New South Wales (Tenambit, NSW) kart racer Caitlin Wood flew the Australian flag high during a two-day shootout in Switzerland earlier this week.

Wood lined up against eight aspiring female kart racers from across the globe in the shootout with the winner receiving a funded drive in the 2011 CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy courtesy CIK-FIA and Women & Motor Sport Commission.

The youngsters, all 15 years of age or younger, were put through their paces both physically and mentally, taking part in activities designed to assess their movement, agility and reflexes, the reaction of their bodies to stress, as well as their knowledge of karting history and sporting regulations. On the second day the young karters took to the wheel at the Scientrier circuit to demonstrate their speed and racing ability.

The successful driver was voted by a panel – which among others included Commission President and former vice FIA World Rally Champion Michèle Mouton, 1986 Karting Champion of Europe and double World Champion in the FIA World Touring Car Championship Yvan Muller, former European Kart Champion Cathy Muller, and Vincent Caro, Executive Secretary of the CIK-FIA.(...)
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Wittier, CA (March 16, 2011) – This past weekend Raquel Martinez and Martinez Racing headed east for the second round of the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup. The series was making its debut at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC. The track lacked grip, but the weather was perfect all weekend long and the team was ready for competition.

One week prior to the WKA National, Raquel raced in the opening Cal State race at CalSpeed making her senior debut in the PRD category. The weekend got off to a rough start with a mechanical problem causing her not to be able to set a time during qualifying. In the prefinal Raquel went from twentieth position to finish fourth in the fourteen-lap prefinal setting fast time on the way. The final became a three kart breakaway with Raquel leading a good portion of the race. Raquel moved from third to second with a great pass on the final lap.
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Post tags: Alpinestars, Bell Helmets, Bridgestone, DWT, Grand Products, Graphix Plus, King Taco, MLP Imaging, P1 Engines, Pepsi, PKS Kart Supplies, raquel martinez, RLV, Top Kart, Troy Lee Designs

KENT, Wash. (March 8, 2011) — Jessica Dana continued her perfect run in the Stars of PGP Kart Fall-Winter Series finale on Sunday at PGP Motorsports Park, winning her third straight TaG Senior main event and breaking her own track record.

The 16-year-old from Tumwater, Wash., finished first overall in the combined TaG/Rotax Final as well as winning the Pre-Final race on Sunday — making her three-for-three in that category as well — and just missed earning a third straight pole after a setup change prior to qualifying resulted in a slower than expected run.

The situation didn’t look promising for a three-peat on Saturday, as Jessica and her team struggled with mechanical and setup issues during practice. They worked late into the night to have Jessica’s No. 12 Arrow X9 kart ready for raceday, and their hard work paid off. During the Pre-Final Jessica broke PGP’s TaG Senior record on the counter-clockwise track configuration with a lap of 1 minute, 01.789 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 1:01.976 she set making her TaG Senior debut in January.(...)
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Post tags: jessica dana, pgp motorsports park, roatax, stars of pgp kar, tag senior, tanner dana racing

KENT, Wash. (Feb. 9, 2011) — Smart adjustments by her crew during preliminary rounds and a phenomenal drive in the final landed Jessica Dana on the top step of the podium for the second straight event during Stars of PGP Kart Fall-Winter Series action on Sunday, Feb. 6 at PGP Motorsports Park.

Racing on a mostly wet track and facing a challenge from Kyle Byers on her outside, Jessica shot into the lead from the pole position at the drop of the green flag for the TaG Senior class final event. Jessica began to pull away from the field by the fourth corner and had built up a comfortable lead when Byers dropped out of the race on Lap 4 with mechanical problems.

Unpressured from behind, the 16-year-old from Tumwater, Wash., continued to push in her Arrow X9 kart, laying down fast lap times in just her second race in wet conditions. About the midpoint of the race, however, a drier line began to form while at the same time Jessica and her crew noticed the handling of her kart was rapidly going away.

Unsure of what had happened, the crew signaled Jessica to stop pushing and manage her equipment to finish the race. Jessica nodded and wrapped up the win without incident, crossing the finish line 13.5 seconds ahead of second place while her crew sweated through every corner.(...)
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For the first time a female driver has earned the privilege to join the CAMS Aussie Young Gun driver development program which is a joint initiative of CAMS and Aussie Racing Cars.17 year old Kart racer Brooke Leech who hails from Sarina in North Queensland will get behind the wheel of the #20 Aussie Racing Car Commodore for the balance of this season as a lead in to a full season assault on the soon to be announced expanded and even higher profile 2011 Championship. (...)
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Jeff Gordon, a four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, was taken to the wood shed in his own charity go-kart race by blond, blue-eyed, 15-year-old, up-and-coming female racer Jessica Dana.

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As any 15- year-old, Annabeth Barnes is thrilled to have a learner’s permit that lets her drive on the road with proper supervision. Her driver’s ed teacher said she was one of the best drivers he’d met. There’s just one problem: the road is not a track. She’s been racing go-karts since age 7, taking the ultra-low-riders around asphalt and dirt at 70 miles per hour.

“I have a bit of a speeding problem,” the North Carolina teen admits. “Just a tiny bit.”

Barnes is featured in the award-winning documentary “Racing Dreams,” which opened in Georgia this week. It also follows 12-year-old Josh Hobson, a disciplined student and driver who wants to maintain his champion status and move up in the world of racing. Then there’s 13-year-old Brandon Warren, a fast racer with a hot temper and the desire for a big win after he was disqualified a year before.

In the film, they’re transitioning away from childhood and deciding whether racing is a hobby or a career. They consider the school they’ll miss, the sports they won’t play, family and finances. For Annabeth, who was 11 when the movie began filming, it was a decision between the “girlier” lives her friends lead and spending 48 out of 52 weekends racing. Here’s what Annabeth had to say about racing and the film.

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The Jamaica Karting Association held their 9th racemeet of the year at the Palisadoes International Raceway in Kingston, Jamaica on Sunday, September 21, 2008. Justine Jackson, driver of Kart # 0, participated in the Rotax Senior Class only in an effort of focusing on her Championship hopes, being 2nd in the hunt and only 27 points out of the lead.

Her efforts proved to be worth it as she started off her day on a high capturing pole position in the 5 minute qualifying session. Starting from P1, Justine sped off to take 2 victories in race 1 and race 2 (12 laps each) along with the fastest lap in race 2 earning an extra point as she continued to reel in the championship lead.

Race 3 proved to be different as she started from 4th place and after getting a bad start, was pushed back to P6 after the first corner. But with a strong head on her shoulders, Justine quickly grabbed back her 4th position after passing 2 karts on lap 1 and another on lap 2- kart # 83 who proved to be her battling partner for the 15 lap race. Now in 3rd place and P1 and P2 still in close contact, Justine and kart # 83 dueled throughout the race, but her 3rd place finish was lost as she caught up on a bunch of lapped karters within the closing laps of the race. In exiting the last corner onto the main straight, Justine took to the outside line and kart # 83 took the inside to sandwich the lapped karter and in a photo-finish was just barely clipped on the finish line to take 4th place.

A job well done for the young Formula 1 aspirant, taking the overall Rotax Senior Class victory! She now trails by 24 points in the championship. With only 2 racemeets left, can she capture the 2008 Rotax Senior Championship? Only time will tell. She sure thinks so!

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The Jamaica Karting Association held their eighth race-meet of the year on Sunday August 24 at the Palisadoes International Raceway in Kingston, Jamaica, having been postponed from the previous Sunday, when Tropical Storm Fay passed through flooding the track.

Justine Jackson participated in the event racing in two classes- FR 125cc Rotax Senior Class and the 125cc Shifter class with a total of 6 races, qualifying 3rd and 5th respectively.

Her day got off to a bad start after being involved in an on-track incident in Race 1 of the Rotax senior class where she was punted from behind and forced into another kart, followed by an off-track incident with an angry parent which really affected her mentally. But remembering what she learnt at the Women in the Winner’s Circle Driver Development Program, she had to put it behind her knowing that she still had 5 more races. Jackson would later finish 3rd in Race 1, 4th in Race 2 and she claimed the top spot in Race 3!

In the Shifter Class she finished where she started in Race 1 and 2- 5th place. But Race 3 would later shape up to be the most exciting race of the day. Justine drove her heart out, racing from 3rd on the grid to 1st in a handful of laps while being trailed by the top 2 qualifiers, kart #90(championship leader) & #23. She held her own driving defensively making it virtually impossible for her competitors to get by, not making a single mistake despite enormous pressure from behind. But what looked like a second win for the day turned into a 2nd place finish after being passed on lap 5 by kart #90. For the remaining laps she battled with kart #23 trading 2nd place, back and forth, 3 times before finally finishing 3rd after a race well fought. But her competitors had nothing but praise for the 17 yr-old, Formula 1 aspirant.

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Misty Balser, IKF Race Preview
Balser Racing PR
From The Desk of: Dave Lynch

Racing Sensation, Misty Balser has been racing more than half her life. At 13, she is a normal kid, but loves to spend the weekend at the track. (Weekdays at the mall, and race days at the track, it’s a girls life.)

This weekend, Karting Champion, Misty Balser will run her number 90 karts at, Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, California, in the IKF Series.
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