last woman to compete in top-level rallying.
Mouton debuted in rallying as a co-driver but quickly moved to the driver's seat, steering an Alpine-Renault A110
in national rallies. In 1975, she competed in circuit racing and won the two-litre prototype class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
. After being signed by Fiat
France for 1977, Mouton finished runner-up to Bernard Darniche
in the European Rally Championship
. 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
. For 1981, Audi Sport signed Mouton to partner Hannu Mikkola
. In her first year with the Audi Quattro
, she took a surprise victory at the Rallye Sanremo
.
In the 1982 season, Mouton finished a close second overall to Walter Röhrl
, after wins in Portugal
, Brazil
and Greece, and helped Audi to its first manufacturers' title. Her campaign the following year resulted in fifth place. With the team having four top drivers for 1984, Mouton's participation on world championship level became part-time. In 1985, she won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States, setting a record time in the progress. In 1986, she moved to Peugeot
and won the German Rally Championship as the first female driver to win a major championship in rallying. Soon after securing the title, Mouton retired from rallying due to the ban of Group B
supercars. In 1988, she co-founded the international motorsport event Race of Champions
in memory of her former rival Henri Toivonen
. 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.
, a town on the French Riviera
known for its perfume industry, close to the mountain stages famously featured in French rallies. Her parents grew roses and jasmine on their large property. After graduating from high school, Mouton began law studies, but would soon drop out and concentrate on a career in rallying. Although Mouton began driving her father's Citroën 2CV
when she was 14 years old, 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. Mouton later co-drove
for him in the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally
, the first-ever World Rally Championship
event. After a few more rallies, Mouton's father suggested a switch to driving if she wanted to continue in rallying, and promised to buy her a car and give her one year to prove herself. Driving an Alpine-Renault A110
, she debuted at the Critérium Féminin Paris-Saint-Raphaël and then tackled the Tour de France Automobile
. In the Île de Beauté, a complementary event to the Tour de Corse at the end of 1973, Mouton finished eighth overall.
In the World Rally Championship, Mouton made her driver debut in 1974, finishing 12th in the Tour de Corse in an Alpine A110. Her car passing the WRC scrutineering shot down the rumour that her good performances had resulted from a special engine. Re-entering the event the following season, she took seventh place. For the second year in a row, Mouton captured the French and European ladies' titles. Mouton also competed in circuit racing: In an all-female team with Christine Dacremont and Marianne Hoepfner, she won the two-litre prototype category of the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans
. Recalling the race in 2008, Mouton said: "It started to rain I remember, and I started to pass everybody. I was running on slicks. In the pits they were saying 'Michele you must stop', but I did not want to because I was passing everyone." Her results attracted a major sponsor in the form of the French oil company Elf
. At the Scottish Rally
, Mouton had been closing in on the leading Wilson until a mechanical problem forced her to retire. At the Ulster Rally, she set the pace on the first stage but then dropped out with a mechanical failure. In the season-ending Manx International Rally
, Mouton struggled to start her Quattro and then crashed out five stages later.
Mouton's only WRC event of the year was the long-distance Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
. She was co-driven by Arne Hertz
as Pons was ill at the time of the start. Mouton started well and tied the lead with Toyota's Juha Kankkunen
after the first day. Her Quattro incurred severe engine problems on the next day, but was seemingly repaired by Audi mechanics off the route in the jungle. At the same time, the Sport Quattro "chase car", a high-speed service car, retired and Audi faced accusations of swapping the cars. The team withdrew Mouton just before the finish and the controversy remains unresolved; the stewards did not find proof but the media published evidence afterwards. Although her rallying year was a disappointment, Mouton made a successful return to the Pikes Peak, winning the event overall in her Sport Quattro. Despite slippery conditions caused by a hailstorm, she broke Al Unser, Jr.
's 1982 record by about thirteen seconds. The win got under the skin of some of her male rivals. Bobby Unser
was reputedly quite vociferous about losing to a German car driven by a French woman, to which Mouton is said to have replied: "If you have the balls you can try to race me back down as well."
for the coming season
. She contested the German Rally Championship and two WRC events in a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, with which the marque had captured last year's world titles. To replace the newly-wed Pons, Mouton recruited Terry Harryman who had been left jobless after Ari Vatanen
's accident. Nicknamed "der schwarze Vulkan" (The Black Volcano) due to her temperament and long black hair, she won six of the eight events in the German championship, including the Rallye Deutschland
. Although the Hessen Rallye was stopped after the severe accident of Formula One
driver Marc Surer
, which claimed the life of his co-driver Michel Wyder, Mouton was declared the winner. She secured the German national title on the seventh and penultimate round, the Sachs Baltic, after taking her fifth win of the season. She became the first female driver to win a major championship in rallying.
Mouton's WRC outings were her home events: Monte Carlo Rally
and Tour de Corse
. In Monte Carlo, she was running in eighth place after eleven stages, but soon retired with oil pump
problems. For the Tour de Corse in May, Mouton was given the second evolution of the car. She quickly showed good pace and held third place behind Lancia's Henri Toivonen
and teammate Bruno Saby
. However, she ran into gearbox trouble on the tenth stage and was forced to retire. During the next day, Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto
crashed out from the lead and died. 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." Within days, FISA
announced new regulations and banned the Group B supercars for the following year.
In October, two weeks after securing the German Rally Championship title, Mouton announced her retirement from rallying. She cited the end of the Group B era as the reason behind the decision, and stated that it was "a good time to stop." Later in the same month, Mouton crowned her career by winning the last event of the German championship, the Drei-Städte-Rallye (Three Cities Rally), ahead of Armin Schwarz
's MG Metro 6R4.
with Fredrik Johnsson, in memory of Toivonen and to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the world championship for rally drivers. The event originally included the world's top rally drivers, but now features stars also from other disciplines, such as Formula One
, NASCAR
, Le Mans and MotoGP, competing against each other in identical cars.
In 1988 and 1989, Mouton participated in rally raid
s as part of Peugeot's service team for Ari Vatanen
and Jacky Ickx
. At the 1988 Rally of Tunisia, Mouton drove a 205 T16 Grand Raid chase car and transported spart parts for Vatanen and Henri Pescarolo
, but also classified sixth overall. She later took part in the Dakar Rally
as a press driver in 2004 and 2009. In 2000, Mouton finished second in the London-Sydney Marathon
driving a Porsche 911
, behind former teammate Stig Blomqvist
. After 22 years, Mouton and Fabrizia Pons reunited to compete in the 2008 Otago Classic Rally in New Zealand. In 2010, Mouton competed with a 911 in the Rallye du Maroc
and finished second to Grégoire De Mévius
.
In 2010, Mouton became the first president of the FIA's Women & Motor Sport Commission. She stated that "for many years people have asked me why there have been no women following in my footsteps. I really hope the Commission can help answer that question and that we can attract and support women in all areas of our sport." Having already headed a working group on the future of rallying, Mouton was appointed FIA's manager in the World Rally Championship in 2011. Mouton also serves in the nomination committee of the Rally Hall of Fame
.
Mouton states that in her mind she did not try to beat her male rivals, but to be at their level. She noted that in rallying the time is the most important thing. David Evans of Autosport
described her as "motorsport's most successful ever female driver." Rally journalist and historian Graham Robson credits Mouton, along with Pat Moss
, as "the driver by whom all other females measure their skills and achievements." Mouton and Moss were of different eras and did not compete directly against each other, although they both appeared at the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally
where Mouton co-drove. In 1985, they swapped cars in a private test session with Moss driving the Quattro and Mouton an Austin-Healey 3000
. Stirling Moss
regarded Mouton as "one of the best", and Niki Lauda
described her as a "superwoman". Despite Mouton's success, no female driver has since made it into top-level rallying.
In 2011, Mouton was made knight of the Legion of Honour (Légion d'honneur).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
former rally
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
driver. Competing in the World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
for the Audi factory team, she took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers' world championship in 1982. She is still the last woman to compete in top-level rallying.
Mouton debuted in rallying as a co-driver but quickly moved to the driver's seat, steering an Alpine-Renault A110
Alpine A110
The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
in national rallies. In 1975, she competed in circuit racing and won the two-litre prototype class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1975 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 43rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1975.-Pre-race:In the wake of the oil crisis, Le Mans introduced rules in 1975 regarding fuel consumption. In response, the CSI excluded the 24 Hours from the World Championship for Makes...
. After being signed by Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
France for 1977, Mouton finished runner-up to Bernard Darniche
Bernard Darniche
Bernard Darniche is a French former rally driver. He won the European Rally Championship in 1976 and 1977 and the French Rally Championship in 1976 and 1978, each time behind the wheel of a Lancia Stratos...
in the European Rally Championship
European Rally Championship
The European Rally Championship is the European continental championship series in rallying. It is organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile .-History:...
. She went on to win the 1978 Tour de France Automobile
Tour de France Automobile
Tour de France Automobile was a sports car race held on roads around France, first held in 1899 at speeds of 30 mph . The first event was won by René de Knyff driving a Panhard et Levassor...
and record consistent results in her home events in the WRC; the Tour de Corse
Tour de Corse
The Tour de Corse - Rallye de France is a rally first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It was part of the World Rally Championship from the inaugural 1973 season to 2008. The name "Tour de Corse" refers to the fact that in the early days it was run around the island; nowadays it only features...
and the Monte Carlo Rally
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rally Monte Carlo is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The rally takes place along the French Riviera in the Principality of Monaco and...
. For 1981, Audi Sport signed Mouton to partner Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...
. In her first year with the Audi Quattro
Audi Quattro
The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, now part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March.The word quattro is derived from the Italian word for "four"...
, she took a surprise victory at the Rallye Sanremo
Rallye Sanremo
Rallye Sanremo is a rally competition held in Sanremo, Italy. Except for the 1995 event, the event was part of the FIA World Rally Championship schedule from the 1973 season to the 2003 season. Currently, it is a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the Italian national rally...
.
In the 1982 season, Mouton finished a close second overall to Walter Röhrl
Walter Röhrl
Walter Röhrl is a German rally and auto racing driver, with victories for Fiat, Opel, Lancia and Audi as well as Porsche, Ford and BMW.-Career:...
, after wins in Portugal
Rally de Portugal
The Rally de Portugal is a rally competition held in Portugal. First held in 1967, the seventh running of the race, the 7º TAP Rallye de Portugal was the third event in the inaugural FIA World Rally Championship in 1973...
, Brazil
Rally of Brazil
Rally Brazil is the largest rally racing event held in South America. Currently part of the South American Rally Championship , it has been incorporated into the World Rally Championship calendar, in 1981 and 1982....
and Greece, and helped Audi to its first manufacturers' title. Her campaign the following year resulted in fifth place. With the team having four top drivers for 1984, Mouton's participation on world championship level became part-time. In 1985, she won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States, setting a record time in the progress. In 1986, she moved to Peugeot
Peugeot Sport
Peugeot Sport is the department of French carmaker Peugeot responsible for motorsport activities.-Beginnings in rallying:Peugeot Sport was formed in 1981 under the name of Peugeot Talbot Sport, after Jean Todt, a World Rally Championship co-driver for Talbot driver Guy Fréquelin, was asked by...
and won the German Rally Championship as the first female driver to win a major championship in rallying. Soon after securing the title, Mouton retired from rallying due to the ban of Group B
Group B
Group B was a set of regulations introduced in 1982 for competition vehicles in sportscar racing and rallying regulated by the FIA. The Group B regulations fostered some of the quickest, most powerful and sophisticated rally cars ever built. However, a series of major accidents, some fatal, were...
supercars. In 1988, she co-founded the international motorsport event Race of Champions
Race of Champions
The Race of Champions is an international motorsport event held at the end of each year, featuring some of the world's best racing and rally drivers...
in memory of her former rival Henri Toivonen
Henri Toivonen
Henri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri Toivonen, became a professional circuit racer.Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came...
. 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.
Early life and career
Michèle Mouton was born 23 June 1951 in GrasseGrasse
-See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*...
, a town on the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
known for its perfume industry, close to the mountain stages famously featured in French rallies. Her parents grew roses and jasmine on their large property. After graduating from high school, Mouton began law studies, but would soon drop out and concentrate on a career in rallying. Although Mouton began driving her father's Citroën 2CV
Citroën 2CV
The Citroën 2CV |tax horsepower]]”) was an economy car produced by the French automaker Citroën between 1948 and 1990. It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with uncompromisingly utilitarian unconventional looks, and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork, that belied the sheer...
when she was 14 years old, she did not turn her interest to rallying until 1972, when her friend Jean Taibi asked her to practise the Tour de Corse
Tour de Corse
The Tour de Corse - Rallye de France is a rally first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It was part of the World Rally Championship from the inaugural 1973 season to 2008. The name "Tour de Corse" refers to the fact that in the early days it was run around the island; nowadays it only features...
with him. Mouton later co-drove
Co-driver
Co-driver is the term given to the navigator of rally car in the sport of rally racing, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver, often over a radio headset, due to the high level of noise in the car...
for him in the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally
1973 Monte Carlo Rally
The 1973 Monte Carlo Rally was the 42nd running of the Monte Carlo Rally, one of the world's oldest and most well-known automobile rallies. Run in late January and hosted in the principality of Monaco, the 1973 rally was notable for being the first rally on the Fédération Internationale de...
, the first-ever World Rally Championship
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
event. After a few more rallies, Mouton's father suggested a switch to driving if she wanted to continue in rallying, and promised to buy her a car and give her one year to prove herself. Driving an Alpine-Renault A110
Alpine A110
The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
, she debuted at the Critérium Féminin Paris-Saint-Raphaël and then tackled the Tour de France Automobile
Tour de France Automobile
Tour de France Automobile was a sports car race held on roads around France, first held in 1899 at speeds of 30 mph . The first event was won by René de Knyff driving a Panhard et Levassor...
. In the Île de Beauté, a complementary event to the Tour de Corse at the end of 1973, Mouton finished eighth overall.
In the World Rally Championship, Mouton made her driver debut in 1974, finishing 12th in the Tour de Corse in an Alpine A110. Her car passing the WRC scrutineering shot down the rumour that her good performances had resulted from a special engine. Re-entering the event the following season, she took seventh place. For the second year in a row, Mouton captured the French and European ladies' titles. Mouton also competed in circuit racing: In an all-female team with Christine Dacremont and Marianne Hoepfner, she won the two-litre prototype category of the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans
1975 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 43rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 and 15 1975.-Pre-race:In the wake of the oil crisis, Le Mans introduced rules in 1975 regarding fuel consumption. In response, the CSI excluded the 24 Hours from the World Championship for Makes...
. Recalling the race in 2008, Mouton said: "It started to rain I remember, and I started to pass everybody. I was running on slicks. In the pits they were saying 'Michele you must stop', but I did not want to because I was passing everyone." Her results attracted a major sponsor in the form of the French oil company Elf
Elf Aquitaine
Elf Aquitaine was a French oil company which merged with TotalFina to form TotalFinaElf. The new company changed its name to Total in 2003...
. At the Scottish Rally
Scottish Rally
The Scottish Rally is the highlight of the Scottish Rally Championship. Taking place in June of every year, the warm weather and unique forest stages draws competitors from around the world....
, Mouton had been closing in on the leading Wilson until a mechanical problem forced her to retire. At the Ulster Rally, she set the pace on the first stage but then dropped out with a mechanical failure. In the season-ending Manx International Rally
Rally Isle of Man
Rally Isle of Man is a rally competition held in the Isle of Man. It was first held in 1963, and later became a well-known event in the British Open Rally Championship and the European Rally Championship...
, Mouton struggled to start her Quattro and then crashed out five stages later.
Mouton's only WRC event of the year was the long-distance Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
Rallye Côte d'Ivoire
The Rallye Côte d'Ivoire is a rally race held annually in Côte d'Ivoire in Africa. In common with other races on the continent, it is known for its arduous conditions and high attrition rate among competitors. It was part of the World Rally Championship for drivers and manufacturers from 1978 to...
. She was co-driven by Arne Hertz
Arne Hertz
Arne Hertz was a Swedish co-driver in motor rallying.His name first became prominent when co-driving for Stig Blomqvist , with whom he first won the RAC Rally, in 1971. With Blomqvist, in the same year, he also won the Hankiralli, the Swedish Rally and the 1000 Lakes Rally...
as Pons was ill at the time of the start. Mouton started well and tied the lead with Toyota's Juha Kankkunen
Juha Kankkunen
Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
after the first day. Her Quattro incurred severe engine problems on the next day, but was seemingly repaired by Audi mechanics off the route in the jungle. At the same time, the Sport Quattro "chase car", a high-speed service car, retired and Audi faced accusations of swapping the cars. The team withdrew Mouton just before the finish and the controversy remains unresolved; the stewards did not find proof but the media published evidence afterwards. Although her rallying year was a disappointment, Mouton made a successful return to the Pikes Peak, winning the event overall in her Sport Quattro. Despite slippery conditions caused by a hailstorm, she broke Al Unser, Jr.
Al Unser, Jr.
Alfred Unser, Jr. , nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior" or simply "Junior" is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.-History:...
's 1982 record by about thirteen seconds. The win got under the skin of some of her male rivals. Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
was reputedly quite vociferous about losing to a German car driven by a French woman, to which Mouton is said to have replied: "If you have the balls you can try to race me back down as well."
Peugeot
Mouton broke off her contract with Audi in late 1985 to join PeugeotPeugeot Sport
Peugeot Sport is the department of French carmaker Peugeot responsible for motorsport activities.-Beginnings in rallying:Peugeot Sport was formed in 1981 under the name of Peugeot Talbot Sport, after Jean Todt, a World Rally Championship co-driver for Talbot driver Guy Fréquelin, was asked by...
for the coming season
1986 World Rally Championship season
The 1986 World Rally Championship season was the 14th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies, including all twelve venues of the previous season as well as the addition of the Olympus Rally...
. She contested the German Rally Championship and two WRC events in a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, with which the marque had captured last year's world titles. To replace the newly-wed Pons, Mouton recruited Terry Harryman who had been left jobless after Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....
's accident. Nicknamed "der schwarze Vulkan" (The Black Volcano) due to her temperament and long black hair, she won six of the eight events in the German championship, including the Rallye Deutschland
Rallye Deutschland
The ADAC Rallye Deutschland is a rally event held in Germany. The event was first held in 1982 and originally hosted by e.g. Frankfurt, Mainz and Koblenz. In 2000, the rally was relocated to the region around Trier...
. Although the Hessen Rallye was stopped after the severe accident of Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver Marc Surer
Marc Surer
Marc Surer is a former racing driver from Switzerland. He participated in 88 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 9 September 1979. He scored a total of 17 championship points....
, which claimed the life of his co-driver Michel Wyder, Mouton was declared the winner. She secured the German national title on the seventh and penultimate round, the Sachs Baltic, after taking her fifth win of the season. She became the first female driver to win a major championship in rallying.
Mouton's WRC outings were her home events: Monte Carlo Rally
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rally Monte Carlo is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco which also organises the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. The rally takes place along the French Riviera in the Principality of Monaco and...
and Tour de Corse
Tour de Corse
The Tour de Corse - Rallye de France is a rally first held in 1956 on the island of Corsica. It was part of the World Rally Championship from the inaugural 1973 season to 2008. The name "Tour de Corse" refers to the fact that in the early days it was run around the island; nowadays it only features...
. In Monte Carlo, she was running in eighth place after eleven stages, but soon retired with oil pump
Oil pump (internal combustion engine)
The oil pump in an internal combustion engine circulates engine oil under pressure to the rotating bearings, the sliding pistons and the camshaft of the engine...
problems. For the Tour de Corse in May, Mouton was given the second evolution of the car. She quickly showed good pace and held third place behind Lancia's Henri Toivonen
Henri Toivonen
Henri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli Toivonen, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his brother, Harri Toivonen, became a professional circuit racer.Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came...
and teammate Bruno Saby
Bruno Saby
Bruno Saby is a rally driver from France.In 1981, Saby became French Rally Champion in a Renault 5 Turbo. He drove for the works teams of Renault, Peugeot, Volkswagen and Lancia during his career in the World Rally Championship...
. However, she ran into gearbox trouble on the tenth stage and was forced to retire. During the next day, Toivonen and his co-driver Sergio Cresto
Sergio Cresto
Sergio Cresto was the co-driver of Henri Toivonen at the Lancia Martini team for the 1986 World Rally Championship season. He was also a former co-driver for fellow Lancia employee, the Italian driver Attilio Bettega....
crashed out from the lead and died. 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." Within days, FISA
Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile
The Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile was the governing body for motor racing events. The organisation's origins date from 1922, when the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile delegated the organisation of automobile racing to the CSI , an autonomous committee that would later...
announced new regulations and banned the Group B supercars for the following year.
In October, two weeks after securing the German Rally Championship title, Mouton announced her retirement from rallying. She cited the end of the Group B era as the reason behind the decision, and stated that it was "a good time to stop." Later in the same month, Mouton crowned her career by winning the last event of the German championship, the Drei-Städte-Rallye (Three Cities Rally), ahead of Armin Schwarz
Armin Schwarz
Armin Schwarz is a German rally driver. He competed in the World Rally Championship from 1988 to 2005, winning the 1991 Rally Catalunya and taking six other podium finishes...
's MG Metro 6R4.
Later career
In 1988, Mouton co-founded the international motorsport event Race of ChampionsRace of Champions
The Race of Champions is an international motorsport event held at the end of each year, featuring some of the world's best racing and rally drivers...
with Fredrik Johnsson, in memory of Toivonen and to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the world championship for rally drivers. The event originally included the world's top rally drivers, but now features stars also from other disciplines, such as Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
, Le Mans and MotoGP, competing against each other in identical cars.
In 1988 and 1989, Mouton participated in rally raid
Rally raid
Rally raid, also known as cross country rallying is a form of long distance off-road racing that takes place over several days. Each day may require traveling up to . The length of the event can be 3–15 days...
s as part of Peugeot's service team for Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....
and Jacky Ickx
Jacky Ickx
Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :...
. At the 1988 Rally of Tunisia, Mouton drove a 205 T16 Grand Raid chase car and transported spart parts for Vatanen and Henri Pescarolo
Henri Pescarolo
Henri Pescarolo is a former racing driver from France. He participated in 64 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 22 September 1968. He achieved one podium, and scored a total of 12 championship points...
, but also classified sixth overall. She later took part in the Dakar Rally
Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid type of off-road automobile race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation...
as a press driver in 2004 and 2009. In 2000, Mouton finished second in the London-Sydney Marathon
London-Sydney Marathon
The London–Sydney Marathon was a car rally from the United Kingdom to Australia. It was first run in 1968, a second event was organised in 1977 and a third in 1993 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original. Two further rallies have subsequently been contested in 2000 and 2004.The original...
driving a Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
, behind former teammate Stig Blomqvist
Stig Blomqvist
"Stig" Lennart Blomqvist is a Swedish rally driver. He made his international breakthrough in 1971. Driving an Audi Quattro for the Audi factory team, Blomqvist won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1984 and finished runner-up in 1985...
. After 22 years, Mouton and Fabrizia Pons reunited to compete in the 2008 Otago Classic Rally in New Zealand. In 2010, Mouton competed with a 911 in the Rallye du Maroc
Rallye du Maroc
The Rallye du Maroc was a marathon rally, similar to the Safari Rally. It was first run in 1934, and held intermittently until 1988. Established by the Royal Automobile Club of Morocco, it is one of the more difficult automotive rallies...
and finished second to Grégoire De Mévius
Grégoire De Mévius
Grégoire De Mévius is a Belgium rally driver active in the years 1988–2001. He first broke out into the World Rally Championship scene racing in the Group N category in the Mazda 323. With an unsuccessful spell of Group A races in 1990, he was never considered to be a talent in spotlight of rally...
.
In 2010, Mouton became the first president of the FIA's Women & Motor Sport Commission. She stated that "for many years people have asked me why there have been no women following in my footsteps. I really hope the Commission can help answer that question and that we can attract and support women in all areas of our sport." Having already headed a working group on the future of rallying, Mouton was appointed FIA's manager in the World Rally Championship in 2011. Mouton also serves in the nomination committee of the Rally Hall of Fame
Rally Hall of Fame
Rally Hall of Fame is an exhibition of famous rallying drivers and other persons who have had a great influence in rally driving. Finland having long traditions in rally driving, Rally Hall of Fame is part of Finnish Automobile and road museum Mobilia located at Kangasala, near the city of Tampere...
.
Personal life and legacy
While announcing her retirement from rallying, Mouton stated her intention to start a family with Corsican sports journalist Claude Guarnieri. She had her daughter Jessica in 1987. Mouton credited her father Pierre's support as the secret for her success: "He loved driving. He loved fast cars. And I think he would have loved to do what I did. He was a prisoner of war for five years and when he came back he never had the opportunity to compete. But he came to all the rallies I did. And my mother came, too."Mouton states that in her mind she did not try to beat her male rivals, but to be at their level. She noted that in rallying the time is the most important thing. David Evans of Autosport
Autosport
Autosport is a weekly magazine covering motorsport, published in the United Kingdom every Thursday by Haymarket Consumer Media. It was first published on 25 August 1950 by Gregor Grant, immediately prior to the Silverstone International Trophy meeting of that year...
described her as "motorsport's most successful ever female driver." Rally journalist and historian Graham Robson credits Mouton, along with Pat Moss
Pat Moss
Pat Moss, after her marriage Pat Moss-Carlsson, was one of the most successful female auto rally drivers of all time, scoring 3 outright wins and 7 Podium Finishes in international rallies. She was crowned European Ladies' Rally Champion five times...
, as "the driver by whom all other females measure their skills and achievements." Mouton and Moss were of different eras and did not compete directly against each other, although they both appeared at the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally
1973 Monte Carlo Rally
The 1973 Monte Carlo Rally was the 42nd running of the Monte Carlo Rally, one of the world's oldest and most well-known automobile rallies. Run in late January and hosted in the principality of Monaco, the 1973 rally was notable for being the first rally on the Fédération Internationale de...
where Mouton co-drove. In 1985, they swapped cars in a private test session with Moss driving the Quattro and Mouton an Austin-Healey 3000
Austin-Healey 3000
The Austin-Healey 3000 is a British sports car built from 1959 to 1967, and is the best known of the "big" Healey models. The car's bodywork was made by Jensen Motors, and the vehicles were assembled at the BMC Abingdon works....
. Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
regarded Mouton as "one of the best", and Niki Lauda
Niki Lauda
Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver and three-time F1 World Champion. More recently an aviation entrepreneur, he has founded and run two airlines and was manager of the Jaguar Formula One racing team for two years.- Early years in racing :Born in Vienna,...
described her as a "superwoman". Despite Mouton's success, no female driver has since made it into top-level rallying.
In 2011, Mouton was made knight of the Legion of Honour (Légion d'honneur).
Complete WRC results
| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Michèle Mouton | Alpine-Renault A110 1800 Alpine A110 The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines.... |
POR 1974 Rally Portugal The 1974 Rally of Portugal was the 8th running of the Rallye de Portugal and was the first round of the 1974 World Rally Championship season after the oil crisis forced the cancellation of the Monte Carlo and Swedish rallies.... |
KEN 1974 Safari Rally The 1974 Safari Rally was the 22nd East African Safari Rally and the second round of the shortened 1974 World Rally Championship season. It took place between April 11 and April 15, 1974. The Safari Rally didn't use special stages at this time to decide a winner... |
FIN | ITA | CAN | USA | GBR | FRA 12 |
- | ||||||
| 1975 | Michèle Mouton | Alpine-Renault A110 1800 Alpine A110 The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines.... |
MON | SWE | KEN | GRC | MAR | POR | FIN | ITA | FRA 7 |
GBR | - | ||||
| 1976 | Michèle Mouton | Alpine-Renault A110 1800 Alpine A110 The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines.... |
MON 11 |
SWE | POR | KEN | GRC | MAR | FIN | ITA Ret |
N/A |
- | |||||
| Alpine-Renault A310 V6 Alpine A310 The Alpine A310 was a sports car built by French manufacturer Alpine, from 1971 to 1984.Dieppe-based Alpine, once an independent company specialising in faster Renaults, later a Renault subsidiary, established a fine competition history with the Alpine A110 winning the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally and... |
FRA Ret |
GBR | |||||||||||||||
| 1977 | Michèle Mouton | Autobianchi A112 Abarth | MON 24 |
SWE | POR | KEN | NZL | GRC | FIN | CAN | ITA | N/A |
- | ||||
| Fiat 131 Abarth | FRA 8 |
GBR | |||||||||||||||
| 1978 | Michèle Mouton | Lancia Stratos HF Lancia Stratos HF The Lancia Stratos HF, widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is a car made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for High Fidelity... |
MON 7 |
SWE | KEN | POR | GRC | FIN | CAN | ITA | CIV | N/A |
- | ||||
| Fiat 131 Abarth | FRA 5 |
GBR | |||||||||||||||
| 1979 | Fiat France | Fiat 131 Abarth | MON 7 |
SWE | POR | KEN | GRC | NZL | FIN | CAN | ITA | FRA 5 |
GBR | CIV | 21st | 12 | |
| 1980 1980 World Rally Championship season The 1980 World Rally Championship season was the eighth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies... |
Fiat France | Fiat 131 Abarth | MON 7 |
SWE | POR | KEN | GRC | ARG | FIN | NZL | ITA | FRA 5 |
GBR | CIV | 23rd | 12 | |
| 1981 1981 World Rally Championship season The 1981 World Rally Championship season was the ninth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies... |
Audi Sport | Audi Quattro Audi Quattro The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, now part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March.The word quattro is derived from the Italian word for "four"... |
MON Ret |
SWE | POR 4 |
KEN | FRA Ret |
GRC Ret |
ARG | BRA | FIN 13 |
ITA 1 |
CIV | GBR Ret |
8th | 30 | |
| 1982 1982 World Rally Championship season The 1982 World Rally Championship season was the tenth season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies. By this time, the schedule format had become generally stable, with only one or two changes to venues year to year... |
Audi Sport | Audi Quattro Audi Quattro The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car, produced by the German automobile manufacturer Audi, now part of the Volkswagen Group. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on 3 March.The word quattro is derived from the Italian word for "four"... |
MON Ret |
SWE 5 |
POR 1 |
KEN | FRA 7 |
GRC 1 |
NZL Ret |
BRA 1 |
FIN Ret |
ITA 4 |
CIV Ret |
GBR 2 |
2nd | 97 | |
| 1983 | Audi Sport | Audi Quattro A1 | MON Ret |
SWE 4 |
POR 2 |
KEN 3 |
5th | 53 | |||||||||
| Audi Quattro A2 | FRA Ret |
GRC Ret |
NZL Ret |
ARG 3 |
FIN 16 |
ITA 7 |
CIV | GBR Ret |
|||||||||
| 1984 1984 World Rally Championship season The 1984 World Rally Championship season was the 12th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies following the same schedule as the previous season. Stig Blomqvist beat the defending world champion and Audi teammate Hannu... |
Audi Sport | Audi Quattro A2 | MON | SWE 2 |
POR | KEN Ret |
FRA | 12th | 25 | ||||||||
| Audi Sport Quattro | GRC Ret |
NZL | ARG | FIN Ret |
ITA | CIV | GBR 4 |
||||||||||
| 1985 1985 World Rally Championship season The 1985 World Rally Championship season was the 13th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 12 rallies following the same schedule as the previous season. Peugeot Sport's Timo Salonen beat Audi Sport's Stig Blomqvist and Walter... |
Audi Sport | Audi Sport Quattro | MON | SWE | POR | KEN | FRA | GRC | NZL | ARG | FIN | ITA | CIV Ret |
GBR | - | 0 | |
| 1986 1986 World Rally Championship season The 1986 World Rally Championship season was the 14th season of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile World Rally Championship . The season consisted of 13 rallies, including all twelve venues of the previous season as well as the addition of the Olympus Rally... |
Peugeot Talbot Deutschland | Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 | MON Ret |
SWE | POR | KEN | - | 0 | |||||||||
| Peugeot Talbot Sport Peugeot Sport Peugeot Sport is the department of French carmaker Peugeot responsible for motorsport activities.-Beginnings in rallying:Peugeot Sport was formed in 1981 under the name of Peugeot Talbot Sport, after Jean Todt, a World Rally Championship co-driver for Talbot driver Guy Fréquelin, was asked by... |
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2 | FRA Ret |
GRC | NZL | ARG | FIN | CIV | ITA | GBR | USA |
External links
- Michèle Mouton at FIA.comFédération Internationale de l'AutomobileThe Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...