The race track my be a greater education than school for St Paul’s Collegiate year13 student Taylor Cockerton.
Cockerton, who hails from Pukekohe, is a leading contender in the 2014/15 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship having performed well in the opening rounds of the six-date national series.
Cockerton, 17, gained his entry into motorsports through his dad Dean who had also competed in single-seaters, Porsche and G3. A member of the Mt Wellington Karting Club, Cockerton achieved modestly from the age of 6.
At 12 he moved into the single seat open-wheeler ‘Formula First’ cars. He competed for four years finishing third in the 2013-14 National Championships.
The next step up was the 1600cc Formula Ford class which Cockerton entered in late 2014 with the help of Christchurch-based Neale Motorsport.
Formula Ford is a six-round series beginning in the South Island and progressing to four dates up north – at Manfeild and Taupo with finals in mid-March at Hampton Downs, He had by last week achieved 7 wins from 12 races. The campaign included three DNFs due to mechanical problems.
Cockerton is also a keen rugby player and member of St Pauls third XV. In his last year in secondary school he plans to study journalism at Otago University next year.
But ultimately Cockerton can’t resist the call of the track.
‘‘Motor racing is my main goal. I want to make a career of it and get into V8 supercars in Aussie. If I can finish in the top two or three this year I would like to move to Aussie and race in Formula 3 or Formula 4, an open-wheeler class equivalent to New Zealand’s Toyota Racing series, and hope to get noticed by big teams.’’ Cockerton is sponsored by McDonalds, Pearce Brothers Motor Group, Pinnacle Hill Logistics Ltd, Neale Motorsport and his dad’s company SafetyStep NZ.
