Madison Dunston's love of motor racing started when she heard the roar of an engine on a go-kart track at the age of seven.
Sixteen years later, the 23-year-old is competing in her fifth Townsville 500, one of only two registered female drivers to compete over the three-day event.
She secured a spot in the Toyota 86 Series, a platform for drivers to put their skills to the test against professionals and develop their skills.
In an industry traditionally dominated by men, Dunston is one of a growing number of Australian women chasing dreams of a career in motor racing.
"I remember being on go-karts and all the boys would stick their tongues out at you and push you off the track and think 'you can't do what I'm doing'," Dunston said.
The Townsville local has been chasing competitions across the country and juggling a job in beauty therapy, which she said made for surprising conversations in the makeup chair.
"I've even got clients who buy my (driving) merchandise and come see my on the weekends when I race," she said.
"They just find it so cool".
But she said she wanted racing to become her full-time job.
"I would love to get into the V8's or race overseas … something wild," she said.
It was a similar story for 23-year-old Elly Morrow, who has been racing professionally for 12 months.
She travelled from regional Victoria to compete in her first Townsville event.
She said she had seen more young women keen to get involved at the grassroots level, having spent more than a decade racing go-karts.
"I've always grown up being one of the only girls and didn't really notice it."
Former race driver Laurna Love picked up on the growing interest and launched NQ Women in Motorsport, a growing network of motor enthusiasts across north Queensland.
Ms Love said there were 30 women interested when the initiative was launched in July last year.
She said they grown to more than 100 members.
"It's just amazing to see the enthusiasm and the enjoyment," Ms Love said.
The group has secured funding for a program to teach girls as young as 13 the fundamentals of race car driving.
"Mothers come along and say 'I didn't ever think my daughter would be able to do this. It was a dream she had that I didn't think we would be able to fulfil'," she said.
While Ms Love said it was initially intimidating for some girls to step into the male-dominated field, they were drawing inspiration from Dunston's success.
"Just to be there with somebody who is actually making it makes them realise there is an opportunity there for them and girls can do anything," she said.
