It was 20 years ago that Fabienne Lanz hung up her ballet shoes for a pair of more comfortable ones to do what she loved most - kart racing. Known as "Iron Lady" among her peers, the 29-year-old's passion and dedication to racing has earned her respect in motorsport.The karting sensation made history when she won the Senior Max and DD2 (direct drive, two speed) classes at the Rotax African Open Karting championship last month.She is now revved up to give one of her greatest performances in this year's highly contested Rotax MAX Challenge Grand finals in Sarno, Italy.But being a woman in a sport dominated by men has not always been easy for Lanz. "In the beginning, it can get intimidating because there is some bullying from the boys - if they're not bumping you off or pushing you wide, even in practice, they're not lenient."I think girls in motorsport end up having a strong personality because they need to stand up for themselves until the boys realise they can't mess with you any more," she said.Lanz, who is also an advanced driving instructor, is one of two women in a team of 10 South Africans who will be in Italy next month.Determined to leave a legacy in motorsport, Lanz mentors and coaches 24 aspiring racers between the ages of eight and 15 through the Fabienne Lanz Racing Team and School, at Zwartkops Raceway in Centurion.One could say she was destined to end up in the industry - her father is former champion saloon car racing driver, Peter Lanz. She dreams of one day racing in Formula 1.Though her older brother and sister showed no interest in racing, one race at a birthday party was enough for her to know the path she wanted to follow."When I said I wanted to race during career guidance in Grade 10, my teacher told me I needed something to fall back on, in case it failed. I responded that I would work hard enough to make sure I don't fail," said Lanz...