100.000!! Finally! This is for you, guys 😃 I hope you like the video, if you would like to see other rally stories or other drivers' careers just leave a comment here (Michèle was highly requested by you last year). I'll do my best. For now, I have some people that requested Loeb or Biasion. Don't forget to visit Jackoh's channel. Share the video with your friends if you like it! See you soon
My two daughters just yesterday asked if there had any successful Women F1 drivers. I told them I thought there had been only 1 woman to drive in a F1 race but that one of the best rally drivers of all time was a woman and I had seen her drive in the NZ rally. Tomorrow I'll get them to watch this biography. Thank you.
I think there has been 3 woman F1 drivers. Only one managed to score points though, and that was at an unofficial race. The drivers are out there, but the combination of talent, selfishness, financial backing, support, opportunity and a team prepared to take drivers on is a hard one to align. A few of the male drivers seem to be there for their modeling skills rather than being good drivers.
If Michele Mouton was racing today , she would be in a F1 car on the starting grid , right now ..... the drivers in F1 today couldn't touch her driving talent ..... she was a true race driver .... drivers today are computer game technicians .....
@@patpeterson2671 nonsense lol. she was good but there is a good reason women arent as good in topsport. michele was an exception a women you only see once in a few generations.but she would not beat max verstappen
@@ricardomeertens9165 You are a male chauvinist ...... females have never ever been given the same opportunities as men when it comes to motorsport ...... Amy Ruman , she is a two time Trans Am Champion in Trans Am racing ...... Shirley Cha Cha Muldowney / Shirley Muldowney (born June 19, 1940), also known professionally as "Cha Cha" and the "First Lady of Drag Racing", is an American auto racer. She was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to drive a Top Fuel dragster. She won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980, and 1982, becoming the first person to win two and three Top Fuel titles. .She won a total of 18 NHRA national events.and there are others ........... The women I just mentioned beat the best in their race series ..... Michele Mouton is the greatest driving female in history , period .....
I was just thinking that! Would be a good time for one of those trilling racing movies that tell a story. I cant even imagine the emotions she was going through when her father passed.
The cars and the courses were a terrifying combination. Some of the best drivers in rallying at the time lost their lives, and some of the best drivers would occasionally refuse to race due to safety concerns.
@@syncmonism I stopped watching when the S2 etc came out. It had become a sport for people who didn't believe in safety margins. For me Toivonen's sad demise was not a surprise.
@@unclemick-synths I agree knowing the complete lack of safety from FIA about Group B's dangerous nature, it's bound to happen sooner or later. But they could improve the safety of it with crowd control and maybe also choose non-hill race track to better suited for the speed of Group B's cars before or after Henri's death, but no, they just outright banned it after years of ignoring the danger.
@@Pepe_Silviashe's definitely an impressive driver no doubt but simps always ruin it. 5 career wins and no championships isn't anywhere near GOAT discussion, but still very good compared to the average rally competitor and amazing compared to the average person. Very impressive but doesn't disprove the reasons why motorsport is near exclusively dominated by men.
@@Pepe_Silvia bro's only mad cause he knows that if he ever got behind the wheel of a group B car he'd kill himself immediately. Anyone who had the guts to push to the limit and give Walter Rohl a run for his money is one of the greatest drivers of all time.
And if you believe that age has calmed her tempers, you'd be wrong. I remember her being quite vocal about some things to local marshals back in '22 and '21 Rally Finland when she was still part of the FIA safety delegation. You know rallying is about to happen when you hear Mouton yelling.
When Michele was in New Zealand in 1982, my friends and I were walking into the finish line of one of the North Island forestry roads (which are a mixture of gravel, sand, and clay) and were almost in time to see the leading cars. We were about 800m from the finish line when 2 Audi WRC cars came through (at touring speeds 😁) while we were in the middle of a cutting with about 1 and a half car widths of road surface, about 1mx1m dry(ish) drainage ditches on either side (which we were walking in), and high earthen walls on each side. We all got pelted with light gravel. It was the closest I got to Michele and is still memorable. At the end of the rally, when we returned our rental van, we found that the Audi service crew had used the same rental service and they left behind some Audi stickers on the windows of their rental caravans. I painstakingly peeled off (with the rental company's permission) one of their 300mm x 600mm Audi logo stickers which I still have to this day. (Edited to correct spelling mistakes 😁)
I love this young lady and her story. I love her! And every time I watch a video about her, I truly hope that the end can change... she won, that's it. To me she won.
Yes, it was a thrill to watch Group B on the Greek mountains in my 5yrs of life. My Father was with race paper on hand and we were waiting for the big names with the war cars. Mouton has a special place in our hearts, a true legend.❤🎉
Yes! I am French and Michèle Mouton was the greatest rally pilot at some point. She is a role-model for women willing to enter automobile sports. She was incredible. Michèle Mouton or Sabine Schmitz queen of the Nürburgring, they were unequalled.
Bringing Danica Patrick up in this video's comments is just wrong and a insult to Michele Mouton ............. Danica Patrick ...... what did she ever do , except crash and take other drivers out of races ..... Bubba Wallace is the modern day , Danica Patrick now with an ethnic twist .....
@@patpeterson2671 She would bitch slap Danica right out of the track. I bet if I put the two in the exact same kind of car and told them to do 40 laps at Magny Cours, Danica would crash in 2 or 3 laps and Michele would keep running to the very end.
Not just the best female driver, one of the best Rally drivers ever. Everyone knows the Legend of the Quattro, but when talking about it they always leave out that Audi only won the Constructors Championship in '82 because of her.
I love her story. She is such an inspiration, not only to aspiring female racing drivers but also more generally to racers from less financially solvent backgrounds. She is proof that if you've got the right stuff and believe in your capabilities then it is possible. Super charismatic too, far more than Rohrl.
Holy crap what an AMAZING woman!!! I was a German auto technician for almost 20 years. VW/Audi/Porsche, MB and BMW. It took some time, but I earned my respect in the industry. I had female and male customers ask for me to work on their vehicles specifically. That was rewarding and validating. I'm appreciative of my father showing me his passion as a mechanic and passing it along to me. I always loved the roar of the Audi 5 cylinder turbo. I got to work on one of those towards the end of my career. It was an S model. Amazing car. Maybe that's why I have a B5 S4 after all these years aka "money pit" Great story telling. Thank you
Thank you so much. As a French woman, and grown with my father and older brother watching the Group B in 1982-85, Michele Mouton is kind of a cult, she is truly one of a kind.
Michele Mouton The Queen of rallying and The goddess of women. What she has done for motorsport is a outstanding achievement on it’s own and don’t ever forget what she done behind the wheel. Michele Mouton the champion 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🫰🫰🫰🫰🫰🫰🫰 Great video and nicely put together 👍👍 Thank you for sharing 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
So what? Others did much more. You people are giving her credit just because she is a woman, but to ask people to name at least ten legends of the world rally championship, she would never be named.
Not to take anything away from Michele's achievements, but she was following a long line of successful female rally drivers - Pat Moss, Rosemary Smith, Anne Hall, Ewy Rosqvist were all potential outright winners. It's just sad that since Michele there has been no-one to take up the challenge.
@@thethirdman225 I would agree in most cases, but with group B, it's all about the car. Handling those monsters is just not comparable to anything. It's not just the power of those cars, also no downforce, shit brakes, shit tyres, watching the turbo pressure constanstly,turbo lag, endless stages, really bad power steering etc. Just handling the G-Forces in Corsica with 600+bhp would make you sick, then try 13hours straight!
I'm shocked there hasn't been a movie based on her story. Outside of her inspiring career, the aesthetics of both the 70s & 80s, then to add aesthetics of the places ralley drivers go & the opportunity for the audience to step into the scene of each pivotal, emotional moment... It would be refreshing if done right. The movie "Rush" is a great example, but this could arguably be even better in many ways for a movie.
It really seems like there's something in the water in France, because the 2 women who I think could, in the future, challenge Michele for the crown of "greatest female racing driver" are also French (talking about Lilou Wadoux & Doriane Pin, who are both kicking ass in WEC this year). I wish more people knew of Michele, because she's an utter legend.
Greetings from Scotland! A superb, well documented history of one of the best drivers of all time, Male OR Female! Just by looking into her eyes you could tell, nobody had the determination and skill behind the wheel that she had! An absolute legend!
Gran bel video! Mounton la più grande di tutti i tempi, mitica! L'unica donna che ha guidato i veri mostri gruppo B! Mounton Pons mitica coppia che fatto la storia dei rally!
Mouton is my favorite rally driver of all time. In fact, I don't really have any other rally drivers I care about in particular. I watched her in her heyday, and as mentioned early in this video, watching her helped me become interested in rallying.
a true legend! I remember following the wrc in the early 80s and she was brilliant! in an era of such great drivers she truly earned a spot in the hall of rally champions.
Michèle Mouton a phenomenal woman, a lady driver, a true champion🤩! She was determined, smart and talented! How some of her male competitors were assholes searching other reasons but her talent to explain her victories. Never a man had to justify as a woman his victory. Merci pour ce magnifique reportage sur cette femme française phénoménale 🙏
This was great! What a good story - I had no idea who she was until seeing this. Interesting that you described her monikers as "cold." Going to watch more on her now. The sound of those 5T''s = BEST.
such a great biography docco and I really appreciate you not overdoing the AI upscaling. The featured photos are all amazing, and I can't imagine where you sourced so many of them in such great quality
It's hilarious that her surname means 'Sheep' in French, because that's the one thing she CERTAINLY wasn't!! Best wishes from a French forest... This lady is a warrior. ⚔️🏆⚔️
I wish grassroots rally racing was more popular in America. Michelle killed it 🤘 so jealous of her a110 and her Quattro, there is nothing like a boosted 5 cylinder. Great video 👌
IMO, Mouton will never be topped, by another female driver, ever. Winning in Group B, was arguably the hardest motorsport ever, and will never be topped
I can remember watching her rally as a kid, she was always thrilling to watch always on the edge and a very fiesty lady. Hats off to her she was arguably one of the best drivers at the time.
Really well researched and narrated video! I was always in admiration of Michèle, particularly when she devastated the competition at Pikes Peak, but you presented some fascinating insights and details here that can only make me respect her more. Cheers!
It's amazing that with all the breakdowns these cars suffered any of them reached the finish at all, let alone win a championship. Hats off to Michele for achieving what she did and boy, I did tear up a bit with the part about her father.
IU am sure it was because of her technique. She drove with her right foot hard on the floor and used the brakes to slow down at the same time .I doubt she used the clutch and changed gear like in a truck.
Amazing detail you have covered here! As an American 🇺🇸 teen and car guy in 1981, I didn't care about any other motorsport except rally. There was virtually no coverage except for some grainy old pictures in a few magazines from events that were 3 months past history by then. This video fills in many gaps that I, and many others, have been waiting for decades to fill. Michele's victories were no fluke. I recall that she talked about developing a "Man Mentality" (pushing for speed without regard for one's own life). This is almost a simultaneous insult & admiration for her fellow WRC competitors. Well played Michele ☺️
MM was in Barbados about 15 years ago to investigate having an ROC round there. Sadly it did not happen, but she had a great time hanging out with the local rally drivers.
Always a good day when I come across a new motorsport channel, even more so when its a Rally focused one. All praise to the algorithm and its mystical ways.
Fantastic video about amazing driver. Lot of people belittle her importance in rally history for one reason or another but the thing is and I have put this into perspective: those weren't cars, those were monsters on four wheels, bearly legal by any safety standards, and brutal killing machines in all their analog glory. And she overcame all of it.
When international rallies were a true endurance test of man and machine. Not the sanitized and homogenized things they have become today. Much respect to a beautiful lady who showed a lot of men how to do it!
I really appreciate the documentation of her success. I wish we could have gotten raw footage with audio in some parts, rather than an entire voice over. Hearing the cars or listening to her talk would have been an amazing addition to the video.
Interesting that her racing started with big pressure from her father and seems that pressure was there every step of the way. Made her a true champion I reckon 👍😎
This is how one does the biography of a rally driver. 10/10 and a shiny new subscriber to add to your 100k. I don't know if you mention it but I love what Michèle said to the Unser's when she beat them at Pikes Peak, "If you boys had any balls you'd race me back down as well", after that I knew she'd be a force to be reckoned with - although I guess she already was! "Donut Podcasts/Donut Media" should watch and learn from this video. Their videos on both Colin McRae and Michèle Mouton were terrible. They claimed to have spent days preparing both Colin's and Michèle's videos but couldn't even get Colin's famous quote correct. Over and over again they were saying "If in doubt, go flat out", now I'm betting that everyone here knows his actual quote. One in three pictures of Colin McRae has it stensiled across it. So are they lazy, incompetent or worthy challengers to the uh-wöt IQ levels from the flat Earth community scattered around the globe? When it came to Michèle Mouton they (Doh-nuts media) were going through her history and said that her first Audi was the S1. I mean there's wrong and then there's utter incompetence, when combined with Colin's video and one about the wing design of F1 cars where they stated that the underneath of the F1 would create a vacuum sucking the car to the ground. Now I firmly believe that if one is an "Influencer" then that carries an extra burden to be correct or at minimum, hire a five-year-old to proof read and help rewrite their scripts at least once. Saying that a vacuum sucks when they absolutely do not do that in any way shape or form is leading the younglings down a path of misinformation. Okay, pointless rant over and done with, once I've finished this video I'll be hitting your "back dogalogue".
@@schmid1.079 I am with you on that one 100% EDIT: I will admit that up until the whole vacuum sucking process it was a reasonably fair video on the incredible engineering that is involved in the F1 aero system. But to reiterate (or sound like a broken record) please if you're an influencer, influence correctly. Especially when it comes to the younglings!
I saw Michele just once on the 1985 Circuit of Ireland rally in the Audi Sport Quattro. An unforgettable sight and sound that nearly 40 years later i remember so well. Glad to have seen the Group B legends before they were outlawed.
Michèle Mouton together with Susanne Kottulinsky will forever be my heros of rallying, I remember as a young kid amazed by these 2 fantasic women in rally..
