How did women establish themselves at the Circuit des Remparts?

« I cannot reword »

« When we won the Tour de France in 1978, it brought us instant glory, » recalls navigator Françoise Conconi. « We made the headlines of all the newspapers and appeared on 53 television shows. The public discovered us, but not all men reacted positively. Their egos were hurt. They didn’t like being beaten by women. They preferred us to be behind them. » The Mouton-Conconi duo, five-time French rally champions and four-time European champions in the 70s and 80s, had to dismantle their Alpine engine in 1976 to understand how two girls were beating more powerful cars driven by men. « It took a while, but when we became part of the Top 10 best drivers, we were finally accepted. »

I was being paid much less than the pilot. I was also working at a bank simultaneously.

No one was allowed to make mistakes.

50 ans plus tard, les choses ont-elles changé ? Les femmes ne sont pas plus nombreuses sur les circuits. Dimanche, aux Remparts, elles ne seront que trois sur la piste, dont une pilote anglaise. « Il existe peut-être de très bonnes pilotes qui s’ignorent, mais aujourd’hui les usines ont moins de budget. Elles se contentent de miser sur les hommes, surtout ceux qui viennent du nord. Ils ont la réputation de conduire vite sur la glace », analyse Françoise Conconi, la Grenobloise.

« At our time, it was cheaper. Michèle Mouton’s father was able to buy the car we raced with. » Françoise Conconi, the blonde, took immense pleasure in navigating with Michèle Mouton, the brunette. « She was talented. We hardly ever went off the road. She had a safe and efficient driving style, with great finesse in her piloting. » The two women had an indestructible trust in each other. « I was her eyes. I would announce the turns she couldn’t see. I helped her go faster and faster. It’s easy to go fast, but much more difficult to go very fast. » Barely finishing one turn, the co-driver would shout, « Open it up! » « No one was allowed to make a mistake. Once in the car, we didn’t think anymore. » No time to be afraid. Once, the co-driver thought she was going to die. « We hit a tree at 120km/h. » It wasn’t with Michèle Mouton.

« I cannot reword »

At 53 years old, Priscille Delecour, a mother of three children aged 13, 16, and 17, has also emerged from the racing world. She has also stood out in this male-dominated industry, but she does not want to generalize. Not all drivers are misogynistic. The proof is that she married one: François Delecour, the vice-world rally champion in 1993. There is no deception between the two. « I have a good level in the French championship, but he is in the world championship. He is better than me. » The talented driver, who started as a hostess for a salon, has also made her mark in the automotive world: in 1994, she became the first woman to win the promotional formula in the French Championship.

Un jury féminin

On Friday evening, at Champ-de-Mars square, during the competition that marks the start of the event, only women will be the judges. Among them will be an automotive journalist, an insurance agent, a sales director at Autosur, and Françoise Conconi, a former rally co-driver for Michèle Mouton.