After topping the regional heats, Louise joins more than 20 hopefuls from across Australia and New Zealand at the Castrol EDGE Gold Coast 600.

Contestants will undergo a week of intensive judging and promotional appearances before the 2014 Miss V8 Supercars winner is announced trackside on Saturday, October 25.

The 22-year-old pitram operator said she entered the Miss V8 Supercars competition for the first time to put her fitness to the test.

“Some girlfriends encouraged me to enter the competition because I have taken up body-building training,” Louise said.

“Miss V8 Supercars is a really exciting event to be a part of and it is a great goal to keep my fitness and diet regimen in top shape.

“I am not a bikini model so it was a shock to win a place in the national finals, but I can’t wait to see what doors it might open for me in the future.”

Finalists will be judged across several categories including photographic judging, sportswear and swimwear, with the eventual winner taking home a cache of prizes including a share in a $20,000 prize pool, a feature magazine shoot and a trip to an international motorsport event.

Regardless of whether she wins, Louise and her co-finalists will play a starring role throughout the Castrol EDGE Gold Coast 600 race weekend, including media opportunities, grid duties and meeting patrons and drivers.

 “The Gold Coast is going to feel like one big party and I’m super-excited to be at the heart of that,”  she said.