Double podium for Bewley on debut

Two podiums out of three races has placed Hawkes Bay teenager Tom Bewley in a strong championship position after the first round of Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in Australia.

Bewley, 17, lies in second place but could have been leading the series if not for a brake failure on the final lap of the opening race which sent him off the circuit at high speed while holding down second place.

“On the last lap in one of the slowest corners but with the fastest entry I had no front brakes, locked the rears and turned myself around. At least it was no fault of my own and we pressed on to finish the race in P5,” said Bewley, who was going close to 200kp/h when the front master cylinder failed on his Dura-Seal/Clipped Assist sponsored Porsche GT3.

The Earl Bamber Motorsport driver did, however, record the fastest lap in his debut race.

Bewley’s double podium came from third place in the second race and runner-up in the longer 45-minute finale.

Starting from fifth spot in race two Bewley made some impressive passes up to second place but a rival on fresher tyres retook that position with a few laps to go.

Starting the longest race from P3 the Porsche New Zealand scholarship winner charged forward but didn’t get close enough for a shot at the race win.

“This was definitely one of the more exciting races,” said Bewley.

“It was raining at the start so slick tyres in wet conditions made it interesting. I got into second place on the first lap and then it was a matter of looking after the tyres and bringing the car home straight.”

“Overall I’m very happy with the weekend, had a lot of pace in the car but a few things didn’t go our way over the weekend.”

If he’d held onto second place in the opening race before the brake component failure he would’ve been the early championship leader, which is currently held by fellow Kiwi driver Willie Exton.

“I’ve never driven anything like it [Phillip Island], a really fast flowing circuit, so to come away from my first weekend with a couple of podiums, a fastest lap and second in the championship and not far off the lead, I’m pretty happy.”

The six-round series moves to Sydney’s Motorsport Park at the beginning of May.

Bewley’s Australian campaign is supported by Dura-Seal High Performance Vehicle Protection, along with Clipped Assist, Tony Quinn Foundation, and TACCOC.