Michele Mouton was surprised with a special award at the FIA gala in Rwanda: World Championship trophies for Neuville, Wydaeghe and Toyota
A special honor for what is arguably the most successful female motorsport driver in history: Michele Mouton was presented with the FIA Lifetime Achievement Award at the FIA Gala in Rwanda on Friday evening.
Visibly surprised, Mouton accepted the trophy from FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem. “I would like to say thank you. I did not expect this honor, thank you very much. It is a great pleasure for me,” said Mouton, who was celebrated by those present with standing ovations.
Mouton looks back on a 50-year career in motorsport, which was crowned with second place in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 1982. In recent years, she has been the FIA’s safety officer for rallies. The Frenchwoman is now stepping down from this role and retiring.
“I don’t know what to say, but time flies,” says Mouton. ‘I have spent 50 years of my life in motorsport, 15 years as a rally driver, 20 years as the organizer of the Race of Champions and now 15 years at the FIA’.
“I am leaving today, and today safety is paramount, and I am happy with everything we are doing with the entire FIA team. Now I am leaving the word to the younger ones and I know they will continue very well,” said Mouton.
The @fia Prize Giving in Kigali was ✨FIAPrizeGiving WorldChampions pic.twitter.com/k616SlOZO2
— Thierry Neuville (@thierryneuville) December 14, 2024
Before Mouton herself was honored, she presented the World Championship trophies to Thierry Neuville, his co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe and Toyota project leader Yuichiro Haruna.
“For many years we have been chasing this very special title and it feels like a reward for all those years of hard work,” said Neuville. ”We have been in the World Rally Championship since 2012, so it’s been a long time coming.
“It’s a reward for us, but also for our team, the crew around us, who have worked as hard as possible all year to win this title, and we are really proud,” said the Belgian. ‘It’s also a huge weight off our shoulders and I’m sure we’ll enjoy the upcoming season even more.’
