Article appearing in the June 17 edition of Auto Action Magazine.
"Australian Prototype racer Tom Drewer had his first outing with Panoz Team PTG last week, testing the outfit's Esperante GT2 at Summit Point Raceway, West Virginia.
Drewer's test with the American Le Mans Series GT2 team was for experience at the wheel of a production-based sportscar..."
Click on image to read entire article.
Drewer tests for Panoz
Drewer tests GT2 Panoz. (Motorsport eNews)
Article appearing in the June 16 edition of Australia's Motorsport eNews publication.
"Aussie Sportscar hopeful Tom Drewer had his first taste of American Le Mans Series equipment recently, testing a Panoz Team PTG Esperante GT2 car at Summit Point Raceway in The States..."
"...Drewer is currently racing in the IMSA Lites 1 category in America, the feeder series for the ALMS. And he admits the GT2 test is a genuine indicator of where his career is heading..."
Click on the image to read entire article.
Drewer sets new Qualifying Lap Record, claims Pole and best results at New Jersey.
Young Australian Tom Drewer showed he has more than what it takes to run at the front of the premiere division of IMSA Lites at the Mazda Formula X weekend held at New Jersey’s Thunderbolt raceway near Millville, New Jersey USA.
Drewer, who won the 2008 IMSA Lites 2 Championship, proved he can match and beat the best of the Lites 1 category on Sunday as he set a new Qualifying Track Record around the 2.17 mile road course with the fastest Lites 1 lap of the weekend, 1 minute 15.327 seconds.
The nail biting half hour session saw drivers Lucas Downs, Kyle Marcelli, Joel Feinberg and Johnny Meriggi trade fastest times with Drewer until the Aussie nailed a blistering lap in his Daily Planet machine to take the coveted pole position by a mere .022 of a second, with the top seven cars all within less than .8 of a second apart.
“I knew we had found a much better setup in Saturday’s race but I just couldn’t utilise it, getting stuck behind Meriggi for most of the race.
So I just gave it everything today. I had the car on the edge for three laps in a row and dug ready deep. It was awesome to finally hear ‘P1’ on the radio in only my third race weekend of Lites 1.
The amazing thing was it wasn’t the perfect lap. I had a slight lock-up in turn 5 and that cost me a couple of tenths. I was likely on for a sub 1 minute 15 lap.”
After claiming pole Drewer, who finished 5th in Saturday’s Round 5 race, got off to a perfect start in Sunday’s Round 6 and dominated the first half of the race.
“Last year having class pole in Lites 2 usually meant starting mid-pack, so this was my first rolling start from the front of the grid since karting– we generally do standing starts in Australia.
It was a perfect start and although I had Lucas on the outside of turn 1 I controlled the corner and quickly found my rhythm.
It was fantastic to once again have nothing but clear track in front. The guys behind were pushing really hard but I just kept my head down and led, with a gap, right up to the full course yellow came out with around 20 minutes to go.
My car was starting to go off a little and I found it really difficult to keep the temperature in the tires with the pace car down to 35mph. Upon the restart I just couldn’t seem to find the same grip as in the first half of the race. It was a shame because I immediately slipped back to fourth. I continued to push hard to try and get back onto the podium but we just didn’t quite have the pace.
It was frustrating to finish lower than what we started but I’m really happy we led a lot of laps today. We are very close to podiums and wins now.”
It was the first time Drewer’s team, 2008 IMSA Lites 1 Championship winning Comprent Motor Sports, had led race laps since last year. Drewer’s fourth position is his best result so far in the 2009 IMSA Lites 1 season.
“I really must thank all the boys at Comprent Motor Sports, especially Kenny and Terry, for all their hard work this weekend. We are moving in the right direction and I can’t wait to further reward everyone who is allowing me to follow my dreams. A big thank you to John Trimble and the Daily Planet, Terry Little, all my supporters and friends back home, and my Mother and Father.”
Drewer and IMSA Lites presented by Frisby Performance Tire next head to Lime Rock, Connecticut for the North East Grand Prix, July 17-18, 2009.
Drewer gets Qualifying Record and Pole Position at New Jersey.
Tom Drewer has put his Daily Planet sponsored Comprent Motor Sports Elan DP-02 on pole position for this afternoon's race, Round 6 of the 2009 IMSA Lites Championship, at New Jersey Motorsport Park.
Drewer broke the circuit L1 qualifying lap record to take his first pole in the premiere division of IMSA Lites with a time of 1 minute 15.327 seconds.
The nail biting half hour session saw drivers Lucas Downs, Kyle Marcelli, Joel Feinberg and Johnny Meriggi trade fastest times with Drewer until the Aussie nailed a blistering lap to take the coveted pole position by a mere .022 of a second, with the top seven cars all within less than .8 of a second apart.
"This is fantastic. I just want to thank everyone who continues to make this possible- Daily Planet, John Trimble, my mother and father, all my friends and supporters back home who give up so much to make this possible. I'll be racing for you all this afternoon." This afternoon's race is 45 minutes long and begins at 12.05pm EST.
Drewer finishes 5th at New Jersey, in Round 5.
Australian Tom Drewer driving for Daily Planet has taken fifth place in Round 5 of the 2009 IMSA Lites Championship, at the “Mazda Formula X” weekend held at New Jersey Thunderbolt Motorsport Park, near Millville, New Jersey. Drewer started the race much lower on the grid than he expected after qualifying eighth. 
"We finished practice yesterday 4th in the timesheets, and therefore I was obviously a little disappointed with eighth in qualifying, although everyone is so close here. Another few hundreds of a second would have put me 5th on the grid."
Drewer started the race strongly, made up a couple of places off the start line and after passing his team-mate Jonathan Gore found himself behind Johnny Meriggi.
"It was an extremely tough race. We battled it out for around 30 minutes of the 45 minute race, probably a good 20 laps. I was faster than Johnny everywhere, turns 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, except for where it counted. I couldn't get the power down coming out of the last turn. I tried everything but I just couldn't feed in the throttle as quick as he could.
My car was much faster in a straight line, though and I would reel him in going into turn 1 but I was just never quite close enough to make the pass stick. I must have attempted to pass him a dozen times, but I just never had quite enough. So, I focused on pressuring him every lap, but to Johnny's credit he just didn't make a mistake. It was a great battle!"
Drewer will be back on track tomorrow at New Jersey for Round 6 of the 2009 IMSA Lites Championship presented by Frisby Performance Tire.
Drewer tests Panoz Team PTG American Le Mans Series GT2 car.
Young Australian driver, Tom Drewer, had his first taste of the American Le Mans Series GT2 category after being invited to test a Panoz Team PTG Esperante GT2 car at Summit Point raceway, located in West Virginia, USA.
The twenty four year old and 2008 Champion of IMSA Lites 2, the feeder category to the American Le Mans series, is committed to one day racing against the best in world sportscars at the famed annual Le Mans 24 Hour event, to be held in France this weekend, and feels GT2 is the next logical step in his career.
“2008 was my first year of motorsport in North America after winning the Australian Thundersports sportscar Championship and selling up everything to pursue my goals.
I had an amazing start to my international motor racing career, winning ten from twelve races in the Lites 2 junior prototype category and taking the 2008 Championship for Daily Planet and West Race Cars.
This year I have stepped up from Lites 2 to Lites 1 and am racing a Panoz build Elan DP-02 prototype for Comprent Motor Sports, but my main focus for 2009 is to make the transition from the feeder category to the main game.
I am so grateful to Tom Milner and Panoz Team PTG for giving me this opportunity.
I had driven a couple of V8 Supercar events in Australia prior to coming to America, so I am familiar with big horsepower tin-tops.
In fact the Panoz is pretty similar really. Both the V8 Supercars I drove and the Panoz have a high power Ford V8 in the front, with the Supercar having around a 100 more horses, however the Panoz is a little lighter and has more grip with the wider rubber and traction control. But I felt very at home once again inside a production-based sportscar, staring at a Motec dash (Australian Company) with a Ford V8 thumping away.
My main focus for the test was to get used to driving a production based sportscar again after driving high down-force junior prototypes. It was fantastic to be able to experience the team and level of their professional operation, and gain insight into GT2 from the likes of Dominik Farnbacher, Ian James, Tom Sutherland and Tommy Milner.
The guys were very encouraging and I was pleased they were impressed at my pace given the little time I spent in the seat. In a car and circuit I’d never seen before.
I nearly had a GT2 drive with another team at Sebring this year, but they ended up not entering. Now I’ve checked the first box, actually driving one. The next step is getting on the grid.”
Drewer is trying to follow in the footsteps of fellow South Australian Vern Schuppan, the only Australian ever to win Le Mans outright (Porsche, 1983), and the legendary David Brabham, who shared much success with Panoz in both the GT and Prototype categories and will attempt to win Le Mans outright this coming weekend with Peugeot.
Drewer will also be racing this weekend, in his Comprent Motor Sports, Daily Planet sponsored, Elan DP-02 prototype in two 45 minute sprint races for Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2009 IMSA Lites Championship to be held as part of the Mazda Formula X weekend at New Jersey Motorsport Park.
Drewer chasing a DREAM. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Article by Chris Starrs appearing in the Athens, Georgia USA based Athens Banner-Herald newspaper and onlineathens.com on Tuesday, May 26, 2009.
"Tom Drewer is a long way from his native Australia, but the up-and-coming race car driver is making himself right at home in Athens.
The 24-year-old, who grew up in a family of racers, sold everything he owned to move to America in 2008 to try and make his way on unfamiliar courses in an alien environment..."
"..."When I got here, I didn't know a soul and was all by myself," said Drewer, who hails from the South Australian town of Adelaide. "It's been a new experience and it's been amazing. Athens is a fantastic little town. It reminds me of some of the bigger country towns in Australia."
Drewer first set up shop in Buford and signed on with the West Race Car USA Team, winning the International Motor Sports Association's Lites 2 championship last year.
In addition, Drewer won 10 of 12 races he entered, including his maiden American run at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring event in Florida and his first Canadian race at the Mosport circuit. He also qualified on the pole 11 times and holds lap records at five North American tracks, including Road Atlanta.
His driving grabbed the attention of Athens' Kevin Kloepfer, who owns and operates Comprent Motor Sports, a full-service racing team that has piled up numerous awards in its 22 years of competition.
"Last year, Kevin and I had been eyeing each other a little bit," said Drewer in his unmistakable Aussie accent. "It seemed that we kept meeting in the winner's circle and as the year progressed, I became a viable option to move up to Lites 1. I'm trying to make the jump from semi-professional to someone who's paid to race on Sundays and Comprent is helping with my progress."
"We won the Lites 1 championship in 2008 and Tom won the Lites 2 championship with another team," said Kloepfer. "He wanted to be with somebody who knew cars and knew how to win. We talked a little bit and he wanted to move up from L1, and we were the next logical step."
Drewer races in Georgia-constructed junior prototype cars, which he terms as an "Indy car with a little more body work, essentially an open-wheel Formula car with extra bodywork over the wheels."
The cars - which are in the junior category to the famous LeMans Series - can top out at speeds of 160 mph and average some 115 mph on the circuit, which in most cases feature plenty of corner turns and chilling curves.
"Unlike NASCAR, we have corner turns in both directions," quips Drewer, who was mentored early in his career by three-time World Champion Nikki Lauda and has competed since an early age in karting, the South Australian Drivers Championship, the Australian Thundersports category and the V8 Giant Supercar Series.
He recently competed in the Utah Grand Prix, but Drewer hasn't had the same success in Lites 1 as he did a year ago.
"We've struggled a little bit but we're starting to see some results," said Kloepfer, who added most of his client drivers own their own cars, but he rents one to Drewer. "He's obviously on a tight budget and is doing what he can. He does an excellent job of promoting."
Added Drewer: "Racing is a lot different from something like golf or tennis. It's very challenging due to the role finances play. It's a big battle for any driver to find the financing he needs. It's a big investment and a big commitment.
"My mother and father are putting all their pay packets into racing and I sold everything to come here and pursue my dream. It's a tough sport - most of my time is spent trying to make the next deal to get to the next (race)."
While Drewer plans to continue participating in open-wheel races, he's not closing the door on competing in non-LeMans Circuit events.
"NASCAR is getting more interesting to Australians, and I'd love to at least try it one day," he said. "It's a different style of racing and a lot of the open-wheel drivers who have done it have struggled. It obviously takes a lot of skill. I'd also love to run the Indianapolis 500 as well. But right now I'd just like to see those styles of racing - the Daytona 500 is at the top of my list, just above the Indy 500.
"But my main goal is to emulate my fellow Australian drivers, like David Brabham, who's now racing in the American LeMans Series, (NASCAR Sprint Cup driver) Marcus Ambrose, and Vern Schuppan, the only Australian to win the 24 Hours of LeMans, which he did in a Porsche."
Besides family and friends, Drewer said the only thing he really misses from back home is the beach.
"I didn't realize how much time I spent at the beach until I got here," he said. "I miss the ocean and watching the dolphins play with each other. I like to go to Savannah and other towns on the coast so I can see a bit of the water"."
Brabs a Utah Saint [Utah AMLS report]. (Auto Action)
Article appearing in the May 25 edition of Auto Action Magazine.
"...Menwhile Tom Drewer was also competing at Miller Motorsports Park in rounds three and four of the IMSA Lites One series. Drewer recorded his first top six finish of the year with an impressive run..."
Click on image to read article.
Drewer scores first top-six for 2009.
Australian Tom Drewer has recorded his first top-six finish in the IMSA Lites 1 category at the American Le Mans Series Utah Grand Prix, held at Miller Motorsports Park.
Drewer pushed hard in Round 3 from 8th on the grid to move up through the field, at one stage lapping faster than the leaders, and looked set for a podium finish. However in his quest to reach the front the young Aussie began to over heat his tyres while rapidly catching his team mate, Jonathan Gore who went on to claim third. Drewer got within inches of Gore, but had extracted everything out of his Daily Planet Elan DP-02 and had to go into 'conservation mode' to bring it home.
In Round 4 after again starting 8th, Drewer struggled with car balance early on and lost track position. He battled with the car, which appeared to have little grip until the midway point of the race, when finally the chassis began to grip up. Drewer showed good pace in the second half of the race and caught 6th and 7th placed Marcelli and Gibson, passing Gibson with a lap and a half to go.
"I was pleased with yesterday's performance, but a little frustrated today. Overall we showed an improvement from Sebring and we're working hard on a few things that are keeping us from the front. I was really happy to see the team get a podium this weekend, and for my team-mate Jonathan. It shows we're heading in the right direction. Lites 1 is particularly competitive and I'm really happy to have had a top six finish in only my third race. A podium was nearly on the cards this weekend and I think that a win could be just around the corner if we continue to progress as we have."
Drewer's next race is at New Jersey Motorsports Park on June 13 and 14 for rounds 5 and 6 of the 2009 IMSA Lites Championship Presented by Frisby Performance Tire.
World's fastest Mother's Day card. (Utah Standard-Examiner)
Article by Chris J. Miller appearing in the Utah Standard-Examiner on Saturday, May 16, 2009.
"Although it's a week late, young Australian race car driver Tom Drewer is sending out his Mother's Day card.
And he's going to be quick about it.
Drewer had to spend last weekend away from home, preparing for this weekend's Utah Grand Prix.
He says his 'Mum' has always been supportive of his motor racing and he wanted to show her his appreciation..."
"...So he fastened his Mother's Day message to his racing helmet, which he'll be using in the 2009 IMSA Lites races at Miller Motorsports Park.
"When she sees it, I'll be doing around 160 miles per hour. I guess it's the world's fastest Mother's Day card," said Drewer who hopes for back-to-back Lites Championships for both himself and his Comprent team.
Qualifying and Race 1 is today, with Race 2 on Sunday, prior to the American Le Mans Series Utah Grand Prix later in the day.
For information, visit millermotorsportspark.com."
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