How A 10-Year-Old Builds Speed And Confidence In Mini Wedge Racing with Kate Maurer

Local Sponsors And Support

Melinda Russell 0:49

This episode is sponsored by Snyder's Lawn Care and Property Maintenance in Kalamazoo, Michigan. If storms leave branches, debris, or damage in your yard, including down trees, their team offers reliable storm damage cleanup services. Reach out to Bob or Andrew at 269-775-1275 or their website is SnyderslawnCare dot com. That's 269-775-1275. Have you recently hit a pothole? Did you end up with a bent wheel? The tire shop's going to try to sell you a new one, but you don't need to drop hundreds of dollars. Call Mark at a cut above welding in Kalamazoo. He'll repair the wheel, sand it, paint it, and have it looking like new for a fraction of the cost. With over 50 years of welding and fabricating experience, a cut above welding gets it done right and fast. Call Mark at 269-760-1109. That's 269-760-1109. A cut above welding. No job too small, just big results. Hello everyone. This is Melinda Russell with the Women's Motorsports Network podcast. And my guest today is Kate Mauer. And Kate, am I saying your last name right? Yeah. Okay. Just wanted to make sure. So Kate, I want to welcome you to the show. And would you start by just telling me a little bit about yourself?

SPEAKER_01 2:30

My name is Kate Mauer. I live in the city of Owasso and I love to race.

Melinda Russell 2:35

You love to race. Well, and how old are you, Kate? I'm 10 years old. You're 10 years old, and you love to race at a pretty young age. So how long ago did you start racing? About three years ago. Okay, so you were about seven years old. So tell me, how did you get started in racing?

SPEAKER_01 2:58

My I saw my sister?

Mini Wedge Life And Tracks

Melinda Russell 3:03

Okay, so your sister races too. That's really cool. Your parents are kept busy, aren't they, with you and your sister racing? So Kate, tell me, what is it that you race and tell me all about it?

SPEAKER_01 3:17

I race a mini watch and going to all the tracks is a really, really fun experience.

Melinda Russell 3:22

Oh, I'll bet. So what tracks do you go to?

SPEAKER_01 3:25

I go to Owasso Speedway, Owasso Motorsports Park, Gorgan Oil Speedway, Kalamazoo Speedway, Berlin Raceway, Springport Motor Speedway, Winamore Chamber Raceway, Crystal Motor Speedway, Tri City Speedway, and No Limit Extreme Adoor Cart Track.

Melinda Russell 3:42

Whoa, you're busy. You're a busy kid. Yeah. That's cool. So you race cage carts. Right? I'm sorry, cage. I did that before. I'm sorry, not cage carts, mini wedge. You I'm gonna write it down in big letters right in front of my face. Okay. So I don't forget. I knew it was mini wedge. I don't know why I said cage cards. Sorry about that. So so mini wedge. So tell me about your mini wedge. Uh what color is it? What number is it? Tell me about it.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

My cards are silver chassis with silver panels, and my number's 311.

Melinda Russell 4:23

Okay, and what is 311? Is that a special number? Yes. Is that your birthday? No. Okay, why what's special about 311?

SPEAKER_01 4:34

My grandpa, when he first started in the modifies, his first number was 311. He got a brand new modify, the 911. His brother Wayne took the 311. And then sadly he passed away at 45 years old. And that's where I got my number from.

Melinda Russell 4:51

Okay, so you're honoring your family. That's really great. I love that you're doing that. So, Kate, tell me, what was the hardest thing to learn about driving a mini wedge?

SPEAKER_01 5:03

Probably letting off in the corners, not just full blasting it.

Melinda Russell 5:08

Oh, you just like to keep your foot down, pedal to the metal all the way around the track, huh? Yeah. Yeah. So you have to slow down in the corners. Otherwise, what happens?

SPEAKER_01 5:19

You're probably gonna spin out or go in the grass.

Melinda Russell 5:22

Yeah. Yeah. So good, good uh training there that you have to slow down in the corners. So, what is it that you love most about driving a mini wedge?

SPEAKER_01 5:35

Probably to see all the different things about the track and see how wonderful the tracks are, and that to me that's just really fun.

Melinda Russell 5:43

Yeah, do you have a favorite track?

SPEAKER_01 5:46

It's probably a Wasso Speedway or a Wasso Motorsports Park.

Melinda Russell 5:50

Okay, and that's where you live. You live close to there, so it's easy to get to those tracks, isn't it? Yes, yeah, okay. And do you race in any kind of like a series, like for points or anything? Because I see some trophies back there. Looks to me like you might have won something. Why don't you tell me about that?

SPEAKER_01 6:11

We do points per series, but just series without points, we don't do that.

The 311 Story And Driving Skills

Melinda Russell 6:17

Okay, so tell me about those trophies. Where did those come from?

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Okay, so my blink blue one is from Owasso Speedway when I've won my Wasso Speedway Championship.

Melinda Russell 6:29

Okay, when did you win that one? What do you say? What year did you win that one? Last year or the year before? Last year. Last year, okay, and then what about the other trophy?

SPEAKER_01 6:41

I got that from my Owasso Motorsports Championship.

Melinda Russell 6:46

Okay, and when did you win that? I also got that last year. Oh my gosh, you did really well last year, and I love that banner that's hanging back there. Where did that come from?

SPEAKER_01 6:57

It came from the Owasso Speedway Banquet.

Melinda Russell 7:00

Oh, nice, really, really nice. That's that's a keepsake for sure. So when you got started in racing, you had seen your sister race, I take it, and then you decided it was something you wanted to do. What was it about watching her that made you want to get in a mini witch?

SPEAKER_01 7:20

It really, really inspired me, and I also really wanted to race with my sister.

Melinda Russell 7:24

Okay. So have you had to race against her yet? Yes. Oh, and how did that come out? It did pretty well. Good. Did she beat you or you beat her? She beat me. Well, that's okay. She's older, she's had more practice, right? You'll have you'll have your day, Kate, when you beat her, I'm sure of that. So you've won two championships. Is that your proudest moment winning those, or what else have you done that you can be proud of that you've done?

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Probably all the features of that one.

Melinda Russell 8:00

Yeah, how many do you know?

SPEAKER_01 8:02

I think maybe well over 10.

Melinda Russell 8:05

Wow, really, really good. And so, what was the hardest thing? Yeah, I know you said learning to slow down, but had you ever driven anything before you got into the mini wedge, like a four-wheeler or anything? No, you hadn't. So, how did you learn to drive it? Lots of practice, lots of practice. That's what it takes, doesn't it? It's lots and lots of practice. So, Kate, do you have any sponsors for your mini wedge? Yes, I do. Okay, do you want to share those with me?

SPEAKER_01 8:41

Yeah. No little person parts, Dix Auto, Napa Auto Parts of Awato, Frady's Concessions, Felker's Plumbing, Gaffner's Towing, Matco Tools by Chombos, Mac Mosquito Joe's of Greater Lansing, Grandma and Grandpa Survaney, Fresh Cool Graphics, and Scott and Trisha Fairfield.

Championships And What Practice Teaches

Melinda Russell 9:01

Wow, you have a lot of sponsors. Good for you. Yeah. So how did you get those sponsors? Are they people that are like friends of your parents, or did you go to these businesses and ask them? How did how did you get so many sponsors?

SPEAKER_01 9:16

Some of them were my parents' friends, and some of them we went to their business, and me and my sister asked them.

Melinda Russell 9:21

Okay, it's hard to turn down a couple cute little girls, isn't it, when you go to ask them to sponsor you? Yeah, for sure. So who helps you with your mini wedge?

SPEAKER_01 9:34

My mom and my dad.

Melinda Russell 9:36

Okay, and is your dad like the chief mechanic? Yes. And what does your mom what does your mom do? Does she help help with the cars or does she do other things?

SPEAKER_01 9:47

She helps get all our suits ready and cooks all the food.

Melinda Russell 9:51

Oh yeah, that's a big part of it, isn't it? You have to stay hydrated, you have to stay fueled up with your food. So it takes it takes your whole family, doesn't it, to keep you going?

SPEAKER_01 10:03

And my mom, she also takes pictures.

Melinda Russell 10:05

Oh yeah. And does she do your social media? Yes. Okay. All right, that's good. So do you follow other kinds of racing? Like do you watch racing on TV or are you just kind of into the mini wedges? We watch racing on TV. Okay. What's your favorite kind of racing on television?

SPEAKER_01 10:26

Probably maybe the super light models.

Melinda Russell 10:29

Okay. Do you watch it on flow racing? Yes. Yeah, that's a great, that's a great streaming service for sure. You can watch just about anything all across the country. I I love it too. So what do you think you're the best at when you're when you're driving your mini wedge, and obviously you're pretty good because you've won these races and these championships, what's the one, one or two things that you feel like you're really good at?

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Probably keeping my lane on the track.

Melinda Russell 11:02

Okay. All right. Staying in your lane. That's pretty important, isn't it? Yes. Yes. So if somebody came up to you at the racetrack and said, Kate, my little girl wants to be a mini-wedge driver just like you. What would you say to her?

SPEAKER_01 11:20

They can be a mini-wedge driver as well.

Melinda Russell 11:23

Yeah. So what does it take to be a mini-wedge driver? First, you gotta maybe go to a try and ride. Did you do that? No. No, you didn't, but your sister was already racing. So first you have to get the car, the mini wedge. And did you have to do anything to it? Do you help work on it? Yes. You do? So that's a good learning lesson, too, isn't it? Yes. Yes. So when you go to the track on the weekends, I assume you race on maybe Saturday or Sunday. When you go to the track on the weekends, what are some of the things that you have to do to get ready to go out for your race?

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Changing the tires and also the gear and make sure that we have enough fuel in the cars.

Melinda Russell 12:16

Okay. All right. And about how many laps do one of your races go?

SPEAKER_01 12:23

Probably the heat is either six or eight laps. And the either 10 or 12 laps.

Melinda Russell 12:30

Okay. All right. And they go pretty quick, don't they?

unknown 12:34

Yes.

Melinda Russell 12:35

Yeah, for sure. So I know you go to school. You're not homeschooled, right? Do you go to school?

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Yeah, I go to school.

Melinda Russell 12:44

Okay. So what do your friends think about you driving a mini wedge? Do they know what that is? Do they come to watch?

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Sometimes they come to watch, but sometimes they can't.

Melinda Russell 12:55

Yeah. But do they understand, you know, kind of what it is, or not really?

SPEAKER_01 13:00

Yeah, they understand.

Sponsors And Family Pit Crew

Melinda Russell 13:02

Okay. Because a lot of times kids don't really understand like what it's all about and that. If you don't what grade are you in school? I'm in fourth grade. Fourth grade. So do you play any other sports or anything besides racing?

SPEAKER_01 13:16

I play basketball and volleyball.

Melinda Russell 13:19

Okay. All right. Do you do anything else at school?

SPEAKER_01 13:25

I go to the band.

Melinda Russell 13:27

Oh, you're also in the band. That's awesome. I I was in the band too, besides all the other things I did. So what's been something that if you were gonna talk to me and tell me about racing, what's one of the first things that you would say is your favorite thing about going to the racetrack?

SPEAKER_01 13:50

Probably seeing which one, like probably seeing how well the track is.

Melinda Russell 13:57

Okay, all right. And do you normally race against the same kids? Like if you're at Berlin or Kalamazoo or Owasso, do the same kids pretty much come to all those races? No, no, you have all kinds of different competitors, not always, not always, and are there other girls besides you and your sister? Yes, yeah, and that's good. Are there more girls or more boys? Do you think? I think more boys, yeah, but the girls are growing, aren't they? Yes, yeah, and having you on and having you tell your story and about what you're doing should help maybe get other girls interested in going to the track. So have you ever had any kind of a like an accident or you you rolled your mini wedge, anything at all like that that happened that really wasn't very good?

SPEAKER_01 14:57

Yes.

Melinda Russell 14:58

Can you tell me about it?

unknown 15:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Okay, one time I think it was either last year or two years ago. Yeah, two years ago. We went to Berlin Raceway for the heat race. My steering wheel, it was kind of hard to turn. I got bumped and I crashed into the wall really hard.

Melinda Russell 15:18

Were you okay?

SPEAKER_01 15:19

Yes.

Melinda Russell 15:20

But your but your mini wedge probably did didn't survive that, did it? It survived. It did survive? Oh, that's good. And so were you able to keep racing that day? Yes. Oh, that's good. That's good. So, you know, we lose more races than we win if we're involved in motorsports. That's just a fact, Kate. Everybody is the same, even Kyle Larson and and the best drivers in NASCAR lose more often than they win. So, why do you keep going back to the racetrack on the weekends? What is something that that keeps you going back there instead of going to the swimming pool or the lake or playing softball?

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Probably every single time we go to the racetrack, I really enjoy myself and it's a lot of fun.

School, Sports, And Racing Friends

Melinda Russell 16:09

It's a lot of fun. What's what's the most fun about it? Going fast, seeing your other friends? What are some things that make it fun?

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Going fast and spending some time with my family.

Melinda Russell 16:21

Yeah. It's a good family sport, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 16:25

Yes.

Melinda Russell 16:26

Yes, it is. Yeah, for sure. Let me see if I I've got some more questions here for you. Just a second. So would you rather start from the front or the back in a race? Like, do you like coming through the field or would you rather start in the front?

SPEAKER_01 16:49

Probably in the middle would be a lot better.

Melinda Russell 16:52

Okay. Okay. Have you started from the front before?

SPEAKER_01 16:56

Yes.

Melinda Russell 16:58

And that's not, I think that would be nerve-wracking to have to start from the front. I think I'd rather start from the middle too.

SPEAKER_04 17:05

Yeah.

Melinda Russell 17:05

Yeah. That's probably that's probably less stressful to do it that way. So do you have any superstitions or anything before you go out for a race? Like, do you always wear the same socks or the same shirt or you tie your hair back in a certain way? Do you have anything like that that you do? Yes. What is it?

SPEAKER_01 17:28

I always pull my hair back into a ponytail.

Melinda Russell 17:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:32

Usually I wear the same socks with shirt.

Melinda Russell 17:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

My socks are my lucky socks.

Melinda Russell 17:38

And what what kind of socks are they? Are they fun-looking socks? What are they that make them special? These socks. Oh, that's cool. So you'll have to describe them because people that are listening can't see that. So tell me what color they are.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

They're black and white. The like where you put your heel in, it's black and white stripes, and then by the top it has gray stars, and the black and the red background is black.

Melinda Russell 18:12

Okay. So lucky socks. I've heard that before. So when you first get into your mini wedge, does do you have like kind of a routine? Does somebody always say something to you the same or you fist bump? Do you do you have any kind of a routine when you get in?

SPEAKER_01 18:31

I think so.

Melinda Russell 18:33

Yeah. My dad. Do you know what it? Yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

He tells me as long as you have fun, that's all that matters.

Melinda Russell 18:42

Good for him. He's a good dad, isn't he?

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Yes.

Crashing At Berlin And Bouncing Back

Melinda Russell 18:46

Yeah. If he just wants you to have fun and not worry about whether you win or not, that's that's a good dad for sure. So when you have when you do have something bad that happens, which it does for everybody, what what do you do? Do you go sit in the truck and cry? Do you throw your helmet? What do you do to get over that feeling of disappointment and whatever so that you're ready to go back out on the track?

SPEAKER_01 19:15

I probably drink some water, like just a few minutes after me time, and then I'm ready to go back out.

Melinda Russell 19:22

Okay. So you kind of just brush it off because there's always going to be another race, isn't there?

SPEAKER_01 19:27

Yes.

Melinda Russell 19:28

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. So just a second, honest. So what's the what's I know you're only 10. Do you think you're gonna keep racing? And if so, what would you like to race next after the mini wedge?

SPEAKER_01 19:52

I want to drive a super light model.

Melinda Russell 19:55

Wow, that's a big jump. Yeah. Do you have a favorite driver?

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Chase Elliott.

Melinda Russell 20:02

Oh, he just won the race, didn't he? Yeah. Yeah. He's the NASCAR's most popular driver. So you're one of those people that makes him the most popular driver for sure. So before you go out in your mini wedge, do you have any kind of like music you listen to or anything like that?

SPEAKER_01 20:24

I think so, yeah.

Melinda Russell 20:26

Yeah. What kind of music do you like?

SPEAKER_01 20:29

Sometimes I like country music and sometimes I like rock music.

Melinda Russell 20:33

Okay. All right. Me too. That's kind of my two favorites as well. So, Kate, I've asked you a lot of questions. Is there anything I haven't asked you that you want to share about yourself or your racing? Yes. Okay, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 20:49

You can follow along on our Facebook page on Mauer Racing.

Melinda Russell 20:55

Okay, it's M-A-U-R-E-R racing, is the name of the page. Okay. And is that you and your sister? Yes. Okay. Does your dad race? He used to. He used to. And how about your mom? Did she ever race? No. No. But she's she's the support system behind the racers. She takes care of everybody, right?

unknown 21:21

Yes.

Melinda Russell 21:22

Yes. That's awesome. Anything else that we haven't talked about? I want to make sure we we share everything possible about you and your racing.

Next Goal: Super Late Models

SPEAKER_01 21:34

We also, so one time we went to Crystal. It was my first time ever racing there. I got fast qualifier. I got five team t shirts for my heat race. I started in the front since I got fast qualifier. I won that. And then I started in the front for my feature. I won my feature. I got a brand new motor, a picture of me saying. Yeah, I won. A hundred dollars.

Melinda Russell 22:10

Wow. They give some good prizes up there, don't they?

unknown 22:15

Yeah.

Melinda Russell 22:15

Yeah, with and a motor, so that's pretty cool that you got you got a motor, so if something happened to yours, you'd have a fair.

SPEAKER_04 22:25

Yeah.

Melinda Russell 22:25

Yeah, that's that's pretty great. And that was at Crystal? Yes. Okay. All right. I'm gonna have to check that, check the mini wedges out at Crystal because it sounds like they do a really nice program. I know you race in Kalamazoo some. I there's lots of mini wedge places that you can go and race on the weekends, but you do come to Kalamazoo once in a while. And you know, I live close to there, so hopefully I'll be able to come and and watch you race there sometime. Yeah. Yeah, that would be that would be a lot of fun. Kenny Head is a friend of mine, and I know you know who that is, and so we're hoping to get out there at some point and do some live interviews. So I'll let you know when we're gonna do that because I'd love to have you and your sister on when we do that. That'd be great. Yeah, that'd be fun. Anything else that you want to share, Kate? I think that's it. Okay. Well, I want to thank you for being on. I love telling your story, and I love that we have young gals like you that are keeping racing alive and well, and and I can't wait to watch you and your mini-wedge and then someday watch you in a super late model. Wouldn't that be fun? Yeah. Awesome. All right, well, thank you so much, Kate. Thank you for inviting me. You're welcome.

SPEAKER_04 23:48

Start your engines.

Crystal Speedway Wins And Farewell

SPEAKER_02 23:51

This is the Women's Motor Fun Network From the drag nights to the bride race lights from the garage to Victory Lane.