Taegen Poles

Biography

Unlike many drivers, Taegen does not come from a family with a background in motorsport. Her enthusiasm for the sport is fueled by her own passion and dedication to speed and competition. Her interest in racing came at a young age, initially from watching Formula 1 races on television. Attending the 2003 Toronto Indy sealed the deal, giving her the opportunity to learn that karting was the key to the sport by talking to several drivers. Since then, the rest is history.

Three years later, she started on the road to her own racing dream in 2006 in the Canadian Rookie Karting Championship. Finishing 5th overall, she scored her first pole and win at seven years old. She would go on to win the championship the following year and was the youngest female to do so. Simultaneously, she began campaigning in a two-cycle kart in the Hamilton Regional Karting Championship.

From 2009 to 2011, she competed in the Rotax Micro-Max and Mini-Max divisions. In those years, she was the Vice Champion in the Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship, 10th at the Canadian Nationals, and 6th overall in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship (ECKC).

With 2012 as her first full year in Rotax Junior, she completed the Nationals in a respectable 11th despite dealing with engine related issues. Stepping it up for 2013, she embraced the competitive nature of Junior once more and came home with two top-five and two top-tens in the ECKC series in the four races she attended. Unfortunately, she didn’t finish the Nationals after contact from behind while running in the top 3. In 2014, she used the experience to win the Mosport International Karting Association Championship, finishing 90% of races on the podium, along with top ten finishes in the ECKC series.

While making the move to the Rotax Senior class, Taegen developed a partnership with Brian Graham Racing after being selected to be part of the inaugural CASC Toyo Tires Karts to Cars program where she tested an F1600 car with BGR. After competing in the CASC Ice Racing series in the offseason, she then continued her partnership with BGR through 2015 as a development driver in the Toyo Tires F1600 Series. Her schedule consisted of test days and a race weekend that resulted in a 7th and a 10th place finish.

As a Rotax Senior sophomore, Taegen continued to have a strong presence at both the national and provincial levels. She podiumed at the ECKC level, had good pace constantly throughout the year and was awarded the PFAFF Driver of the Day after winning events at the Canadian Ron Fellows Karting Championship.

No stranger to change, for the 2017 season, Taegen added a gear and began racing in the Rotax DD2 class. While doing so, she changed both chassis’ manufacturers and teams to become a member of Energy Corse North America Team. She would go on to finish 3rd in the DD2 ECKC Championship and the Champion Ron Fellows Karting Challenge. That year she also raced in the Rotax Senior category on a part time basis.

2018 was a new start for Taegen, as many Canadian drivers (herself included) swapped to the ROK engine program. Spending much time focusing on the new 6-speed shifter division, she would finish 3rd in the CRKFC series and a personal best of 8th at the Canadian Nationals.

In 2019, Taegen made her mark on the international stage as one of 54 W Series Qualifying Drivers, and one of only two from Canada. She had another year of success on track, including two Championship titles as the Ontario Inter-Club ROK Shifter Champion and the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Champion in the same category.

In 2020, while the world adjusted to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Taegen made the difficult decision to spend her first summer away from the racetrack since the age of seven. Keeping up with her fitness, she continued to practice karate (where she has her black belt) in preparation for the 2021 season with her eyes forward to a full season in cars.

Results

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