Abbey Baguley’s first encounter in the sport of snowmobile racing came at an early age.
The Huntsville teenager said she was only eight years old when her dad Jeff took her to a race held at Rock Ridge Recreational Centre, just to let her experience the excitement of the sport.
“When we came home from that race, she had a mini-snowmobile and the second we stopped she got out of the truck and started jumping snowbanks with her snowmobile,” Jeff said.
That demonstration was to be a sign of things to come, as the now 14-year-old can boast of being a national champion.
The Grade 9 student at Huntsville High School captured the Canadian Snowcross Racing Association’s 2009-2010 Sport 600 women’s title this past season, garnering 154 points to outdistance her nearest rival, Brittany Thompson of Lindsay, by 13 points.
“I was super proud of myself (when found out she won) because I didn’t think I would be winning the category when I was 14. I thought I would be in the middle with the rest of the girls. I couldn’t get over it, that I did this,” she said.
The soft-spoken teen was presented with her award at a banquet Saturday night at Deerhurst Resort hosted by the association. She accumulated the points during a series of eight weekends this past winter, where she would race at least two times in her category.
Baguley, who races for Team Advanced Motorsport out of Bracebridge, says she loves her chosen sport for, “The adrenaline rush when you got out and the speed of being on the sled.”
“I have been on sleds all my life so this was just a natural thing to do,” she said.
Baguley’s appetite for the sport was whetted when she was 10, during a Canadian Snowcross Racing Association-sponsored promotional race.
“It was for boys and girls ages 10 to 13 who wanted to try racing,” said Jeff. “She was the only female competitor and when you do that race, a pro helps you get ready. She got the pro women’s champion Angela Vacchino to help her and they have been friends ever since. She really liked racing that day. ”
Jeff said he and his daughter continued to go watch the races, until one day he asked her if she wanted to race competitively. To no one’s surprise, Baguley agreed.
Winning a Canadian Snowcross Racing Association title is nothing new to the Huntsville racer, as she took the association’s novice women’s championship the previous two seasons. But instead of moving up to the next rung in the racing series ladder, the junior division, Baguley decided to jump to the more competitive Sport 600 women’s division.
“The Sport 600 category is supposed to be for women 18 years and older,” according to Baguley’s fan, dad Jeff, who said he approved of her racing against competitors much older than his teenage daughter. “At the beginning of the year we figured she would end up in the middle of the pack. After the first race in Sault Ste, Marie, she crashed and finished last. The next one was in Michigan and she finished last there. But ever since then, she would finish in the top three and earn her points.”
Baguley said that winning the title was not all that easy as she said she had to race hard at each and every event to stay ahead of her competitors in the points standings.
“The last race (in Barrie) was cancelled and I was only ahead by about two or three points, so I had to be in the top three or four at the final race in Kitchener during the last weekend of March,” she said.
Like a true champion, Baguley ended up in first at the Kitchener race, which allowed her to capture the division title.
As for next year, Baguley said she plans to come back and defend her title. She said she feels confident she can repeat as champion, adding there were times last season she felt she could have raced better.
“There were a few races I could have done better and raced a little harder. There were others I gave it my all and my best effort. I would get nervous just before I would go out on the track and thought about what if I came last or crashed. Then I would go out and do well. I am pretty confident I can go out and win again,” she said.