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Annie Soisbault 1934-2012


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#1 Graham Gauld

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Posted 02 October 2012 - 13:01


Sorry to say that French rally and racing driver Annie Soisbault died at the weekend at the age of 78. Annie was a very quick driver and after running her privately owned TR3 she was brought into the factory Triumph team. She was a former Tennis champion and after rallying moved into racing with her husbands Ferrari GTO. In recent years she has turned up at Retromobile and one or two motor sport events.

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#2 mikeC

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Posted 02 October 2012 - 15:37

RIP Annie; one of my first pin-ups from those days, along with that leggy blonde from Sweden (I forget her name :| ). A gorgeous young lady who perhaps didn't take here rallying too seriously :love:

#3 RS2000

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Posted 02 October 2012 - 15:54

Serious enough to make a tactical "DNS" to reduce the number of starters to deprive Pat Moss of championship points?
"Starred" in Shell's 1958 "Coupe des Alpes" film, with a realistic sound track to crunching a TR front wing!
Probably the only Monte Carlo Rally competitor to ever bring her pet cheetah to the start?

I'd seen the announcement on Forum Auto. Not a good period in France with Titi Greder also "OTL at the final control" so recently.

Blonde Swede - Ewy Rosqvist?

Edited by RS2000, 02 October 2012 - 15:55.


#4 Tim Murray

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Posted 02 October 2012 - 16:06

Probably the only Monte Carlo Rally competitor to ever bring her pet cheetah to the start?

Photo of said cheetah on this obituary on a French site (*beware* - noisy advert):

http://www.autonewsi...itte-61203.html

RIP Annie

#5 AAGR

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Posted 02 October 2012 - 16:50

The 'leggy blonde' from Sweden would have been Ewy Rosqvist, who rallied Volvos, then Mercedes-Benz cars. Later married Mercedes-Benz rally team boss Baron von Korff, thus becoming Baroness von Korff.

Useless information department at your serrvice ....

AAGR

#6 hatrat

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Posted 02 October 2012 - 20:34

Photo of said cheetah on this obituary on a French site (*beware* - noisy advert):

http://www.autonewsi...itte-61203.html

RIP Annie



The single seater shown in this link is a Team Fitzwilliam Racing Lola Mk2 Formula Junior - chassis BRJ1. It was driven by Annie at Chimay on 5 June 1960 in a combined F2 / FJ race with Annie coming third in the FJs behind John Love (Lola Mk2) and Andre Pilette (Lotus 18). Annie's Lola is now in New Zealand.

#7 mikeC

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 08:09

Serious enough to make a tactical "DNS" to reduce the number of starters to deprive Pat Moss of championship points?
"Starred" in Shell's 1958 "Coupe des Alpes" film, with a realistic sound track to crunching a TR front wing!
Probably the only Monte Carlo Rally competitor to ever bring her pet cheetah to the start?

I'd seen the announcement on Forum Auto. Not a good period in France with Titi Greder also "OTL at the final control" so recently.

Blonde Swede - Ewy Rosqvist?


Ewy Rosqvist indeed :up:
And I was thinking of the Monte Carlo Cheetah when I made that comment - it stayed with her in the rally, too; there is a photo of the equipe somewhere en-route, and the poor cheetah is looking decidedly shattered!

#8 Graham Gauld

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 09:52


I thought that a photo of Annie when she was at her best is better than the more recent photos of her just to bring back memories

[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/213/anniesoisbault.jpg/]Posted Image[/URL

#9 AAGR

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 13:41

Can we please now have a pictue of Ewy Rosqvist 'at her best' - to make this old man feel happier .... ?

AAGR



#10 arttidesco

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 13:50

"Starred" in Shell's 1958 "Coupe des Alpes" film, with a realistic sound track to crunching a TR front wing!


Back in the day for some months before the official opening of the third channel on TV, they used to run The Shell 'Coupe des Alpes" film as part of a test transmission, I were still a wee nipper in shorts around this time when my folks bought their first (B&W) TV. IIRC the film was shown once a week always at the same time in the afternoon, I used to race home from school just to watch that film again and again.

Just watched the film on youtube for the first time in 40 plus years, what wonderful memories it brought back, shame all motorsports has got so terribly serious since.

Looks like none other than DSJ was on hand to help get Annie's TR3 back on the black stuff, how on earth did he get up there ?

RIP Annie

#11 bradbury west

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 13:53

This is the best I can do at such short notice, saw it among others in a batch on e bay t'other day. Taken in Nov '62 in Argentina with Ursula Wirth.
Posted Image
Click image for larger view size.
Copyright unknowm, fair use , educational etc. I will remove if it is a problem
Roger Lund

edit; quote " to make this old man feel happier .... "
Bearing in mind it was all 50 years ago it has made a happy man feel much older......

Edited by bradbury west, 03 October 2012 - 13:56.


#12 ReWind

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 14:51

Back to this thread's topic:
Strange that of such a prominent sportswoman (tennis & motor racing) no specific birth date is available (just the year but not month & day). Anyone with the missing details?

Back to off-topic:
Posted Image
Ewy Rosqvist & Eva-Maria Falk 1964 in Argentina
(Source)

Edited by ReWind, 03 October 2012 - 14:54.


#13 Graham Gauld

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 15:27

Can we please now have a pictue of Ewy Rosqvist 'at her best' - to make this old man feel happier .... ?

AAGR



Sorry Graham I do not have a half decent photo of Ewy but I can attach a photo of Baron von Korff if you want !!!!!!
PS I don't even have a decent photo of her !!!

GG

#14 RS2000

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 15:32

Back in the day for some months before the official opening of the third channel on TV, they used to run The Shell 'Coupe des Alpes" film as part of a test transmission, I were still a wee nipper in shorts around this time when my folks bought their first (B&W) TV. IIRC the film was shown once a week always at the same time in the afternoon, I used to race home from school just to watch that film again and again.

Just watched the film on youtube for the first time in 40 plus years, what wonderful memories it brought back, shame all motorsports has got so terribly serious since.

Looks like none other than DSJ was on hand to help get Annie's TR3 back on the black stuff, how on earth did he get up there ?

RIP Annie


I'm sure we have covered the TV test transmissions before on here. The only trouble with the CdeA film is that you're never quite sure whether you are watching a "staged" sequence (at the real location and in the same broad time frame) or the real thing. A "Landmark" rally film nevertheless that is so much earlier than the other ground breaking rally films (of the 68 1000 Lakes and the 71 RAC). DSJ drove a camera car, so was "around" to appear with Annie "Sauce Boat". You wonder whether he auditioned for the "peasants with hand cart" sequence too but maybe it was the wrong type of flat cap!

Edited by RS2000, 03 October 2012 - 15:34.


#15 arttidesco

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 17:35

I had no idea what a staged sequence was when I was repeatedly watching as a wide eyed nipper in shorts :blush:

DSJ drove a camera car, so was "around" to appear with Annie "Sauce Boat". You wonder whether he auditioned for the "peasants with hand cart" sequence too but maybe it was the wrong type of flat cap!


:up:

Thanks for that bit of info, just seemed a tad too random for DSJ to appear out of no where, especially after the opening sequence with the Italian (?) cameramen.

#16 AAGR

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 20:23

The CdeA film of 1958 was made and financed by Shell, who hired DSJ for some of the work involved. So the Stelvio crash was certainly not a put-up job - they were just very lucky to be on the spot ....

AAGR

#17 RS2000

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 22:03

The CdeA film of 1958 was made and financed by Shell
AAGR


See Post 3.
According to Marcus Chambers' book, Dean Delamont of the (then) RAC was also involved in driving for the film crew, both he and DSJ being behind the wheel because the film makers' own drivers proved not up to the task of following the rally cars (even on the easier road sections...). Presumably DSJ could well have wound up there anyway as part of his roving continental brief if there was no major race clashing. I think DCN mentioned he had DSJ's car plate and other paperwork from the event.
The blue Alfa, number 212, that features frequently in the film was not an official competitor and was there to provide a more "directable" subject for the cameras. This actually was news to Bernard last year, the French CdeA expert preparing a book.
Undoubtedly Annie SB's incident was real but the hand cart one seems just too convenient not to have been set up!

#18 Graham Clayton

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Posted 04 October 2012 - 11:07

Can we please now have a pictue of Ewy Rosqvist 'at her best' - to make this old man feel happier .... ?

AAGR


AAGR,

Will this suffice?

Posted Image

Source: http://www.vongester...60er-jahre.html

#19 LotusElise

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Posted 04 March 2013 - 14:54

Annie now has her own profile on Speedqueens:

http://speedqueens.b...e-montaigu.html