The remarkable woman behind the raging wheels
Where ever men have gone, women have followed right behind. Similarly, whatever men have done, women want to do the same. From voting to driving, equal rights have allowed women to do things that they would not have been able to otherwise. It is the same
thing with sports. Women play almost every sport known to mankind. If you look at the history of sport, some of the greatest sports persons were women. There have been remarkable women players in tough and challenging sports including motorsports. It is a
common misconception that women cannot drive, but after reading about the brave women in the following paragraphs, the doubters of women’s driving abilities will have to change their minds. These women take their rally machines and push them to the edge of
limit and pull them back. With hands like a surgeon’s, they can throw a car around a corner at speeds surpassing that of light, all without losing control. It is simply amazing what these women can do in the Rallying world (There are only a total of six female
rally drivers in the world).
Louise Aitken-Walker
The first place in the list is occupied by Louise Aitken-Walker. Born in 1960, in Duns, Berwickshire, the now 50-year-old driver has retired from rallying and teaches the sport to those who do not know how to drive “properly”. Walker started her career in
1979, when her two brothers entered her in Ford’s “Find a Lady Rally Driver” scheme without informing her. There were 2000 entries and she was the first to be selected. During her career, Walker was the first woman to win the National Rally, as well as the
first ever British driver to win the FIA Ladies World Rally Champion. In 1981, Walker entered the first Lombard RAC rally, and came in 19th place. Two years later, she won the Coupe des Dames rally in Monte Carlo in her Alfa Romeo. She also won
her first National Rally the same year while driving her Ford Escort. However, Louise Aitken-Walker crashed her car in 1990, in Portugal, when it flipped into a deep lake. But this did not stop her. She went on to win the Ladies Cup on the New Zealand Rally.
These are just a few of her accomplishments. Walker retired to have a family in 1993.
Jutta Kleinschmidt
The second notable woman in the world of rally sport is Jutta Kleinschmidt. Born on August 20th, 1962, in Cologne, Germany, she grew up in Upper Bavaria. Ironically, Kleinschmidt studied physics and worked with BMW. She first started racing with
her BMW bike. Kleinschmidt is known as the most successful woman that has ever driven in a rally race. Known as the “Dakar Queen” she remains the first woman to ever win the harsh and tough Rally. Jutta started her career of racing at the young age of 18 years.
Her first rally race took place in 1993. She was the co-driver for Jean-Louis Schlesser, in the UAE Desert Challenge. In 2002, Jutta signed on with Volkswagen so that she can win the Dakar Rally with a diesel car.
Pat Moss
At third place falls the remarkable driver Pat Moss. Moss paved the way for women to start driving in rally races. She is by far one of the most successful woman rally drivers in the history of the sport. She was born on the 27th of December,
1934 and died on 14th of October, 2008. In her career, she managed to have 3 wins and 7 podiums finishes. Moss was born in Surrey, England to Alfred E.Moss (a British race car driver). By the age of 11 she already knew how to drive. Pat Moss started
her racing career as a jockey. By the time she was 18, she was driving in club rallies. She was brought into the sport by her boy friend of the time, Ken Gregory. In 1960, Moss took home the Liege-Rome-Liege Rally, in her Austin-Healey 3000 and finished 2nd
at the Coupe des Alps. In 1963, Moss joined the Ford of Britain, and managed to hold the 6th position during the Acropolis Rally in her Ford Cortina. She got married to fellow rally driver Erik Carlsson. She switched from Ford to Saab so that she
could be her husband’s partner. Together they won 11 international rallies. Slowly, the family life caught up to her, and after she had her daughter, she finally retired in 1974. Pat Moss passed away due to cancer at the age of 73, in 2008.
Michele Mouton
Another notable female rally driver is Michele Mouton. Mouton was born on the 23rd of June, 1951 in Grasse, Alps-Maritimes. Not only is she recognized as a popular female rally driver, she is also hailed as the most successful female in the world
of motor racing in general. Mouton is the only (even until now) the only woman to ever win a round of the prestigious World Rally Championship in 1981. She was also the first woman to be victorious in the 1984 Pikes Peak Hillclimb race in the United States
of America. She won the event again in 1985, breaking the race record. Michele Mouton retired from rallying in 1986. She is currently active in other motorsports.
Corentine Quiniou
On number 5 in our list of Rally racing’s most notable female drivers, is Corentine Quiniou. Born on May 16th 1982, Quiniou is a race car driver from France. She fell in love with driving when she was just a young girl while going to her father’s
amateur races. She started competing on Go-Karts at the age of 14 years old. She started rallying in 2004, when she finished 3rd in the Rally des Princesses in her Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto. The next year Quiniou won the same event in her Porsche
911 as well as coming in 2nd in the Rally Aicha Des Gazelles. In the year 2006, Quiniou and her partner finished in 49th place in the Dakar Rally driving a Toyota Land Cruiser, as the only women’s team ending the race. Quiniou still races
cars till today. In 2010, Quiniou signed up for the Dubai 24 hour race in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
Coral Taylor
The last woman driver that we will be looking at in this article goes by the name of Coral Taylor. Born in 1961 in Australia, Taylor is actually the Co-Driver. She was Neal Bates partner in racing for most of his career. Together they appeared in several
World Rally Championships in the 1990s. She won the Australian Rally with Bates three times and placed 2nd in the same event in 2006.
Women really do take themselves to the next level. This article is proof to the fact that if someone wants to go to the next level, they have to break down their worldly restraints and just do it. We can all learn from these amazing women and apply their
lessons to our own lives.
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