Kiwi up-and-comer Ben Stewart capped off a successful weekend at Queensland Raceway with his second Toyota 86 Scholarship Series win of the round and a runner-up result. He also achieved his goal of a top-ten finish in TCR Australia.
Having won Saturday’s sole race from second on the grid, Stewart was again on form in Sunday’s first of two Toyota 86 outings, but he was made to work for his spoils.
Alice Buckley, who raced in New Zealand’s Toyota 86 Championship over the summer, led from the start, leaving Stewart to fight for the position. The Kiwi hit the front on his third attempt and remained in first until the chequered flag.
Race 1 pole-sitter Hayden Hume recovered from eighth on the grid to finish second, having passed Buckley and Max Geoghegan mid-race. Geoghegan took third, while Buckley dropped to fifth behind Jack Wood.
The weekend’s finale was marred by a roll-over for Wood, who made side-on contact with Charlie Parker and rolled onto his roof. He slid down the track upside down, nudging Geoghegan on the way past, and rolled in the gravel, briefly landing on his wheels before turning onto his roof. He was unhurt in the incident.
Stewart led off the restart ahead of Geoghegan and Hume. On the final lap, Geoghegan made a successful move for the lead to take the win from the Kiwi, with Hume completing the podium.
Two wins and a second place gave Stewart round honours.
In addition to running for 99 Motorsport in the Toyota 86 Scholarship Series, Stewart also made his TCR Australia debut aboard the team’s Audi RS3 TCR.
The 2021/22 Mazda Racing Series Champion achieved his goal of a top-ten finish in Race 2, moving forward from 12th on the grid to cross the line in ninth.
He finished Race 3, which immediately followed his final Toyota 86 race, in 12th, avoiding any incidents to complete a tidy, hard-fought debut.
