DENVER — Hannah Greenemeier is pretty rare among her peers: She's a professional Superkart racer at just 19 years old. The sport is still heavily dominated by male racers.
"When I get out there, it's game on with the guys," Greenemeier said. "It's like the whole entire world kind of disappears. It's just me and my Go-Kart."
It took a while to get to where she is today.
"When we first saw the racing blood in her she was 4 years old," said proud dad, Gunnar Greenemeier.
He says it all started when he pushed Hannah around in her first toy car. After that, it turned into going to the track every weekend. Hannah was racing by the age of 5. Soon enough, she got a driving coach and joined a team out of Oregon.
"Now I'm 19 and I'm still doing it," Hannah said. "I guess I was right when I was 4 years old."
Hannah hit the professional circuit and started racing around the world, keeping her eye on the ultimate prize: A Superkarts! USA pro division national championship; a dream that came true. Hannah became the first female to win the big one in the SKUSA Pro Tour's 12 year history.
"To come home with a national championship is something that I will never forget," Hannah said with a smile. "Don't let anybody say that you can't do it."
Hannah follows in the footsteps of another female Coloradan who has made her mark as a kart racer and beyond. Grand Junction's Sabre Cook won the 2012 (SKUSA) S2 National Championship. She now races in the W series, an all-female racing championship.