Faster than F1: The extreme motorsport where women keep winning

Top Fuel drag racing is the only elite motorsport class where women frequently beat men to major titles. Faster than F1: The extreme motorsport where women keep winning Like "being shot out of a cannon" is the closest comparison that driver Susanne Callin can come up with for the extreme motorsport she competes in. She is a two-time European champion in Top Fuel drag racing – often described as the fastest sport on the planet. Races begin with a bone-shaking roar, as the world's fastest-accelerating cars leave the starting line, flames bursting out of their exhaust pipes. The cars surge to more than 300mph (483km/h) in races that last just four seconds, with drivers experiencing more g-force than an astronaut launching into space.

It is the only elite class of motorsport where women frequently beat men to major titles. Women have won seven out of the past nine European Championships, while, until recently, female US driver Brittany Force held the world speed record in the sport. In comparison, it is 50 years since a woman even competed in a Formula 1 Grand Prix race. Women account for about 10% of participants across motorsport, and just 4% of elite drivers, according to campaign group More Than Equal. However, they made up 20% of the drivers competing in this year's US and