Behind the wheel

Thirteen-year-old Tori Mouat may not have a car driver licence but that isn't going to stop her getting behind the wheel next weekend.

Cousins Gareth and Tori Mouat will go head to head in this year's ministock racing at Baypark Speedway.

This is the Te Puke teenager's first season driving a ministock at Baypark Speedway and she is rearing to go.
'I love it! People reckon ministocks are the hardest but they're easy to drive once you get used to it,” says Tori.
She comes from a family of ‘petrol heads'. She inherited the ministock she is driving this season from her older cousin, Blair, and will be driving against another cousin, Gareth. This is Gareth's third season racing ministocks. Tori's uncle used to race stock cars and her grandfather Denis Wood raced saloon cars. Her father, Peter, is a diesel mechanic. Mum Tracey says Tori won't be short of volunteers for her pit crew.
'This year it's a real family thing with us all there in case anything goes wrong.”
Tori has been practicing her skills in her 1200CC Datsun ministock in friends' paddocks around Te Puke and has taken part in a number of speedway practice nights at Waihi Beach and Waharoa.
Tracey admits to being a little bit nervous about her daughter racing a ministock but says Tori has performed well in practices and has wanted to race for a long time.
Ministock drivers do not need to have a car drivers' licence but are issued a speedway licence after completing six nights of racing without causing any crashes. This allows them to drive on speedway tracks only.
The vehicles have four forward gears and reverse, but most of the time drivers stay in first or second gear.
The Baypark Speedway season is expected to open on Saturday October 25.

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