At just 14, Locky Martin is already carving out a name for himself in the speedway world.
The Waimea College Year 10 student has been selected for the New Zealand Youth Mini Stock team, becoming the first South Island driver to ever make the squad. The team will take on Australia in a three-meet series in March.
Locky’s confidence behind the wheel comes from a lifetime spent at the track.
“Well, I pretty much grew up at the speedway track, so I’ve been driving since I can remember. My first actual race was when I was eight.”
The series begins in Huntly on Sunday, 14 March, before heading to Tauranga and the cauldron that is Baypark. The final meet to decide the New Zealand series takes place in Waharoa.
Locky says he is excited about the opportunity to represent his country and meet other young drivers.
“It will be awesome racing in the three events and getting to know all the drivers. We hang out with the Australian drivers as well in between which is cool.”
The trans-Tasman rivalry continues in 2027, when the New Zealand team heads across the Tasman to Perth for a reciprocal three-race series. It will be Locky’s first time racing overseas and his first time behind the wheel of a production saloon, the class used by the Australian youth stock drivers.
“I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be cool getting behind the wheel and racing something totally different.”
Locky’s speedway career began in mini quarter stocks before he graduated to his beloved 48N mini stock. When he turns 16, he will be eligible to move into stock cars and compete against adult drivers around the country.
While that transition is notoriously tough for young racers, Locky has adapted easily. His talent was clear early on, something his father Wayne spotted within the first few races.
“He reads the track and the race well. He’s not just looking at the car directly in front of him; he’s looking at the cars three and four ahead. It’s something that you can’t really teach, and even when he was eight racing against 15 year olds, I had people come to me and say he had something pretty special.”
Despite his rapid rise, Locky prefers to keep his focus simple.
“I just want to get as many races under my belt as I can. I love it, and want to be on the track as often as possible.”
