As Justin Davis lines up on the starting grid, his prosthetic leg is poised to put the pedal to the metal.
Davis is an adrenaline junkie proving age — and the number of limbs — is no roadblock to living life in the fast lane.
"Life's too short to sit around and be miserable," he said from the driver's seat.
Davis has always had a love for motorsports and has found an outlet on the kart track. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
The 41-year-old Yeppoon man lost his leg after a traumatic motorcycle accident more than a decade ago.
The amputation of his lower right leg happened after complications following multiple surgeries.
Davis puts his race boot on his prosthetic leg before hitting the track. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
He said the recovery was long and difficult, but after years of overcoming the physical and psychological challenges, his lifelong love of motorsport never faded.
"There were a few challenges around the amputation and rehab, but I feel like I've finally turned the corner the last couple of years," Davis said.
"I've always had a love of motorsport, and last year, a friend of mine kept nagging me to come down to the kart club for a look."
Davis says he has been hooked on go-karting ever since his first visit to the track. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
Despite having a racing simulator at home, Davis had no real-world racing experience before taking up the sport last year.
But 12 months on after being medically cleared to race, Davis is one of the country's most passionate and competitive go-karters — albeit with an amputated leg.
"Once I got down here and saw how competitive the racing was, I thought to myself, 'I've gotta have a go at this' and I started looking for a kart pretty much immediately," he said.
Davis competing in a club race day at the central Queensland track. (Supplied: Justin Davis)
'It's absolutely incredible'
The sport has helped Davis overcome the trauma from his near-fatal road accident, which becomes a distant memory the moment he arrives at his home kart track on the outskirts of Rockhampton in central Queensland on race weekends.
"It's my home away from home," he said.
"I live here on the weekends and spend as much time as I can."
Davis says his new passion for kart racing has had a positive impact. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
John Harry has been involved in kart racing in Australia since the early 1990s.
These days, he's the caretaker of the picturesque, mountainous racetrack hidden off the Bruce Highway.
He said Davis was the first racer with a leg amputation he'd seen.
John Harry says Davis is very passionate about motor racing. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
"I think it's absolutely incredible what Justin's doing," Mr Harry said.
"His passion for karting and motor racing in general is just second to none."
Positive impacts on his life
Driving a go-kart can be physically demanding, but Davis doesn't let that stop him.
His kart is specially modified to cater for his prosthetic leg, while his trailer is a mobile garage.
"It took me quite a few DNFs (did not finishes) and about two to three months before I finally got the kart set up for myself," he said.
Davis says his mobile garage and kart transporter is home away from home . (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
Davis, who documents his karting journey with regular videos on YouTube, said getting the accelerator pedal in the right position was the main modification.
"My pedals and my heel rest sit in a different spot to most drivers because they'll just use their ankle to come off the throttle, whereas I'm driving from the knee," he said.
"There were a few complications in getting the pedal geometry set up right for me so that I could get both on to full throttle and off the throttle as accurately as possible."
Davis' pedal position and heel rest is modified to suit his prosthetic leg. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
They say that life begins at 40, and that's certainly the case for Davis, who reaches speeds up to 100 kilometres per hour in his custom kart.
"The wheel-to-wheel battles are what it's all about," he said.
Davis says the battles on the race track are fun but competitive. (Supplied: Justin Davis)
Finding a love for go-karting after his injuries, Davis said the thrill of racing had a real positive impact on his life.
"We don't race for sheep stations, and our trophy is a can of degreaser because we actually get use out of that — so it's completely about the social aspect, as competitive as we are on the track," he said.