At just 24 years old, Monique Ambruosi wears many different hats. When she’s not wearing her helmet in the driver’s seat of her Comp dragster, she’s often found wearing a welding mask as a full-time metal fabricator in her father’s shop. She also serves as the social media and marketing manager for Ambruosi Racing, is a crewmember for her father’s Top Alcohol Funny Car team, and represents FuelTech USA as an ambassador.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #191, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in November / December of 2024.]
Ambruosi’s career in drag racing began at the age of 14, but her passion for the sport started even earlier. At 13, she was already learning the ropes by working on her dad’s Funny Car. The early exposure allowed her to grasp the fundamentals of drag racing, fueling her dedication to motorsports and eventually turning it into a full-time career. As a young girl, Ambruosi spent a lot of time at racetracks watching her father compete. By the age of 12, she was dismantling engines at his shop and the experience eventually progressed to servicing the cylinder heads in between rounds on race day as a crew member.
In 2019, Ambruosi began the process of building her current Comp dragster, and she was involved every step of the way. At just 19 years old, she utilized skills passed down from her father to fabricate the fuel tank, oil tank, and custom metal brackets on the car, all done in-house. Once her Comp dragster was rebuilt, equipped with a 355 Holden engine and 550 FuelTech Engine Control Unit, Ambruosi completed her licensing process at Heathcote Park Raceway in Victoria, Australia.
“The moment we fired the car up in the water box to complete my first pass in the Comp dragster was the moment of realization that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Ambruosi explains. “I love this sport so much.”
Ambruosi currently competes in the National Drag Racing Championship series, racing alongside her father at events throughout Australia. While her main focus is on attending races and winning rounds, she has a larger goal of someday winning a championship. Off track, Ambruosi works with FuelTech, where she is involved in content creation and brand promotion for the Australian social media channels. She helps the company grow its brand by applying her extensive skills in media and marketing.
Ambruosi also promotes products from SP Tools and SS Custom Engineering through her own social media channels, highlighting her daily essentials for when she’s working in the fab shop. In a short time, she has developed her own unique style and uses the power of social media to share her passion for fabrication and drag racing with a global audience.
One of Ambruosi’s favorite parts of drag racing is meeting talented individuals within the industry, many of whom have become lifelong friends. Being a role model for younger racers is also very important to Monique; she encourages everyone she meets to follow their dreams, be kind, and stay true to themselves.
“It amazes me that I now have young racers looking at me the same way I used to look up to my role models,” Ambruosi says. “Being a positive role model for the younger generation means everything to me because that’s where it all starts.”
Ambruosi hopes that her skills in building, crewing, and driving race cars, along with documenting her journey on social media, will inspire others to follow a similar path. When asked about her future plans, Ambruosi expressed her desire to continue making a positive impact in the industry. She dreams of one day racing in America as she believes it represents the pinnacle of motorsports.
“Drag racing has brought me many opportunities so far. From traveling to America to meeting the FuelTech team to securing a partnership with them, I have met so many great people throughout my time in this industry,” Ambruosi says. “It has allowed me to continue learning and evolving in the sport, which is something I am forever grateful for.”
This story was originally published on February 10, 2025. 
