"a Taste for

the sport"

Early 1950s

In 1952, I met Yngve Rosqvist, a young, blond, broad-shouldered engineer. We married in 1954 and settled in the charming village of Skurup, situated between Malmö and Ystad. There, we purchased a beautiful little house.

I continued working even after we got married. Both my husband and father-in-law were passionate about driving—my husband competed in smaller races, while my father-in-law had a keen interest in rally driving.

First rally

My first rally experience was with my father-in-law and my husband. In 1954, I took on the role of the “third man” in the “Rally of the Midnight Sun.” My father-in-law, an exceptionally skilled driver with a background in motorcycle racing, was at the wheel.

However, after the first 1,000 kilometers, we incurred penalty points, which placed us at the bottom of the leaderboard. To make matters worse, near the final stage, just before the checkered flag, we suffered a flat tire. That marked the end of our rally adventure.

Started practicing

By then, I had developed a taste for the sport. During some of the intermediate stages, I had the chance to sit behind the wheel, and the sheer thrill of driving sparked a decision—I wanted to compete in rallies, either as a driver or co-driver.

From that moment on, I practiced extensively with my husband. The local automobile club organized orienteering competitions, and we eagerly participated in those events.

Debut as a rally driver

In 1956, I made my debut as a rally driver, with Majbritt Clausson as my co-driver. Once again, it was in the “Rally of the Midnight Sun,” held in June. Misfortune seemed to follow me during that race. After a string of setbacks, we finally experienced engine failure, forcing us to withdraw. Yet, this only fueled my determination to continue. I started taking time off from work to compete in smaller rallies. My results varied—sometimes I achieved impressive placements, while other times, everything went wrong.

With sister-in-law

Most of the time, I competed alongside my sister-in-law, Anita Rosqvist. Although Anita wasn’t a strong driver, she was an exceptional co-driver I could always count on. However, rallying was an expensive passion. A major rally cost me approximately 3,000 SEK (around 300 EUR), which I had to finance entirely on my own. I never expected my husband to support my hobby financially, especially since he also competed in various events. Motorsport was truly a family affair for us

The text above is from Ewy Rosqvist book "Fart från början till slut" Berghs Förlag AB 1963

A road maraton

Wonderful time

- It was a wonderful time and I thought everything was funny. Sometimes I had success when I won four times Ladies Cup in "The Thousand Lakes Rally" in Finland..

Crash - sheep on the road

- The gravel road is so well-packed that I comfortably maintain 160 km/h. I press down harder on the gas pedal... And then it happens. A flock of sheep suddenly emerges from behind the bushes on the left. Ursula, staring straight ahead, throws her arm over her face and lets out a groan. Now it´s time!
My grip on the steering wheel tightens instinctively. It all unfolds in the blink of an eye. Then ...

Difficulties

- Despite all the success began serious difficulties for me already 1960. Firstly, it was very expensive to participate private in so many rallies, secondly, it was long time I had no income, for the third began my workmates grumble because they have to do my work when I took more and more time off.

Divorce

- Additionally came very soon a new concern. As I spent less time at home than before, it came to disagreements with my husband, which ended in divorce. With heavy heart, I took leave of our beautiful home. I furnished the a small apartment for me in Malmö.