PAT MOSSPat Moss, sister of Stirling Moss, who died on 14 October, 2008, was arguably Britain's most successful female rally driver and one of the early pioneers of women's motor sport.Like her brother, she was a successful international show jumper before entering racing at the age of 20 and she went on to compete in some of the world's most gruelling rallying events.She was five times European Ladies' Rally Champion and was an eight-time recipient of the Monte Carlo Rally's Coupe des Dames.But it was her achievements running against the men that brought her most celebrity. During her 20-year career she secured such impressive finishes as second in the RAC Rally (1961), third in the Safari Rally (1962), third in the Acropolis Rally (1964) and third in Monte Carlo (1965).Her most famous feat was winning the Tulip Rally of Holland in 1962 in a Mini Cooper, the car's first rally victory and the first time a woman driver had won an international rally.Ms Moss, who was born on 27 December 1934 in Thames Ditton, Surrey, could drive by the age of 10 and in the early 1950s gave up her place on the UK show jumping team to join the local car club where she raced her beloved Triumph TR2.During her career she had seats with most of the major factory teams, getting her break in 1958 when she drove a Morris Minor for MG. She also ran for Austin-Healey, Ford, Lancia and Saab where she was teammates with her rally driver husband Erik Carlsson whom she had married in 1963.She retired in 1974 by which time she had opened doors for other female rally drivers such as France's Michèle Mouton and fellow Brit Louise Aitken-Walker.She was survived by her husband and daughter Suzy who was also a successful show jumper.
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