Western Australia is considering changing controversial rules regarding children participating in drag races after the death of an eight-year-old girl.

Anita Board was killed on Saturday when the dragster that she was driving careered into a concrete wall at the Perth Motorplex, leading many to question why children so young were allowed to take part in such a dangerous activity.

"We need to look at the full range of safety measures that are in place. We can't wrap our kids up in cotton wool but we do need to make sure we are protecting them and they aren't taking unnecessary risks," said Roger Cook, Acting Western Australia Premier.

Credit: Channel 7

"Ninety-six kilometres an hour seems an extraordinary speed to me. I think that would strike anyone as an extraordinary speed for an eight-year-old to be doing," he concluded.

Junior drag racers are allowed to drive at speeds of up to nearly 100km per hour under current legislation. Anita Board was performing a test run on her junior dragster on Saturday lunchtime when the vehicle collided with a concrete wall.

The girl's father spoke to media in Australia on Monday, with Ian Board saying: "The history speaks for itself and sadly this one-in-a-million event happened to us, to our little girl.

"We do understand there needs to be a couple of changes but we don't believe there needs to be major change. We chose drag racing because we believed it was the safest form of motorsport that we could allow our girls to do.

"We'd like to thank our family and friends and our motorsport family for the love and support."

Anita's dad Ian addressing the media. Credit: Channel 9

The Perth Motorplex has been shut down while an investigation into the incident is carried out.

Western Australian legislators are considering a change in law but will wait until the police have finished their activities before making any moves.

"The suspension of this category of motorsport activity allows for a full investigation to be carried out into the nature of the accident," said Sport and Recreation Minister Mick Murray in a statement.

"The State Government will wait until the details of the accident are clear following the investigation before taking any further action."