He arrives in Townsville second in the Porsche Sprint Challenge championship.
Porsche New Zealand scholarship winner Tom Bewley will race on a street circuit for the first time when the Australian Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge championship races in Townsville this weekend.
The 17-year-old Havelock North teenager is relishing his street racing debut with three races scheduled, including a 45-minute mini-enduro on Sunday morning.
“I’ve been looking forward to this round all season, first time on a street circuit, nice and close to the walls,” said Bewley after his Thursday track walk.
After three rounds, Bewley lies second in the championship, having scored four podiums, a race win and pole position, along with setting a new outright lap record at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Bewley’s race team Earl Bamber Motorsport [EBM] conducts a test day at each circuit prior to a series round but that’s not a luxury for racing on a street circuit, where the first practice is the first time he’ll be driving his #4 Dura-Seal/Clipped Assist Porsche GT3 on the 2.86km track.
“There are only two sessions to figure out the track, so I’ve been watching a lot more video than usual and studying more data so I can try and jump a half-session in learning.”
From the research he’s done, Bewley has already identified parts of the circuit that he thinks he will need to master to be quick on the Reid Park Street Circuit.
“There are a couple of corners with big bumps on them, and I think the braking might take a bit of learning.
“There are heaps of corners that are quite challenging, and I’ve never really used the kerbs in a race car before, so that’ll be the first time and something that I’ll have to get used to.”
Former Sprint Challenge champion Oscar Targett won the title last season with EBM and has also been offering advice to Bewley for his debut season.
“My driver trainer, Oscar, came here last year and did quite well, so I’m looking forward to working with him to get up to speed as quickly as possible and learn from his experience of racing in Townsville,” he added.
Bewley has set his mission for the weekend to close the gap in the championship. This round is part of the V8 Supercars championship and the fourth round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge.
“There have been some strong results in the first three rounds. Finishing outside the top five in the last round hurt me quite a bit, even though I got a podium in the last race. I’ll be looking for a strong and consistent result in the top three.”
For the first time this season, Bewley’s racing will be shown live on Sky Sport as part of the V8 Supercars Townsville 500 broadcast, starting with two practice sessions at 12:05 p.m. (NZST) and 4:05 p.m.
Qualifying will be held early Saturday at 9:35 a.m., before the first of two 25-minute races at 12:50 p.m. The mini-enduro race is scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 a.m. for 45 minutes, preceding the final race at 2:55 p.m.
Bewley’s Australian campaign is supported by Dura-Seal High Performance Vehicle Protection and Clipped Assist, Porsche New Zealand, EBM and with further support from Showerdome, Creme Insurance and TACCOC.
Header Image: McLeod Media
