a day ago
Mina Price, 10, part of new wave of girls participating in motosport
Mina Price, 10, discovered a natural talent for racing after she tried go-karting for the first time last September.
In just under a year, she has already clocked more than 100 races, going from complete novice to now beating seasoned racers.
She hits the track at an average of three times per week and, after getting her own kart in April, has already "done well over 500 kilometres in it", according to her dad, Kim.
"She's not stopped the last month … She makes a new personal best every day," he said.
She is part of the uptick in female participation within go-karting and motorsports in recent years, driven by the ripple effects of documentary series Drive to Survive and an increased interest in Formula 1.
Women and girls now represent more than 15 per cent of all motorsport licence holders in Australia and are one of the fastest-growing groups in motorsport, according to Motorsport Australia. For go-karting, they make up 20 per cent of racers at all levels nationally.
Nadine Armstrong, the Motorsport Australia general manager of corporate affairs, said while motorsports might be in the theatres currently thanks to Hollywood, the sport was not having a "moment". Rather, she said, the sport's growing popularity was part of a movement that had been bubbling away for some time now.
"It still is obvious that females are under-represented in motorsport. Like many industries, we're not unique in that regard," she said.
"But I think there's a lot of things that are contributing to the fact that and it is a sport where females can participate on an equal playing field."
"Once you get behind the wheel, it doesn't really matter whether you're a female or a male.
"If you're behind the wheel of the same car or the same kart, it really comes down to driver ability.
So it's always one of those things that, you know, once you put your helmet on, gender does not matter."
Armstrong said female participation in the sport was growing, from an increase in licence holders and competitors to an uptick in women in official roles at the grand prix. Applications from women to be officials at events went up by 20 per cent between 2024 and 2025, she said.
Since its inception in 2018, Motorsport Australia's Girls on Track program has seen 3,500 girls and women between the ages of eight and 22 go through the program.
At the go-karting level, PowerPlay, the venue where Price races, saw more than 660 women and girls race last week and 2,500 in June across all four of its venues.
Price and her father recently found out about the F1 Academy, an all-female racing series established by Formula 1 to develop young female drivers and prepare them for higher levels of motorsport, including Formula 1. It is something they now are following closely.
Two Australian women are competing this season: 16-year-old Joanne Ciconte and 17-year-old Aiva Anagnostiadis.
"My biggest goal is probably to be a part of the Girls Academy … I really hope I can join that when I'm older," Price said.
Her father said she was almost ready for competitive racing. Last Friday on the track, he said, the other kids struggled to keep up with her.
"She just has the ability to pick the right lines and apexes. And the other kids were just getting frustrated and they were getting rattled," he said.
"They kept turning around and seeing where she was and, at the end of the day, they were spinning off the track."
Previous state and national-level go-karter Tayla Dicker now mentors Price at PowerPlay.
She said it had been rewarding to see more girls like Price give go-karting a go — and find their talent for it.
"The first time I saw Mina race, I could tell straight away she had a talent for racing," Dicker said.
"She reminded me of why I fell in love with racing in the first place.
"It's been incredible to watch her confidence grow, race with her and even watch her beat people on the track that are more than three times her age."
Price added: "It's a lot of fun and I feel like it's something I'd never get bored of, and I hope I never get bored of it because it's really fun and really exciting".
