Pat Moss (27 December 1934 – 14 October 2008), aka. Pat Moss-Carlsson was an Equestrian and one of the most successful women rally drivers of all time. She scored three outright wins and seven podium finishes in International rallies, and was crowned European Ladies' Rally Champion five times (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964 and 1965). She was the younger sister of Formula One Grand Prix star Stirling Moss, and was married to the Swedish rally driver Erik Carlsson from 1963 until her death.

She was the author of The Story So Far (1967, William Kimber and Co - ISBN 0-7183-0440-3) and co-author (with her husband) of The Art and Technique of Driving (1965, Heinemann publishers).

[edit] Biography

Patricia Ann Moss was born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, England to Alfred E. Moss and Aileen (nee Crawford). She grew up in Bray, Berkshire. She was taught to drive at the age of eleven by her elder brother Stirling, but she started her sporting career on horseback, becoming a well-known and successful showjumper and member of the British showjumping team. She started driving in club rallies in 1953, after being introduced to the sport by her then boyfriend Ken Gregory, who was Stirling's manager. In the summer of 1954, Pat bought herself a Triumph TR2 and started more rallying seriously. She contacted Standard-Triumph to see if they would cover her expenses to drive her own car on the 1955 RAC Rally, but they declined.

Fortunately, the MG Car Company offered Pat both a works MG TF 1500 and expenses, and so began a relationship that would last seven years and net three championships - and bring the British Motor Corporation huge publicity benefits. As a BMC works team driver, Pat had her breakthrough in 1958, when she drove her Morris Minor to fourth place on the RAC Rally. She later achieved another fourth place at the Liège-Rome-Liège in an Austin Healey 100/6, and also won the first of her five European Ladies' Rally Championship titles.

Two years later, Moss took an impressive overall victory at the Liège-Rome-Liège in an Austin-Healey 3000, and went on to finish second at that year's Coupe des Alpes and at the 1961 RAC. In 1962, she was third at the East African Safari Rally in a Saab 96, and at the RAC with the Austin-Healey. Her biggest achievement, however, was winning the Dutch Tulip Rally in a Mini Cooper. Although Moss considered the Mini "twitchy, and pretty unruly on the limit",^[1] this was the first of many international rally wins for the car.

In 1963, Moss joined Ford and managed a sixth place at the Acropolis Rally in her Lotus-tuned Ford Cortina. That year, she married fellow rally driver Erik Carlsson on 3 March 1963 in London. In 1964, Moss switched to the Saab factory team to partner Carlsson, after Ford's unsuccessful attempt to sign him, competing in eleven international rallies. Her most notable results were third at the Acropolis, fourth at the Liège-Sofia-Liège and at the RAC, and fifth at the Monte Carlo Rally. The following year, she came third in the Monte.

In 1968, Moss joined Lancia to drive the new Fulvia. She disliked the car's strong understeer, but drove the car to 14th place at the Monte and later a second place at the 1968 Rallye Sanremo, losing only to Pauli Toivonen in a Porsche 911. Her other notable results of the season included winning the Sestriere Rally, and finishing eighth at the Acropolis and seventh at the Tour de Corse. At the 1969 Monte, Moss drove her Fulvia to sixth place.

In late 1969, Moss and Carlsson had a daughter, Suzy Carlsson, who was later to become a successful showjumper. Moss was then becoming less active in rallying, but did join Renault Alpine and drive her Alpine A110 to tenth place at the 1972 Monte Carlo Rally, until finally retiring in 1974.

Moss died of cancer^[2] at home in Eaton Bray, Bedfordshire,^[3] aged 73 on 14 October 2008. She is survived by her husband, and daughter Suzy.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Obituary at Times Online
• Obituary at Autosport
• Obituary at Octane