The 14-year-old kart racer from Amherst is a fourth-generation motorsport racer; the previous three raced on water.
“It’s fun going fast,” says Kants.
Like her dad, her granddad, and her great-granddad before, Kants has a need for speed.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, she might have jumped into a powerboat as well if not for the fact there isn’t powerboat racing in Nova Scotia.
Instead, at age six, Kants jumped into a race kart, took to the racing circuit at age seven, and hasn’t looked back.
Kants currently sits in second place at the midway point of the 2018 Championship Kart Racing Association’s 10-race series.
Often ranked as the top junior kart racer in the Maritimes, Kants was recently ranked as high as fifth in Canada in the junior division.
She’s one of two girls in the CKRA junior division, and they race against 12 guys.
“It’s not hard racing against guys,” said Kants.
Kants keeps race ready by training in the gym, and sometimes practices at Kartbahn in Halifax during the winter. She says practice is what helps keep her atop the podium, but it’s her love of karting that plays biggest role in her success.
“Whenever we drive by the track in Moncton in the winter and there’s snow, she’s sad,” says her mom Jennifer. “At the end of February and March when there’s a bit of snow she wants them to plow it off.”
Her kart can move as fast as 90 km/h, but when she moves up to the senior division in two years the restrictor plate will be taken out of her machine and she’ll hit speeds of 110 or 120 km/h.
She’s has crashed in the past, and crashed hard.
“I ran through a cement wall in Halifax. They had to get the ambulance,” said Kants.
Kants has suffered several injuries, and although her mom is concerned about her mishaps, she has seen so many crashes that she’s not as worried as she used to be.
“It used to make me really nervous. Not as nervous as the boat races used to. There’s less chance of drowning on the race track,” said Jennifer. “The most common injuries are broken collar bones and broken arms, but it’s safer than a trampoline in the back yard. That’s what I try to keep in my mind.”
Her dad Blair is also involved in the sport.
“Her dad is the pit crew,” said Jennifer. “His hobby is the motor and she’s the driver.”
Kants said she loves traveling to different tracks and meeting new people.
“It’s a really great community,” she says.
Her dream is to race in the nationals two years from now.
“There’s 40 karts there. It’s a really big race,” said Kants.
And what would be the ultimate way to carry on the families racing legacy?
“It would be great to be an F1 racer,” says Kants with a laugh.
Twitter:@ADNdave
