Young Local Doing Big Things in Racing

YOUNG LOCAL DOING

BIG THINGS IN RACING

WRITTEN BY: Brian Bonner

When you meet Ben Maier from Chester, Maryland, he seems like your average bright and active 9-year-old. He gets very good grades at Bayside Elementary School and over the last year he helped his Bayside Dolphins teammates win championships in baseball and football; his soccer team came up a little short in 2nd place. So, we’ve learned that Ben likes sports, but when you learn what really makes him special, you might be surprised.

Ben Maier is one of the top go-kart racers in North America in the cadet (7-12 years old) category. He drives for Team Nitro Kart, a kart manufacturer and race team based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Ben won three national championships and capped the year off with a thrilling photo-finish victory at the SuperKarts USA! SuperNationals in Las Vegas; the Super Bowl or Daytona 500 of kart racing.

For those that think that go-kart racing is something cute and fun to do at the local amusement park, think again; kart racing is the most highly-competitive form of motorsport in the world and the training ground for most of the top racers in the world. Virtually all Formula 1 drivers grew up racing karts, including world champions Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel. Plus, almost all current IndyCar drivers and many top NASCAR drivers, including Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, got

their start in karts, so Ben is on the right path to be a top professional race car driver.

Racing does run in the Maier family, but not the kind you might think. Ben’s mom, Beth, raced sailboats in her youth, including collegiately at the University of Rhode Island. Ben’s dad, Jim, spent time racing jet skis when he was a teenager. Ben started driving on four wheels at the age of 2 with a Power Wheels in his yard at home. He soon wanted something faster, and at 3 years old, he got his first gokart, an Emmick Kid Kart. At 4 years old, he began racing at Nicholson Speedway, a local 1/4-mile paved kart track in Chestertown. Ben soon won a Kid Kart race at Nicholson Speedway and in 2015 he won his first national event at Badger Kart Club in Dousman, Wisconsin; one of three national wins that year.

Fast forward to this year which saw Ben win 15 national-level main events all over the country, plus the aforementioned crown jewel of a SuperNationals victory in Las Vegas last month. All of that travel requires a great commitment from the whole family, including Ben’s 6-yearold brother Alex, known as “Big Al” on the karting circuit. Fortunately the Maier family is able to travel to most races in an RV, creating some great experiences and memories along the way.

22 Shore Sports Magazine | Summer 2019 ShoreSportsMag.com

Jim Maier loves that Ben is able to compete at iconic racing venues like Daytona International Speedway and they often get to rub elbows with major racing stars. “The coolest thing I think we have done is doing the drive through the tunnel into Daytona. It just feels pretty awesome to be hauling your own equipment into that track to race. We also like how karting brings people from so many facets of auto racing together. You might be standing on the fence next to Juan Montoya watching the kids race or might have Scott Dixon hanging out at your pit talking with the kids. Every race seems to be another surprise, and these professional drivers really seem to treat the kids as their peers.”

So, what drives Ben to be so good at kart racing? Again, from dad Jim; “I wish we knew the answer to that. He gets very focused once he puts on the helmet. We don’t really know what goes on inside his head, but once the helmet comes off he is back to being a goofy kid. I know he is extremely competitive, and that likely is his drive to win in karts. He is a very sore loser whether it is a board game, sports game, or race.”

" HE GETS VERY FOCUSED ONCE HE PUTS ON THE HELMET "

The owner of Team Nitro Kart, Nick Tucker, a former kart champion and NASCAR driver himself certainly thinks Ben has what it takes to make it to the big leagues. “Ben has a quiet confidence and knows he can grab an extra gear within himself when the race is on the line to go and win. And when the checkered flag flies, more often than not he does win. If he doesn’t make it to IndyCar or NASCAR it’s because he found something he loves more, but I don’t see that happening. I see Ben as a great champion of kart racing and the future of professional auto racing.”

In 2019, Ben, along with his sponsors BOE Marine & RV, Donnie Myers Luxury Coach, Nitro Kart, Allison Racing Engines, Fast Kart Supply, Bonner Race Marketing, and Race Face Brand Development, is racing for three national championships and looking to repeat his big win at SuperNationals. He is also racing on dirt this year in 600cc Micro Sprints, opening another path to professional racing.

And what does Ben himself have to say about all this? “When’s the next race?”

ShoreSportsMag.com23