On the 1 st of August my brother, Christopher, and I, had an incredible experience driving the Jim Beam Racing Falcon for the day at Willowbank Raceway in Queensland .
The previous day had been spent looking at the DJR workshop premises which was an absolute eye-opener and would rate along with any of the best operations that I had seen overseas.
The test itself was a warm day and ideal track conditions for our evaluation. Will Davison, who is currently in 7 th position in the V8 Supercar Championship also attended the session and completed 10 laps in order to set a benchmark for the remainder of the day.
From the outset I was very impressed with the teams' professional attitude, even though the evaluation was for two rookie drivers. I was not sure what to expect and do admit to a small case of the nerves, as I had never tested a thoroughbred touring car like the Jim Beam Racing Falcon. With the assistance and advice from Will Davison and Adrian Burgess, and the great communication skills from the members of the team, it was sure to be a successful day.
My first stint was purely a warm-up and a chance to learn the car's handling characteristics. It was a great feeling to step into a car that was well balanced from the outset, and capable of racing in the top 5, having finished 4 th at the same track only one week earlier.
As the day progressed, the times continued to drop as I became more confident in the car. My younger brother, Christopher jumped in the car three times during the day, also doing very well considering his only racing experience being Formula Fords. This was a great opportunity to go through data, communicate with the engineers and mechanics, and understand the car a bit more.
Late in the afternoon I was becoming more and more consistent, and closer to the benchmark set by Will. In my final session I did my quickest time, only half a second off Will's time set in the morning, losing a few tenths in turns one and three. All in all, I was very pleased with my first outing in a V8 Supercar, having only ever driven open wheelers up to this time. Christopher considered it an amazing experience and opportunity to have driven a Supercar at only the age of 18, and only four Formula Ford race meetings under his belt. Finally, it was a great insight for both Christopher and Myself into the operations of a professional V8 team, and we both look forward to spending more time behind the wheel of one.
