Ashley Taws Announces Two-Car Racing Effort With Barbie

May 3 2007 - Ashley Taws revealed two Barbie at Wal*Mart race cars today as she announced plans to compete in the Ontario Sportsman Series and selected Super Touring Car races. With backing from Barbie, Wal*Mart, Polly Pocket, Dare Bear Paws and several other sponsors, the 23-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., unveiled two pink cars: a Barbie at Wal*Mart Dodge Charger Stock Car and a Barbie at Wal*Mart BMW E30 Super Touring Car.

Taws is thrilled to be returning to competition and especially pleased to be returning with Barbie. Likewise, Barbie-maker, Mattel is happy to resume its association with Taws.

"It's a pleasure and an honour to once again provide support to a young lady who epitomizes the Barbie ideal to 'B Who U Wanna B' with young girls," said Nilo Del Bel, Senior National Account Manager at Mattel Canada Inc.

Racing stock cars will be a new world for the petite Taws. Having only raced once on an oval - almost 7 years ago in a tiny Formula 1200 car - adapting to a full-size stock car and competing against experienced oval racers is going to be a big challenge. With DJ Kennington working with her and his team, DJK Racing, preparing her car, Taws will have all she needs to learn and progress.

The Super Touring Car will feel more like the light, nimble formula cars she is used to. Although it began life as production car, the BMW has been transformed by Vertex Fabworx and is now a true race car -- light and fully race-prepped with performance and safety gear. Taws will likely feel quite at home pushing the Barbie BMW to its limits.

Taws will make her return to competition driving the Barbie Super Touring Car at Mosport International Raceway on May 19 in the USERA (United States Enduro Racing Association) Sundown GP, a three-hour endurance run which she'll co-drive with Vertex Fabworx drivers Jordan Marrison and Brock Gilboe. Her debut in the Barbie stock car will come on June 16 at Mosport Speedway.

The greatest impact in terms of attention is sure to come at the Grand Prix of Toronto, July 6-8, where Ashley will drive in the Canadian Touring Car Championship Super Touring race. Ashley has raced the streets of Toronto twice in the past, endearing herself to fans and earning widespread media coverage for her on-track performance. Racing in the Canadian Formula Ford Championship, she took pole position and finished fourth in 2002, then finished fourth in 2003, her first race since being severely injured in an off-season highway accident. Sadly, a lack of endurance and legacy injuries kept the comeback short-lived.

Ashley and her Barbie at Wal*Mart Stock Car will make over thirty appearances at Wal*Mart stores across Ontario this year. Her popular website, www.ashleytaws.com, is back and is in the final stages of a complete rebuild.

Background: Ashley Taws began racing karts in 1993. Quickly becoming a top competitor, she won two Canadian Grand National Championships before graduating to Formula 1200 in 2000. Her association with Barbie began in 2001. In 2002, with continued support from Barbie, Taws stepped up to the Canadian Formula Ford Championship and set new standards for female race drivers. In the winter of 2002 she was badly injured while riding in a car involved in a head-on accident. She recovered very quickly and returned to racing in 2003, but following initial success, fatigue and nagging health issues began to take their toll and forced her to retire. Taws is now healthy and remains a feisty competitor. She returns to racing with the support of Barbie, Wal*Mart, Polly Pocket, Dare Bear Paws, Keystone Benefits, Kwik Kopy, Open Road BMW, Samsung, and Mark Jackson.