Girl Power Taking Over South Buxton This Summer

Despite the recent popularity of female racecar drivers at the professional ranks, it still isn’t everyday you see young women climb behind the wheel to battle the boys on the track. This summer at South Buxton Raceway however, two young women, Julie Saunders and Harlie Hornick, will do just that.

To add to the rarity, Saunders and Hornick are just 14-years-old, still students at St. Ursula and Victor Lauriston Elementary School’s in Chatham.

When asked what it is like to be able to drive at South Buxton Raceway before they even turn 16, Saunders said it was a “cool” experience,

“It’s pretty cool, not a lot of kids get to say they can drive.”

Both Hornick and Saunders are huge racing fans, who have grown up watching dirt track racing at South Buxton, and are now excited to be a part of it first hand.

“I’ve been in racing my whole life,” said Saunders, “My dad raced when I was little, and I just want to go out and have some fun.”

The tie to South Buxton Raceway was the same for Hornick, “We’ve both been around cars since we were little, and now we get to drive ourselves.”

Saunders and Hornick will share the driving duties of their number 84 car this summer in the new Bomber Cars division, which according to Saunders is “6- and 4-cylinder cars, bonestock, inside out with a roll cage.”

Growing up around racing at South Buxton Raceway, both young drivers love the product and entertainment at Chatham-Kent’s only racing venue. When asked what her favourite part of the racing was at South Buxton, Hornick smiled and replied, “Getting dirt flung at you,” while Saunder said it was the overall experience, “Just the good show they put on.”

Most people might expect these young driver to be filled with nerves when the racing season at South Buxton gets underway in early May, but according to Hornick, they aren’t worried about anything but having a good time and treating the fans to some good racing,

“We aren’t worried. We just want to put on a good show for other people.”