Aussie Champ Racing in USA . (Clubsport)

Article published in the Australian Clubsport magazine.


Young South Aussie driver Tom Drewer is currently dominating in the USA in the IMSA Lites Series that is run in conjunction with the American Le Man Series on famous circuits such as Sebring, Miller Motor Sport Park, Lime Rock, Road Atlanta, and Laguna Sega.

It’s a motor racing ‘too good to be true’ story, but in this case it’s the real deal, so how was it achieved?

Tom Drewer, son of Adelaide GP and Clipsal 500 PR man Mike (an Ex Formula 2 racer), had plenty of desire to achieve on the track, but like so many didn’t and still doesn’t have the budget to match the ability.

He did the normal things, karting, Formula Vee, and Saloon cars, but while his results were excellent for the equipment he had, he simply didn’t have the money for a full season of national Formula Ford or the like to really show his worth.

Another promising driver with a stalled career. That was it until along came Greg Steer and Terry Little with a desire to introduce the American built WEST sports racer into Australia.

Greg had invested in the American company and had enlisted Little to make it happen ‘down-under’ so the highly experienced former V8 Supercar team boss and director of the Australian GT Series set about looking for a driver.

‘We could have gone for an established ‘name’ driver to debut the WEST in Australia, but I wanted to prove the car was good, fast and reliable and that it wasn’t all driver and so we decided to give Tom (Drewer) a ride’.

‘I thought he was more than OK, but it wasn’t until I saw him drive the WEST that I realised how good he was’, Little the man who first put Jamie Whincup in a V8 Supercar and supporter of the fledging career of Indycar driver Will Power added.

‘We decided the 2006 AMRS Series was the place to run the car and Tom first raced it at Adelaide International after only one test session. Despite not competing in all rounds he won the under 1400cc Championship and dominated at every meeting with lap records and regularly coming from the back of the grid to win handicap races after giving away a minute or more on the field. His opposition was varied, Future Racers, various Porsches including Cup Cars, Radicals, TramsAM, you name it.

What really impressed me was the way he went about it. He was fast, but super clean. Passing so many cars is not easy when there is such a difference in handling characteristics etc, but in a season and a half or racing Tom only put one little scratch on the car and won the 2007 AMRS Thundersports Championship outright.

Drewer raced the car at Calder, Winton, Wakefield Park, Queensland Raceway and Oran Park with the same clinical efficiency

There was more opposition including the Saker, Prosport Mulsanne, and three more WESTS but it was Drewer that was getting on with business with race and rounds wins and more lap records.

In the meantime, Terry Little had gone from mentor to manager and had arranged for Drewer to have a one off Fujitsu V8 Supercar driver, and without him even having done a single practice lap he fronted for the Wakefield Park round last year.

He was running hard and strong for a total rookie until a smashed real wheel put him out of the points in the final race, but it had proved that the ‘kid’ could drive and this fact was displayed again when he won the AMRS V8 Giants round at Winton after putting the Gary Wilmington owned AU Falcon on pole.

After finishing the 2007 season as an AMRS champion, it was a case of what do next, and Drewer, Little and Steer looked at the USA.

‘I knew Tom had the talent and just as importantly the determination to make it as a driver, but there was no point trying to do the V8 thing in Australia without the proper funding.

The Americans were impressed with Tom’s speed and car feedback so we looked at placing him in the IMSA Lites Series’, Little said.

Greg Steer helped arrange a car in America and Tom was signed to drive with the PVM team that now is the constructor on WEST Race cars.

At the time of writing Tom has won all four rounds of the IMSA Lites L2 Championship winning both his races at Sebring in Florida and at Miller Motor Sport Park in Salt Lake City. He has also set new race records at both venues.

Tom Drewer recognizes he still has a long way to go, and funding is still a big problem.
Family, friends and supporters are supporting his 2008 USA season and following his success to date John Trimble and Daily Planet have come on board.

‘Speaking from Atlanta where he trains, helps prepare his car, and seeks sponsors and further drives, Drewer said his dream of becoming a professional race driver was ‘just that little bit nearer’.

‘The prototype American Le Mans teams know who I am now, and I have to get some tests in prototypes or head in the direction of Indycars through their Lites category.

It’s still a long way off, but I am having a go that would not have been possible without the AMRS Series, Terry Little, Greg Steer, and my dad. They have had the faith in me and I have had a lot of encouragement from people like Vern Schuppan and Murray Walker.

I will give it my very best shot, so watch this space’.