ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — At 15 years old, Ava Hanssen cannot legally drive on Wisconsin roads without a permit — but she can push a race car to 165 miles per hour.
The Elkhorn teenager is competing in her second season of the Ligier Junior Formula Championship, which featured a stop at Road America — a 4-mile, 14-turn road course in Elkhart Lake that she spent years watching from the sidelines.
"When we used to race go karts down there, we would stop what we're doing and watch the cars on the big track," her father, Tim Hanssen, said.
Now Ava is the one on the big track — and she is doing it with a team of three: herself as the driver, her dad as the mechanic, and her mom handling everything in between.
"We are a family team. We don't have that 20-plus years of engineering knowledge," Ava said.
Tim said the transition to the Ligier car has come with a steep learning curve for the whole family.
"The cars are completely different than anything I've ever worked on. Her driving, you know, is completely different from what she's driven," Tim said.
Watch: Elkhorn teen races toward Formula dream, inspiring girls to chase speed
In her first season, Ava said the focus was on understanding the car rather than competing.
"Last year, we kind of took away the competitiveness in me and the aggressiveness and just focused more on learning the car, how does this thing work?" Ava said.
Ava's racing career began at age 4, and over 11 years in motorsports, she has grown accustomed to being one of the few women on the track.
"I've just gotten used to it over these 11 years in motor sports of being one of the only females in my category or in my series. I don't really let it bring me down because I know that I can do just about anything that these guys can do, and I can execute it," Ava said.
As she looks ahead to higher levels of competition, Ava said she is holding onto what makes this chapter of her career special.
"As we go into F3 or F2, I'm going to have to go on a team like Haas, Mercedes, Alpine, things like that. But I like to relish these moments that we have with my family," Ava said.
For Tim, watching his daughter race never gets easier.
"It's a mini heart attack. Every time she's on track, I won't lie. My chest tightens up," Tim said.
And while Ava continues climbing the racing ranks, she has a message for other young girls considering a path less traveled.
"Don't let the opinions of others around you deteriorate your dream because if you want to do something and you have the dedication, you have the commitment that it takes to excel in that sport. Do it," Ava said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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