Ten-year-old Iver Spence is preparing for his next challenge as he transitions from the Cadet Rok class to Vortex Mini Rok after a history-making campaign at the KartSport Nationals in Blenheim.
Under the guidance of coach Matt Hamilton, Spence became the first double-winner in his grade when he successfully defended his title at just nine years old in March’s event.
“To win two titles back to back at such a young age has never been done before,” Hamilton told Velocity News. “To have succeeded at such a high level so early in his career is a great sign that Iver has a strong future.
“Obviously, the speed is there, but coping with the other challenges of becoming a National Champion, such as the pressure and race craft at such a young age, is a very good sign that there is a bright future.
“All of the younger classes at the Nationals provided great racing and shows that New Zealand can look forward to a new generation of very talented and successful racers coming through the ranks.”
Spence has already experienced overseas competition in his three years of Karting, racing at the SuperNationals in Las Vegas last November before suiting up for the 2023 Rotax Grand Finals in Bahrain a month later, where he finished 17th in the final.
“Bahrain was quite hard,” he told Velocity News. “The other people were really good. Las Vegas was quite competitive, too.”
The 10-year-old has set his sights high in the new grade and is already aiming for further national success.
“My goal is to try and get the New Zealand champs in it,” he adds.
Christchurch-based coach Hamilton has worked with a range of internationally renowned talent, including IndyCar competitor Marcus Armstrong and USF2000 race winner Jacob Douglas.
Hamilton highly regards Spence’s mindset and mentality, recognising that they are significant contributors to his successes.
“It goes back to his want for it,” he says.
“At a young age, a lot of young drivers don’t know what they want, but Iver does. He’s really good at putting it all together when it matters. The good ones do do that. When it comes to the crunch, they’re in the right place, and they make it work, and they’re good at that.
“This year wasn’t so easy, but he was determined to get it done and made sure he was in the right place at the right time.
“It’s nice to come across people like Iver who do possess that want for it to the point where it’s not the dad driving it, it’s the kid, and that was certainly the case with Marcus, too. They live and breathe racing.”
The introduction to Karting has also been a learning experience for Spence’s father, Brad, who has spent time around motorsport but never as a competitor.
“We’ve really had some fun,” he tells Velocity News. “We’ve gone to Super Nats, we’ve gone to Bahrain. In a short space of his career of three years in the kart, he has ticked a lot of boxes for a youngster.
“The success we’ve had is attributed to him and the team behind him. It’s quite cool that we’ve seen an achievable path for it. It’s not just ‘it might happen’ or ‘it could happen’. It is possible, which is quite cool.
“We’re looking forward to what the next challenge will bring- watch this space!”
