Röhrl-Mouton: The War of the Sexes in 1982

Although she vigorously defends it, Michèle Mouton is a true feminist. His goal was never to beat men, but only to face the best in his discipline. Like Walter Röhrl, crowned world champion for the first time in 1980. After the promising debut of the Quattro (see Ah 2295), Audi appears as the favorite for the 1982 season with a team made up of Hannu Mikkola, Michèle Sheep and Stig Blomqvist. But while the Monte-Carlo seems destined for the only all-wheel drive in the field, the absence of snow reshuffles the cards in favor of the Opel Ascona 400 of Walter Röhrl and Jochi Kleint. Ranking 5th at the start of rally, Michèle Mouton achieves the best time in the first special of the common route… before going out in the next one on a patch of ice: “ I arrived in full 3rd gear and the Audi went straight into a wall at over 110 km/h. What a hit! » says the Grassoise, who will be left with some pain. Ahead of Mikkola's Audi and the Porsche by Jean-Luc Thérier, Röhrl joins Monaco as the winner, against a backdrop of controversy after having declared to our special correspondent Michel Lizin: “ The Quattro is currently so good that it doesn't need a good driver behind the wheel for it to win. » To which Michèle Mouton does not fail to retort: ​​“ The Quattro is not the miracle car that crosses the finish line two days before everyone else. " The tone is set !

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