Talia On Track for excitement
15-year-old Talia, a Mundaring hills Girl Guide, is also Go-Kart racer. She is coming into her fourth year of racing and she loves it!
Getting started Go-Karting wasn’t always something Talia loved. Originally, she would go up to the track with to watch her brother race. Talia hated the noise and the smell, but being a helpful Girl Guide, she would assist with lifting the karts on and off the tracks, fetching trolleys and supporting the racers. On 18 November, 2017 Talia decided she would like to give Go-Karts a try. After the monthly club races were over, she jumped into her brother’s kart. She remembers putt-putting around the track for about five laps, then coming into the pits. Talia got out of the kart and discovered her legs and hands were shaking from the adrenaline and excitement of how “fast” she was going!
The first race Talia continued to practice on the weekends, each time putting the foot on the throttle a little more, slowly trusting herself with the kart and the track. She applied for her kart license after completing the theory test on safety procedures and flags. The following year, Talia’s family was sponsored by a WA business, which allowed them to get custom made suits in team colours. She used her brother’s old kart, got a helmet, and by the next month’s club meet, she was ready to race. This was Talia’s first time racing with more experienced racers. She says, “All my thoughts were: Don’t Crash! Breathe! This is fun! It will be over soon! and Wow – they are fast!” Talia recalls that she would always come last in those regional races, unless there were racers who did not finish or got disqualified.
A Growing Sport for Girls Talia says that when she started, there were only about four girls racing at local meets. However, throughout the years she has been racing, she’s seen more girls of all ages join, both at her home track and regional clubs. “At my home track I would generally be racing with mainly boys and one girl. But when you’re out there racing to have fun and earn points, your gender doesn't really matter.” Talia says one of the downsides of being a female in this sport is that the seats were not made for hips. By the next day she is usually sore from the bruises around her hips and ribs. But she says, “with a little bit of determination and courage, yeah, it’s scary but if you believe in yourself you can do it.”
A Mentor and Ally One of the girls Talia met at the regional rounds was Grace, who was a few years older
18 - Wagtale February 2021
