Youth Racing - Ryan Wymer

Photo Credit: Sports Web Photography

Compared to many other forms of motorsport, Speedway is a real show for the fans. It’s held in the evenings, it’s an action packed few hours, and the racing is ‘wheel to wheel’, meaning lots of passing and a few crashes along the way! It attracts a diverse crowd but is definitely heavily family oriented.

Quarter-Midget racing has been around for a long time and has gained a great deal of popularity as the introductory division for youth racing.

Ryan Wymer, has been racing for about three years and hopes to finish on the podium at the NZ Title next season.

We had did a short interview with Ryan about his racing journey.

When did you start racing and was it racing quarter midget?

I started about 3 years ago at the Auckland Vintage Speedway at Meremere with my old quarter midget before Tim (Shores NZ Fabrication Ltd) built our new one in 2022.

Did you grow up with a racing family?

Wouldn't really say racing family. I grew up in a family that would always watch and admire the sport.

What got you in to racing?

Mainly just watching it for my whole life. I wasn't really expecting to be racing when I was younger but I saw a old quarter midget for sale for 4 grand and asked to race and crazy how fast time changes. Im already racing at Western Springs which was always my dream from when I was little.

Now that you have achieved your dream to race at Western Springs, what is the next goal?

Probably start winning a couple of races all around the country and start to become a driver that will be in the top 5 consecutively. And another goal is to finish on podium at the NZ Title next season.

What are some of your memorable and not so memorable moments?

A really cool memorable moment was hitting the track at Western Springs and Ruapuna for the first time. Also holding the checkered flag at Kihikihi was so cool but the flag was really heavy and almost broke my arm cause I wasnt expecting it.

A not so memorable moment was my first meeting back in Auckland after being at nNelson for two weekends in a row. It was a very messy start and got tangled up in a guy that spun in front of me and then another driver drove into my left front tyre and bent a couple of things which was not cheap to fix.

Racing can get super expensive, particularly when you have to fix things, what do you do to help out?

Usually I like to strip the car for dad to save him time and wash all the panels regularly. I just like a clean race car so I never like to let dad clean the car. I clean all my fire proof gear myself such as my helmet, race suit, gloves etc.

What do you do to get in the zone when you're racing and what do you tell yourself when things don't work out in a race?

Usually to get into the zone i watch other cars and see what are doing on the track so I can drive similar to them and when I'm driving I try to take different lines to see which is faster.

When I make mistakes on the track I tend to get angry with myself and it sometimes motivates me to be faster and not make simple mistakes on a race track.

Lastly, what is your advice to young kids who really wants to get into racing?

If you have a dream, follow it and maybe one day it will work out and you will be racing and be famous all around the world like my idol that I always look up to - Michael Pickens.

Ryan's dad, Glenn, has been with him every step of the way and is his biggest suppprter. We also asked him a couple of questions on his view about Ryan racing.

What is it like helping Ryan race?

What is your message to other parents who are thinking about getting their kids in to racing?

It's tough but rewarding...my message would be make sure your doing it for the right reasons.

Photo credit: Alana Warrington Photography

Some kids are just born with a need for speed. If they show an interest in racing, take them to a few events. They may enjoy just watching it or they may ask a few more questions about racing. If they do, give racing a go!