Tom Bewley recently took second place in his debut at the final of the North Island Endurance Series at Hampton Downs in a Porsche GT3. Photo / Warren Buckland
Tom Bewley recently took second place in his debut at the final of the North Island Endurance Series at Hampton Downs in a Porsche GT3. Photo / Warren Buckland
Tom Bewley has only recently earned his restricted driving licence - but he’s already a champion on the track.
The 16-year-old from Havelock North has continued his high-octane tear up the racing ladder with an impressive performance last weekend at the final of the North Island Endurance Seriesat Hampton Downs.
Battling illness and fellow young Toyota 86 racing alumni William Exton, the defending Toyota 86 champion clinched second place in the GT race involving a variety of competing makes and models for his first outing in a much more powerful Porsche 911 GT3.
“[It was] definitely the start I wanted to happen. It showed that I do have the pace and proved to myself that I can do it in a different car,” Bewley said.
He began the race on rain tyres despite the dry track before he went into the pit stop and switched to slick tyres which he had never driven on before.
“The last part of it, it bucketed down with rain so that made it real interesting and when you’re on a slick tyre with no tread or anything on it then it makes it pretty difficult to turn in the wet,” he said.
Tom Bewley driving the gold and black Dura-Seal Porsche at Hampton Downs. Photo / Geoff Ridder
Bewley’s plans for his career are much like his racing - fast-paced with little time to pause. Despite being the youngest in the field he has no plans to defend his Toyota 86 Championship title next season.
“I don’t want to spend too many years there, wasting time where you have to move forward quickly. I want to be racing in Australia by the time I am 17 or 18,” he said.
“[Last] weekend was for a bit of practice before I go over to Australia and do a bit of testing over there to see where that takes me.”
Standing next to his day-to-day vehicle, a BMW 118i he got late last year, he said he aims to race in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge where all competitors drive Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.
He said he was talking to three or four teams in Australia, but nothing had been confirmed yet.
“They are all the same car so it is a very competitive championship. Kind of like the 86 championship, but the cars are a lot faster and a lot more expensive,” he said.
“It is really to get your name out there and it is the pathway to get to Supercars.”
Beyond Supercars, the future is a little more fuzzy. Bewley is not so keen on open-wheel racing like IndyCar, but he is interested in NASCAR.
“Like what Shane van Gisbergen is doing with his street circuits and the road circuits... I think that is quite cool because [drivers] are into each other the whole time and that is hard, good racing. You’ve got to be the best to do that.”
His father Dwayne is a former motorbike racer who used to be a Fastway Couriers Team driver in Australia, drove a Mazda Astina in the New Zealand Touring Cars Championship and established Bewley Racing with Subaru. His mother Kirsty is a former rally driver.
“[Wood] has got a good sense of humour, he is a real good driver, really quick. He has been doing an awesome job in Supercars and making a good name for himself.”
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on the environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz
