Christian Hermansen: Speedway offers speed, family and future talent

Speedway may not always grab the spotlight but for driver Christian Hermansen, its appeal is speed, noise, and a close community that brings people together.

Speaking on Pacific Huddle with Tuilagi William Leolahi, Hermansen (HLR Racing) says the sport stands out from other motorsports because of how fast a race night comes and goes.

He says most race meetings take place on a Saturday evening and are wrapped up within a few hours.

“For me, Speedway is pretty much fast and punchy. It’s just over one night. So often times, we’re racing Saturday night and it’s between the hours of about six and nine o’clock.”

For Hermanson, that short format is part of the appeal especially for families who want live sport without a full weekend commitment.

He also points to one of Speedway’s most unique features: how much of the action fans can actually see from the stands.

Christian Hermansen says Speedway stands out from other motorsports because race nights are fast, intense, and wrapped up within a few hours. Photo/Facebook/Christian Hermansen Motorsport

“The deity about Speedway is that it’s kind of over and done with pretty quickly and so it makes it good for families and that sort of thing as a Saturday night entertainment.

“One of the awesome things about Speedway is that you can always see the entire circuit.”

Unlike many motorsport tracks where sections are hidden from view, Speedway keeps everything in sight. From sprint cars to roaring engines and tight racing packs, Hermansen says the sport delivers constant action.

Christian Hermansen says he grew up around Speedway and was always destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. Photo/Facebook/Christian Hermansen Motorsport

His own path into racing was almost written from the start. He is a second-generation driver, following in his father’s footsteps.

“So it’s a kind of a unique thing to us in Speedway and then aside from that, Speedway sort of has gone down this route of having some just outrageous cars as well."

He grew up around the sport from a young age and quickly found himself on track.

"In summary, Speedway is awesome. You didn’t really stand a chance to be honest. I was always destined to be involved in some way, I suppose.”

When it comes to Pacific representation, Hermanson says it is still small but meaningful, with room to grow.

He identifies as Māori and says there are only a few Pacific and Māori drivers in the sport but they bring a different perspective.

Christian Hermansen winning the NSW title at Parramatta in October 2025. He says Pacific and Māori representation in Speedway remains limited but believes youth pathways are helping open doors for the next generation. Photo/Facebook/Christian Hermansen Motorsport

He believes more Pacific participation will come through younger pathways.

“Look, it’s probably a niche within a niche, to be honest. I’m a bit of a rare breed and being of Māori descent.

“It’s probably an area of more of growth than you know. One that’s sort of happening widespread through the sport.”

That challenge is not unique to Speedway. In wider motorsport, Pacific representation is still developing.

New Zealand-born Fijian driver Jaxon Evans, who became the first driver of Pacific heritage in the Supercars Championship, has spoken about similar barriers in reaching the top level of racing, showing how rare Pacific visibility still is across the sport’s highest tiers.

“Hopefully I can inspire at least one other person to shoot for their dreams and end up doing the same thing as me," Evans told PMN News in 2024.

NZ motorsport star Jaxon Evans, with links to Rotuma in Fiji, became the first driver of Pacific descent in the Supercars Championship and says he hopes to inspire more Pacific talent into motorsport. Photo/PMN News/Eroti Navuku

“And at least inspire the odd couple of people to dabble in the sport a little more, or learn a bit more because there’s plenty of jobs not only as drivers but mechanics and engineers too.

“It’s a very cool environment to be part of, the opportunities are endless and you can also go overseas with it.”

Despite being open to many communities, Hermansen says Speedway is still not easy to enter. But he admits there are barriers for newcomers. He says cost, technical knowledge, and experience can make it intimidating.

“I think probably the really cool thing about Speedway is that it’s lots of different types of people who attend. It’s an incredibly difficult sport to I guess get into.

“But it can be incredibly intimidating...to sort of come into a brand new sport with no experience.”

Still, he says those who stay in the sport build resilience and strong bonds. He also highlights the strong sense of whānau within Speedway.

“You do have to be incredibly resilient plus you know there’s mechanical failures. There’s the crashes and you get rainouts and all that sort of thing. Probably the other one that sticks out for me from that list is kind of the family or the speedway whanau that you kind of develop over the years.”

Hermansen says youth classes are helping grow the next generation including young Māori and Pacific drivers.

He says this is where future talent is emerging. “There are a few young Māori and Pacific people kind of coming through those grades.”

“That’s always where I like to look for my next, you know, kind of future favourite drivers in those youth classes.”

Watch Christian Hermansen's full interview on Pacific Huddle below.

For fans wanting to follow the sport and its athletes, Hermansen encourages people to connect online.

“There’s the Speedway Insider on Spotify, YouTube, and Facebook, of course. Give us a follow on my own personal racing page, which is Christian Hermansen Motorsport.”

Hermansen has wrapped up his 2025/26 racing season with tracks across the country now closing out their summer and autumn calendars. His next race dates are yet to be confirmed.

During the main summer season, Hermansen races in the Sprintcar class in his No.99m car, competing regularly at major venues including Baypark Speedway in Mount Maunganui.

It is that same blend of speed, noise, and close community that defines Speedway for Hermansen and keeps the sport alive long after the chequered flag falls on a Saturday night.