When you’re in the thick of it, fighting for first place, you’re not thinking about the world around you. It may as well not exist.
The helmet goes on and the globe goes to sleep. It’s you, the road, the car beneath your finger tips and the calls from your co-driver seeping through your ears.
It’s only when you’ve won, won again, and have time to reflect that you realize the impact you are having on the world around you.
“What makes me happiest is seeing how many young girls follow us and cheer for us,” smiles Sarah Rumeau, winner of the last two rounds of the French Gravel Championship.
“At one of the last rallies, we had a lovely surprise: a little girl had made a T-shirt for us to sign. It was a very special moment, and it really touched me.
“If our journey can inspire young girls to believe in their dreams and start in motorsport, I would be very proud. Inspiring the next generation of female drivers would be one of my greatest achievements, even beyond the results on the stages.”
Inspiring the next generation brings Sarah Rumeau great purpose
And that’s saying something, considering the strength of the Frenchwoman’s recent results.
Driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 from 2C Compétition, Sarah has rewritten the history books this year – becoming the first woman driver since 1986 to win a round of the French Gravel Championship.
She then followed that Rallye Terre des Causses victory with another immediately after at Rallye Terre d’Aléria to take the championship lead.
This year has the potential to be huge not just for Sarah, but for women in motorsport.
Who is Sarah Rumeau?
Born into a car-loving family in 1995, Sarah has only ever been interested in one thing.
Even though she played handball for 13 years, learning skills she can apply today, motorsport was what drove her.
“I have loved motorsport since I was a little girl,” she tells DirtFish. “My grandfather and my mother have always loved cars, and they passed that passion on to me.
“I started driving at a very young age, sitting on their laps so I could reach the steering wheel.
“Unfortunately, they never had the chance to compete in motorsport. Today, I have that opportunity, and I know how lucky I am.”
However Sarah had to wait until 2021, when she was 25 years old, to start her career.
“It has always been my biggest dream,” she shares. “When I was a little girl, I used to write that I wanted to become a racing driver. I thought it was impossible, especially because nobody around me was involved in motorsport.
“In 2017, I moved to the island of Réunion. I took part in the Rallye Jeunes selection and finished second in the final at the Jamaica circuit. I then reached the national semi-final in mainland France in the mixed classification. I had never driven on a racing circuit before.
“From that day, I couldn’t stop thinking about motorsport. I didn’t win, but that experience gave me even more motivation to work hard, improve, and move up step by step.
“I spent my time looking for opportunities and building a small network. In 2020, I competed in the Caterham Academy to learn the basics of racing before starting my rally career in 2021.”
Never just for fun
Sarah’s determination shines through in what she says. As big a dream as rallying was to her, it was never just for fun.
Sarah has always gone rallying with the idea of making it a career
She is attacking – and always has approached – this head first and treating it like a career.
“For me, rallying has never been just a hobby,” she states. “Since the beginning, I have always wanted to make it my career. Motorsport requires so much time, energy, commitment, and money that I have always had this goal in my mind. I know it can sound crazy, but I have never hidden it.
“Of course, driving these cars is an incredible feeling, and I enjoy every moment behind the wheel. The pleasure it gives me is amazing. But that is not my main goal.”
Sarah’s decisions support this. Immediately starting in a homologated R2 car, she quickly progressed into more modern Rally4 machinery before switching to the Opel e-Rally Cup in 2023.
The move to Rally2 happened in 2024, where she has remained since – encompassing five rounds of WRC2 in 2025.
“I have also been through many difficult moments,” she adds. “If I hadn’t had this dream, I think I would have given up a long time ago. This goal gives me the motivation to keep working every day.
“I put all my energy into it because I hope that one day I can make my dream come true.”
Gaining experience
Sarah’s big break was arguably in 2024, when she was picked up by Iron Dames as the all-women team made its first foray into rallying.
Sarah made her WRC debut in 2025, but was it too soon?
Driving a Ford Fiesta Rally2 in France, Sarah switched to a Citroën C3 Rally2 in 2025 before the Iron Dames program ended at the end of the year.
“It was an amazing opportunity as it gave us the chance to compete in a Rally2 car in France,” she reflects. “The Ford Fiesta was a great car to learn with, and it helped me improve a lot as a driver.
“Being selected for the Iron Dames project was a huge honor. The project supports women in mixed motorsport competitions and helps them reach the highest level. That year, I competed on both gravel and Tarmac, and it was a very important learning experience for my future. I gained a lot of experience and confidence.
“I will never be able to thank the founder of the Iron Dames project enough for believing in me and giving me this opportunity and support. It has been a very important step in my career.”
Last season Sarah mixed events in France with the world championship, taking on classic European events: Monte Carlo, Portugal, Sardinia Acropolis and Finland.
“It was only our second season in a Rally2 car, so it was an incredible experience. Every rally was different, with its own challenges, different roads, and different conditions. Our main goal was to gain as much experience as possible and discover these iconic events,” Sarah says.
Sarah is motivated by winning, and last year she wasn't quite ready to do so in WRC
“This experience helped us improve a lot on some of the most demanding rallies in the world. Looking back, I can say that this season taught us a lot, both as competitors and as people.”
As pinch-me a moment as the WRC was for Sarah, she admits it perhaps wasn’t the right time for her to make the move – again highlighting her steely determination and stern self analysis.
“I think we probably entered the world championship a little too early,” she reveals. “In my opinion, it is important to build experience step by step and perform consistently in a national or international championship before moving up to the world level.
“Even though several of our rallies ended with technical problems and retirements, I know that our performance level was not yet where we wanted it to be. This experience showed us where we need to improve and gave us even more motivation to come back stronger in the future.”
Realizing her potential
If 2024 was Sarah’s big break, and 2025 the season she reached the biggest stage, 2026 will go down as the period she truly arrived.
She may have only started three rallies so far (her next event will be Rallye du Mont-Blanc Morzine on September 3-5), but she’s won both and finished third on the other.
What’s enabled her to unlock her full potential?
Victory at Rallye Terre des Causses made Sarah the first women winner of a French gravel round since 1986
“Last year we competed in three different championships, but we couldn’t do a full season in any of them,” Sarah explains. “It was difficult to have several goals at the same time and still perform at our best.
“This year, we decided to focus on one championship only. It allowed us to prepare better for every rally and to be more consistent. From a financial point of view, competing on gravel was also the most logical choice.
“I have to say that working with 2C Compétition and Škoda gives us excellent conditions. Having such a strong team around us allows us to focus completely on our performance.”
That includes co-driver Julie Amblard, who has worked with Sarah since her fifth ever rally back in 2021.
“We have a great partnership built on trust and respect. Julie is a very important part of the project,” Sarah believes.
“I have always believed that our crew is 50/50. For me, the co-driver’s role is just as important as the driver’s, and it’s essential that we are both fully committed.
“I think our partnership works so well because we are very different, but also very complementary. We both bring different strengths to the team, and we share the same goals and the same way of working.
“And away from the rallies, we get on very well. We have a lot of respect for each other, and I think that is one of the keys to our success.”
Making history
Which brings us to Rallye Terre des Causses, and Sarah’s huge break by winning her first ever rally.
Can Sarah win the championship? She currently tops the standings by 19 points
This was always going to be “a very emotional moment”, but was made extra special by how she had to win it in a final stage shootout against team-mate Conner Martell.
“We took the lead from the start of the rally and stayed in front for almost the whole event,” Sarah recalls. “On Sunday, we had to deal with road sweeping, which made things more difficult for us. Before the final stage, Conner and Alex [Gelsomino] moved back into the lead by just a few tenths of a second.
“Everything came down to the last stage, and taking the lead back to win our first rally was an incredible feeling!” she beams.
“More than just the result, this victory is a reward for all the hard work Julie, I, and everyone around us have put in since the beginning of this journey. I also want to thank our partners, especially IGOL and NTN, because without their support this would not have been possible. This win gives us even more motivation for the future.”
Sarah won again at the following championship round in Corsica to establish a 19-point championship lead at the season’s halfway point. But too much talk of the title is premature.
“Since the beginning of the season, our main goal has been the championship. We have had a good start, but the season is still long, and there is a lot of work to do if we want to keep improving,” she states.
“For now, I prefer to take one rally at a time without thinking too far ahead. The most important thing is to stay consistent, keep learning, and score as many points as possible.”
Sheer joy: the moment all rally drivers chase
Becoming French Gravel champion would be an historic achievement and fantastic for Sarah’s CV, but more than that would prove to herself – and others – how competitive she is.
Having tasted the WRC, Sarah is yearning to return – but only if she feels she can compete.
“This season is very important for us,” she concludes. “Our long-term goal is to keep improving and reach a level where we can be competitive at every rally.
“Of course, we would love to win the championship, just like everyone else. The main goal is to prepare as well as possible and hopefully earn another opportunity to compete in the World Rally Championship.
“The WRC is still our dream, but today the biggest challenge is the budget. We know we still have a lot of work to do, and good results will be very important to attract new partners.
“If we can achieve that and secure the necessary funding, our ambition is to return to the World Rally Championship, this time with the goal of being truly competitive.”
Are you inspired by Sarah’s story? Join us at the DirtFish Women in Motorsport Summit on Saturday August 22 to learn about all the various roles available to women in motorsport.
