[Andrew Comrie Picard]

This board has been a bit quiet lately. So here's a puzzler. Perhaps we can start a string of them.

We all know who Michèle Mouton is, and probably know the year of her near victory in the world championship, who she lost to, and what was going on in her personal life on the deciding event, about which she told no one at the time. Also we can probably identify the nervous man who said "even a monkey could win in a Quattro." And also I'm sure someone can tell us how she finished the Safari even when her Quattro was completely unable to move.

But that's easy. Who knows who Michèle Petit is?

Think you're pretty smart? So who then is Michèle Veron?

And what is Michèle Veron's connection to Michèle Petit?

And, for bonus points, what connects all three Michèles?

ACP
www.musketeerracing.com
Flirting with the laws of physics.

 

[Foghorn]

>And, for bonus points, what connects all three Michèles?

Chromosomes?

Kent Gardam

 

[mayhem83]

First name?

Mark

 

[mgpsmith]

Jeez, ACP, that's easy. Before rally, they were booked all over Yurp as the Michele sisters, doing a nightclub act presenting old French peasant songs while dancing hula. Their father, Michel Michele, was a well-known bandleader from Ukraine, and a well-placed in the Shriner organization...hence the driving connection. First the little gokarts, next the might quattro. Next question?

 

[Andrew Comrie Picard]

We have a winner! Jeez - I thought it would take longer than that.

(Come on guys - hint: the 3 are linked by a model of car, and the two are additionally linked by a man with three names).

ACP
Flirting with the laws of physics.

 

[SeanKHotay]

>This board has been a bit quiet lately. So here's a puzzler.
>Perhaps we can start a string of them.
>
>We all know who Michèle Mouton is, ...<snip>
>
>But that's easy. Who knows who Michèle Petit is?

Co-driver for Jean-Claude Andruet? One half of the first all-woman WRC team (w/ Marianne Hoepfner)?


>Think you're pretty smart?

No. Unless you consider the use of Google smart(?).

Oh, that was rhetorical, wasn't it?


>So who then is Michèle Veron?

Co-driver for Jean-Claude Ogier?


>And what is Michèle Veron's connection to Michèle Petit?

They were co-drivers for Jean-Claudes?


>And, for bonus points, what connects all three Michèles?

French birthplaces?

They all started in the WRC in Fiat 131 barths? C'est vrai pour Mouton et Petit.

 

[Andrew Comrie Picard]

>>
>>But that's easy. Who knows who Michèle Petit is?
>
>Co-driver for Jean-Claude Andruet? One half of the first
>all-woman WRC team (w/ Marianne Hoepfner)?
>

Good. One point. What's her nickname (and the name that everyone always knew her by)?

>
>>So who then is Michèle Veron?
>
>Co-driver for Jean-Claude Ogier?
>

Bzzzt. She did co-drive in Morocco for Ogier but that's not what I'm looking for. But you're close...


>
>>And what is Michèle Veron's connection to Michèle Petit?
>
>They were co-drivers for Jean-Claudes?

Again, very close.

>
>>And, for bonus points, what connects all three Michèles?
>
>French birthplaces?
>
>They all started in the WRC in Fiat 131 barths? C'est vrai
>pour Mouton et Petit.

Soooo close, but actually wrong. Wrong car. Wrong starting place.

ACP
Flirting with the laws of france.

 

[SeanKHotay]

>>>
>>>But that's easy. Who knows who Michèle Petit is?
>>
>>Co-driver for Jean-Claude Andruet? One half of the first
>>all-woman WRC team (w/ Marianne Hoepfner)?
>>
>
>Good. One point.

Which one was the one for which you were searching?


>What's her nickname (and the name that everyone always knew her by)?

'Biche Espinosi


<snip>
>>>And, for bonus points, what connects all three Michèles?
>>
>>French birthplaces?
>>
>>They all started in the WRC in Fiat 131 barths? C'est vrai
>>pour Mouton et Petit.
>
>Soooo close, but actually wrong. Wrong car. Wrong starting
>place.

Citroen? I'm swag'ging here...

Dunno the rest...I'm tapped

>
>ACP
>Flirting with the laws of france.

Umm...not advised. They still have my bike (since '92).

Don't mess with the French on French soil.

 

[Jim]

>>>
>>>But that's easy. Who knows who Michèle Petit is?
>>
>>Co-driver for Jean-Claude Andruet? One half of the first
>>all-woman WRC team (w/ Marianne Hoepfner)?
>>
>
>Good. One point. What's her nickname (and the name that
>everyone always knew her by)?

Google finds this (I Google for a living):

"Biche". Her real name : Michèle Petit, very difficult to find, even after long searches on the Internet. She was Andruet's copilot for a long time. They were always arguing, but on the road, they were unbeatable. After their win in the 1973 Monte-Carlo and the breaking of the record on Turini by about thirty seconds, she only said that she would never have thought it was possible to drive so fast. She always accused Andruet of driving "by eye", without listening to the notes, and getting eternally angry, but she did almost all her career with him.

 

[SeanKHotay]

<snip>
>>>So who then is Michèle Veron?
>>
>>Co-driver for Jean-Claude Ogier?
>>
>
>Bzzzt. She did co-drive in Morocco for Ogier but that's not
>what I'm looking for. But you're close...
>
>
>>
>>>And what is Michèle Veron's connection to Michèle Petit?
>>
>>They were co-drivers for Jean-Claudes?
>
>Again, very close.
>
>>
>>>And, for bonus points, what connects all three Michèles?
>>
>>French birthplaces?
>>
>>They all started in the WRC in Fiat 131 barths? C'est vrai
>>pour Mouton et Petit.
>
>Soooo close, but actually wrong. Wrong car. Wrong starting
>place.
>
>ACP
>Flirting with the laws of france.



Sooo, ACP, what're the correct answers?

 

[Andrew Comrie Picard]

Michele Veron was the daughter of the owner of the cafe in Sisteron which was (and remains) a famous stop on the Monte Carlo Rally. It's a neat place - rally plates on the wall, signed photos of everyone we've ever heard of, etc. Anyway she was sort of a darling of the rally community and eventually began co-driving, eventually for Ogier but originally in 1970 for......

....Jean-Claude Andruet.

So that's the connection between Biche and Veron - they both co-drove for Andruet (Biche to the 1973 Monte victory, breaking the Turini record and winning the rally on the last stage). He seemed to like female codrivers.

The connection between all three Micheles is a car, but not a Fiat. Mouton's first rally car was an Alpine A110 (see Rally by Klein where she calls it her favourite too). And as Biche and Veron both started their codriving careers with Andruet, it was their first car too.

ACP
Flirting with the laws of physics.