photo by RPM 360
Story by Chris Roy
Driver of the #44, Spencer Barth from Buxton Maine, has kept busy during the winter months but is ready to go racing. “I have been doing some ice fishing with my dad and brother Nate. I have also done some snowmobiling. I raced most the winter with my brother and friends at Maine Indoor Karting. With the lack of snow we were able to get the karts done early.”
Spencer will have another busy race season racing at 2 different track and in 3 series. “I will be racing full time at Richmond in the SR Sportsman and Animal Unrestricted class. I will also being running a full season at Bartlett Bridge in my Sr. Cage dirt kart. I finished first in the animal class and second in the Sr. sportsman class my first year at Richmond. I’ve won the Sr. Cage class at Bartlett Bridge the last two years in a row.
Racing at RKS with is a fast asphalt track and Bartlett Bridge is an aggressive dirt track. “Richmond is all about momentum and not having to lift off the gas where Bartlett is more door to door action usually more contact trying to stay in the bottom groove.”
Indy is racing on the streets of Boston this summer, so what if there was a kart race in downtown Richmond? “I would be all for it I’ve been turning left and right since I was 8 years old at the indoor track in Scarborough. I think it would be a good time for sure.”
There are a number of feature races at some of the race tracks here in Maine, the Oxford 250, Coastal 200, and The Long John, just to name a few. So what if RKS had a 100 lap feature race? “Bring it on! I’m up to the challenge. My brother and I have run hundreds of laps indoors in one night before and I know we would be there in the end for sure.”
The race track is always changing, temperature, weather, turns 1 &2 can be in the shade while turns 3 & 4 are in the sun, all these things can affect the handling of the kart. So is there anything a driver can do inside the kart while racing to adjust the handling? “Well not really other then moving up a Groove to maybe free the kart up a bit.”
Looking to the future as most drivers start their racing careers in karts then move up to legends cars, mini-stocks, modifieds, late models or pro-stocks. “I think our goal is to finish karting this year and start testing the waters in a legends car but who knows I could end up in anything from a limited sportsman to a pro stock before ya know it. I’m only 14 so I still need plenty of seat time.”
Spencer would like to thank his team sponsors – Maine Indoor Karting, Straightline Roofing, Risbara Bros Construction, New Energy Solutions, and Quinn’s Installation.