Charlotte Kainz

Charlotte Kainz was a Wisconsin flat track racer who defied expectations in a brutally male-dominated sport, earning her professional license at nineteen and bringing a smile to everyone she met in the paddock—until tragedy cut her promising career short at just twenty years old.

EARLY YEARS

Born September 20, 1996, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Charlotte Kainz grew up in West Allis and Greenfield—small-town communities where the roar of motorcycle engines was practically a lullaby. Her father, Jack Kainz, was a locally known flat track racer, and he wasn’t the type to keep his daughter on the sidelines. By age five, she was already ripping around on a Yamaha PW50, learning to throttle before most kids could ride a bicycle without training wheels.

Growing up at rural Wisconsin motorcycle tracks, Charlotte spent her childhood among racers and pit mechanics, absorbing the tight-knit culture of flat track racing. It wasn’t just a hobby—it was family. And she was hooked. Motorcycling became her passion early on, nurtured by a father who taught her not just how to ride, but how to race.

OTHER INTERESTS

Charlotte graduated from Greenfield High School in 2015 and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. Balancing college coursework with a professional racing career wasn’t easy, but she managed both with the same determination she brought to the track. She was building a life that extended beyond the starting line—even if racing was always going to be at the center of it.

EARLY SUCCESS

In 2015, Charlotte earned her professional license in the AMA Pro Flat Track GNC2 class, becoming one of the few women competing at that level. Racing number 35L became her calling card as she began making a name for herself in a sport where women were rare and respect was hard-won. She rode a Harley-Davidson XR-750, the iconic machine of American flat track, and she wasn’t just participating—she was competing.

By 2016, Charlotte was racing the full AMA Pro Flat Track season, going wheel-to-wheel with some of the toughest riders in the country. She posted a season-best 13th place finish at the Arizona Mile in Turf Paradise and scored a heat race win at the same event. But the breakthrough moment came in August 2016 at the Black Hills Half-Mile in Sturgis, South Dakota, where she won her first GNC2 semi-final race. It was the kind of win that gets remembered—not because she was a woman, but because she earned it.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2015: Earned AMA Pro Flat Track professional license in the GNC2 class[1].
• 2016: Posted 13th place finish at the Law Tigers Arizona Mile at Turf Paradise[2].
• 2016: Won heat race at the Arizona Mile[3].
• 2016: Won first GNC2 semi-final at the Black Hills Half-Mile in Sturgis, South Dakota[4].

INSPIRATIONS

Charlotte’s greatest inspiration was undoubtedly her father, Jack Kainz, who taught her to ride and introduced her to the world of flat track racing. The community itself also shaped her—mentors, mechanics, and fellow racers who welcomed her into a sport where grit mattered more than gender. She grew up watching the legends of flat track and became part of that lineage herself, driven by a love for speed and the camaraderie of the paddock.

REPUTATION

Everyone who met Charlotte in the flat track community said the same thing: she brought smiles to the faces of everyone around her. She wasn’t just fast—she was beloved. In a sport where toughness is currency, she had it in spades, but she also had warmth. That combination made her unforgettable. The tight-knit Wisconsin dirt track scene that raised her never forgot where she came from, and neither did she.

Her story became the subject of the award-winning documentary *Angels of Dirt*, directed by Wendy Schneider. The film, which has been screened at festivals and is now available for streaming, celebrates Charlotte’s life and the bruising, adrenaline-fueled world of flat track racing. It’s a testament to her impact—not just as a racer, but as someone who embodied what the sport is really about: community, grit, and passion.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Charlotte Kainz died on September 25, 2016, just five days after her twentieth birthday, following a collision during the second GNC2 heat race at the AMA Pro Flat Track season finale—the Santa Rosa Mile at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in California. Another rider, seventeen-year-old Kyle McGrane, also lost his life in the same event. The racing community mourned deeply, and calls for investigation into track conditions and safety protocols followed.

Her legacy lives on through the Charlotte Kainz Memorial Flat Track events held annually in her honor, and through the BUILD Moto Mentor Program, which pairs high school students with bike-building mentors to inspire the next generation of riders. A GoFundMe was established for her father, Jack, and the flat track community continues to celebrate her memory. She was—and remains—one of their own.

REFERENCES

[1] Motorsport Memorial – Charlotte Kainz
[2] AMA Pro Racing mourns the loss of Charlotte Kainz and Kyle McGrane – American Flat Track
[3] Racing mourns loss of Charlotte Kainz and Kyle McGrane – Cycle News
[4] Angels of Dirt Documentary Now Streaming – Motorcyclist
[5] Charlotte Kainz Remembered by Flat-Track Community – Cycle World
[6] Flat track racing and its stars are focus of award-winning Madison film Angels of Dirt – Wisconsin Public Radio
[7] Angels of Dirt documentary shares stories of love, loss and community – WUWM
[8] Award-Winning Motorcycle Documentary Angels Of Dirt Celebrates Women Racers – Cycle News
[9] Charlotte Kainz Memorial – Find a Grave
[10] Charlotte Kainz Memorial Flat Track – Aztalán MX
[11] Professional Flat Track Memorial – Dairyland Racing
[12] Two riders killed during AMA Pro Flat Track race – ABC7 News