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NEW CANAAN, Conn. New Canaan resident Hailey Towbin can't get her drivers license for another four years, but that hasnt stopped her from burning rubber at age 12.
Towbin recently completed the Junior Racing Summer Camp at Grand Prix New York in Mount Kisco, N.Y., which teaches junior drivers the basics of driving and racing.
Hailey races in go-carts, but the thrill of racing has her eagerly anticipating the day she will be able to drive a real car or even a real race car.
I really enjoy racing. I like how fast it is, she said. I like coming up on the side of somebody and trying to beat them.
Haileys love of racing began when her dad took her to Monticello Raceway in Monticello, N.Y. Her dad, Scott, picked up motocross as a hobby and brought Hailey along. The raceway also featured a go-cart track, and Hailey immediately took to it.
She loved it, Mr. Towbin said. We went a few times in the spring, and we heard about [Grand Prix New York] from their carting director. They saw that she was really good, and they suggested she try out the camp.
Since finding her passion for racing earlier this year, Hailey has become a fan of Formula One racing. She intends to participate in Grand Prix New Yorks fall racing camp as well.
During the weeklong racing program, Hailey and other campers worked their way through a course curriculum, which included learning how to identify and follow racing lines, go-cart control, passing and defending. Campers participated in five days of high-speed wheel-to-wheel instruction and racing as well as racing simulations.
For Hailey, getting her drivers license cant come soon enough. Im really excited, she said. I cant wait to be that age.
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