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Aussie Tom Drewer to make international racing debut of new Mk6 VW GTI with APR
Australian racing star Tom Drewer, has been selected to drive in the historic international racing debut of the 6th generation Volkswagen GTI for the VW DriverGear supported APR Motorsport team.
Drewer will drive in Round 3 of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, a 2 hour 30 minute endurance race, at the Barber Motorsport Park, Alabama (April 8-10).
Held as part of the 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama the weekend Drewer will join fellow Australian’s Ryan Briscoe and Will Power to be yet another Aussie competing.
"I feel very honored to be given the responsibility of the world racing debut of the new Mk6 Volkswagen Golf GTI,” he said.
The race will also be Drewer’s first in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and his first for the Alabama based APR Motorsport, the competition arm of the highly regarded aftermarket performance product company APR.
“You could say I’ve been thrown into the deep end- there are many firsts this weekend. It will be the first race for the new VW Mk6 GTI, my first time with APR, my first race at Barber, and my first weekend in the
Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Hopefully we can add another first to the list by the end of the weekend.”
But while a rookie to series, Tom has no shortage of experience behind the wheel, or that of a Volkswagen. Prior to heading to North America Drewer sampled the high horsepower of the Australian Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series while also competing in light-weight high down-force prototypes as the factory driver for West Race Cars Australia.
Drewer won the 2007 Thundersports Sports Car Championship and was offered a drive by West in the American IMSA Prototype Lites Series, where he dominated the Lites 2 category winning 10 from 12 races and the 2008 Championship. Last year, 2009, Drewer competed in the Prototype Lites 1 category and successfully tested both the American Le Mans Series Challenge car (LMPC) and a Panoz GT2 car. However, it was in the beginning of his career when Drewer found his love for VW’s.
“I’m an absolute Volkswagen junkie, so it is a dream come true to be able to represent VW and APR. I think it all started because my father’s Australian Formula 2 racecar used a Golf engine. Back in Australia I even used to proudly wear the VW logo on top of my go-kart helmet because I love the ‘dub’ that much.
For my first road car I bought a Golf - a 1976 Mk1 - which my father and I worked pretty heavily, installing a 16v engine out of a later model GTI. I hill-climbed that car, and when it was time for my first true racing car we bought a Super Vee (VW powered open-wheeler), so I’m really going back to my roots this weekend.”
And that he is. To support his early racing Drewer worked for an Australian APR agent, German Auto, in South Australia. For the record, Drewer won the Under 2000cc Road Registered category at the 2001 South Australian Hillclimb Championships in his 1976 VW Golf Mk1, was 2002 South Australian Super Vee Rookie of the Year and the 2003 FVASA Super Vee Drivers’ Champion.
“I enjoyed great success in Volkswagens so I’m hoping I can continue the trend for APR and VW DriverGear in the new Mk6 GTI.”
Jeff Mishtawy, Director of Motorsport for APR, shared his sentiments on having Tom join the team, “I’m really proud to have signed him. Tom has driven such a large variety of cars and has so much experience; I’m looking forward to working with him on the car. Having a driver of his calibre providing feedback to a brand new car is an absolutely ideal situation, and I’m sure we’ll show that with our pace in April.”
Drewer’s APR VW Golf will run in what is known as the ST (Street Tuner) category competing against a field including Honda Civic SI, BMW 328i, Mazda MX-5, Mazda Rx-8, Kia Forte Koup, Chevrolet Cobalt SS, and Mini Cooper S.
Sharing the car with Drewer is APR Motorsport team principal Stephen Hooks. With both Drewer and Hooks behind the wheel it will be a historic debut for the Mk6 GTI as it’s taken on track by two drivers with a deep history with Volkswagen products.
Drewer summed it up; “My fist car was Golf, and so is my next. I’m returning to where it all began, behind the wheel of a Volkswagen GTI. I can’t wait!”
Australian racing star Tom Drewer, has been selected to drive in the historic international racing debut of the 6th generation Volkswagen GTI for the VW DriverGear supported APR Motorsport team.
Drewer will drive in Round 3 of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, a 2 hour 30 minute endurance race, at the Barber Motorsport Park, Alabama (April 8-10).
Held as part of the 2010 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama the weekend Drewer will join fellow Australian’s Ryan Briscoe and Will Power to be yet another Aussie competing.
"I feel very honored to be given the responsibility of the world racing debut of the new Mk6 Volkswagen Golf GTI,” he said.
The race will also be Drewer’s first in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and his first for the Alabama based APR Motorsport, the competition arm of the highly regarded aftermarket performance product company APR.
“You could say I’ve been thrown into the deep end- there are many firsts this weekend. It will be the first race for the new VW Mk6 GTI, my first time with APR, my first race at Barber, and my first weekend in the
Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Hopefully we can add another first to the list by the end of the weekend.”
But while a rookie to series, Tom has no shortage of experience behind the wheel, or that of a Volkswagen. Prior to heading to North America Drewer sampled the high horsepower of the Australian Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series while also competing in light-weight high down-force prototypes as the factory driver for West Race Cars Australia.
Drewer won the 2007 Thundersports Sports Car Championship and was offered a drive by West in the American IMSA Prototype Lites Series, where he dominated the Lites 2 category winning 10 from 12 races and the 2008 Championship. Last year, 2009, Drewer competed in the Prototype Lites 1 category and successfully tested both the American Le Mans Series Challenge car (LMPC) and a Panoz GT2 car. However, it was in the beginning of his career when Drewer found his love for VW’s.
“I’m an absolute Volkswagen junkie, so it is a dream come true to be able to represent VW and APR. I think it all started because my father’s Australian Formula 2 racecar used a Golf engine. Back in Australia I even used to proudly wear the VW logo on top of my go-kart helmet because I love the ‘dub’ that much.
For my first road car I bought a Golf - a 1976 Mk1 - which my father and I worked pretty heavily, installing a 16v engine out of a later model GTI. I hill-climbed that car, and when it was time for my first true racing car we bought a Super Vee (VW powered open-wheeler), so I’m really going back to my roots this weekend.”
And that he is. To support his early racing Drewer worked for an Australian APR agent, German Auto, in South Australia. For the record, Drewer won the Under 2000cc Road Registered category at the 2001 South Australian Hillclimb Championships in his 1976 VW Golf Mk1, was 2002 South Australian Super Vee Rookie of the Year and the 2003 FVASA Super Vee Drivers’ Champion.
“I enjoyed great success in Volkswagens so I’m hoping I can continue the trend for APR and VW DriverGear in the new Mk6 GTI.”
Jeff Mishtawy, Director of Motorsport for APR, shared his sentiments on having Tom join the team, “I’m really proud to have signed him. Tom has driven such a large variety of cars and has so much experience; I’m looking forward to working with him on the car. Having a driver of his calibre providing feedback to a brand new car is an absolutely ideal situation, and I’m sure we’ll show that with our pace in April.”
Drewer’s APR VW Golf will run in what is known as the ST (Street Tuner) category competing against a field including Honda Civic SI, BMW 328i, Mazda MX-5, Mazda Rx-8, Kia Forte Koup, Chevrolet Cobalt SS, and Mini Cooper S.
Sharing the car with Drewer is APR Motorsport team principal Stephen Hooks. With both Drewer and Hooks behind the wheel it will be a historic debut for the Mk6 GTI as it’s taken on track by two drivers with a deep history with Volkswagen products.
Drewer summed it up; “My fist car was Golf, and so is my next. I’m returning to where it all began, behind the wheel of a Volkswagen GTI. I can’t wait!”
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