Bamber's talent is a perfect marriage

THERE probably isn't a farm-raised kid around New Zealand who hasn't learned to drive a vehicle while sitting on his father's knee. Call it a Kiwi rite of passage ...

That was the way Earl Bamber learned to control a vehicle - on the family farm at Jerusalem on the Whanganui River when he was a just a slip of a lad.

But Bamber was born with something else in his genetic make-up. It showed itself when he got into go-kart racing; that instinct to marry speed with vision. Bundle them together with nerve and here was a young boy with rare talent.

All that talent shone through when he teamed up with two other drivers to win the 2015 Le Mans 24-hour race, regarded as the premier distance race in the world. It is a win that marks him among the legends of the sport.

Motorsport is unforgiving - many have shown prodigious talent but never got beyond the odd national event. Bamber was luckier - he had the help of his parents and, later, the local Wheels Trust which recognised his talent and was prepared to back him.

Then again, this young Wanganui man is driven by his own ambition, and his journey has been hard and unrelenting.

His ability was recognised when Porsche Motorsport signed him at the start of this motor racing season. It's an arrangement that has given the 24-year-old the biggest moment in a short but stellar career.

When a legend such as Chris Amon - who won at Le Mans with the late Bruce McLaren 49 years ago - singles Bamber out as an extremely talented driver, then you should take notice. Amon was one of the best.

Earl Bamber will still want to get into the top flight and drive a Formula 1 car - but that's for the future. For now he can bask in the glory of winning one the world's most prestigious races. And so can the people in his home town.