October 31, 2025 • 14 mins
Kiwi Grand Prix champion Liam Sceats is headed to the States to compete in Indy NXT - a step down from the full experience in the IndyCar championship.
He tells Jason Pine about what it took to reach where he is today, and how he plans to keep moving forward as his career kicks up a notch.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
At the age of just nineteen, key We driver Liam
Skeets has already become a champion at every level of
New Zealand motorsport, recently taking victory in the prestigious New
Zealand Grand Prix. Now he's stepping onto the global stage,
preparing to compete in Indy Next, the final step before
reaching IndyCar, a pinnacle of global motorsport as we know,
(00:36):
currently featuring six time champion key We Scott Dixon, as
well as fellow New Zealanders Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong.
William Skeats is in studio. Welcome mate, nice to see you.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Nice to see you too, Piney, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Let's start at the start. When and how did your
motorsport journey begin?
Speaker 4 (00:54):
It took off at six years old. My old man
raced himself, so I grew up around a racetrack for
as long as I can remember, smelling the fumes being
pushed around on the prem by mum.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Most likely.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
Do Smith a sport and go karts just how everyone
else starts and Mount Wellington, Mount Willington cart Club, which
is no longer around, but yeah, that's that's where I
first got introduced to it, and I guess caught the
bug just like every other racing driver does. And the
love and the passion for the sport grew from there.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
What's karting like as a six year old?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
It's frightening, to be honest.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
My very first time, I remember like a twenty second
thirty second gokut trager. Took me two minutes to go
around there. Probably didn't even use the gas. I just
putted around there and I was I was scared to death.
But yeah, and that's an incredible experience. Jumped straight into
the deep end and yeah, never looked back since.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Really, And so when did it sort of? I mean
you're a six year old boy, I mean over the
next what two or three years, you started to get
a real taste for it, something that you really really
grabbed you.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
Yes, Yeah, my dad and I would go up and
down the country from cart trek to cart trek and we, yeah,
we loved it.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
We just grew a love and a passion for it.
I did.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
He's always loved motorsport, and yeah, it just becameius slowly,
but surely until I was about thirteen twelve years old,
I think when I stepped over to the International to
Australia started competing over there, and then Italy when I
was thirteen at the World Finals. So yeah, just escalated
quite quickly after having managed to have some success here
(02:23):
in New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
So and as you were getting really good at karting,
were you starting to think about moving up from carting?
I know cartings were a lot of you know, motorsport
drivers start and a lot of them stay there, you know,
but were you starting to think, even at the age
of thirteen, what might be next for you?
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Yes, I always had ambitions that I wanted to make
a creat of motorsport, and sitting on the couch watching
the likes of Scott Dixon, shen Van Gisberg and Scott
McLaughlin and supercars and Indyka gave me that inspiration and
I wanted to chase them and head towards that as
the end goal. So yeah, there was always the drive
to move on from carting into race cars and that
began at about fifteen in Formula Forwards and that was
(03:02):
a big step. Yeah, I still remember it was only
a few years ago, but big learning curve and quite
daunting again. But yeah, luckily somehow took it like a
fish to water, and yeah, I may just have success
there as well. So yeah, it's been a very quite
a fast rise.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah, indeed tell us about the challenges of moving class.
But also I mean, are there principles of driving that
remain constant regardless of what you're in.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Yes, you go carning. What you learn there is carries
all the way through through your motorvacing career. Yeah, that's
the best kind of school for motor racing drivers. And
what's and carning? I think, of course the way the
cars are very different, new cars to cards, very different,
but the same. I guess mindset mentality applies when you
jump behind the wheel, and I guess the stuff you
(03:51):
do off track to have success on track, it's all
the same as well, you know, dedicating yourself, the discipline,
the training, the mental work, so the engineering mind.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
You have to build.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
So yeah, it's it all correlates right through to the pinnacles.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Tell us abot some of that that that off track work,
you say, you know, the discipline, the mental stuff, what
does that involve?
Speaker 4 (04:12):
It involves a lot off track for me, Yeah, mental,
I really pride to put a lot of time and
efit and energy into I think motorsport is a mental game,
like like all sport, but especially motorsport, And so yeah,
the mental piece. I'm very lucky to be working with
a top performance coach shame to Connogley from Create Leaps
being instrumental in my development and the mind piece mental.
(04:37):
There's obviously the physical fitness side. People have the reason
to believe that motor racing is not very physical or
hard work you just sit down and drive, but it is.
It is challenging, you know, the g forces, the stereo
is hard to kind of hustle those those single seas
around the racetrack. So those two, and finally there's the
business piece, which I think many people don't really are
(04:59):
aware of that for me to be able to even
get on the track in the first place, a whole
lot of you know, time and effort and money to
be raised to be able to be there. So yeah,
my life eighty percent of it, as I described to
people as being a businessman, and twenty percent is actually
being able to enjoy the part of being a racing driver.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
So yeah, it's quite.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Interesting, absolutely it is. So you're getting used to, I mean, Jeep,
as you speak very well for a teenager, you're used
to sort of, I guess selling your story to people
who might be able to help you in some way,
shape or form.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
Yes, yeah, that's how it goes. I mean, yeah, I'm
just another Kiwi Racing who's trying to do that. But
before me, Scott Dixon, Liam Lawson, they've had to go
through the exact same thing, you know, sell themselves, pitch
to potential investors, sponsors to get them on board their
journey and without those people, they wouldn't be where they
are today. So that's the phase I'm going through right now.
(05:50):
You know, I've New Zealand Grand Prix champion last year
and now looking to take it overseas and you know
had success in Japan and America, winning races there and yeah,
I want to get to the pinnacle of indyicar and
to be able to get that, as I said, as fundraising,
So a year in Indie next is two and a
half million New Zealand dollars, so it's it's not cheap.
(06:11):
And you know the route to Formula one Formula two
it's five million dollars a year, so the finances it
takes is, yeah, it's incomprehendible. And yeah, that's what I'm
working on every single day, fighting tooth and nail to
raise just as many dollars as possible to get myself
back on the racetrack.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
All right, We're going to get all your contact details
up on our socials to make sure people can know
how to get in touch if they think they can help.
Yours is a sport of very fine margins, liam, isn't
it with genuine risk attached. If you make a mistake,
how do you deal with that?
Speaker 4 (06:44):
It's challenging. That goes back to the mental piece. That's
what Shane and I work on week and week out
with how to go about it. I think for me,
my situation is different to most drivers where it almost
means a little bit more every time I get out
on track because I turn up to the ratio thinking well,
this could bean my last shot because I don't have
the money the resource to be at the next race.
So it adds to the pressure that okay, this week
(07:05):
and I really have to perform and do the job
and be a front runner and stand out. And you know,
when you do that, you really push yourself. Your mistakes
happen and consequences come, like you're having a crash. And
I guess I'm not scared of having a crash, you know.
I think if you're a racing driver, you can't be
otherwise you're you're not going to be at the front.
(07:26):
But yeah, when it happens, it's yeah, it's it's a consequence. Yeah,
you have to deal with.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Have you had any bad ones?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
I have. Yes.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
When I was in go karts, I think I would
have been eight or nine years old, at the top
of my finger came off.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
It was hanging off by a thread.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
I'm in a go kart accident and rode a ruler.
So that's a goodie that my dad and I love
to laugh about. But I've been actually quite fortunate. I
haven't had many majors. I've had another one Ireland's Multicaple
Park through a high speed section. It would have been
over one hundred and fifty k straight into a concrete wall,
so that was another goodie. But yeah, so every driver
has sort of stories like these, but no, I've been
(08:03):
fortunate to not have any kind of life threatening sidents
and injuries.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Does your mum worry.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
She does. She does, and I don't blame her. She's
a real warrior.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
But on the other side, you know, when I'm doing
well and punching at the front and winning, she she's
you know, the first person on the sidelines to be
jumping up and down and screaming and cheering on.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
So wonderful stuff. You've described every mum, I think every
mum of a of a of a young sportsperson. What's
the attraction of IndyCar.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
The attraction to IndyCar for me is well, Scott Dixon
is I said tom Da Mcguinnee's the inspiration for me.
I mean, I was sitting on the couch my man.
I vividly remember it watching the Indy five hundred, and
the Indy five hundred is honestly probably the biggest appeal,
being the biggest motor race in the world. Four hundred
thousand people come to that race in person. It's an
(08:50):
incredible event and you know the iconic pouring the glass
of milk all over yourself after you've won it. So yeah,
that's that's a source of inspiration why IndyCar. To be honest,
Formula one, I think for every drivers as the dreamed
when they often go cuts, but the reality is to
come from New Zealand to get into Formula one, it's
(09:11):
near and possible. I mean I know Liam Lawson has
gone and done it and it's so cool to see.
But the finances it takes. I mean, as I said,
five million dollars a year in Formula two and before that,
you know it's tens of millions to even have a
crack at Formula one. So yeah, it's the money. It's
the financials that kind of turned me away from that
(09:32):
that in goal and look towards Indy Car and yeah,
Indy Car is still fantastic. I mean, I love the racing.
I think it's much better to watch than Formula One,
much more competitive and there's a new winner every other race,
and you know the fact they are on street circuits,
road circus and also oval, so yeah, it's a really
cool and exciting world.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
I believe.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Have you had the chance to connect with or even
meet Scott Dixon.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Yes, Scott this year I connected with and he stepped
in kind of a little bit like a mentor in
a small way, which was amazing because there's no better
person to have kind of in your corner because he's
gone done it exactly what I'm trying to do myself.
So yeah, to be able to lean on him was amazing.
(10:14):
And he's a great dude still, let's still a key
with your heart, which is great to see. So yeah,
I've really enjoyed connecting with him and staying in touch
with him as the year has gone on.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
You look at Scotty McLoughlin who's an IndyCar now and
he came through the supercars route. Is that something that
you've considered?
Speaker 3 (10:28):
It is?
Speaker 4 (10:28):
It is now because you know Indy next to me
next year is in doubt in terms of if I
can get on to the grid, back to back to
the money piece if I'm unable to raise that, So yeah,
supercars doing what Scott McLoughlin and also SVG have done
by yeah, going through Supercars to move on to the
US and NASCAR and Indy Car is a real option
for me and something I'm considering. I actually have a
(10:51):
test in Australia in a month's time and a Super
two car, so the old generation supercars, So yeah, I'm
gonna get my first taste of it of a touring car,
a tin top I've been a single seed demand my
whole career, and yeah, supercars excites me. I mean there's
there's young Key he's doing so over there, Ryan Wood,
Matthew Payin, so to see what they've gone and done
as juniors now be yeah, winning races there is it's
(11:13):
motivating and yeah, it would love to would love to
have a dabble with supercart and see what I can do.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
What about that Barethurst race on the other the other week?
It was pretty unbelievable. Man, what are you thinking sitting
there watching that?
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Are you?
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Are you putting yourself in the driver's seat in situations
like that?
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Yeah, a little bit. I mean I wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
You still can't even put yourself on the seat of
those guys. What they were going through it was manic.
But yeah, that was an awesome race and again for
a Key we to win it once again, that's awesome.
But yeah, Bathurst one thousand, that's a race like the
Indy five hundred. You just dream as a young fellow
that you're going to get there and be able to
bird a fight for the win.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
So yeah, that's that's on the bucket list.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
All right. You mentioned a trip to Australia. What else
is coming up in the next little while for you, To.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Be honest with you, that's the racing activity I've got
at the moment. Opportunities lined up for the rest of
the year over the New Zealand some I'm just going
to be working hard, hustling to raise funding and get
partners on board them. To be honest with you, Plony, Yeah,
I wish I had on track opportunities left Fright and
Sinder coming at me. But for those to come, yeah,
(12:13):
I need to drum up the support to be able
to for those opportunities to come my way. So yeah,
it's going to be a very busy summer for me.
It's been a busy, busy year full of it. So yeah,
just just continuing on what's already been doing.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Mat it's been It's been so good to meet you.
I feel like as I'm talking to you that I'm
talking to somebody to get the start of what's going
to be a really exciting journey. Well not the start,
You've already started that journey. I just can't wait to
see what comes for you man, and we'll be watching
with great interest. What is your website?
Speaker 4 (12:44):
My website is Liam Skeets Motorsupport dot co dot and zed.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Okay, and spell your surname so we get this right,
s c e A T s. There you go. We'll
put it on our socials as well. Delight to meet
your mate. I hope to catch up many more times
in the future. All the best and thanks for stopping in.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Thank you very much, plane. I really appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
No appreciate you stopping in. Liam. Very impressive young man,
Liam Skeets, Liam Skeats Motorsport dot co dot Nz. Skeets
are spelled s c e A T S so all
one word. Liam Skeetsmotorsport dot co dot NZ. A champion
in the New Zealand Grand Prix, looking to get to
Indie Next, which is one down from Indiecar And look,
(13:22):
I've had the chance to eyeball Liam over the last
fifteen minutes. A very impressive young man and I'm sure
that's come through the radio as well. So if you
want to follow his journey and are able to help
in any way, check out his website and follow along.
As I say, I get the feeling that's a name
that we should remember that we're going to hear a
(13:43):
lot more of We've got a lot of drivers around
the place doing great things another Liam Lawson of course,
Scotty McLaughlin, Marcus Armstrong, Scott Dixon of course, Shane Van Gisbergen,
Matthew Payne and Ryan wood Over in supercars. Liam Skeets,
I'd remember that if I was you.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Faine, listen live
to News Talk Set B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
At the age of just nineteen, key We driver Liam
Skeets has already become a champion at every level of
New Zealand motorsport, recently taking victory in the prestigious New
Zealand Grand Prix. Now he's stepping onto the global stage,
preparing to compete in Indy Next, the final step before
reaching IndyCar, a pinnacle of global motorsport as we know,
(00:36):
currently featuring six time champion key We Scott Dixon, as
well as fellow New Zealanders Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong.
William Skeats is in studio. Welcome mate, nice to see you.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Nice to see you too, Piney, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Let's start at the start. When and how did your
motorsport journey begin?
Speaker 4 (00:54):
It took off at six years old. My old man
raced himself, so I grew up around a racetrack for
as long as I can remember, smelling the fumes being
pushed around on the prem by mum.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Most likely.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
Do Smith a sport and go karts just how everyone
else starts and Mount Wellington, Mount Willington cart Club, which
is no longer around, but yeah, that's that's where I
first got introduced to it, and I guess caught the
bug just like every other racing driver does. And the
love and the passion for the sport grew from there.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
What's karting like as a six year old?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
It's frightening, to be honest.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
My very first time, I remember like a twenty second
thirty second gokut trager. Took me two minutes to go
around there. Probably didn't even use the gas. I just
putted around there and I was I was scared to death.
But yeah, and that's an incredible experience. Jumped straight into
the deep end and yeah, never looked back since.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Really, And so when did it sort of? I mean
you're a six year old boy, I mean over the
next what two or three years, you started to get
a real taste for it, something that you really really
grabbed you.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
Yes, Yeah, my dad and I would go up and
down the country from cart trek to cart trek and we, yeah,
we loved it.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
We just grew a love and a passion for it.
I did.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
He's always loved motorsport, and yeah, it just becameius slowly,
but surely until I was about thirteen twelve years old,
I think when I stepped over to the International to
Australia started competing over there, and then Italy when I
was thirteen at the World Finals. So yeah, just escalated
quite quickly after having managed to have some success here
(02:23):
in New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
So and as you were getting really good at karting,
were you starting to think about moving up from carting?
I know cartings were a lot of you know, motorsport
drivers start and a lot of them stay there, you know,
but were you starting to think, even at the age
of thirteen, what might be next for you?
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Yes, I always had ambitions that I wanted to make
a creat of motorsport, and sitting on the couch watching
the likes of Scott Dixon, shen Van Gisberg and Scott
McLaughlin and supercars and Indyka gave me that inspiration and
I wanted to chase them and head towards that as
the end goal. So yeah, there was always the drive
to move on from carting into race cars and that
began at about fifteen in Formula Forwards and that was
(03:02):
a big step. Yeah, I still remember it was only
a few years ago, but big learning curve and quite
daunting again. But yeah, luckily somehow took it like a
fish to water, and yeah, I may just have success
there as well. So yeah, it's been a very quite
a fast rise.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah, indeed tell us about the challenges of moving class.
But also I mean, are there principles of driving that
remain constant regardless of what you're in.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Yes, you go carning. What you learn there is carries
all the way through through your motorvacing career. Yeah, that's
the best kind of school for motor racing drivers. And
what's and carning? I think, of course the way the
cars are very different, new cars to cards, very different,
but the same. I guess mindset mentality applies when you
jump behind the wheel, and I guess the stuff you
(03:51):
do off track to have success on track, it's all
the same as well, you know, dedicating yourself, the discipline,
the training, the mental work, so the engineering mind.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
You have to build.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
So yeah, it's it all correlates right through to the pinnacles.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Tell us abot some of that that that off track work,
you say, you know, the discipline, the mental stuff, what
does that involve?
Speaker 4 (04:12):
It involves a lot off track for me, Yeah, mental,
I really pride to put a lot of time and
efit and energy into I think motorsport is a mental game,
like like all sport, but especially motorsport, And so yeah,
the mental piece. I'm very lucky to be working with
a top performance coach shame to Connogley from Create Leaps
being instrumental in my development and the mind piece mental.
(04:37):
There's obviously the physical fitness side. People have the reason
to believe that motor racing is not very physical or
hard work you just sit down and drive, but it is.
It is challenging, you know, the g forces, the stereo
is hard to kind of hustle those those single seas
around the racetrack. So those two, and finally there's the
business piece, which I think many people don't really are
(04:59):
aware of that for me to be able to even
get on the track in the first place, a whole
lot of you know, time and effort and money to
be raised to be able to be there. So yeah,
my life eighty percent of it, as I described to
people as being a businessman, and twenty percent is actually
being able to enjoy the part of being a racing driver.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
So yeah, it's quite.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Interesting, absolutely it is. So you're getting used to, I mean, Jeep,
as you speak very well for a teenager, you're used
to sort of, I guess selling your story to people
who might be able to help you in some way,
shape or form.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
Yes, yeah, that's how it goes. I mean, yeah, I'm
just another Kiwi Racing who's trying to do that. But
before me, Scott Dixon, Liam Lawson, they've had to go
through the exact same thing, you know, sell themselves, pitch
to potential investors, sponsors to get them on board their
journey and without those people, they wouldn't be where they
are today. So that's the phase I'm going through right now.
(05:50):
You know, I've New Zealand Grand Prix champion last year
and now looking to take it overseas and you know
had success in Japan and America, winning races there and yeah,
I want to get to the pinnacle of indyicar and
to be able to get that, as I said, as fundraising,
So a year in Indie next is two and a
half million New Zealand dollars, so it's it's not cheap.
(06:11):
And you know the route to Formula one Formula two
it's five million dollars a year, so the finances it
takes is, yeah, it's incomprehendible. And yeah, that's what I'm
working on every single day, fighting tooth and nail to
raise just as many dollars as possible to get myself
back on the racetrack.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
All right, We're going to get all your contact details
up on our socials to make sure people can know
how to get in touch if they think they can help.
Yours is a sport of very fine margins, liam, isn't
it with genuine risk attached. If you make a mistake,
how do you deal with that?
Speaker 4 (06:44):
It's challenging. That goes back to the mental piece. That's
what Shane and I work on week and week out
with how to go about it. I think for me,
my situation is different to most drivers where it almost
means a little bit more every time I get out
on track because I turn up to the ratio thinking well,
this could bean my last shot because I don't have
the money the resource to be at the next race.
So it adds to the pressure that okay, this week
(07:05):
and I really have to perform and do the job
and be a front runner and stand out. And you know,
when you do that, you really push yourself. Your mistakes
happen and consequences come, like you're having a crash. And
I guess I'm not scared of having a crash, you know.
I think if you're a racing driver, you can't be
otherwise you're you're not going to be at the front.
(07:26):
But yeah, when it happens, it's yeah, it's it's a consequence. Yeah,
you have to deal with.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Have you had any bad ones?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
I have. Yes.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
When I was in go karts, I think I would
have been eight or nine years old, at the top
of my finger came off.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
It was hanging off by a thread.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
I'm in a go kart accident and rode a ruler.
So that's a goodie that my dad and I love
to laugh about. But I've been actually quite fortunate. I
haven't had many majors. I've had another one Ireland's Multicaple
Park through a high speed section. It would have been
over one hundred and fifty k straight into a concrete wall,
so that was another goodie. But yeah, so every driver
has sort of stories like these, but no, I've been
(08:03):
fortunate to not have any kind of life threatening sidents
and injuries.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Does your mum worry.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
She does. She does, and I don't blame her. She's
a real warrior.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
But on the other side, you know, when I'm doing
well and punching at the front and winning, she she's
you know, the first person on the sidelines to be
jumping up and down and screaming and cheering on.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
So wonderful stuff. You've described every mum, I think every
mum of a of a of a young sportsperson. What's
the attraction of IndyCar.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
The attraction to IndyCar for me is well, Scott Dixon
is I said tom Da Mcguinnee's the inspiration for me.
I mean, I was sitting on the couch my man.
I vividly remember it watching the Indy five hundred, and
the Indy five hundred is honestly probably the biggest appeal,
being the biggest motor race in the world. Four hundred
thousand people come to that race in person. It's an
(08:50):
incredible event and you know the iconic pouring the glass
of milk all over yourself after you've won it. So yeah,
that's that's a source of inspiration why IndyCar. To be honest,
Formula one, I think for every drivers as the dreamed
when they often go cuts, but the reality is to
come from New Zealand to get into Formula one, it's
(09:11):
near and possible. I mean I know Liam Lawson has
gone and done it and it's so cool to see.
But the finances it takes. I mean, as I said,
five million dollars a year in Formula two and before that,
you know it's tens of millions to even have a
crack at Formula one. So yeah, it's the money. It's
the financials that kind of turned me away from that
(09:32):
that in goal and look towards Indy Car and yeah,
Indy Car is still fantastic. I mean, I love the racing.
I think it's much better to watch than Formula One,
much more competitive and there's a new winner every other race,
and you know the fact they are on street circuits,
road circus and also oval, so yeah, it's a really
cool and exciting world.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
I believe.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Have you had the chance to connect with or even
meet Scott Dixon.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Yes, Scott this year I connected with and he stepped
in kind of a little bit like a mentor in
a small way, which was amazing because there's no better
person to have kind of in your corner because he's
gone done it exactly what I'm trying to do myself.
So yeah, to be able to lean on him was amazing.
(10:14):
And he's a great dude still, let's still a key
with your heart, which is great to see. So yeah,
I've really enjoyed connecting with him and staying in touch
with him as the year has gone on.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
You look at Scotty McLoughlin who's an IndyCar now and
he came through the supercars route. Is that something that
you've considered?
Speaker 3 (10:28):
It is?
Speaker 4 (10:28):
It is now because you know Indy next to me
next year is in doubt in terms of if I
can get on to the grid, back to back to
the money piece if I'm unable to raise that, So yeah,
supercars doing what Scott McLoughlin and also SVG have done
by yeah, going through Supercars to move on to the
US and NASCAR and Indy Car is a real option
for me and something I'm considering. I actually have a
(10:51):
test in Australia in a month's time and a Super
two car, so the old generation supercars, So yeah, I'm
gonna get my first taste of it of a touring car,
a tin top I've been a single seed demand my
whole career, and yeah, supercars excites me. I mean there's
there's young Key he's doing so over there, Ryan Wood,
Matthew Payin, so to see what they've gone and done
as juniors now be yeah, winning races there is it's
(11:13):
motivating and yeah, it would love to would love to
have a dabble with supercart and see what I can do.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
What about that Barethurst race on the other the other week?
It was pretty unbelievable. Man, what are you thinking sitting
there watching that?
Speaker 3 (11:24):
Are you?
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Are you putting yourself in the driver's seat in situations
like that?
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Yeah, a little bit. I mean I wouldn't.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
You still can't even put yourself on the seat of
those guys. What they were going through it was manic.
But yeah, that was an awesome race and again for
a Key we to win it once again, that's awesome.
But yeah, Bathurst one thousand, that's a race like the
Indy five hundred. You just dream as a young fellow
that you're going to get there and be able to
bird a fight for the win.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
So yeah, that's that's on the bucket list.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
All right. You mentioned a trip to Australia. What else
is coming up in the next little while for you, To.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Be honest with you, that's the racing activity I've got
at the moment. Opportunities lined up for the rest of
the year over the New Zealand some I'm just going
to be working hard, hustling to raise funding and get
partners on board them. To be honest with you, Plony, Yeah,
I wish I had on track opportunities left Fright and
Sinder coming at me. But for those to come, yeah,
(12:13):
I need to drum up the support to be able
to for those opportunities to come my way. So yeah,
it's going to be a very busy summer for me.
It's been a busy, busy year full of it. So yeah,
just just continuing on what's already been doing.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Mat it's been It's been so good to meet you.
I feel like as I'm talking to you that I'm
talking to somebody to get the start of what's going
to be a really exciting journey. Well not the start,
You've already started that journey. I just can't wait to
see what comes for you man, and we'll be watching
with great interest. What is your website?
Speaker 4 (12:44):
My website is Liam Skeets Motorsupport dot co dot and zed.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Okay, and spell your surname so we get this right,
s c e A T s. There you go. We'll
put it on our socials as well. Delight to meet
your mate. I hope to catch up many more times
in the future. All the best and thanks for stopping in.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
Thank you very much, plane. I really appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
No appreciate you stopping in. Liam. Very impressive young man,
Liam Skeets, Liam Skeats Motorsport dot co dot Nz. Skeets
are spelled s c e A T S so all
one word. Liam Skeetsmotorsport dot co dot NZ. A champion
in the New Zealand Grand Prix, looking to get to
Indie Next, which is one down from Indiecar And look,
(13:22):
I've had the chance to eyeball Liam over the last
fifteen minutes. A very impressive young man and I'm sure
that's come through the radio as well. So if you
want to follow his journey and are able to help
in any way, check out his website and follow along.
As I say, I get the feeling that's a name
that we should remember that we're going to hear a
(13:43):
lot more of We've got a lot of drivers around
the place doing great things another Liam Lawson of course,
Scotty McLaughlin, Marcus Armstrong, Scott Dixon of course, Shane Van Gisbergen,
Matthew Payne and Ryan wood Over in supercars. Liam Skeets,
I'd remember that if I was you.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Faine, listen live
to News Talk Set B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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