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In it to win it!

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Twelve-year-old Logan Bearden might look quiet and unassuming, but don't let that fool you. When he hits the racetrack in his souped-up kart, he's a tiger.

Logan, a seventh grader at Artie Henry Middle School, has competed for the last three years in the sport of go-kart racing. He is currently in first place in the nation in the WKA (World Karting Association) and fourth in the nation in the Snap-On Stars of Karting.

“I just want to win and go as fast as I can,” Logan said. He doesn't give crashing a second thought, though he has crashed several times (without serious injuries). “I just go for it,” he said.

Logan won the Junior Track championship during his first year at Hill Country Kart Club in New Braunfels and hasn't looked back since. “I started doing it on the local level and just kept on winning,” he said. “I decided to go national and have been doing good ever since.”

The decision to race was an easy one for Logan. He has spent most of his life around stock car racing. His father Jeff, owner of Bearden Automotive in Austin, has built stock cars and served in the pit crew for his friend Steve Sims of Austin.

Logan and his father Jeff have traveled to races at important tracks all across the U.S., including Daytona, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Shawano, Wis. In September, they will travel to London, England, to compete in the BRDC Stars of Tomorrow finale. He won a scholarship to win the race by placing in the top three at Eastern Finale in Shawano.

Logan's vehicle is not the old-fashioned go cart with the lawnmower engine, but a high-tech piece of equipment that resembles a miniature Formula racing car. It has a two-cycle racing engine, disk brakes, and a computer data acquisition system.

The computer analyzes each race, so Logan can figure out how the car is handling and adjust accordingly. Each cart is worth approximately $6,000, including $2,000 for the engine.

While old-fashioned go carts might reach 40 mph., Logan's will do 60 to 70 mph. Logan has safety equipment much like pro racers, to keep him safe - helmet, fire suit, neck brace and chest protection.

E-mail charles@hillcountrynews.com

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