Yvette Fontaine

File:Yvette-1969.jpg

Yvette Fontaine (born 3 June 1946) is a Belgian former racing driver.

Career

Born on 3 June 1946 in Hasselt, Belgium, Fontaine grew up with her parents near the Zolder race track and thus came into contact with motorsport at an early age.{{cite web |title=Yvette Fontaine, the first woman motor sport champion |url=https://focusonbelgium.be/en/Do%20you%20know%20these%20Belgians/Yvette-Fontaine |website=Focus on Belgium |publisher=Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation |access-date=4 July 2024 |language=en |date=22 August 2018}} As a teenager, Fontaine attended events as a spectator whenever she could at the almost four-kilometer-long circuit. After experimenting with karting, she took part in her first car rally in 1964 at the age of 18.

In 1966, she began touring car racing and drove an Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Super 1600 in the Belgian championship. That same year, she contested her first 24 Hours of Spa, finishing 19th overall.{{cite web |title=Spa 24 Hours 1966 |url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/etcc/race/Spa-1966-07-24.html |website=Racing Sports Cars}} In 1969 she switched from Alfa Romeos to Fords, when she received a contract with Ford Belgium. In both 1969 and 1970 she secured the top ranking in the Belgian Touring Car Championship, driving a Ford Escort 1300 GT (and, in 1969, a Ford Lotus Cortina for some races). She was the first woman to win this championship,{{cite web |last1=Harris-Gardiner |first1=Rachel |title=Speedqueens: Yvette Fontaine |url=https://speedqueens.blogspot.com/2014/10/yvette-fontaine.html |website=Speedqueens |access-date=4 July 2024 |date=23 October 2014}} and, {{as of|2024|lc=yes}}, still the only one.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

Her greatest international success was second place in the 1975 24 Hours of Spa. Her partner in the BMW 3.0 CSi was her compatriot Noël van Assche; the race was won by another BMW piloted by Jean Xhenceval, Pierre Dieudonné and Hughes de Fierlant.{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=James |title=BMW Classic Coupes, 1965 - 1989: 2000C and CS, E9 and E24 |date=30 November 2014 |publisher=Crowood |isbn=978-1-84797-847-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iaUZBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT141 |language=en}}

Fontaine also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, with the all-female teams being successful both times. In the 1974 race she also won the class for sports cars up to 2 litres displacement, finishing 17th; in the 1975 race she finished eleventh overall.

In 2016 she published her autobiography, Ma passion, covering her twelve years as a racing driver.