Charlotte Kainz got her first motorcycle when she was just three months old. She began racing at the age of 5, and pursued her passion for flat track racing on the Aztalan race track in rural Wisconsin. Aztalan was Charlotte’s playground and her classroom, where she built a community with other young female racers.
Independent Madison-based filmmaker Wendy Schneider drove past Aztalan Race Track for years before she started going to the races. Intrigued by the community of young girls who were carving a path for themselves in a male-dominated sport, in July 2006, she began bringing a camera to the races and interviewing young female flat-track racers.
The result is the 86-minute Angels Of Dirt, a documentary that Schneider ultimately spent 17 years on. Angels Of Dirt will premiere at the Barrymore on April 7 and screen this summer at racetracks in Wisconsin.
It’s a gripping tale of community, flat track racing, and one girl’s passion for the sport. Angels Of Dirt takes viewers into a world of intensity, adrenaline and determination. “It was exciting to see young girls in an environment that’s competitive, fun, well-managed, safe and accessible to children,” Schneider says.
When Schneider first started filming at Aztalan, before she even set foot on the track, another racer told her she must meet Charlotte Kainz.
At that time, Kainz was only 9 years old. She was Schneider’s first interview. Eleven years later, Charlotte lost her life while racing the final race of her first full season.
Schneider knew then that she wanted to commemorate Kainz, and altered the direction of her documentary to focus on the young racer. “It was so important to me to honor her because it was such an immeasurable loss on so many levels,” says Schneider.
Kainz touched a lot of people, most of all her friends, fellow riders and sponsors. Schneider got to know her through out-of-town races, camping and hanging out over the years, and remembers her as smart, charming, magnetic and always paying attention.
The film begins with high-speed music and an exhilarating clip of Kainz racing as a child, followed by an interview with young Kainz after a big win.
The documentary incorporates home videos, interviews with friends, family, teachers and racing legends, and GoPro footage from Kainz’s own camera — so the audience can view the race from her racing seat.
The film is enhanced by a score that Schneider, also a musician, created. The soundtrack consists of 25 cuts ranging from instrumental to harder rock that speak to the character of different individuals in the film.
Schneider’s interest in flat track racing was influenced by her musical inclinations. Her first band, Bugatti Type 35, was a blistering three-piece founded in 1993 that featured her original songs and passionate vocals. She currently rocks with Howler, a dark rock trio.
“The closest thing to punk rock in a motorcycle community is flat track,” says Schneider. “There is an art to all these sports, very incredible creative people are behind these race communities.”
See more of our 2024 Wisconsin Film Fest coverage here.
