Yvonne Marie Louise Simon (; 1910–1992) was a French racing driver who participated in

rallying Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

, circuit races and endurance racing.

Biography

Yvonne Marie Louise Simon (née Hémart) was born on 6 December 1910 in

Charmont-sous-Barbuise Charmont-sous-Barbuise () is a Communes of France, commune in the Aube Departments of France, department, north central France. Château de Charmont-sous-Barbuise The château of Charmont-sous-Barbuise was originally a fortified manor house ...

, France. Other sources incorrectly report that she was born in 1917, in Troyes, Champagne-Ardenne or on 6 December 1906 in Charmont, Aube, France. Simon died on 16 August 1992 in

Saint-Martin-de-Ré Saint-Martin-de-Ré (, "St Martin of Île de Ré, Ré"; Saintongeais dialect, Saintongeais: ''Sént-Martin-de-Ré'', before 1962: ''Saint-Martin'') is a Communes of France, commune in the western French Departments of France, department of Char ...

Racing career

Simon's racing career spanned the years from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s. One of her earliest racing appearances was in the 1937

Rallye Paris – Saint-Raphaël Féminin The Rallye Paris – Saint-Raphaël Féminin was a Rallying, car rally in France exclusively for female participants. It was held over a 45-year period beginning in 1929 with a hiatus during World War II. The race was typically scheduled for the ...

. Although she did not win in 1937, she placed second on her first attempt and would go on to win this event four times, finishing first in the last race held prior to World War II in 1939, and in three consecutive events after the war in 1952, '53, and '54. Simon won the first running of a new event arranged in 1939. Racing drivers Anne-Cécile Itier and Jean Delorme formed the Union Sportive Automobile (USA). The USA launched a one-make racing series for women to be held prior to major Grand Prix events. On 11 June 1939 Simon won the inaugural race in the Championnat féminin de l'Union Sportive Automobile driving a

Renault Juvaquatre The Renault Juvaquatre () is a small family car / compact car produced by the France, French manufacturer Renault between 1937 and 1960, although production stopped or slowed to a trickle during the Second World War, war years. The Juvaquatre ...

on the Péronne circuit prior to the running of the Picardy Grand Prix. Simon made two appearances at the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

endurance race, driving a 2 L

Ferrari 166 Ferrari used its 2 L (1995 cc/121 in3) V12 engine in a number of models, all called 166 for the displacement of a single cylinder. Most early 166es were sports cars built for racing, though a later line of GT cars launched the compan ...

MM both times.

Racing record

Circuit racing

Grand Prix of Riems * 1952 — Drove a 166 MM Ferrari to eighth place overall and fourth in class.

Bari Grand Prix The Bari Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix road race, held in Bari, Italy, between 1947 and 1956. The course was and, except for 1956, was run in an anticlockwise direction. In 1953 the race was not contested. Winners Bari ...

* 1952 — Held on 28 September, Simon drove

MM #0018M to a thirteenth place finish.

Monza Grand Prix The Monza Grand Prix (Italian: ''Gran Premio di Monza'') was an automobile race held at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza at Monza, Italy. Following the terrible accident during the 1928 Italian Grand Prix, where Emilio Materassi and 27 spectat ...

* 1953 — Held on 29 June, Simon and Ferrari 166 MM #0018M rebodied as a Zagato Spyder finished eleventh overall; fourteenth in Heat 1 and eleventh in Heat 2. Nimes Grand Prix * 1954 — Held on 11 April. Simon took her 750 cc Panhard-Monopole to a fourth-place finish.

Rallys

Rallye Paris - Saint-Raphaël Féminin Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

: * 1937 — Drove a 3.5 L Hotchkiss 686 Grand Sport to a second place finish. * 1939 — First place in a Hotchkiss 686 Grand Sport. * 1951 — Held from 26 to 28 February. Drove a 2.0 L

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

166MM. * 1952 — Held from 27 February to 2 March. First place in an 1100 cc

Renault 4CV The Renault 4CV (, as if spelled ''quat'chevaux'') is a car produced by the French company Renault from August 1947 through July 1961. It is a four-door economy car with its engine mounted in the rear and driving the rear wheels. It was the fir ...

. * 1953 — Held from 18 to 22 February. First place in an 1100 cc Renault 4CV. * 1954 — Held from 3 to 7 March. First place in a 750 cc Panhard-Monopole.

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

Rally * 1938 — Held from 4 to 6 February. Won the Coupe des Dames in a Hotchkiss

Monte Carlo Rally The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo) is a rallying event organized each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. From its inception in 1911 by Albert I, Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert I, the rally ...

* 1938 — co-driver

Suzanne Largeot Suzanne may refer to: People * Suzanne (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name) * S. U. Zanne, pen name of August Vandekerkhove (1838–1923), Belgian writer and inventor * Suzanne, pen name of Renée Méndez ...

, in a Hotchkiss 686 Grand Sport (), 2^e de la Coupe des Dames du Monte-Carlo (same co-driver, same car). * 1939 — co-driver Suzanne Largeot, in a Hotchkiss 686 Grand Sport (), ''Coupe des Dames''. * 1951 — co-driver

Régine Gordine Régine Gordine (1915–2012) was a French rally and circuit driver who was most active in the 1950s. Biography She was born Régine Mirielle Peter on 24 November 1915 in Besançon. (Some sources indicate her birth name was Bruno, and that Peter ...

, in a

Simca 8 The Simca 8 is a small family car built by Simca and sold in France between November 1937 and 1951 (including wartime), available as a saloon, coupé or cabriolet. It was a rebadged Fiat 508C "nuova Balilla" made at Fiat's Simca plant in Nanter ...

Sport.

Endurance racing

Paris 12 Hours * 1938 — On 11 September Simon finished eighth with co-driver Suzanne Largeot in an 1100 cc

Spa 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by CrowdStrike. History The Spa 24 Hours was conceived by Jules de Their and ...

* 1949 — On 10 July Simon partnered with

Germaine Rouault Germaine Rouault (16 August 1905 in Paris – 4 November 1982 in Sevran) was a French racing driver. Career Rouault came to motorsport in the 1930s and was supported by Odette Siko at the beginning of her career. Siko was a few years older an ...

in a

Delahaye Delahaye was a family-owned automobile manufacturing company, founded by Émile Delahaye in 1894 in Tours, France. Manufacturing was moved to Paris following incorporation in 1898 with two marriage-related brothers-in-law, George Morane and Le ...

Delage Delage is a French luxury automobile and racecar company founded in 1905 by Louis Delâge in Levallois-Perret near Paris; it was acquired by Delahaye in 1935 and ceased operation in 1953. On 7 November 2019, the association "Les Amis de Dela ...

. The pair finished eleventh overall with a first in the T4.0 class.

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

— Driving 2 L V12 Ferrari 166 MM

berlinetta A berlinetta (from ; ) is a sports coupé, typically with two seats but also including 2+2 cars. The original meaning for ''berlinetta'' in Italian is “little saloon”, derived from the Berlin carriage. Introduced in the 1930s, the term was ...

#0042M for

Luigi Chinetti Luigi Chinetti (July 17, 1901 – August 17, 1994) was an Italian-born racecar driver, who emigrated to the United States during World War II. He drove in 12 consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans races, taking three outright wins there and taking two ...

with teammate Michel Kasse. Retired, out of fuel. *

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

— Driving 2 L V12 Ferrari 166 MM berlinetta #0042M for Chinetti with teammate

Betty Haig Elizabeth Haig (1905–1987) was a British racing driver who competed in rallying, hill climbs and historic racing. She won the 1936 Olympic Rally, the first and last time after 1900 that an automobile race was part of the Olympic Games. Early ...

. Fifteenth overall.

Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts :it:Franco Mazzotti, Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi. It took place in Italy 24 times f ...

* 1951 — Drove Ferrari 166 MM Spider Vignale #0072E with teammate Alberico Cacciari to ninetieth place overall.

12 Hours of Reims The 12 Hours of Reims (official name: 12 Heures internationales de Reims) was a sports car endurance race held from 1953 to 1967 at the Reims (Gueux) circuit in the Marne district of the Champagne region in north-eastern France. The 1926 Coupe d� ...

* 1953 — Simon and co-driver Jean Hémard drove their 750 cc Panhard-Monopole to a fourteenth place finish. * 1954 — Simon and teammate Jean de Montrémy entered a 750 cc Panhard-Monopole, but did not finish due to an accident. Bol d'Or * 1955 — Drove a 750 cc Panhard-Monopole with teammate de Montrémy to a tenth place finish.

Photo gallery

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Yvonne 1992 deaths French female racing drivers French rally drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers French racing drivers Female rally drivers