Michèle Mouton: Breaking Through in the World of Rallying
Today, the gender gap in motorsports is as wide as ever. With far more little boys than girls flocking to karting tracks from a tender age, a great deal of female talent inevitably flies under the radar—many future stars we’ll probably never get to see in action. No woman currently seems poised to dethrone Verstappen in Formula 1 or Ogier in rallying at the highest level.
But back in the 1970s, there was a woman who not only competed at the top, but made headlines doing so: Michèle Mouton. Born in Grasse, France in 1951, she blazed onto the scene with an undeniable need for speed and a knack for rallying that nobody could ignore.
A Trailblazer at Audi and Beyond
When Audi came calling in 1981, asking her to pilot the almighty Quattro Sport Group 4, she was more than ready. Mouton contested the entire 1982 World Rally Championship season for the German automaker as the legendary Group B era dawned. And she didn’t just race—she beat all her Audi teammates in the championship standings, including future World Rally Champion Hannu Mikkola and Swedish ace Stig Blomqvist.
Her success didn’t always go down well in a male-dominated world. Walter Röhrl, who would ultimately clinch the 1982 championship—by only a dozen points more than Mouton, after she suffered mechanical issues in the season finale and was rocked by the loss of her father—once said:
I didn’t want to be beaten by a woman.
Ari Vatanen, back in 1981, vowed:
I would never be beaten by a woman.
And yet, at the San Remo Rally in 1981—shortly after making that statement—he was exactly that: beaten by Michèle Mouton! Oh, poetic justice on four wheels.
Her Story Comes to the Small Screen
The extraordinary career and journey of Michèle Mouton is finally getting the spotlight it deserves in a brand-new limited series. Co-produced by HBO and France Télévisions, the mini-series will feature four episodes, each running 45 minutes. Titled Rallye 82, the show will see French actress Ana Girardot (well-known for her role in the comedy series La Flamme) stepping into Michèle Mouton’s racing boots.
According to the official announcement, the series will retrace:
the major milestones of the 1982 World Rally Championship season and Michèle Mouton’s meteoric rise in a male-dominated environment where she had to constantly prove herself.
When and Where to Watch
The series is set to premiere in 2026, initially on HBO and later airing on France Télévisions—where viewers in France can watch it free of charge. Fans and first-timers alike will have front-row seats to the incredible story of a woman who not only made history but changed the game forever. And let’s be honest: we can’t wait to see how it turns out!
