European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 13, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday february 13, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 13 in Colorado she s Queen of the Mountain Mouton world s Best woman Driver in today s car Corner we talk to France s Michele Moulon Winner of four world championship rallies and record Holder in the pikes Peak Hill climb. Before Michele Mouton arrived on the scene no woman had Ever won a world championship rally. But Mouton who ranks As the Best woman Driver in the world has won four. And along with her world class rallying achievements the vivacious and vibrant Mou Lon is also the defending pikes Peak Hill climb Champion Queen of the Mountain and Holder of the outright Speed record in Colora do s annual race to the  she set the record in last summer s 63rd annual climb aboard an Audi Quattro rally car chopping a full 13 seconds off the pre Vious Mark in the run to the top which begins at 9,402 feet and ends at 14,110 feet. She beat every american Driver most of whom competed in specially built open wheel Hill climbing cars. That was one i really wanted to win Mouton said in an interview during the Monte Carlo rally week and i Don t think my opponents can accept it even yet. But they were beaten and they know it. It was a personal Triumph Tor me. My appearance at pikes Peak was through the Audi program and we had been there in 84, too but the Audi had engine problems then. It was Clear we could have have won in 84 if we had t had those problems and i was very disappointed that we did not win. But i told everyone at pikes Peak that we would be Back. So Audi came Back and i won. I was very pleased. The pikes Peak. It is very difficult. So High to go and very Slippery Road surfaces. Gravel similar to Finland s. It s a fantastic feeling driving up that Moun Tain but i loved it. Driving As hard As you can and up up and up and Many dangerous Blind turns but never seeing the goal. It s so far away and then suddenly it s there. The finish line and the  Mouton who Speaks English flawlessly but with a charming French accent seemed to savor her Victory even now. During her five years with the German Audi team a highlight was her Victory in the 1981 san remo Italy rally her Victory the first Ever scored by a woman in the history of the world championship series. That was easily my most satisfying rally experience Mouton said. It was a mar Velous feeling. I had reached a  she followed her win in Italy with three More during 1982 Portugal Greece and Brazil plus High placings in other rallies that  German Ace Walter Rohrl driving for opel won the world championship that year with Mouton the runner up Only 12 Points Back. Her results plus those of her teammate Hannu Mikkola of Finland spearheaded the Audi firm to its first world rally championship. She left Audi at the end of last season after a highly successful career there to join the French Peugeot rally organization. Mouton began her new role with Peugeot by driving the evolution i Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 in the recent Monte Carlo rally. That car prepared and entered by Peugeot s German division at Saa Bruecken has about 100 fewer horsepower than the new evolution 2" Peugeot driven by the firm s other factory  Northern Ireland s Terry Harry Man As co Driver Mouton was running a Strong eighth in the Monte Carlo when the Oil pump Belt broke resulting in engine damage and their retirement. Mouton says she will drive in  can rally in May a world championship round aboard the new evolution 2 Peugeot and meanwhile she and Harryman will compete in the 10-rally German championship aboard the Saar Kruecken entered car. Her first Outing in Germany this year will be in the Sachs Winter rally set for taking a look from the office Michele Mouton who has joined Peugeot after five seasons with Audi is shown Here feb. 28-March 2. It s a big Market situation in Germany for the Peugeot 205 car Mouton says and it s our rally responsibility to make the 205 Model an even bigger Success on the German  she spent some three weeks and 6,500 Miles training for the Monte Carlo rally with Harryman aboard the Peugeot 205 and says she s coming to grips with the car now finding it lighter and easier to drive than the Audi Quattro. The Quattro is a big Strong car a monster you might say requiring a More aggressive driving style than the Peugeot. But the Audi had Nice balance. The Peu in he Peugeot 205 Turbo 16. She drove it on the Monte Carlo rally and was running got with its mid motor requires a softer touch but the More i drive it the More confident i be  during her Audi Days Mouton s co Driver was Fabrizio Pons of Italy who was mar ried recently in Monte Carlo. She was absolutely fluent in French Mouton says so there were no language problems. And since i m fluent in English there Are no big problems with my new co Driver Harryman. All of our Road notes Are in English too but still there can be a split second pause occasionally to think from French to English and that costs me time. Under standing your co Driver must be absolutely automatic. It can make a big difference in action aboard the Peugeot lights ablaze Michele Mouton and her new co Driver Terry Harry Roan of North Era Ireland Are shown going Flat out on Snow packed Road during practice for the Monte Carlo rally. The car is i Peugeot 205 Turbo 16. Eighth when a broken Oil pump Bell ended her bid. When you re attacking or driving on the limit. But i live in England now so i think whatever language problems there Are will soon be  an extrovert with a Fine sense of humor she enjoyed explaining the Fine Points on any Given subject and laughed heartily when we apologized before asking her the old but necessary Man is. Woman rally racing question. You re taking notes Here with your pen cil she said and you Don t think for one second that you Are a Man writing those notes. Well when i m driving my car on the limit in a rally i Don t think for one second about being a woman. It s As simple As that. I just drive to the Best of my ability and hopefully to win. It is never a Case of myself against the men. I never think about  regarding the physical necessities of ral lying and the great distances rallying involves Mouton of average size and not appearing especially athletic says she neither smokes nor drinks and that she plays ten Nis does gymnastics and jogs. I exercise she says but i Don t make a big thing of it. I Only exercise when i know that need to. But i keep  Mouton has been in rally sport since 1973 i m one of the old Drivers she says laugh Inland she s been a professional since 1978. Along with her four world championship rally victories world championship runner up stat us in 1982 and pikes Peak record last year she won the Monte Carlo coupes a Dames women s divison four times she was French rally Champion in 1974 and 1975 and european Champion in 1977. Before driving for the Audi and Peugeot factory teams she was a factory team Denver for Fiat and Lancia. When she began rallying in 1973, her father helped out saying he would pay the rally Bill for one year so she could feel confident and not worry about Money. But he demanded that she obtain Good results during that one year and achieve something of value. And this she did. Randy Barnett