Annie Soisbault Explained

Annie Blanche Marie Soisbault de Montaigu (born 18 June 1934 in Paris - died 18 September 2012 in Paris) was a French tennis player and motorsports driver.[1]

Soisbault's early success came in tennis and she reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon 1952 Jr. Tournament,[2] however it did not pay as well as racing did in the 1950s. By the time she was in her early 20s, Soisbault had purchased her first two cars: a Delahaye Grand Sport and a Triumph TR3. In that same year she was a backup driver in the 1956 Monte Carlo Rally.[3] She was considered one of the finest women racers in the 1950s and 60s.[4] She won the 1963 Tour Auto Ladies' Cup and in 1966, she was the first woman who averaged more than 100 km/h driving a Porsche 906 at Mont Ventoux.[2] [5]

She is buried in Paris at Père Lachaise.

Notes and References

  1. News: Annie Soisbault de Montaigu . 12 April 2021 . . Motor Sport (magazine) - undated - Annie Soisbault de Montaigu.
  2. News: Motor-sport world mourns female pioneer . 14 April 2021 . Classic & Sports Car . 10 October 2012 . en.
  3. News: Blackstock . Elizabeth . Rally Champion Annie Soisbault Wasn't Afraid to Bend the Rules to Win . 14 April 2021 . Jalopnik . 6 October 2018 . en-us.
  4. News: Annie Soisbault, 1934-2012 . 14 April 2021 . velocetoday.com . 3 October 2012.
  5. Book: Bouzanquet . Jean François . Fast Ladies: Female Racing Drivers 1888 to 1970 . 2009 . Veloce Publishing Ltd . 978-1-84584-225-3 . 127 . 14 April 2021 . en.