Rally legend Mouton receives FIA Lifetime Achievement Award

Rally legend Michele Mouton picked up the FIA Lifetime Achievement Award at the world motorsport governing body’s prize-giving in Rwanda.

Mouton has enjoyed a 50-year career in motorsport acting as a trailblazer for women drivers while playing a vital role in improving safety.

Mouton is most famous for her exploits competing in the World Rally Championship, where she won four rallies and remains the only woman to win a round of the championship. In 1982, while driving for Audi, she challenged for the world title before eventually finishing runner-up to Opel’s Walter Rohrl.

After retiring from driving, Mouton has remained heavily involved in rallying, and organising the Race of Champions events before taking up the role of WRC manager and then the FIA’s rally safety delegate.

This year marked Mouton’s last season in the position having opted to retire from the role.

“Thank you. I didn’t expect this honour, thank you so much. It’s a great pleasure,” said Mouton upon receiving the award to a standing ovation.

“I don’t know what to say, just time is going very fast. I’ve spent 50 years of my life in motorsport, 15 years as a rally driver, 20 years organising the Race of Champions and now 15 years with the FIA.

“I’m leaving today and today safety is the most important thing and I’m happy with all we do with all the team at the FIA. Now I leave the floor to the younger ones, and I know they will continue very well.”

Mouton also awarded the champions trophies to Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe, while Toyota’s project director Yuichiro Haruna accepted the manufacturers’ trophy.

“For those who came a few times to the FIA prize giving know I have been many times up here but never on first place,” said Neuville.

“It’s many years we have been chasing this very special title and it feels like a reward for all those years of hard work. We have been in the World Rally Championship since 2012, so a long time ago.

“It’s a reward for us but also our team, our crew around us who worked all the year through as hard as we can to chase that title and get it finally, so we are really proud.

“It’s a big pressure also going from our shoulders and I’m sure the upcoming season we are going to enjoy even more.”