LARSON IN A SUPERSTOCK

If you’re a fan of American motorsports, then the name Kyle Larson would be familiar. The young talent is a weapon behind the wheel of anything he straps into, from Nascar, sprint cars, and midgets, to more recently even Super late models. Although Kyle has been a regular fixture in New Zealand since 2013 peddling midgets in the international midget series at Western Springs, we’ve caught wind that he might also try his hands at Super Stocks as soon as this summer, if the schedule allows. The car he will reportedly be driving is Wayne Hemi’s Red Waka Motorsports #591. A deal has arisen through a technical partnership Hemi has with Kevin Rumley, who engineers for Larson in late model racing. Kevin is regarded as one of the best in the late-model world, with a string of accolades to prove it, and has been helping with set-up advice on the Red Waka machines. Wayne let the news slip on their Facebook page, stating: “I had a conversation a few weeks ago and invited Kevin and his wife to NZ so he can get first-hand knowledge of our chassis and our style of racing.” Kevin said, “This sounds amazing, but Wayne, can I bring my driver Kyle Larson with me as he’s my primary driver and I can arrange it around Kyle and my racing schedules. I’m optimistic you’ll let him drive the redwaka591 so we can get some really good feedback and make improvements to your chassis and set-up so we’re continually improving your superstock. Without doubt, I confirmed 100 percent Kyle can drive the redwaka591 anytime and I’ll set up a practice track so he can spend a few days becoming familiar with the car and, come race day, if it clashes with any of my events, Kyle will have priority in racing the redwaka591.” With current Covid restrictions in place, exactly when this can happen is yet to be seen, but if you’ve seen Kyle drive before, then you know it will be worth the wait to witness.