There is no mistaking the fact that the sport of auto-racing has been a male-dominated sport for years. But lately, there has been a bit of a surge in the number of females attempting to break into the sport. Enter Ali Kern, who, at 17 years of age, is trying to make an impact on the K&N East Series. “Ever since I was six years old, I’ve been around racing.” Kern said. “I turned six years old and started racing motocross and haven’t wanted to stop ever since.” The former quad motocross, go-kart, and modified driver has definitely had to work her way up the ranks to get to this point, so there is no questioning this young lady’s drive and determination. “It definitely helped me by starting somewhere back in the ranks. You can’t just jump into racing and expect to be dominant off the bat.”
Despite the fact that she is a girl in a testosterone-fueled sport, she says there hasn’t been all that many problems with her male counterparts. “No guy wants to get beat by a girl, but I think I have their respect out there.” stated Kern. There is also no doubt that going from racing modifieds to running a K&N East car is a huge night-and-day difference. “It’s definitely an adjustment in the style of driving. The modifieds are a lighter car with more motor while, by comparison, the K&N car handles like a Cadillac.” joked Kern. Like many other aspiring female and minority drivers, Ali attended the NASCAR Drive For Diversity combine the last two years and she says it has been a great help to her career. “It helped a lot on publicity and experience.” Ali reflected. “I met a lot of other drivers that were in the same boat as myself and got media training and track time, all of which should help me at the next level.”
Unlike a good portion of the K&N East Series drivers, Kern’s family-backed team does not have the financial resources of bigger teams. “The biggest issue for us is mostly a lack of sponsors.” Kern said. “In this economy, and being a female-driver in a male dominated sport, it’s not always easy to get sponsors. Right now, we have planned to run at least 2 races on the K&N East Series schedule and we’re hoping for more down the road.” Kern has developed the right attitude in terms of earning respect on and off the track in terms of her career. “You always want respect out there. You don’t want the other drivers to think you’re a hot-head on the track and off the track, you want them to know that you take the sport seriously.” In her career, besides the number of female drivers out there racing, her biggest influence in the sport has been her father. “Starting out in racing, my dad was my biggest influence. He used to race and he taught me all that I know.”
Ali is also very busy away from the track. When she’s not racing, she balances a full-time job with being a college student. “It takes a huge commitment to be able to go to college, work full-time, and race, along with working out. You always need a back-up plan in case racing does not work out.” Kern replied. She’s also had to make a great deal of sacrifices, like any other driver, since she started her career. “Racing takes up a huge amount of time and if you’re not committed to it, then it’s not going to work out for you.” As far as her goals for Greenville-Pickens Speedway next Saturday night, she has high, albeit very realistic, goals. “We’d like to be organized when we get there, make the race, finish the race, and hopefully get a top 10.” Ali said regarding her chances. In terms of the rest of her racing season, Ali is keeping her goals even-keeled in racing as many K&N East Series races as possible. In terms of the big picture, Ali places her goals even higher in owning her own team and racing in the Sprint Cup Series. With her level of talent, this young lady just might be well on her way to achieving that goal. I wish the best of luck for Ali Kern and her team in the 2011 season and beyond.
