The Scoop
WILLA YOUNG – KEEPING THE NESS FAMILY RACING TRADITION ALIVE
Posted on: Tuesday June 3, 2025
5-year-old Willa Young races karts Sunday afternoons at Little Buckaroo Jr. Motorsports Park in Cecil.
Although you may not see a racer named “Ness” in local racing circles in 2025, that family tradition continues on Sunday afternoons in northeastern Wisconsin.
Five-year-old Willa Young is keeping the Ness family tradition rolling as she competes in the Kiddy Karts Sunday afternoons at Little Buckaroo Jr. Motorsports Park in Cecil, Wisconsin.
Willa’s mother is Jessi Ness. Jessi was a former Luxemburg Speedway track champion and IMCA northern sportmod racer. Jessi’s dad was a Shawano Speedway hobby stock champion – Greg Ness.
Greg’s Dad, Bob Ness, also raced decades ago. Willa is a fourth-generation racer who got her start through Little Buckaroo’s kart rental plan.
“Before we invested a ton of money into a karting program, we got to see for $50 if this was something Willa would like,” Jessi said. Jessi has been out of racing herself for 8 or 9 years now. “Late last year, we came out and rented the kart. She likes to go fast on her Ebike that we bought her, so we thought she might like this.”
Needless to say, Willa was hooked. Willa wound up doing the kart rental on four different occasions last summer, drawing a different kart each time. “Because of that, there was a lot of learning going on for Willa,” Jessi explained. “But now, since we bought her her own kart, she’s in the same seat every time and it’s been easier for her to keep learning and improving since she’s more comfortable in her own kart.”
Willa Young posed with her parents Warren and Jessi Young.
Willa’s dad, Warren Young, did not come from a racing background. Yet, he’s “all in” with his young daughter’s racing efforts. “This is a lot better than soccer,” Warren joked. The Young’s invested in a trailer and a kart for Willa to compete with. The karting scene allows younger generations of racing family members to keep their respective family traditions alive. And that $50 rental program at Little Buckaroo is just what the doctor ordered before taking that financial “plunge” buying and building a karting team.
“We went with some nicer stuff, but truthfully you can get into the karting scene with gently used stuff for around $2,500 or so,” Jessi explained. “We’ve got maybe close to $4,000 invested in our operation. I’d encourage any parents to give the kart rental program a try first, to see if this is something your kids really want to do.”
The Young’s are quick to point out that they are only willing to continue this karting stuff with Willa so long as she continues to show a genuine interest in it. Pushy parents? Far from it. “We’re never going to make Willa participate in something she doesn’t want to do,” Jessi explained. “As she gets older, if we keep doing this, she can start helping us out more.”
When Jessi broke the news to her dad that his granddaughter was going to start racing karts, Jessi said Greg was more excited for her to start than Willa was herself. “Dad comes and helps us out once in awhile, and he gets excited about it,” Jessi admitted.
When Jessi roams around the pit area on any given Sunday afternoon at Little Buckaroo, she often bumps into some of the same people she raced against during her own time behind the wheel. “Now, many of their own kids are racing, too,” Jessi pointed out. “I didn’t start racing four cylinders myself until I was 18. We’d love someday for Willa to get involved with stock car racing. But that’s up to her. We’ll keep doing this karting thing so long as she’s having fun, and we’ll take things year by year.”
This season, Little Buckaroo made the switch from running on Friday nights to Sunday afternoons. The move, for the most part, has been well received by race teams. “I’m really glad as a parent that Little Buckaroo switched to Sunday afternoons, because it can get tough with the little kids on the later nights,” Jessi confessed. “This is awesome racing Sundays at 2 p.m.”
The Young family plans on racing weekly each Sunday at Little Buckaroo, and may travel to GSR Kartway in Clintonville to race a few Wednesday nights as well since school is out.
For just $50, you can rent a kart at Little Buckaroo Jr. Motorsports Park in Cecil.
Willa’s racing operation is supported by the following marketing partners: Hermsen Home Construction, Ness Service Center, Arrow Auto, Autoworx, Ehren Precision Speed Products, Roots Chiropractic and Victory Sign.
For information about the kart rental program at Little Buckaroo, call (920) 265 4056.