ICON | Marie-Claude Beaumont

Photos of French race car driver Marie-Claude Beaumont at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1971 and 1975.

"Very sporty, Marie-Claude skied, skated, rode horses and played tennis. She was—and is—highly spontaneous and tenacious, with a very positive outlook. (Greder was to nickname her 'never satisfied'.) Thanks to that combination, and the will and desire to be a champion in her own right, she became the equal of the best male racing drivers. As with Annie Soisbault, her target was not the Ladies' Cup but the 'winning'." —an excerpt from Fast Ladies: Female Racing Drivers 1888 to 1970 by Jean Francois Bouzanquet