NEWRY – Tough to say which demographic Amy BeberVanzo should inspire most.

Girls aspiring to race could take their cue from the blond, conversational Californian who proudly bills herself the fastest woman driver in North America.

Anyone approaching a mid-life crisis or somebody in a lower age bracket struggling to make the transition from dreamer to doer ought to be encouraged, too.

Consider that BeberVanzo, 51, one of only two women scheduled to drive in the New England Forest Rally this weekend, never raced competitively until six years ago.

“You mean other than living in (Petaluma) California and driving on the coast? No,” BeberVanzo said, summarizing her racing experience before attending the Team O’Neil Rally School in New Hampshire in 2002.

“I saw a rally, and I wanted to rally for many, many years and I didn’t. And then after my husband died I thought, ‘You know, I want to do something that’s really what I want to do.’ So I tried it, took a four-day course and said, ‘Yeah. I really do want to do this, and yeah, I think I can.’ And I was right.”

Six years later, BeberVanzo canvasses the country as the only female driver competing for the national title. She campaigns a turbocharged Subaru Impreza in the Production GT class.

One quick look around the staging and spectator viewing areas at the shakedown and autograph session Thursday evening at Sunday River reveals that rally is a man’s world. Mostly a young man’s world, at that.

Travis Pastrana, Kenny Bartram and Dave Mirra each made their mark in other extreme sports before the transition from two wheels to four.

Kyle Sarasin, ranked seventh in the national standings, is 19. Hometown hero Chris Duplessis of nearby Mason Township rates grizzled veteran status at 21.

Open-wheel racing has Danica Patrick. Drag racing has Ashley Force. Here in rally, an off-road racing discipline with a rabid worldwide fan base but almost no television face time in the United States, BeberVanzo is the one kicking up dust and blazing trails.

“There isn’t a woman driver in North America who is faster than me,” BeberVanzo said. “That’s it. There are not that many women rallying in North America. Most of them are younger than I am, and a lot of them have been rallying longer than I have, but none of them are faster.”

Jen Horsey of Ontario is the only other woman entered in the New England Forest Rally, likely chosen because of its relative proximity to her home.

Nathalie Richard will serve as co-driver for her fellow Canadian countryman, nationally ranked Antoine L’Estage. Kristin Chute of South Casco is among a handful of women riding shotgun in the 30-car field.

The co-driver is crucial to the rally experience, which consists largely of hairpin turns, blind hills and old logging roads. BeberVanzo tried being a navigator, herself.

“That doesn’t work because I get carsick,” she said.

So Ole Holter of Long Beach, Calif., shares the black, compact car with BeberVanzo. This race around the woods and foothills of Oxford County will mark only the third time they’ve worked together.

“He will tell me what’s coming up. He’ll tell me before the crest what’s going to happen, so if I don’t need to slow down, I won’t. And I believe him,” BeberVanzo said. “It’s definitely trust. He trusts me to go as fast as I can, and I trust him to tell me what’s ahead because I can’t see it. He’s got a good level of experience. I’ve been running long enough that he’s seen me not do crazy stuff and knows that I’m a safe person.”

Their Subaru will exceed 100 mph on the rare straight-aways of the blind course.

Technique is more important than speed, however. BeberVanzo said that the beauty of rallying is the quick transition from bumpy to smooth, wet to dry, or sand to clay.

No two races are alike as BeberVanzo travels to all four corners of the country, fueled by passion and sponsored mostly by a brewery in her hometown.

“I love the fact that I can endorse a company that I believe in. I like their social consciousness. They’re good to their employees. And they give me lots of free beer that I can share with other people,” she said with a laugh. “I look at these guys and their energy drinks, and I think, ‘I’m excited enough. I’m going to celebrate afterwards.’ That’s harder to do.”

Easier than beginning the journey here in her mid-40s, though.

“It’s just another testament to the fact that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams,” said BeberVanzo.