French Female Racecar Driver Hellé Nice to be honored at Gravesite after Twenty Six Years “Foundation Will Position Grave Marker during September Ceremony in Ste-Mesme France”
ATLANTA, GA (July 21, 2010)-The Hellé Nice Foundation has announced a ceremony to be held in Ste-Mesme, France on September 4, 2010 honoring French female racecar driver Hellé Nice. “For 26 years, Hellé has rested in an unmarked grave and our foundation’s first project has been to raise funds and place a marker on her grave”, shares Sheryl Greene, founder of The Hellé Nice Foundation. A Service of Commemoration will be held at the Ste-Mesme church and in the adjoining cemetery where the marker will be placed. Speakers include Miranda Seymour, author of the Hellé Nice biography “The Bugatti Queen”, Dr. Patricia Lee Yongue, motorsports historian and Associate Professor of English at the University of Houston, and Sheryl Greene, originator and founder of The Hellé Nice Foundation.
“Upon reading Ms. Seymour’s biography of Hellé Nice, I was enthralled with her race history and perseverance and amazed no one had publicly celebrated her life and accomplishments. I decided at that moment to start the foundation with a goal of properly honoring her”, says Greene. Additional ceremony guests include Annie Soisbault, Triumph Works driver, famous for her performances in rallies and on the track racing legendary race cars of the 50’s and 60’s and Jean-Pierre Beltoise, the driver who restored hope to French motor sport and winner of the 1972 Monaco GP. Several surviving members of Hellé’s family will also be present to speak on this special occasion.
Club Bugatti France will exhibit several examples of Bugatti motorcars Hellé Nice drove on the track, as well as on the road. Those attending are invited to bring their own classic and vintage cars along with flowers to place on the grave. “We invite lovers and devotees of the car in general, and of motor sport in particular, to join us in restoring the memory of one of automobile history’s great women racers”, notes Sheryl Greene. The ceremony begins at the church in Ste-Mesme located at Chemin de l'Eglise, 78739 Sainte-Mesme, France, on September 04, 2010 at 11:00AM (Paris time)
Media Contact:
Cindy Meitle
CAR PR USA
480 277-1864
cindy@carprusa.com
USA Contact: Sheryl Greene
404.429.9600
hellenicefoundation@gmail.com
European Contact:
Bruno Perrin
011 33 01 30 59 42 39
bruno.perrin3@wanadoo.fr
About The Hellé Nice Foundation Dedicated to Celebrating the World’s Fastest Women, The Hellé Nice Foundation was established in 2008 to fund the creation and placement of a bronze plaque marking the grave of Nice, a French auto racing legend and pioneer of women making a career in professional motorsports. She ran over 100 races, set a female speed record in 1929 and set closed course endurance records that still stand. In 1930, she made an unprecedented 18-event tour of American race tracks. Piloting primarily cars from Bugatti and Alfa, Nice brought excitement and celebrity to women’s participation in motorsports, increasing crowds wherever she raced. Nice died in 1984, largely forgotten and buried in the family crypt in Ste-Mesme, France with no marking to indicate her final resting place. As funds are generated, the foundation will also serve to assist young women interested in pursuing a career in racing, through grants and direct support. To learn more or to donate, please email www.hellenicefoundation@gmail.com
