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Today March 8th 2015 marks International Women’s Day. Although we at A3 believe that a single day is not enough to mark the importance of woman’s contribution to the world, we’ve decided to make a tribute to a few of the prominent lady legends behind the wheel. Our collage display images of some of racing’s best, past and present.

Michelle Mouton- Also known as “the fastest girl ever”, she is a former WRC driver. With 4 WRC Rally wins and the 1982 WRC vice-champion, she has stood toe to toe with the best in the rallying world. Were it not for mechanical problems in the last race of the 1982 season, she probably would have prevented Walter Rohrl from becoming the first ever two time world rally champion.

Lella Lombardi- Maria Grazia “Lella” Lombardi is not the only female F1 driver ever, but she stands as the only woman to ever have a top 6 and points winning finish in the history of Formula 1. Not content with only Formula 1, she competed in sports car racing as well, participating four times at the 24 hrs of Le Mans.

Sabine Schmitz- The “queen of the Nurburgring” and probably the fastest taxi driver in the world, Sabine has clocked over 30,000 laps at the “green hell” piloting the notorious BMW M5 ring taxi. When not embarrassing Top Gear presenters with her outright speed, she competes in the VLN series and has racked up two wins at the 24 hrs of the Nurburgring and a 3rd place finish driving for Porsche and BMW.

Victoria Butler-Henderson- Vicki is probably best known as co-host alongside Tiff Needell and Jason Plato, but this speedster grew up in a racing family, karting as a youngster. She holds a racing license as well as a powerboat racing license. Yes guys, she can kick your ass at the track AND on the high seas.

Danica Patrick- Is the most successful woman in the history of american open wheel racing. Not content in wining the Indy Japan 300 race and a 3rd place finish at the Indianapolis 500, Danica moved to NASCAR where she currently competes and in 2013 becoming the first female NASCAR driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole, turning in the fastest qualifying lap since 1990 – qualifying for the Daytona 500.

Susie Wolff- Began her racing career as many drivers do in karting (claiming the title of woman kart driver of the year several times), progressing through the ranks of Formula Renault and Formula 3000 before migrating to German touring cars (DTM). In 2012, Wolff was signed by the Williams Formula 1 team as a developmental driver, and last year, became the first woman to take part in a Formula 1 race weekend in over 22 years.

Ashley Force- Now retired, Ashley debuted as NHRA rookie of the year in 2007. The following year, she earned her first win by defeating her father, the legendary 14 time NHRA Drag Racing Champion John Force, becoming the first woman to earn a win in Top Fuel/Funny Car racing. She went on to win several events, retiring in 2011 to raise Force’s next generation of drag racers.

Courtney & Brittany Force- Keeping the drag racing tradition in the family, the youngest of John Force’s daughters also compete in NHRA top fuel series, Courtney winning the Top Alcohol Championship in 2009, and in 2014 surpassing Ashley for the record of most wins by a female driver in NHRA history.