If you were to start poorly in a race and then end up seventh across the finish line, it might get you down. However, it does not faze American teenager Katara Paulk, as she takes her experiences in flat track quad racing with a pinch of salt. For her, racing is perfect therapy.
Paulk, from Salem, Oregon, found out at the age of 15 that she had breast cancer and has spent a lot of her life in foster homes after being taken from a drug-addicted family. All of these experiences have helped to shape what the teenager has become today. Paulk, now 18, says that they have helped to make her stronger and more fearless when on the track.
The youngster has succeeded on the quad bike tracks even with disadvantages. She has won two championships in the ATV women’s division and she is leader in points this year, with only two years of experience in racing ATVs on dirt tracks. There are very few individuals who could have achieved what Paulk has done in just a short timeframe.
Stepfather and mechanic Bill Toland said that racing was her therapy and life had not always been kind to the recent high school graduate. Paulk, along with her sister and brother, were in and out of care from an early age due to their mother’s drug addiction. Paulk can remember passing from family to family when growing up. She now lives in North Salem with her birth mother, who has recovered, and her stepfather, who is a drug and alcohol counsellor.