Young trio aim high

Photo: Scott McLaughlin

It was a welcome sight at Pukekohe in the weekend, three young new drivers in the BNT V8s that are aiming for the top in Australasian motorsport.  All are competing for the first time in the series and each has the ambition to drive in the Australian V8 Supercar championship.  Each sees the NZ series as an important stepping stone and chance to gain vital experience from an extremely competitive domestic series.

Last weekend was the opening round of the BNT V8s at Pukekohe Park Raceway, Auckland.  Martin Short, William Bamber and Scott McLaughlin lined up on the grid for the first time in a NZV8.  Each with different experience, but all with a common vision.

While others on the grid either have V8 Supercar experience or aim to get there, these three are all still in their teens.

Currently living on the Gold Coast, Scott McLaughlin may be mistaken as an Australian and they may go on to claim him but he was born in Christchurch (NZ) in June 1993 and grew up in Hamilton.  At seventeen years old he works as an apprentice fabricator for some famous Kiwis in Australia at Stone Brothers Racing.

After competing in Formula Ford and MINI Challenge in Australia to gain his license for V8 Supercars he has already competed in three rounds of the 2010 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series – Queensland, Townsville and Bathurst.

Martin Short has jumped from Formula Ford (2009/10 NZ champion) straight into a V8 with the ultimate goal to drive a V8 Supercar.  At nineteen and also from Hamilton there has been no in-between race category as a stepping stone.  He knows what he wants and has aimed high.

William Bamber is the youngest of the three (but will be seventeen at the end of November) and comes out of the highly competitive Suzuki Swift Sport Cup (2009/10 NZ champion).   

His enthusiasm is tempered by his realisation that he has a massive learning curve to go through this season.

Impressive would be the word to describe their initial performance.  Short and McLaughlin both got into the top ten shoot out in qualifying finishing 16^th and 9^th respectively overall for the round with Bamber 12^th.

What is most striking is the very young talent now involved with the NZV8s that are aiming high.

Media: Benjamin Carrell; Photo: sportpromedia.com 11th Nov 10