Bewley and Exton Go Well on Day 1 at Nürburgring
Words NZ Autocar | Images Toyota New Zealand
Tom Bewley and William Exton made their first appearance in the ADAC GT4 Germany championship overnight. They put in a solid performance and ended the day with a top six time in a field of 24 cars.
They were just sixth-tenths of a second off the day’s fastest time after three one-hour test sessions. It is their first appearance in the KCMG-run GR Supra GT4 EVO around the Nürburgring GP track.
The pair each had a one-hour session. Bewley was first up and immediately set fast times. He clocked a 1.min 36.925 sec time after just seven laps, impressive when the early fastest laps were in the high 1.35s and low 1.36s.
Exton took over in the second half and a late push in the final moments of the session saw him put the car in the top 20.
Both built on their session one performances in the second one-hour run, getting even closer to the outright pace.
It all came together nicely in the third and final session with both clocking competitive times inside the top ten. Each got a new tyre run to complete their day. Exton clocked a best of 1 min 34.377 seconds to end the day sixth fastest. Bewley’s fastest was just a tenth behind. Ahead of them on times were just four BMWs and one Mercedes, all regulars in the championship.
The impressive day left the two happy and optimistic for the weekend. Exeton said “I’ve only ever driven on a slick twice now so it took a bit if getting used to but it was nice”.
Bewley said “I liked the car and liked the track. Like Willy I’m happy with the speed I had in the last session. We were very close and that’s going to be good for our race pace.”
A solid and error-free day was exactly what the team wanted. “Everyone in the team is very impressed with their speed and maturity so far. They are delivering everything we and KCMG had hoped for and more,” added Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand Motorsport Manager, Nicolas Caillol.
Friday brings two more free practice sessions before Saturday’s qualifying and a one-hour race. There’s a final one-hour race on Sunday.
