by Jaymie Hayman | Jan 28, 2024 | Uncategorized
It was a fairytale ending for Tom Hayman, who has come away with a first-place finish in his debut at The Mountain, at the Supercheap Bathurst International on the weekend. Hayman not only came away with a podium win on the Sunday, but also finished with a round win and ultimately finished fourth in the National Trans Am Series Championship Standings for the season.
Hayman rolled out for practice on Friday, and instantly felt comfortable on the track placing fourth and sixth respectively. Whilst a red flag intervention eight minutes into the qualifying session forced all entries into the pits, there would be only one more opportunity for a last flying lap before the session ended. A mature lap from the 19-year-old saw the #30 Ford Mustang qualify sixth ahead of the first race, an impressive result considering the lack of track time available throughout the session.
It was chaos in race 1 as multiple cars were involved in an incident on the run up The Mountain, which brought out a Safety Car and ultimately ended the session early. Hayman was able to pick up a position and crossed the chequered flag in fifth.
Race 2 was then declared a non-event after a two-lap incident involved a lengthy clean up and so the day was cut short.
A rolling start on the Sunday would kick off the final race of the season and Hayman was eager to cut some laps. Hayman managed to get a good start and was able to stay composed throughout the session, taking advantage of Moffat’s mechanical issues and ultimately claimed the lead. Hayman picked up his fourth race win for the season, a well-deserved victory for the privateer team.
“It was an absolutely awesome weekend – a dream come true really. It’s something that I have always dreamed about, to not only be able to race at Bathurst, but also win a race and also get the round win, so I’m stoked with what we have achieved,” said Hayman.
“We didn’t have the pace all weekend. A little bit of luck came into our hands, but as you know with motorsport, you need a lot of it.
“It was great to be able to finish the year on a high for the team and give them the results they deserve.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to all of our sponsors and supporters who have backed us this year. Without you all, we wouldn’t be here and I’m forever grateful for all of your help and support.
“I’m looking forward to a break, but also looking forward to getting back to it next year and hopefully going better again.”
Results
Friday 10th November
Practice 1 – 4th
Practice 2 – 6th
Saturday 11th November
Qualifying – 6th
Race 1 – 5th
Race 2 – declared non-event
Sunday 12th November
Race 3 – 1st
by Jaymie Hayman | Jan 28, 2024 | Uncategorized
Tom Hayman has had a challenging weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park and whilst it was evident that the car had plenty of speed, luck just wasn’t on Hayman’s side.
Practice was cut short for the privateer team after a mechanical failure forced the Mustang into the pits and ultimately put them on the back foot for qualifying.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best weekend. We had quite a bit of bad luck,” said Hayman.
“Practice we started off pretty well and had a bit of pace, but we only got five laps for the whole session due to a steering arm failure and a collapsed shock. With only five laps for the whole of practice, that set us back for qualifying a little.
“We managed to qualify seventh though, which we were pretty happy with. We knew we had pretty good race pace, so we were feeling pretty confident leading into the race.”
The Trans Am Series took to the grid for race 1 under lights and starting from the fourth row of the grid, Hayman was eager to push forward. However, a mistake from the Newcastle-born racer early in the race would see the 19-year-old playing recovery after going off track in the opening laps.
“I didn’t get off to a great start for the race; I put myself in the wrong position at Turn 3 and got pushed off the track into the gravel,” said Hayman.
“When we returned to the track, we were second last. We had really good car speed though and I managed to press on and push my way forward and crossed the line in ninth.”
Saturday was the final day of action, and Hayman would be starting race 2 from ninth. A slight miss of the lights at the start of the race saw Hayman slip back a few positions, before going into recovery mode again. The Mustang had plenty of speed and Hayman impressively worked through field to finish seventh.
“We started from ninth for Saturday’s race 2, which wasn’t too bad. However, a little mistake from myself and missing the start, after not being able to see the lights ultimately put me back into 14th position,” said Hayman.
“Our car showed really good speed again and we were able to fight back for seventh, which was really cool.”
A potential podium was on the cards for Hayman for race 3 who was battling with Tim Brook for the best part of 10 laps, however a mechanical failure would jeopardise what could have been.
“Our speed continued into Saturday, and we managed to fight our way up to fourth by lap 10. I had a really good battle with (Tim) Brook, which was lots of fun. With 3 laps to go, we were looking pretty good and had our eyes focused for a podium,” said Hayman.
“Unfortunately, going through Turn 1 we had a bit of a front-end failure, the upper ball joint collapsed itself and snapped the bolts, which sent me spearing off the track at 200km/hr which was pretty scary.
“It was very unfortunate as we were in a position to battle for a podium finish, but ended up having to retire the car in the end and so we didn’t get the finish.
“We started from the back of the grid for race 4 in 18th. But we just took it one lap by one lap and made sure we made the pass as quickly as possible and managed to climb up into P5, which I was really happy with.
“We had car speed all weekend; unfortunately, the end results didn’t quite reflect our true speed.
“A big thanks to all the crew for their efforts and fixing the car throughout the weekend and making sure I got back out onto the track for each session.”
With only a few days turn around, The National Trans Am Series head to Supercheap Auto Bathurst International for the season finale this weekend, 10 – 12 November.
“Obviously we have a quick turnaround going into Bathurst this weekend, with only a couple of days to prepare the car and we leave on Thursday,” said Hayman.
“Hopefully we have a better run at Bathurst and secure a good spot in the Championship and end the year on a high.
“Thank you to all of my sponsors and supporters for all your continued support as well.”
RESULTS:
Friday 3rd November
Practice 1 – 8th
Qualifying – 7th
Race 1 – 9th (13 laps)
Saturday 4th November
Race 2 – 7th (14 laps)
Race 3 – DNF
Race 4 – 5th (15 laps)
by Jaymie Hayman | Jan 28, 2024 | Uncategorized
Tom Hayman will make a return to Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend for the Shannons SpeedSeries International in the National Trans Am Series, 3-4 November. This weekend is the first stop of a double-header, as the Series then heads to Mount Panorama for the final round of the season just a week later.
In preparation for this weekend, Hayman competed at the Sydney circuit last month in the TA2 Series in a one-off appearance where he turned heads, placing an impressive second overall.
Friday will kick off the action, with practice, qualifying and the first night race at 7:55pm AEDT, with Saturday rounding out the weekend with two races; the final under lights at 5:40pm local time.
“It’s pretty special that we’re able to do back-to-back rounds to see out the year,” said Hayman.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to SMP this weekend. We had a lot of pace around there two weeks ago in the TA2 Series. It’ll be the same format again this weekend, (with the night racing), so it’s great that I’ve been able to have that experience and gain some kilometers under the belt.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to replicate the speed for this weekend.
“The night racing will be a great spectacle for all the supporters and hopefully we can put on a good show.”
The privateer entry is currently sitting fourth in the Championship standings and Hayman is confident they can finish the year on a high.
“I’m feeling pretty confident heading into this weekend,” said Hayman.
“Hopefully we can come out a bit further up in the Championship. I’m currently sitting fourth at the moment, about -40points behind the leader. I’m pretty confident that we can have a good round and at least hold our position going into Bathurst. Hopefully we have some luck on our side and we can put on a good show this weekend and maybe bag some extra points to round the year out inside the top three.
“As always, a big thank you to all the crew, sponsors and supporters. Racing wouldn’t be possible without you all.”
All the action from the weekend is viewable via the live, ad-free and on-demand Stan Sport broadcast.
Race Sydney tickets are available from www.motorsporttickets.com.au
The National Trans Am Series take to the track for practice 1 on Friday 3rd November at 2:20pm AEDT.
by Jaymie Hayman | Jan 28, 2024 | Uncategorized
Tom Hayman has enjoyed an impressive weekend at the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series, Round 5 at Sydney Motorsport Park. The series newcomer, who is usually a regular competitor in the National Trans-Am Series placed no lower than fifth across the two-day event.
The youngster came out firing, placing third and first respectively in the first two practice sessions. Hayman continued to turn heads qualifying third and ultimately, scoring a spot in the Top Ten Shootout. Times were close in the Shootout and the 19-year-old managed a 1:33.5720 to put him fifth in the first race, which would be under lights.
As the race unfolded, Hayman’s patience prevailed, and he was able to hang back and take passing opportunities as they arose. Contact between Josh Haynes and Cody Gillis helped to elevate Hayman’s position in the 10-lap race and he managed to finish an impressive third.
It was straight back into racing on Saturday with three races to round out the weekend, the final race to be under lights. Hayman continued his speed into Race 2, who had his eyes forward as he pushed the Di Pronto Concreting Mustang to its limits. Hayman managed to pass Dylan Thomas for second into Turn 2 on Lap 9, whilst also setting the fastest lap of the race on Lap 10, with a 1:35.7. Hayman crossed the line in an impressive second.
Several Safety Cars cut Race 3 short, with the field totaling 8 race laps. Hayman chased Cox for first position again, however; a final dash to the flag saw the #30 Ford Mustang cross the line in second.
Race 4 was a 15-lap thriller, with Hayman yet again hunting down Cox for the top position. The duo battled for the duration of the race; however Cox took the chequered flag by 2.3seconds.
“It was a great weekend. We had quite a lot of speed in the car, which we’re very happy with given we’re going there in the Trans-Am Series in two and a half weeks,” said Hayman.
“It was a very productive weekend. We tried a lot of changes in the car and we were able to extract some more speed out of it. We came second for the weekend, which was absolutely awesome.
“The atmosphere around the track was phenomenal and everyone in this new category is very welcoming. I had such a great time and we can’t thank everyone enough for that.
“We had some really good battles with Jordan Cox throughout the weekend and a few other drivers, they definitely kept me on my toes. It made for a challenging weekend, but hopefully I can carry the speed over to the Trans-Am Series at the end of this month.
“I’m glad I was able to experience the night races as it really helped to prep me for when we head back there in two-weeks time. We’ll be racing under lights again in the Trans-Am Series at SMP, so it was great to get a handle on it.
“I’ve never experienced racing at night and under lights like that before. It was pretty awesome and I absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to get back there and hopefully show some good speed as we head into the last two rounds of the championship.
“A big thank you to our sponsors and supporters for your continued support. We wouldn’t be able to do it without you all. It really means a lot.
“I’m looking forward to getting back on track again early November!”
Hayman will take to the track for the National Trans-Am Series at Sydney Motorsport Park 3-4 November, then returning one week later for the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International on 10-12 November.
Results
Friday 13th October
Practice 1 – 3rd
Practice 2 – 1st
Qualifying B – 3rd
Top Ten Shootout – 5th
Race 1 – 3rd
Saturday 14th October
Race 2 – 2nd
Race 3 – 2nd
Race 4 – 2nd
by Jaymie Hayman | Jan 28, 2024 | Uncategorized
Tom Hayman will be running in the Round 5 TA2 Muscle Car Series this weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park as a once-off opportunity. Hayman, usually a competitor in the TransAm Series, is using this weekend as a test before his usual category heads to the NSW track in November.
Hayman is currently sitting sixth in the TransAm Championship, with little points separating the top six; all competitors within 100 points of the series leader.
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend. It’s obviously a once off for us, we’re using it as a bit of a test round to get ready for our TransAm round at SMP in November,” said Hayman.
“I haven’t raced at Sydney Motorsport Park yet, so hopefully we can pull some good results there and ensure we learn what we can so that we’re as best prepared as possible when we head there in November.
“It’s a bit of a busy back end to the year for us, as we also head to Bathurst a week after the National TransAm Series at SMP.”
The youngster will be using this weekend to familiarise himself with the track, but also as an opportunity to race around this circuit under lights. The schedule for this weekend will feature two-night races, something Hayman is unfamiliar with, however; will come across again when he returns in his usual TransAm Series.
“Obviously, the layout of the track is quite tricky and I haven’t been here before, but I’m really looking forward to throwing one of these beasts around SMP in a race situation,” said Hayman.
“The schedule for this weekend is pretty busy. Two days of racing, starting off on Friday. There will also be two-night races and a top ten shootout, which is something I’m not used to, so I’m really looking forward to gaining some experience and learning as much as I can.
“I didn’t have a great round at Sandown last month, but we’ll be looking to find some speed in the car around SMP this weekend, so hopefully we can have a great run to put us in a good position to run there again in November and then of course – get us ready to head to Bathurst for the end of the season!
“As always, a big thanks to my crew and all my sponsors and everyone for backing me and helping me to get here. I wouldn’t be able to do it without you all. Let’s hope we can have a good weekend!”
The TA2 Muscle Car Series kicks off on Friday 13th October, with Practice 1 at 11:25am local time. Covering of the event can be livestreamed via the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/events/1382967632656218?ref=newsfeed as well as on Fox Sports and Kayo.
