German Jutta Kleinschmidt showed the men how it was done when she won the tough Dakar Rally in 2001. But despite her victory the gender battle continues.
IT'S ALWAYS A FIGHT - a fight for the best, a fight to get what you deserve, and a fight for respect. Like it or not, motor sport and the spirit of adventure are very much a man's game.
I grew up in Germany among women. It was only my three sisters, myself and my mother. You would think that such feminine influences would make me a girly girl, but I was always adventurous.
I first read about the Dakar Rally in the newspapers and it sounded fascinating. Three friends and I planned to follow the next race, but I had an accident and they went ahead without me. The following year I set out on my motorbike to follow the race, and because no one wanted to go with me, I was on my own.
Like I said, I love a challenge and at that time (1986) it didn't get more challenging than this. It's hard enough to run the rally in a car, let alone a bike. Then, there were no navigational systems - no satellite phones, no mobile phones and no road books. All I had was a Michelin map that was on a scale of one to four million and a small pocket compass.
Adventure comes in many forms, but after following that first race, I knew the Dakar was going to be my next conquest. There's just something about motor sports - it's always different. When you start in the morning, you have no idea what's going to be thrown at you during the day, so it's always a thrill. And to do it on a bike was going to be even more challenging. I crashed out that first time, but what an experience.