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Racing in a Winter Wonderland

Sophia Bauer and Ashleigh Strain, who race karts for Bauer-Strain Outlaw Kart Racing (BSR) of Brookings, completed their winter season at Roseburg's River Arena Speedway with stellar results.

Bauer, a 7-year-old who attends Kalmiopsis Elementary School, finished second overall in the Pee Wee Beginner Box Class in just her third year of competition. Bauer finished with 1,049 points - just 74 points behind season champion Jayden Trupp of Coos Bay. The mild-mannered grade-schooler won four main event races, four trophy dash races and six heat race wins as she has gained a reputation as one of the fiercest tykes on the track.

"I don't let go of the gas and I keep going," said Bauer, who admits to having a laser-like focus while racing. "One time I was leading the whole race and I didn't know I was leading by a half-lap and I spun out."

Bauer never finished a main event below fourth place and held an average qualifying position of third place, which puts her among the class leaders in every event this season.

"I was excited I came in second," she said.

Bauer credits much of the winter season success to her father, Chad Bauer, putting more speed into the car, allowing her to catch and pass other racers.

"The first time he made it so fast I was like, "Whoa!" Then, I got used to it in two days and finally figured out the steering. I was going so fast in the straightaway that I was forgetting to turn on time and I kept thinking, "Ahhhh!"

For Strain, an 12-year-old who attends Azalea Middle School, the season presented the major challenge of moving up to a bigger, faster car in a tougher class - yet she persevered to finish in the top-three out of 19 drivers.

"It was faster. I was a little more nervous because I was afraid everyone was going to trample me because I wasn't as experienced as everybody else," admitted Strain. "It turned out to be a better class for me because I wasn't getting as trampled as I was earlier in the other classes."

Strain moved up from the Box Stock class to the 125cc/250f class, where the cars are faster and the field is filled with more experienced drivers. She finished the season in third place with 804 points, 186 points behind second place Connor Hanson of Creswell and 277 points behind first place Joseph Benton Jr. of Central Point.

Strain finished the season with one trophy dash win and three top-3 finishes while averaging a fifth-place finish in main events this season.

Strain commented on how the move up in class presented a unique set of challenges.

"There was more power to the car and it made me feel better because it was harder to hold onto but easier to control at the same time, which was weird," she said. "Even at the last race I didn't know how to drive it completely. I had gotten the hang of it about five or six races into the season, but even in the last race I was learning how to take faster lines with it."

By the eighth race of the season, Strain had become comfortable enough in the car to qualify in first place.

After taking approximately a month off, Team BSR sets their sights on the upcoming season that will run from early spring through the fall. The "Girlz from the Beach" as they are dubbed, will be competing at tracks across Oregon and Northern California, including Cottage Grove, Medford and Red Bluff beginning in March. Both Bauer and Strain are excited to race on some different courses that offer specific challenges when compared to the Roseburg track.

"I'm looking forward to racing at Salem because it's a new track and a bigger track and I haven't raced on it yet," said Strain, who favors larger tracks that allow for more speed.

Bauer also favors bigger tracks but for a different reason.

"I'm excited to try Red Bluff (California)," she said. "It's a bigger track so it's better for me because I have more time to start steering."

Team BSR will be competing at the the Cage Cup on Sunday, March 28 at the Salem Speedway.

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