Need for speed: Levin teen to race in Las Vegas

Levin 13-year-old Logan Manson is off to Las Vegas

Cooking waffles at the Ōhau market this weekend might seem a world away from driving racing cars in Las Vegas.

But for promising Levin racecar driver Logan Manson, the waffles are a means to an end, as he attempts to raise money to compete at an international event later this year.

Two years ago the 13-year-old raced in Italy, where he was introduced to international super star Rubens Barrichello.

Now his sights are on Las Vegas, where he is one of only 44 drivers from around the world to gain entry to the KA 100 class.

The Las Vegas event is the 23rd Skusa Supernationals which will be raced under lights on a huge casino carpark at the Rio Casino that has been turned into a track. Logan has never raced at night before, but is sure he will adapt quickly.

The event runs for six days, beginning on November 19, and attracts the best drivers from around the world. Last year Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo watched the racing.

Unusually, Logan is the only member of his family interested in motor sport, and has been since he was a toddler.

"I was obsessed with cars," he said.

That obsession led to his family attending an "have a go day" at Kartsport Manawatū for first generation rookies.

The first time Logan sat behind the wheel it was raining. He left the pit lane, hit a puddle, and spun out. For the rest of the afternoon he "putted" around the course.

"It was a lot faster than Daytona," he said about a kart racing business with a small indoor course in Palmerston North open to the public.

But Logan couldn't wait to go back on the big track.

His grandfather Jack McGowan started taking Logan to races staged in the North Island and he began to progress through the grades, and now a string of results, including a first place in North Island last year, earned him the right to compete in international events.

At the Las Vegas event Logan is joining the Leading Edge motorsport team, who are the American dealers for the Praga Karts that Logan drives in New Zealand.

On the straights, the 125cc class of kart that Logan raced could reach speeds of more than 100km/h.

His dream is to one day become a fully fledged driver, but failing that there are many careers in the motor sport industry and he could be a mechanic, coach or engine builder, he said.

The motor sport obsession means he watches events on television where V8s are his favourite, and Scott McLaughlan his favourite driver. Outside of motor sport, he loves his cricket.

Logan's family are also holding Casino evening at the Oxford Function Centre on September 28.