Tom Drewer has been named 'Best Rookie' Overseas by Auto Action Magazine, Australia's premier motor sport publication.
"Drewer dominated his first season in the 2008 IMSA Lites L2 Championship. Furthermore, he was competitive with the more-powerful L1 class racescars en route to 10 race wins in the L2 class from 12 races and the title win."
To read more click on the image to enlarge.
Drewer named 'Best Rookie' Overseas by Auto Action. (Auto Action Magazine)
Drewer tests GT winner. (Motorsport eNews)
Article appearing in the December 9, 2008 Issue of Motorsport eNews.
"Newly crowned American IMSA Lites L2 Champion Tom Drewer celebrated his win with a test of the 2008 Australian GT winning car at Calder Park last week.
Australian GT Champion Mark Eddy offered Drewer the test of his Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 following his return from America..."
Click on image to read article.
Drewer makes it in the Wheels Hot Half Dozen Watch List. (Wheels Magazine '08 Year Book)
Tom Drewer has been listed in the prestigious Wheels Magazine '08 Year Book Hot Half Dozen Watch List for 2009 along with Tim Blanchard, Daniel Ricciardo, Kerry Madsen, Molly Taylor and Brendan Roberts. (Click on image to read more).
Australian GT Championship Sandown
I was a special guest of the Australian GT Championship upon my return, along with a couple of girls from Showgirls Bar 20.
Drewer tests L1 Sportscar. (Auto Action)
Article appearing in the November 19, 2008 edition of Auto Action Magazine.
"The 2008 IMSA Lites L2 champion Tom Drewer tested for Comprent Motorsport at Road Atlanta on November 6 in the category's top-tier L1 class aboard a 2.3-litre Mazda-powered Elan DP-02..."
Click on image to read article.
Drewer stepping up. (Motorsport News)
South Australian Tom Drewer looks likely to drive in IMSA Lites 1 Championship next year after a successful test with championship winning team Comprent Motorsport at the Road Atlanta circuit.
Article appearing in the November 18 edition of Motorsport News.
Click on image to enlarge and read article.
Drewer ready to take next step (The Advertiser).
Article appearing in Adelaide's The Advertiser Newspaper on Saturday, November 15, 2008.
Adelaide racing driver Tom Drewer, the newly-crowned 2008 USA IMSA Lites 2 Champion, has tested with L1 championship winning team Comprent Motorsport at the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia.
FOR SALE: Tom Drewer's 2008 Championship Winning WEST WR1000
Less than 12 months old, the car used by Australian Tom Drewer to dominate 2008 IMSA Lites 2 Championship, winning 10 out of 12 races, can be yours. 
2nd outright at Miller Motorsport Park, Utah. Currently holds IMSA lap records at Sebring, Utah, Lime Rock, Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca.
Factory prepared all year by WEST Race Cars. No time or expense spared on preparation.
Comes complete with over $21,000 worth of extras including 3 sets of wheels, full set of springs, and jacks.
If you want to WIN IMSA LITES this is the one and it’s ready to race!
NOTES:
* Chassis #75. Factory built Tunnel floor car, January ‘08.
* 2007 ZX10R IMSA sealed engine (New January ‘08, only 3 meetings since mid-season refresh).
* AIM Dash/Data system with extra steering and brake sensors.
($1,995 + $387 new)
* ProShift PS2 shift system with no lift up-shift, AND auto down-blip.
($2,290 new)
* Titanium ProShift paddles and quick release steering wheel.
($1,095 new)
* PVM/West Dry Sump.
($3,995 new)
* Centerlock Jongbloed wheels (3 Sets. 2 Sets new January ’08).
($6,585 new)
* Updated, upgraded lower rear Tunnel Aero wishbones.
($990 new)
* Schroth 6-way HANS belts.
* Fin Antenna and wired for radios
($365.00 new)
* AMB hard-wired timing beacon
($325 new)
* Carbon fiber wheel louvers
($495 new)
* Carbon fiber dive planes
($270 new)
* Near immaculate bodywork.
* Anodised red front toe hooks.
* Fresh brake rotors.
(Only 2 meetings old)
* Spare Pingle shift system wired to be completely plug and play.
($990 new)
* Full range of springs; 800s, 900s, 1000s, 1100s, 1200s, 1300s and 1400s (All new this year).
($1,140 new)
* A few other spares including rear and front sprockets.
* Front and rear quick-lift jacks.
($695 new)
* Meticulously maintained, everything double checked and triple checked.
* SCCA Logbooked for DSR.
VISIT: www.westracecars.com
CONTACT: Eric Vassian, West Race Cars. Phone +1 404 376 8282
Driver instruction from Tom Drewer also available.
Drewer tests Panoz built Élan Lites 1 car at Road Atlanta.
2008 USA IMSA Lites 2 Champion Tom Drewer has tested with Championship winning team Comprent Motorsport at the Road Atlanta circuit in Georgia, USA.
Drewer, who dominated the L2 Championship in his first year of competition in North America; qualifying on pole-position for every round, winning 10 from 12 races including his first in both America and Canada and setting 5 new track lap records; was invited by Comprent Motorsport to test the 2.3 litre Mazda powered Élan DP-02 Lites 1 car driven to victory this year by American Jonathan Goring.
Following the test team owner Kevin Kloepfer said:
“I have watched Tom all year. He had an unbelievable rookie season, especially as he was turning up to virtually every circuit without ever even seeing them before the race weekend. From his performances this year and today I am convinced we can repeat our Championship winning performance next year with Tom at the wheel.“
Drewer drove Comprent’s number 14 machine, completing four short sessions in heavy traffic during open practice for the SCCA American Road Race of Champions.
“This year has been a year of firsts and today is yet another one. I was delighted to be asked by Kevin to test their Championship winning car. We have been watching and congratulating each other all year, and I have developed the upmost respect for Kevin, Comprent and Jonathan, and what they have achieved.
I was very interested to see what the Élan L1 would be like compared to my Championship winning Daily Planet WEST WR1000. The Élan DP-02 is a bigger car and has a real presence on the race track. Like the WEST it is an enjoyable car to drive, but it does have quite a different feel and dynamic though, because it’s wider, heavier and has more power and torque.
The most noticeable difference was the gearbox. My WEST uses a ProShift electronic paddle gearshift system. On the downshift I was required to dip the clutch and blip the throttle and therefore had to right foot brake. However, the Élan uses a sequential Hewland gearbox with a traditional gearshift lever, and requires left foot braking. So I had to re-calibrate my brain and left foot.
Today was about acclimatising myself with the controls and unfortunately I never got a clear lap. I had to be very conservative with a mix of cars on the circuit, but it was a great first introduction to the Élan.”
Despite the heavy traffic Drewer impressed Comprent’s chief engineer Terry Jinks, with his individual split times and speed. Drewer ended the day with a time of 1:22.5.
“It was a day of very trying conditions out there, but Tom immediately showed speed as he set about familiarising himself with the Élan DP02. His lap times dramatically tumbled throughout the four short sessions. I was impressed with his quick adaptation to left foot braking, his consistency and feedback. He showed both the raw speed and the level of maturity it takes to win Championships, just as he has done throughout this year.’
Asked whether this indicates his direction for next year, Drewer remained coy.
“I have not decided my path for next year, but I think progressing to Lites L1 is certainly a possibility.
It would be a logical step and I have certainly enjoyed racing in the IMSA Lites Series this year. It’s a very competitive series and being associated with the American Le Mans Series it provides a great stepping-stone to Le Mans prototypes.
I really want to thank Kevin, Terry Jinks and Brandon White from Comprent for the opportunity today. I was totally impressed by Comprent and it would be fantastic to drive for them. We certainly share the same values in preparation, the desire, and the commitment to win. However, I have been presented with a few other opportunities in different categories for 2009 so we’ll have to wait and see.”
Drewer also shares some racing history with Comprent owner Kevin Kloepfer. Like Kevin, Drewer made his racing car debut in a Formula Vee.
The legendary Athens, Georgia based Comprent Motor Sports team has enjoyed countless successes in both open-wheel and sports car events since its inception in 1988 to the present day including taking both the 2008 IMSA Lites L1 Team and Driver’s Championships. Comprent Motor Sports is also affiliated with the Élan Motorsports Technologies as the IMSA Lites customer service representative.
Drewer's winning wind-up. (Auto Action)
Article appearing in Australia's Auto Action magazine, November 4, 2008.
Tom Drewer completed his debut season in the United States with two dominant class wins in the 2008 IMSA Lites Championship L2 Class at Laguna Seca on October 17-19.
Drewer dazzles. (The Advertiser)
Article appearing in South Australia's The Advertiser newspaper on October 25.
Young Australian driver Tom Drewer has made it 10 wins from 12 races in his rookie season, winning the Lites L2 Class honours in the final race of the IMSA Lites Championship at Laguna Seca.
Drewer dominates IMSA Lites L2. (Wheels)
Young South Australian driver, Tom Drewer has stormed to both his first IMSA Lites crown and class victory in the season's end enduro at Laguna Seca.
Young Aussie driver, Tom Drewer has finished his first year of US racing with both the 2008 IMSA Lites L2 Championship and the season finale under is belt.
Adelaide-born Drewer dominated this year’s championship, winning 10 of his 12 starts and impressing the US racing fraternity in the process.
Read it at Wheelsmag.com.au
Like most of the circuits he raced on this year, Drewer had never driven at California's Laguna Seca Raceway. Yet he won both Saturday’s race and the Lites L2 Class in Sunday’s 1hr 15mins endurance event.
Drewer also set a new qualifying class record of 1:24.182 for L2 Class pole on Friday, and against the more potent L1 Class cars finished Saturday’s half-hour race 10th outright and set a new class race lap record. He now holds five lap records in the US.
He’s also won IMSA Lites races outright, holding off the L1 Class cars in his Daily Planet West car.
By winning this year’s L2 Championship, Drewer now holds back-to-back championships across the Pacific, after dominating the Australian AMRS Thundersports Sportscar Series last year.
You probably won’t be surprised to hear that 23-year-old Drewer’s now in demand. “We are currently in discussion with teams in a few different categories. I’m excited by some of the opportunities and I hope that I can gain the necessary corporate support to further my career here in America next year. As they say, ‘watch this space," he said.
Drewer caps off Championship with brilliant Endurance result at Laguna Seca.
Tom Drewer has finished his first year of racing in North America just the way he started, with another win at a circuit he’d never been to before.
The young rising Australian driver made it ten wins from twelve races after taking Lites L2 Class honours in the 1 hour and 15 minute endurance race at Laguna Seca on Sunday, the finale of the 2008 IMSA Lites Championship presented by Hankook.
The weekend capped off a stellar international debut for Drewer, 23, who added yet more North American track lap class records to his Championship winning season.
Drewer and his Daily Planet WEST set a new qualifying class record of 1:24.182 to gain L2 Class pole and 12th overall around the famous Californian circuit on Friday. He then went on to win the L2 class in the 30 minute sprint race on Saturday, setting a new race lap record on his way to 10th place overall. However, it was in his first ever endurance drive which Drewer yet again showed his maturity not to mention pace amongst the faster L1 cars, again setting a new class race lap record.
“Everyone told me just to go out and have some fun this weekend after we wrapped up the L2 Championship at Petit Le Mans two weekends ago. But, in some ways I think there was more pressure to perform and finish the year with the same consistency as I started with.
Like every track, with the exception of Road Atlanta, Laguna was a completely new playground this weekend. It is very unforgiving and because of that I set a series of progressive goals. From practice, to qual, to race 1, my Daily Planet Racing/WEST Race Cars team went about ticking those boxes off. It was not about being conservative, but simply measured and doing what we needed to do when we needed to do it.
The Endurance race threw a lot of unknowns into the mix. We have never raced for that length of time on the Hankook tyres and never before had we been required to complete a pit stop or refuelling.
We started the Endurance in 12th overall and I knew the long race distance and mandatory re-fuelling pit stop would reward a consistent pace. There was no point in risking the car early on to gain minimal track position.
I set about achieving a good rhythm and pace in the car early on. Jake and my WEST team had near perfect timing on our pit stop– a full course yellow came out about half way through.
Then on the restart I had Jarrett Boon (Elan L1) dive down the outside of me into turn 2. It was the second time this weekend that he’d turned into me. I don’t know why he thought he was going to get around me- even with the extra torque of the L1. I brushed him off until the safety car came out again 4 corners later and really that was that. It was a procession under full course yellow until the chequered flag came out.
It was a shame to end the season under yellow but I think Terry Dale, the Race Director, made a great call. If we’d gone green for a lap I think it would have been on for young and old- probably half the field off at turn 2 and the rest off at the corkscrew.
I’m ecstatic to achieve yet another win here in America and another strong performance for WEST race cars amongst the more powerful L1s. We surpassed our goal of a top ten overall result, finishing sixth.”
The race was won overall by Joel Feinberg (Elan L1).
“I really have to thank WEST, Eric Vassian, Jake Randels, Kevin Takalo, Dan Jang and Randy Aust for all their effort this year.
I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of John Trimble and the Daily Planet back in Melbourne, Australia, the belief of my manager Terry Little and all the sacrifices my mother and father, Jacquie and Mike Drewer have had to make. I also have to thank all those listed on my website and who’s messages I carry on the rear bodywork of my car. I couldn’t have achieved any of this without you. I can never thank you enough.”
Drewer’s results at Laguna Seca means that he has won at every track he’s competed at this year in the 2008 IMSA Lites Championship and now holds five lap records in North America. His Championship win also means he has now taken back-to-back Championships across the Pacific, after dominating the Australian AMRS Thundersports Sportscar Series last year. Drewer is hoping that it is this consistency and speed that will progress him to the next phase of his international career.
“We are currently in discussion with teams in a few different categories. I’m excited by some of the opportunities and I hope that I can gain the necessary corporate support to further my career here in America next year. As they say, ‘watch this space’.”
The Highs and lows of motor racing. (Sunday Mail)
Article appearing in the South Australian Sunday Mail Newspaper.
The highs and the lows of motor racing- two of Australia's brightest young hopefuls know it better than most.
Drewer wins title. (Auto Action)
Article appearing in Auto Action Magazine on October 17. Tom Drewer secured the IMSA Lites Championship L2 Class title after scoring his seventh and eighth win from the season's 10 races, at Road Atlanta on October 3-5.
They race iRace. (Auto Action)
Article appearing in Auto Action magazine, October 2008.
Click on image to read article.
Sandwich recipe. (Auto Action)
Driver profile in Auto Action magazine. "To Tom Drewer success is everything. Having won the Thundersports Series outright last year, his dogged determination has got him racing IMSA Lites in the US thanks to Daily Planet and is leading the championship. With motorsport in his blood, once he met his hero Nigel Mansell..."
"...at the age five he realised his future belonged in motorsport too. An Adelaide boy at heart, nothing will stand in Drewer's way of achieving his goal of an IndyCar career..."
Colour from Petit Le Mans.
A plethora of shots from the Petit Le Mans weekend.
Of note is the L2 Championship winning team of West Race Cars (formerly PVM Racing) in front of the Championship winning Daily Planet car. From left to right: Trey, Jake (Engineer), Dan, Eric (Owner + teammate), myself, and Jim Garrett (teammate). Also of interest is the shot of the 'Drinking and Driving Club' teeing off at Road Atlanta near turn 4 on Friday night. Apparently it's a bit of a tradition to hit golf balls over this circuit and down at Sebring. I was assured they don't do it when vehicles are actually on circuit.
Other shots include my rear bodywork with my supporter decals on display to the passing public, the teams working into the night prior to race day, Angus and Martin watching at the Esses and the winning Audi and second place Peugeot.
Race driver's champion debut. (The Advertiser)
Article appearing in The Advertiser Newspaper, South Australia.
"Adelaide-born race driver Tom Drewer has won the U.S. IMSA Lites L2 sportscar championship in his debut season..."
Historic Drewer.
Drewer Senior, that is my father Mike Drewer, got back into a competition car after over 15 years on the October 3-5 weekend for the Lobethal Grand Carnival.
The event, created by Tony Parkinson (the owner of Mike Drewer's last competition car, the Richards, and one of my supporters) re-enacted the Historic motor races of the Lobethal Grand Prix, site of the 1939 Australian Grand Prix. The last race held around the 8.65 mile (14km) circuit was in 1948, sixty years ago.
Racing and competition sports cars and motorcycles, predominantly of the 1938-1948 period, took to what was once regarded as Australia's greatest-ever motor racing circuit, a healthy 70 years after the inaugural South Australian GP of 1938.
Mike was driving Tony Parkinson's Elfin open wheeler at the event. Images include examples of the pit-board messages Mike's support crew were holding out. Thanks Newmans!
Clean sweep. (The Advertiser)
Article appearing in The Advertiser newspaper, from South Australia.
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