Michèle Mouton got an Alpine A110 in 1974; 11 years later she was fastest woman

For years, rallying was seen as a man's sport. The cars were brutally fast, the roads unpredictable and the margin for error tiny. Then came Michèle Mouton. She did not enter motorsport trying to become the fastest woman. She just wanted to race. At the height of rallying's most dangerous era, Mouton became the first woman to win a round of the World Rally Championship and came within reach of winning the world title.Her story began in Grasse in southern France. Mouton initially worked as a co-driver, accompanying her friend Jean Taibi on the 1972 Tour de Corse. A year later, she moved into the driver's seat. Her father, Pierre, gave her an Alpine A110 with one condition: prove herself during the year or give it up.