Newcastle's Charlotte Poynting says women should be considered the same as men in motorsport.
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"The car doesn't know if a boy or girl is driving," Poynting, 24, said.
"There are no disadvantages with strength or fitness.
"You still have to be quite strong, but in a car you can train to be that strong as a woman."
She compared this to rugby league, in which women "can't train to be big and buff like the men".
"It's totally different," she said.
Poynting will return to racing this weekend for the first time in two years. She will compete in the Aussie Racing Cars category, a support act to the Newcastle 500.
"I've had the last two years off because I didn't have any budget," she said.
Banlaw in Gateshead, where she works in purchasing and production, is now her major sponsor. Poynting has been racing since she was 11.
"In the early days in go-karts, it was a little bit tough being a girl - more so with the parents.
"The boys I was racing against were fine, but the parents didn't like the boys racing against a girl or being beaten by a girl."
Things are different now.
"Honestly, I think being a girl in the sport is a blessing," she said.
"I've been given extra opportunities because some people think girls are a bit more marketable."
Some elements of motorsport crowds have been known to harass women at tracks.
"You get the occasional fans here and there that are a little bit obsessed, I guess," she said.
"But I've never had any horror stories. There might be times in crowds where Dad will stay close the whole time."
She said the men she races against are "so respectful".
"All the guys I race against love it when I do well. They're really supportive and great to race against," she said.
She added that Motorsport Australia "has been so great right now with all their incentives to get women into the sport".
"There's so many career paths, not just in racing. There's other careers in the media side of things."
Poynting has previously raced for five years in the Aussie Racing Cars category, so she knows what to expect.
"I've raced here at Newcastle and we hit about 220kmh," she said.
"It's so exhilarating, but at the same time you don't realise you're going that fast sometimes.
"You're focusing so hard on the challenge in front of you, getting to the front and racing the others around you."
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