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Rising dirt track racer, Ariel Biggs announces her 2016 plans with Toyota Racing and Daum Motorsports, including a move back east to Illinois. Check out what has happened after her big outing at the Chili Bowl earlier this year, and what she will be looking forward to for a 2016 racing schedule.
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Racing has always been a part of Tiana Berkeley’s family life. She spent her childhood years at the racetrack watching her father race, and he grew up much the same watching his father race before him. But when she grew a little older, she surprised her father by not only taking an interest in the sport, but jumping behind the wheel and getting down and dirty.
“I have not had any [formal] training, my dad has been my coach but I taught myself how to get around the track. It was a learning experience and basically trial and error for me.”
A Colville, Washington native, Tiana Berkeley has been racing for 5 years, starting in the four cylinder ranks in 2011. She earned Rookie of the Year at Northport Raceway in the class, and went on to become the first female to win a championship in the Four Cylinder class for 2012. In 2013, she again would win the championship in the Four Cylinder class, this time at Eagle Track Raceway in Republic, WA.
After 3 years dominating the four cylinder class, Tiana Berkeley would move up to the Modified ranks, competing under the No. 45 in purple IMCA a-mod she says is a tribute to her late grandfathers.
“My car number is 45, because that is the number my Grandpa Jerry used to run when he raced. Most of the car is purple because that is the color for pancreatic cancer awareness and my Grandpa Brad passed away from it. They both passed in 2006 and I wanted the car to be a tribute to them due to the fact that they both loved racing.”
She would place third in her first year at Eagle Track Raceway in 2014 and go on to win the championship this season, remaining the first and only female to have won the championship in track history.
For Tiana, her last 5 years have filled with great experiences with the family. She graduated high school one year early to work in the family owned business, Colville Printing as a Graphic Designer. With her dad handling all of the mechanical aspects of the car (‘he’s the best mechanic a girl could ask for’ she says), Tiana is able to focus on driving, learning the ropes quickly as she moves up the ranks. But she wasn’t as well received by all of her fellow racers, adding that she encountered some unexpected animosity.
“People I have known for my entire life have treated me differently since I have began racing with and against them, and beating them makes it even worse. That has been tough since I am a very caring person and I wouldn’t expect it from them.”
Tiana Berkeley says she’s dealt with lots of tough criticism from those who believe that women should be behind the wheel of a racecar. But Tiana doesn’t want to be viewed any differently than any other driver.
“I always treat everyone the same. I use sportsmanship and hope that they will eventually accept that I won’t be knocked down due to their criticism.”
Her toughest critic though has always been herself. Wanting to improve and do better, she tends to beat herself up a lot, and can be very hard on herself after a tough event. But for Tiana, she knows that no matter the situation, she has to persevere.
“I learned that someone is always going to have something negative to say, no matter what the situation. Don’t let it get to your head. Keep pushing through and strive to reach your goals. Let the negativity be your motivation to always be the best that you can be. Racing is not just a male dominate sport, women can be successful too.”
Tiana plans to travel with the car and learn from other great drivers around the northwest, and is looking forward to learning how to drive on different surfaces and track conditions with more cars.
Although it won’t be the first time for Taylor Ferns at Plymouth Speedway, there won’t be much familiarity for 20 year-old sprint car racer entering this weekend’s Engine Pro Sprints on Dirt event. Since her last visit to the Indiana track, it has undergone a conversion from a half-mile paved configuration to three-eighths-of-a-mile dirt format. Her last appearance at the track was at the wheel of a midget three years ago, and returns this weekend aboard the Eco-Mend/Jimmy’s Towing Maxim, a winged sprint car.
Saturday, May 16th begins the action for the Engine Pro Sprints event, presented by ARP. A full racing program is on tap for the winged 360-sprint car series based in Michigan. Taylor’s last 360-sprint car experience came last fall at Waynesfield Raceway Park in Ohio, where she won a heat race and started eighth in the main event. Contact with another car led to a flip on the second lap, which ended her night.
Going from a 410 (sprint car) to a 360 (sprint car), I think easier than going from a 360 to a 410,” explained Ferns. “Everything happens a lot slower in a 360, and it is easier to adapt. A big difference is that they usually draw for starting spots in a 360, so you have to try to pass a lot of cars in order to get a good starting spot in the main event.”
Ferns’ most recent start at Plymouth in 2012 with the Honda USAC National Midget Series yielded a third-fastest qualifying effort for that event, her best-career qualifying effort with the series. She ran fourth in a heat race, finishing 10th in the main event. During the same season, she also raced with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour.
Prior to that, Ferns competed in a co-sanctioned race with the USAC D1 Midget Series and STARS National Midget Series, finishing 10th in a 40-lap feature, after winning a heat race in 2011. She made her debut at Plymouth in 2009, with the Kenyon Midget Series.
Having been to Plymouth before will help, but that’s probably about the only thing we can take away from our last trip there to this time,” said Ferns. “It’s going to be a completely different experience. We’ve had a tough start to the season, so we are looking to get things turned around at Plymouth.”
Last weekend, Ferns raced at Eldora Speedway in Ohio, which featured both the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car Series in the “Mother of All Sprint Car Weekends.” Though she would finish ninth in the third heat race and wound up 14th in the B-main during the Friday opener, she encoutnered engine trouble in time trials Saturday that forced her to scratch for the remainder of the race program.
Two weekends ago, Ferns competed at Atomic Speedway in Ohio with the Ohio Valley Sprint Car Association. She finished fourth in the first heat race to transfer to the main event. In the A-Feature, she finished 17th.
We have been trying some different things, so hopefully we can have a good weekend and everything will go smoothly,” said Ferns. “We have had so much going on this year and haven’t been able to catch a break, so a smooth weekend is what we are after.”