Tom Bewley has claimed his first win in the Porsche Equity-One Carrera Cup Australia, taking victory in a wet Race 2 at the Gold Coast 500 and finishing second overall at Round 6 of the 2026 championship.
Driving the #89 Team Porsche New Zealand Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the young New Zealander also set the fastest qualifying lap ever recorded by a Carrera Cup car around the Surfers Paradise street circuit.
The weekend was Bewley’s first at Surfers Paradise, one of Australia’s most challenging street circuits, and came in his rookie season in the category.
Learning the streets
Bewley’s first laps of the circuit came in Practice 1 on Friday morning, with damp conditions lingering through the 25-minute session. Using the time to learn the track and find a balance in the car, he completed 14 laps and set the session’s fastest time: 1:17.6216.
Conditions cleared for Practice 2, giving drivers their first running on slick tyres of the weekend. With more laps completed, times fell across the field, and Bewley finished fourth with a 1:11.9213.
A record qualifying lap
Saturday began with a damp track, but conditions improved in time for the 25-minute qualifying session, and the field ran on slick tyres.
Qualifying became a close contest between Bewley and the category’s leading drivers, including championship leader Harri Jones. Bewley was consistently among the fastest cars and, on lap 19 of 20, set a 1:10.6824.
The time was the fastest qualifying lap ever recorded by a Carrera Cup car at Surfers Paradise, 0.0660 seconds clear of second place. It secured pole position for Race 1 and second on the grid for Race 2.
Rain brings an early finish to Race 1
From pole position in Saturday afternoon’s Race 1, Bewley dropped to second on the opening lap. Only one and a half laps had been completed when the Safety Car was deployed following a crash involving another competitor.
After the restart, Bewley followed race leader Jones for a single lap before the race was declared as rain began to fall, with Bewley classified second.
First win in the wet
Heavy rain fell on Surfers Paradise on Sunday morning. Race 2 began with a standing start on a wet track, and Bewley slotted into second for the single-file run through the Turn 2/3 chicane.
He passed for the lead at Turn 4 on the opening lap and managed two Safety Car restarts in the conditions. On the final lap, the #89 Porsche aquaplaned through the Turn 2/3 chicane, but Bewley’s car control kept it pointing straight, and he crossed the line first.
The result was Bewley’s maiden Carrera Cup Australia win, achieved in his rookie season and on debut at the circuit. Jones secured the 2026 championship after the race.
“Race 2 was in really wet conditions, which I was praying for all weekend because I love driving in the rain,” said Bewley.
“I didn’t get the greatest start, but I was able to make a move on the first lap into Turn 4, and from there I handled two Safety Car restarts to cross the line first and take my first race win in the category.”
Second overall for the round
The weather cleared for Race 3, with Bewley starting from pole as the grid was set by combined points from Races 1 and 2. He dropped to second on the opening lap, and an early Safety Car shortened the race to just two green-flag laps. Bewley finished second, securing second overall for the round.
“I didn’t get the best start in Race 3 either,” he said.
“I hit a bit of water off the line and dropped behind Harri into second, and then we only got about two laps of racing in before the Safety Car came out for damage to the track.”
Season finale in Adelaide
With few green-flag laps across the weekend, Bewley managed the event well and made smart decisions on a demanding circuit. The final round of the 2026 season will be held in Adelaide from 26 to 29 November.
“We had limited racing laps because of the weather and Safety Cars, which was a shame, but I was happy to keep the car straight and run at the front all weekend,” said Bewley.
“It was a really well put-together weekend for me, and I’m looking forward to heading to Adelaide and having another crack to end the season on a positive note. Thank you to Team Porsche New Zealand and Earl Bamber Motorsport for a great weekend, and to all my other sponsors for helping me get here.”
Header Photo: Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
