A young Mearns woman who spurned horseriding for motorcycle racing is sitting near the top of prestigious championships at Knockhill.
Ashley Robson from Johnshaven has climbed to the top of the rankings in the highly competitive 400cc to 650cc class.
She is one of only seven female competitors out of at least 200 boys.
But the 17-year-old, whose nickname is Doofus, is more than holding her own in fourth place in the lightweight class of the Knockhill Championships, and is near the top of the Scottish Champs.
Ashley said: “I started on minibikes when I was seven or eight years old. My older brother got one and I got totally hooked, and still am.
“I’ve had my share of bumps and bruises but you know how far you can push yourself.
“As soon as I’m on the bike and waiting for the start of the race my legs start twitching with adrenalin.”
The Mearns Academy pupil, who works at the Roo’s Leap restaurant in Montrose, stuffs her long red hair into her helmet for the races.
She reaches incredible speeds of 130mph at Knockhill in grid races of 32 riders.
Her mother, Hazel Robson, said: “People say it’s dangerous to let my girl compete on bikes at such high speeds and of course most girls Ashley’s age go straight to horse riding.
“After all they say bikes are for boys, horses are for girls but riding is in fact much more dangerous.”
Nicknamed for her clumsiness at home, Ashley has several sponsors for equipment and her bike is with Dontay Contracts Ltd.
Ashley is studying advanced design and manufacture, among other subjects, and wants to build another 400 bike from a chassis, using her skills as a mechanic and those of her father, Lee.
She said: “I need to know the workings of the bike, as mechanical knowledge is essential if any adjustments need to be done during a race.”