Taya Rangihika

Karting Driver

Defining a legacy as a top female driver. Born of Ngati Awa New Zealand, karting via Barcelona Spain – and on to Formula series and beyond.

Campillos Karting Circuit , Spain

A young woman in athletic clothing sitting in a stroller, making a heart shape with her hands, smiling and squinting, outdoors near a chain-link fence.
A race car on a track with a helmet and racing gear, and a person standing in the background during daytime.

The remarkable thing isn’t what we can do. It’s what we can become.

Campillos Karting Circuit , Spain

A go-kart race with a driver wearing a white helmet and racing suit, speeding on a track with red and white barriers and blurred background.
Two young people, a woman and a man, smiling and posing for a photo outdoors during sunset. The woman has long brown hair and is wearing a dark jacket, and the man has short brown hair and is wearing a racing sports shirt with logos, including McDonald's and karting sallen. The background features a colorful, cloudy sky with hues of orange, pink, and purple, along with parked vehicles and ten

Taya with partner and trainer Pedro Torres

Zuera International Circuit

Zuera International Circuit

“My God, what you’re going to attain in your life is going to be something! You have so many leadership qualities. You’re so, so competent.”

Joy Venturini Bianchi

Wide view of a karting track in the foreground, open flat land and distant power lines under a clear blue sky with few clouds.

Campillos Karting Circuit , Spain

Taya, wearing a gray t-shirt, gold jewelry, and earrings, writing notes on a small spiral notebook pressed against a blue wall.
A young woman with dark hair pulled back, covering her mouth with her hands, wearing multiple bracelets and necklaces, in a casual indoor setting.

Track life

A young woman roller skating indoors wearing a black tank top, black and teal sports pants, and various jewelry, with a relaxed and confident expression.

Notes after a session

Zuera International Circuit

A woman wearing a racing helmet, racing suit, and racing shoes appears to be preparing for a race or practice session at a racing circuit, with pit lane activity visible in the background.
A young person with short dark hair, wearing a black leather jacket, beige top, and gray checkered pants, is sitting in a wooden chair near a white paneled wall. They are smiling and have their arms raised behind their head, with sunlight shining on their face.

Off
Track

Globally inspired brand specialist and human rights activist.

On
Track

Recent race results, career stats and photos

Go
Go

The Driver

Talent. Grit. First principles. Joy. These are just some of the qualities that have made Taya Hawkins Rangihika, a New Zealander of Ngāti Awa descent (now racing in Europe), one of the most compelling young female drivers on the karting to Formula 4 pathway… and a name to watch.

A woman with slicked-back hair wearing a black top and a necklace looking down at equipment, with a blue sky and clouds in the background.

As a very late starter, she climbed into a kart and refused to get out.

She has gone full speed from New Zealand to Spain’s toughest X30 Senior grids, closing a decade-long experience gap in two seasons, testing in the IAME Euro Series, racing in the Spanish Championship, and qualifying 8th in the final of 36. Next: the IAME Ladies Cup at Le Mans, then Formula 4.

The dream… Formula 1. An atypical plan to get there as a top female driver – Ngāti Awa and New Zealand, on the world stage. Vamos!

Karting is a grind. Early mornings, engine troubles, long drives for a result no one outside the paddock will ever see. It can be a thankless sport – difficult, expensive, and slow to reward – and still… it’s worth it, because the next tenth only comes if you show up, again.

Multiple go-karts racing on a paved track with colorful curbs and orange cones, with drivers wearing helmets.
Close-up of a hand resting on a black sports bag, showing a beige rubber bracelet on the wrist and part of a shirt with the phrase 'T.RANGEH' in light blue text.

An academic path that turned to a passion and then a racing life: Taya was chasing a top US university when, at fifteen, she watched her first Formula 1 race and just ‘knew’. Late to the grid, she seized the pivot – left the typical route, moved to Spain, and has been making up for lost time ever since.

A go-kart with the number 31 on it, painted with iridescent colors, is being serviced by a man in a black and teal uniform. The man is bending over, holding a tool, while the driver is seated in the go-kart wearing a white racing suit and a helmet with a blue and orange visor.

Taya and her 2026 mechanic, Tony

A young woman with braided hair sitting on a chair in a sports or motorcycle gear, holding a riding helmet, in a shaded outdoor setting with a reflective surface on the wall behind her. Blurred figures walking in the background.

Waiting for the next test session

The Plan

Taya is based in Spain and racing X30 Senior against Europe’s deepest fields. She tests in the IAME Euro Series, contests the Spanish Championship, and in October 2026 lines up at Le Mans for the IAME Ladies Cup – a high-profile all-female race on one of motorsport’s most famous sites.

A woman with long, braided dark hair, wearing gold earrings and a cream-colored shirt, is facing away against a bright blue sky, with a fence or barrier visible in the background.

The plan is Formula 4 within one to two years. F1 Academy is the all-female single-seater step she is building toward from X30 Senior – equal cars, F1 support weekends, and a path into Formula Regional and F3 as the results come.

Representing New Zealand on that grid is part of the brief. Winning is the rest of it.

Before a race, I sit by the track on my own. No noise, no phone – just the circuit and the day ahead. I manifest the laps I want, visualise the corners. Then we go to work.

Two individuals, one young woman and one older man, sitting at a table with a computer monitor, a racing helmet, and electronic equipment, appearing to analyze data or racing track information.
A person with braided hair is kneeling on the ground near a stairway with metal railing, looking at a racing track with go-karts in the background and mountains in the distance.

Formula 1 is the North Star. She knows that’s years away. The reward? The journey right now: early mornings, new circuits, another tenth, another DNF, another podium. Taya loves all of it – the grind, the learning, the next race. The future is wide open, and she can’t wait to see it unfold.

A woman in racing gear standing at a go-kart maintenance station with a racing helmet and a toolbox nearby. Other people and go-karts are visible in the background at a racing track.

Kartodromo Internacional Lucas Guerrero

Three young people standing outdoors on a sunny day, holding trophies and bottles of champagne, celebrating a sports event. Two boys and one girl, dressed in casual and sportswear, with a background of a dirt hill, bushes, and a clear blue sky.

First win, KDADAS at Mora D’ebre circuit

Close-up of a woman with long, dark hair tied in a braid, wearing racing gear with a logo for 'kartingsallent' and a graphic of a skull with a helmet, outdoors with a chain-link fence and vehicles in the background.

Train

Gym, strength, cardio – then 3–4 days a week on track.

A young woman with dark hair tied back, wearing a blue racing jersey, is getting ready on her motorcycle at a race track. There are other motorcycles and a blue sign with white text in the background.

prep

Set-up, data, and the small details that make the boat go faster.

race

X30 Senior in Europe. Same grid, same fight, every weekend.

Repeat

Study the telemetry. Build on strengths, fix problems, learn. Line up again.