THOSE who spot Ms Josephine Soh (top picture: left, with her husband) at race events usually do a double-take.

The petite woman stands out at these testosterone-charged gatherings, but the 31-year-old is also part of a tiny, growing group of woman racers here.

She took part in her first race two years ago, a National Day event at Marina South. Though she didn't win, she said she was ranked fourth out of nine competitors. And she was the only woman in the line-up.

Since then, she has tested herself at a Pasir Gudang tournament, though she didn't get a ranking.

Taking her to the various finish lines is her two-year-old Mitsubishi Evo 9, which cost $150,000.

To date, the brand manager and her equally car-crazy husband Steve Tan, who works in a bank, have invested $25,000 on modifying the car, and they plan to throw in another $25,000 soon to add a stroker kit that will improve torque.

Ms Soh said: "It's a passion, and I'm constantly thinking of how to improve both my technique and the car's performance.

"We are still saving up for the next round of modifications.

"I choose to give up on shopping and holidays. It's fine, because this is our common interest. Since we got together, we've always dreamt of what car we'll buy and what we'll do to it."

Mr Tan, 38, is happy to indulge his wife of four years, and reads up on the latest in car modifications via the Internet.

He also took part in one race recently, but he's happy to take the backseat.

"I feel proud that my wife is a racer," he said. "Although she hasn't won anything, she has given the guys a run for their money."

We asked who the better driver really is.

He said with a laugh: "I don't really want to say who, but you should ask her who has more demerit points and has put more dents in the car."

Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC chairman Danny Soo, for one, is more than happy to encourage more women to race. His GRC will host the first of a series of heartland racing events on 30 Dec, and he hopes more female racers will turn up.

"It's exciting to see them coming into the motorsports arena, so things should get interesting. Motorsports need not be a male-dominated event, and we want to encourage more women to try it out.

"At least come down and see what it's all about," he said.