Tom Bewley continues to rack up impressive performances in the Australian Porsche Carrera Cup championship and not only has the most pole positions this season so far but also the most ever by a rookie driver.
Racing the Porsche New Zealand scholarship car on the streets of the Gold Coast Bewley not only claimed his third pole of the season but also his first win and backed that up with two second placings.
“I know what it is like to win but it’s a whole different thing in Carrera Cup with those guys all with that much experience. It was pretty awesome that I got to race with Harri [Jones] quite a bit and to be able to run with him on the first lap when he’s known for driving away was pretty cool. And even to get one over him in race two was pretty satisfying,” said Bewley who took his maiden win one day shy of his 19th birthday.
However the Hawkes Bay teenager showed his intentions from the start when he set the fastest time in the opening practice session in wet conditions which prevailed over most of the weekend and eventually led to shortened races and finishing behind the safety car.
“It’s one of the scariest tracks in Australia being a street circuit and so narrow, and wet. I felt comfortable driving the car for the first time in the rain and was surprised to be leading at the start,” said Bewley of his first time at the street circuit.
Not only did he lead practice but also came out on top in the hotly contested race for pole position, claiming his third of the year and also set a new lap record.
“Going into qualifying I wasn’t sure about the dry pace as you have to be quite a bit more committed and take a lot more risk, I got the lap together right at the end and that’s definitely my favourite pole at such a tough rack which I think ninety percent of the grid has been there before. To do that was a pretty incredible feeling,” he said.
Bewley ended up on the podium three times. He followed newly crowned champion Harri Jones to the chequered flag in the opening race after being beaten off the start line but in the wet second race Bewley got a better start and muscled his way into the lead before stretching out a gap of three seconds before the race was halted for an accident and the field bunched up behind the safety car. The flying Kiwi was gapping the field at 7/10ths per lap under green racing conditions.
“I knew I had to get the lead quickly, that was my aim, so I set Harri up from turn two, knew he was going to use too much of turn three and have a little moment because we had the exact same thing in race one so I just placed the car in the right spot to get the run.”
At the restart Bewley had a massive moment going into the first chicane but managed to keep his #89 under control at the front before the race was halted once again and he greeted the chequered flag for his first win behind the safety car.
“It was pretty out of control,” said Bewley, reflecting on the restart. “I knew it was going to be slippery, you could see the shine on the track where the puddles had formed. Even coming across the start line I had a very big moment just getting on the white lines so it kind of started all the way back then and I was chasing the car all the way to turn one.
“It was a huge moment and grateful there was run-off there, one of the only corners that does. It got pretty out of control being the first driver there from the restart. I had no reference on where to brake and what line to take so did my very best to hold onto it. Luckily the safety car came back out, even behind it we were aquaplaning going into some corners.”
The video of the car snaking to stay under control has gone viral on social media and thrust Bewley into the spotlight.
Bewley lost out at the start of the final race, again from pole position, but took his second runner-up podium for the weekend to go with his maiden win.
“I got a really good start but as soon as I tried to turn to miss a puddle I obviously got it with the rear wheels and it’s just lit up and I’ve kinda gone nowhere. Unfortunate, but you can’t choose which side of the track you want to start on. Ran with Harri [Jones] for the first lap but then the kerbs got ripped up and that’s why they had to end the race.”
The final round of the Porsche Equity-One Carrera Cup Australia championship will be held at another new street circuit for Bewley. The season wraps up with the V8 Supercar championship in Adelaide late November.
Bewley is getting renowned for his debut street performances. Last year he set a new track record at Townsville, came close to pole at Bathurst, took pole on the Gold Coast and now has his eyes on a record-setting fourth pole in South Australia.
“It looks like a tamed-down Gold Coast, a little bit more room for error and I feel like that track might suit me a bit more than Gold Coast. It’s got the tight corners like we’ve had a QR [Queensland Raceway] and the previous rounds where I’ve been fast also,” he added.
“Looking ahead for another consistent weekend and running at the front is my main focus. It’ll also be practice for next year if I get to do this again.”
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