 Ashley
Taws
Race car drivers come in many
forms, from the ultra-fit Formula One driver
to the middle-aged weekend warrior scraping
things together for another Saturday night at
a run-down oval. Whatever your imagination
conjures up, your picture probably doesn't
include nail polish, sparkly eye shadow and a
mane of sandy-brown hair!
Meet Ashley Taws, a nineteen-year-old
from Newmarket, Ontario, who has made quite an
impression on the racing community. She started racing
karts in 1993, at the age of nine, and by 1998 she was a
two-time Canadian Grand National Champion. There were no
doubts that she was just as fast and tough as any guy
you'd care to pit against her.
In 1999, when she could have dominated
the karting scene, Ashley went to seek the next
challenge. Things came together neatly and the following
year, at just sixteen years of age, she began racing
open-wheel cars. Driving the Maximum Benefit / Norbram
Group / Big Sisters Formula 1200 car, she won two races
and scored five top-three finishes. She was third in the
Isseco / Kumho Formula 1200 Championship, second in the
CASC-OR (Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs - Ontario
Region) Race Ontario Sprints and second in the BARC
(British Automobile Racing Club) Formula 1200
Championship. Furthermore, she received the Muriel B
Knap Trophy for "sportsmanship, ability and sparkle" and
the Bob Attrell Award for "best new driver". These
accomplishments and accolades are all the more
impressive when one considers that she was not yet
licensed to drive on public roads.
In 2001, Ashley returned to Formula 1200
with a whole new look, driving the "Be Anything With
Barbie at Wal-Mart" car decked out in an
attention-grabbing pink and purple colour scheme. Ashley
set her sights on the championship and took the fight
all the way to the final race of the season, but fell
just short of her target. She placed second in the final
standings and won the Muriel B Knap Trophy for the
second year running.
In 2002, Ashley graduated to the Canadian
Formula Ford Championship, an eight-round series with
races at some of Canada's premier events. She claimed
two podium finishes, set a fastest race lap and thrilled
crowds at the Toronto Indy by taking pole, then driving
from last to fourth after her engine stalled a few laps
into the race. In the final point standings she was tied
for third and rookie of the year with an old friend from
her early days of karting.
Ashley's success comes through a
combination of talent and hard work. A student with a
part-time job, she finds time for her fitness program
and spends many a weekend making appearances with her
race car. As if she's not busy enough, however, Ashley
is also an instructor at a skid-control school, competes
in ice racing each winter, and helps Girls Inc. of York
(formerly Big Sisters) for whom she is the Honourary
Chairperson of the Youth Committee.
Despite the taxing schedule, Ashley has
always felt privileged to be a race driver, saying, "I'm
really lucky. Racing is very exciting and the hype about
the Barbie car is amazing. I always have a big cheering
section at the races and I'm constantly signing
autographs!"
Ashley's plans to win the 2003 Canadian
Formula Ford Championship were dealt a serious blow in
December 2002 when she was severely injured in a traffic
accident. Her hard work and determination has resulted
in a miraculous return to health, however, and the
energetic young driver plans to return to racing as soon
as possible.
"I'm thrilled to have the continued
backing of Barbie and the rest of my sponsors," she
said. "I'm also very grateful for the support from race
fans and everyone involved in my racing programme."
For more about Ashley Taws, visit her website,
www.ashleytaws.com.
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