Tom Bewley and William Exton made their first appearance in the ADAC GT4 Germany championship overnight, putting in a solid performance and ending the day with a top six time in a field of 24 cars.
The duo ended up just sixth-tenths of a second off the day’s fastest time after three one-hour test sessions, an impressive performance in their first appearance in the KCMG-run GR Supra GT4 EVO around the Nürburgring track.
Bewley and Exton shared each one-hour session, with the former taking to the track first and immediately setting fast times in the first session. He quickly got into his stride and clocked a 1.36.925 after just seven laps, impressive when the early fastest laps were in the high 1.35s and low 1.36s.
Exton took over in the second half, and a late push in the final moments of the session – including the fastest final sector of the session for the team – saw him take seven-tenths off the team’s best lap of the session, putting the car in the top 20 with plenty of room to improve in the second session.
Both built on their session one performances in the second one-hour run – pushing into the top twenty and getting even closer to the outright pace.
It all came together nicely in the third and final session, with both clocking competitive times inside the top ten and each getting a new tyre run to complete their day. Exton clocked a best of 1 minute 34.377 seconds to end the day sixth fastest, with Bewley’s fastest just a tenth behind. Ahead of them on times were just four BMWs and one Mercedes—all regulars in the championship.
The impressive day left the two happy and optimistic for the weekend: “It felt pretty good, and I learned a lot,” said Exton afterwards.
“We found time in all three sessions but the last one was very good as it felt we found more again. I’ve only ever driven on a slick twice now so it took a bit if getting used to but it was nice,” said Exton.
“Tom and I were very close throughout and I think there’s more to come from both of us for sure. Getting used to the traffic is going to be a part of that.”
Bewley added, “Having traction control for the first time was a new experience, but I liked the car and liked the track.
“Like Willy, I’m happy with the speed I had in the last session. We were very close, and that’s going to be good for our race pace.
“I’ll be looking for a clean lap in qualifying as well. I know I can find a bit more, too, so I think we can definitely look at a top ten in qualifying and maybe even a bit higher.”
A solid and error-free day was exactly what the team wanted, too.
“Everyone in the team is very impressed with their speed and maturity so far, they are delivering everything we and KCMG had hoped for and more,” added TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand Motorsport Manager Nicolas Caillol. “We’re looking forward seeing how they go in the next stage.”
Friday brings two more free practice sessions before the boys move on to Saturday, when there will be 2 x 20-minute qualifying sessions and a one-hour race, with the event coming to a close on Sunday with the last one-hour race.
