Motor racing has been a predominantly male hobby since day one. The first recorded race between motorized vehicles, an 1867 street race between steam carriages, took place three decades prior to the first known instance of women racing motor vehicles, when a group of Parisian women on motorized tricycles raced around a horse track. Men may have raced before women, but women were never as far from motorsports prominence as one might expect, despite their lack of legal liberties early on. Women still make up a minority in current motorsports demographics, but at all levels of racing, from grassroots to professional, women make up a greater proportion of competitors than ever before. Some, by mention of their name alone, conjure up images as heroic as any male in the biz. Others have names whose notoriety has been eroded by the sands of time, and accomplishments overwritten as records tumble to technology's advance. Their achievements, however, are not eclipsed. Pelting across cobbled roads at 91 mph in a car made from pig iron and optimism is no less impressive today than it was in 1906. If anything, it is made more astonishing by the fact that girls were reared in the day to avoid such hobbies, and were often outright barred from competing. Yet there they were, lasses leaving lads to languish on the lower levels of the podium, seizing the champagne for themselves. Let's meet some of those women now. The 1900s

Heritage Images, Hulton Archive, via Getty Images Dorothy Levitt and her Napier

1901: Camille du Gast, as a wealthy French widow and extreme sports enthusiast, became the first female star of motorsports because of her performance at the 1901 Paris-Berlin race. She started dead last of the 122 entrants, in her 20 horsepower Panhard, and finished 33rd, reportedly unsatisfied with overtaking a mere 89 of her competitors. For reference, in this same year, girls are included for the first time in Chinese education. 1905: Four years later, at the Brighton Speed Trials, Dorothy Levitt rode an 80 horsepower Napier to almost 80 mph, winning her engine class, the Autocar Challenge Trophy, and the right to call herself the fastest woman on earth. The following year, she raised the bar to 91 mph. Levitt is also thought to have pioneered the rear-view mirror, though hers was handheld, and not affixed to a car. Also in 1905, women in Honduras received legal majority, or legal status as individuals with accountability for themselves. The 1920s

Imagno, Hulton Archive, via Getty Images Hellé Nice in her Oméga-Six

1921: Gwenda Janson, a decorated, self-taught WWI ambulance driver, got her start in motorcycle racing with a 1,000-mile promotional record on a Ner-A-Car recumbent motorcycle, setting her up for more opportunities to race through the early 1930s. That same year, in Belgium, women were granted the right to hold public office. 1924: Eliška Junková of Czechoslovakia became one of the first practitioners of scouting racetracks on foot before a race. She drove a Bugatti 30 with Grand Prix history to victory in a regional touring car race. The following year, she seized another win in a Czech hill climb, and two years thereafter, she won the two-liter class at the inaugural car race at the then-new Nurburgring. While all this went on, Argentina outlawed firing women for being pregnant. 1929: Dancer, model, and until an accident injured her knee, skier, Hellé Nice took up racing as a new career, and won a women-only Grand Prix, unknowingly breaking the women's land speed record in doing so. Around that same time, Edwards vs. Canada resulted in a ruling that women were eligible to serve in the country's senate. The 1930s

Keystone-France, Gamma-Keystone, via Getty Images Odette Siko at Le Mans in 1932

1932: Odette Siko's racing in the late 1920s prepared her for her bids at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which started in 1930. After one successful finish and a disqualification in her first two races at Le Mans, Siko wrangled her Alfa Romeo 6C to a fourth-place finish in 1932, winning the 2.0-liter class. Her finish remains the best achieved by any woman to race at Le Mans. Colombia and Romania approved of legal majority for married women. 1934: Margaret Allan was invited by MG to race with the team, due to her 10th-place finish in the 1932 Monte Carlo Rally, among other strong drives. She competed at Le Mans the following year in a 0.8 liter MG, finishing the race. Allan eventually lapped Brooklands at over 122 mph in a 6.5 liter Bentley, and became one of a handful of women that would ever complete a lap of the circuit exceeding 120 mph. At around the same time, Women in Haiti were permitted to pursue careers as physicians. 1935: Remember Gwenda Janson? She became Gwenda Stewart, and more importantly, the fastest woman around Brooklands, with a lap at a speed of nearly 136 mph. Her record was never broken. Brooklands closed four years afterward. At around the same time, Tehran University in Iran finally opened its doors to women. The 1940s

RacingOne, ISC Archives, via Getty Images Sara Christian in her #71 Oldsmobile

1949: Much of the world dropped motor racing to fight World War II, though the postwar economic boom made many wealthy enough to take up racing. Sara Christian was among them, and competed in NASCAR's inaugural race at Charlotte Speedway. Her finish of fifth at Heidelberg Speedway later in the season remains the only top-five finish for a woman in NASCAR. Ecuadoran women received legal majority. The 1950s

PA Images Archive, via Getty Images Maria Teresa de Filippis in a Maserati 250F

1958: Maria Teresa de Filippis took one small step for women, and one giant leap into a more organized Grand Prix racing scene, now known simply as Formula 1. Her F1 debut came at the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix, where she finished 10th. de Filippis was denied the chance to race at the following French Grand Prix, with the race director reportedly telling her, "the only helmet a woman should wear is the one at the hairdresser's." At around the same time, Swedish women were allowed to become priests. The 1960s

RacingOne, ISC Archives, via Getty Images Denise McCluggage in a Ferrari 275 GTB Spyder

1960: Talented rally driver Anne Hall won the Morecambe Road Rally, and became the first woman to win any national or international rally. Afghanistan's University of Kabul began accepting women. 1961: Denise McCluggage drove a Ferrari 250 GT in the 12 Hours of Sebring, and took home a Grand Touring class win. In the Safari Rally, known for being the most challenging in the world at the time, Anne Hall finished third. The Dowry Prohibition Act was signed in India. 1964: Hall and McCluggage wrestled a Ford Falcon along the stages of the Monte Carlo Rally, to secure a class win. Whilst in Monaco, Hall butted heads with Graham Hill—five-time Monaco Grand Prix winner, double F1 World Champion, and the only driver to complete the Triple Crown of Motorsport—with a race around the Monaco Grand Prix Circuit that Hill knew so well, in identical cars. Hall beat Hill by a reported 6.6 seconds. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act was enacted in the United States. 1969: Shirley Muldowney, an NHRA Pro-licensed drag racer since 1965, competed in the NHRA Nationals, in the Top Gas category, now defunct. The taking of women as prisoners of war for forced marriage was deemed a crime against humanity by the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The 1970s

Bob Harmeyer, The Archive, via Getty Images Janet Guthrie's mechanics tend to her engine

1971: Muldowney won the IHRA Southern Nationals. The following year, she and her husband Jack—who introduced her to racing—divorced, in part because he was uncomfortable following her upward into nitrous oxide-powered NHRA Top Fuel racing. Preventing women from practicing law became illegal in the United States. 1974: In a privately-entered Brabham, Lella Lombardi made a one-off entry in F1 at the British Grand Prix, but did not qualify. She was hired by the March team the following year and became the first woman to score championship points in F1, with a P6 finish at the chaotic Spanish Grand Prix. Spain lifted a ban on women participating in bullfighting at around the same time. 1975: Michèle Mouton won the 2.0-liter class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, beating four teams in larger engine classes. Abortion was legalized in France. 1976: Flight instructor, aerospace engineer, and former astronaut candidate Janet Guthrie became the first woman to race a NASCAR superspeedway event, at Charlotte Motor Speedway's World 600, where she finished 15th. The United States Supreme Court upheld the decision of Planned Parenthood v. Danforth, repealing a requirement for written consent for a woman to have an abortion. 1977: Lella Lombardi, after two prior entries at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finished 11th alongside Christine Beckers in an Inaltera LM77. Fiat France hired Mouton to race for the company in the European Rally Championship, in which she placed second. Shirley Muldowney won the first of her thee NHRA Top Fuel championships, which would follow in '80 and '82. Guthrie entered the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500, the first woman to attempt either race. Engine problems in both races handicapped her to finish 29th and 12th respectively. She finished ninth at Indy the following year, and her best finish in Indycar stands at fifth. Guthrie fought an icy climate for her entire career in NASCAR. "I knew the woman part was irrelevant, but nobody else seemed to," she stated to Washington Post in 2006. "I am a racer right through to my bone marrow, and that's what it was all about for me." NASCAR maestro Cale Yarborough, too, saw things from Guthrie's perspective, stating, "there is no question about her ability to race with us. More power to her. She has 'made it' in what I think is the most competitive racing circuit in the world." At around the same time, in Afghanistan, women and men reached legal equality. The 1980s

Mike Powell, Getty Images Sport Michèle Mouton slides her Group B Audi Sport Quattro

1981: Mouton was selected as one of Audi Sport's drivers for its turbocharged, four-wheel-drive Quattro. With Audi, she would win four World Rally Championship events and place second in the championship in her second year with the team. Sweden became the first western nation to codify a law banning FGM. 1985: In the outrageous Audi Quattro S1, Mouton won the world's longest and most extreme hillclimb, Pikes Peak, setting a course record. France altered parenting laws to give mothers equal say in the handling of a child's property. 1986: Carol "Bunny" Burkett took the first IHRA Alcohol Funny Car drag race championship, and is still the only woman to have done such. Her nickname came from a period in 1967, during which she worked at the Playboy Club of Baltimore as a hostess, to support her racing. She took the moniker in stride, plastering it on her cars. In Djibouti, women were allowed to run in elections. 1988: Anne Hall, now 68, made a one-off return to racing, winning the Alpine Cup in a Ford Anglia as part of the Pirelli Classic. Switzerland and Brazil equalized the legal powers of husbands and wives. 1989: Against doctor's orders, Eliška Junková, at age 89, flew to the United States for a Bugatti reunion, where she received a hero's welcome. In Canada, retail chain Safeway is punished for inadequate compensation of employees on maternity leave.

Pascal Rondeau, Getty Images Sport The 1990s Giovanna Amati suits up for practice

1992: Giovanna Amati was signed by the faltering Brabham F1 team, but inexperience with fast single-seaters left her uncompetitive, and her contract was terminated shortly thereafter. She remains the most recent woman to have entered an F1 race. Women's involvement in American politics, specifically the elections of 1992, exploded, resulting in the year being dubbed "Year of the Woman." 1995: Carol Burkett was involved in an accident at a race in Pennsylvania, when her opponent lost control and crashed into her. Burkett's car sailed into the woods at 200 mph, leaving Burkett with injuries that doctors told her would prevent her from walking ever again. About 18 months later, she was back at drag strips, racing her Funny Car, undeterred. The United States' Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act raised penalties for crimes classified as hate crimes, under which women are protected. 1996: Sommelier and racing driver Sabine Reck won the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, and came back for a second bottle of champagne the following year. She would eventually marry into the Schmitz family, adopting the name many know her by today: Sabine Schmitz, whose 20,000-plus laps of the Nurburgring make her its undisputed master. Italy reclassified any form of sexual assault as a felony. The 2000s

Patrick Hertzog, AFP, via Getty Images Jutta Kleinschmidt's 2001 Dakar Rally win.

2000: Indycar driver Sarah Fisher became the first woman in the series' history to post a podium, at the Kentucky Indy 300. Two years later, she secured pole position at the same event, also a first for women in top-level open-wheel motorsports. Nepal allowed married women under 35 to inherit property. 2001: Jutta Kleinschmidt maintained a speed befitting of the Amazon she is throughout the duration of the 6,200-mile Paris-Dakar Rally, and became the first woman (and first German) to win the race. Across the Atlantic, Venezuelan academic, naval engineer, and former model Milka Duno busied herself with four class wins in the ALMS endurance series. In the following year, Bangladesh raised the penalty for acid attacks to death. 2004: Duno entered the prestigious Petit Le Mans in a Lola B2K/40, and came away with an LMP2 class win. Later in the year, Sabine Schmitz's notoriety exploded, after she was televised on the BBC program Top Gear, where her lap of the Nurburgring in a diesel Jaguar S-Type beat that of host Jeremy Clarkson's by 47 seconds. Divorce was made legal in Chile, and in Pakistan, honor killings were outlawed. 2006: Champ Car driver Katherine Legge became the first woman in the series to lead a race lap, and held on to the race lead for 12 laps of the Road Runner 225. Greece debarred marital rape. 2007: At the 24 Hours of Daytona, Legge completed the millionth lap in the race's history, though she finished far adrift of Duno, who enjoyed a second-place finish overall, less than a lap down from the race leaders. Egypt and Eritrea forbade female genital mutilation. 2009: The Indy 500 was one of the biggest moments of Danica Patrick's professional racing career. She elbowed her way into the shootout for pole position, ultimately starting 10th. Patrick hunkered down for the ensuing 200 laps, during which she sneaked past seven competitors, to finish third, the best finish for any woman in the race's history. Sudanese activist Lubna Hussein was fined for wearing pants. The 2010s

Patrick Smith, NASCAR, via Getty Images Danica Patrick greets her fans, 2013

2011: In the midst of her Indycar season, a United States customs officer denied Simona de Silvestro's entry to the country, and cited repeated trips in and out of the country as reason to send her back to Switzerland. The officer did not believe de Silvestro's explanation that she was a racing driver. Afghanistan criminalized any attempt at flight from a forced marriage. 2013: De Silvestro climbed atop the second step of the podium at the Grand Prix of Houston. Danica Patrick blitzed her competition in qualifying at the Daytona 500, and snatched pole position. In F1, Sir Frank Williams prepared his daughter Claire to take over the team. He appointed her to Deputy Team Principal of the eponymous Williams F1 team. Saudi Arabian women were allowed to ride bicycles, but only in designated zones, in full body covering, and with a male family member present. 2015: The BBC announced that in the wake of the liquidation of its Top Gear hosts, Sabine Schmitz would join the show's roster. Gambia and Nigeria prohibit FGM. 2016: De Silvestro scored points at the Formula E Long Beach ePrix, and was the first woman to do so. Fabricator, TV host, and racer Jessi Combs shattered the ladies' land speed record, setting a speed of 477.59 mph. Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first woman to race in F1, passed at 89. Gambia ends forced and child marriage within its borders. 2017: Amazon's "The Grand Tour" revealed its new test driver, 2014 Mazda MX-5 Supercup winner Abbie Eaton, unceremoniously introduced as "the fastest" of any of the drivers evaluated. Saudi Arabia laid groundwork for women to receive drivers' licenses the following year. The United States reactivated and inflated the Mexico City Policy. Nepal criminalized the exile of menstruating women. Today

Michael Allio, Icon Sportswire, via Getty Images Pippa Mann, front, at the 2017 Indy 500