Pink fever barbie unleashed around the world after the recent premiere of the film starring Margot Robbie This is not something new. The famous doll, launched in 1959, has been conquering all areas for years. Perhaps one of the most overlooked areas is motor racing.

At the beginning of the century, the Canadian pilot Ashley Taws She became one of the brand's great ambassadors, bringing Barbie's signature pink, name and motto to the circuits. “Be anything with Barbie” in every car he drove.

Ashley, born in Newmarket, Ontario, started racing at the age of 9 when her father bought her and her little brother a racing kart and she hasn't been out since. a car. Ironically, until that day, the Canadian had never expressed any interest in cars or racing, but she had a large collection of Barbie dolls, a hobby she never gave up.

The Taws family competed at the Toronto Kart Club (TKC) every Sunday, and every other weekend it was Ashley's turn. Despite only running half of the races, Ashley placed seventh in the championship standings. The following year, with her own kart, she raced the entire program and finished second in the Novice division, beaten only by the son of the track owner.

In 1996, her brother gave up karting while Ashley continued to improve her driving and became dominant in the TKC championship and Ontario regional races. She finished second and was named rookie of the year at the TKC Junior Championships; placed third in the Ontario Trillium Series; and capped off the year by winning the Canadian Grand National Championship.

At sixteen, Ashley made a big impression in her first year of racing. Driving the Maximum Benefit/Big Sisters Formula 1200 car, he won two races and achieved a total of five podiums. She finished third at the Formula 1200 Championship, second at the CASC-OR (Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region) Ontario Sprint Race and second at the BARC (British Automobile Racing Club) Formula 1200 Championship . Additionally, she was awarded the Muriel B Knap Trophy for “Sportsmanship, Skill and Brilliance” and the BARC Bob Attrell Award for “Best New Driver”.

The alliance with Barbie

In 2001, Ashley began her partnership with Barbie by launching the car “Be anything with Barbie at Wal*Mart”. Decked out in pink and purple, the car received condescending looks and mockery from other competitors, but the doubts ended once Ashley demonstrated her speed on the track.

With the goal of winning the championship, the young driver was in all the battles throughout the season. She fought until the last race of the year, but failed to become champion. She finished second in the final ranking and won the Muriel B Knap Trophy for the second consecutive year.

After two years in Formula 1200, Ashley was ready to take it to the next level. With Barbie's continued support, he entered the 2002 Formula Ford Canadian Championship, a high-profile Formula 1600 series with races in some of Canada's biggest motorsport events.

Ashley and the Be Anything with Barbie at Wal*Mart car were a crowd favorite at every race she entered. On the track, Ashley broke records for female racers and in the paddock she spent hours meeting fans and signing autographs.

His big moment came in 2002, during the Toronto Indy weekend, he dominated both qualifying sessions and won the pole, to the madness of his fans. In the race, he fell to last place after a series of problems in the first laps, but finished in fourth place at the end of the race.

A dramatic accident

Just when she seemed to be at her best, Ashley was in a serious car accident in 2002 that left her seriously injured. For several weeks, they feared he would never walk again. The support from fans and media was simply overwhelming and Ashley was determined to not only walk, but run again.

Little by little, her legs began to regain mobility and after several months of work, Ashley was walking again. Just 6 months later, Ashley was at the Toronto Indy and back in her Barbie race car. She made an impressive comeback, finishing fourth and third at the Grand Prix de Trois Rivières two weeks later. But physical problems plagued her and forced her to temporarily retire.

After several surgeries, he decided to return to competition in the summer of 2006. Ashley competed in the 2007 CASC – OR Ice Racing Series and won the Long Wheelbase Street Stud class. The teams she worked with were impressed and it was soon Barbie who regained her trust and patronage with Ashley.

In 2008, he participated in the Canadian Tire series, belonging to the NASCAR series. It was his farewell to the slopes. Currently, Ashley Taws is an insurance broker in Newmarket completely removed from motor racing.