Making an impression in the often brutal world of Sprintcar racing is a tough ask for any male rookie.
But if you are a glamorous 26 year-old blonde by the name of Kristy Ellis, it all comes down to the respect afforded her by rivals.
Kirsty (pictured courtesy of sprintcarzone) grew up in Bendigo tinkering on a super sedan car raced by her father Steve and it was dad who could see something special in his little girl.
When he finally hung up his helmet Kristy got her big chance and took over racing the family sprinter.
She out qualified a number of Australia’s best drivers at Warrnambool on Sunday night by winning her heat race, placing second to veteran Johnny Vogels in the semi feature before going on to finish 13th in the main event.
Kristy is unique in that she fields her own team and spends most of her free time tinkering with her race car.
Geelong based Combined Waste agreed to sponsor Miss Adventure on the track this summer and she hopes to reward Bernard Stanfield with a solid placing in Saturday night’s Eureka Showdown at Avalon Raceway.
Kristy cannot fathom why more girls in their twenties have not cured their need for speed by indulging in Sprintcar racing.
“The adrenaline rush is terrific, but the real enjoyment is knowing and understanding what you are doing and how to read and react to a changing track,” Kristy said today.
Saturday night’s Eureka classic at Avalon should be the best of the summer with arch rivals Daniel Pestka, Jamie Veal and Brett Milburn all chasing victory and Kristy, of course.