by Jaymie Hayman | Jun 4, 2024 | Uncategorized
Tom Hayman has walked away from round 2 of the Monochrome GT4 Series as Championship leader after a successful weekend at the Shell V-Power Motorsport circuit.
The young gun and his teammate Marcos Flack came out firing for Friday’s practice sessions, finishing fifth and 1st respectively.
The duo continued the speed into Saturday, where it mattered most and qualified in fifth and pole; setting themselves up well ahead of the races.
An impressive first place finish for Saturday’s race 1 gave the Method Motorsport crew bragging rights, which followed into Sunday’s race 2 with another podium and second place finish.
Hayman reviews the weekend:
“It was a huge weekend!” declared Hayman.
“We had a good start to the weekend, the car rolled out pretty fast. It was obviously quite wet in the few of the practice sessions which made it difficult to get a good read. But we tried to use what we had previously learnt to give us a good qualifying car. However, with the cold conditions, we struggled to turn the tyre on a lot with such a light car.
“We qualified 5th for race 1 and then we left the warm tyres on for my qualifying session as they were back-to-back qualifying sessions, and I was able to put it on pole. So, that was an awesome achievement for me, and I’m glad I gave the team a good result.
“We went into race 1 from there and we started off fifth and we were running quite strong – around 2nd or 3rd and as the pit window opened, we pitted for driver change. The car felt mega while I was in it and I’m so pleased that we were able to bring it home for a race win.
“It was awesome for the team to get that result, after it went begging at Phillip Island, so it was a big relief.
“We were confident heading into race 2. We started alongside the Mustang which is very difficult to drag off the line so, we dropped back to third in the opening laps and struggled to get past the Porsche (our teammate), and so we made the call to sit comfortably behind them.
“My stint was tough. A Safety Car ended up coming out halfway through and I ended up running my stint a bit longer than we had originally planned towards the end of pit window. So, I was able to get some clean air and open up a good gap to the other cars. We had that extra 15seconds in our pit stop that we carried over from the day before, which was a bit tough – but we ended up working with it and managed to come away with second place!
“The mustang received a rule breach on Saturday, so that put us in the Championship lead.
“Can’t wait to head to Queensland Raceway in just over a month’s time and heading there in the Championship lead is even better.
“A big thanks to all of my sponsors and supporters for your continued support. It means a lot and I wouldn’t be here without you all.”
The Monochrome GT4 Australia next head to Queensland Raceway for round 3, August 2 – 4.
Results
Friday 31st May
Practice 1 – 5th
Practice 2 – 1st
Saturday 1st June
Qualifying (Race 1) – 5th
Qualifying (Race 2) – 1st
Race 1 – 1st
Sunday 2nd June
Race 2 – 2nd
by Jaymie Hayman | May 29, 2024 | Uncategorized
Round two of the Monochrome GT4 Australia will kick off at Tailem Bend this weekend as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries event and young gun, Tom Hayman will be looking to continue his form from the first round at Phillip Island.
The Newcastle born and raised racer will again pilot the #25 McLaren Artura GT4 alongside Markos Flack for Method Motorsport, the Queensland based race team spearheaded by Supercar driver, Chaz Mostert.
A strong field of 18 cars will complete this weekend’s line up and so with plenty of star power to look out for, it’ll be an action-packed event.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back into the McLaren with Method Motorsport this weekend,” said Hayman.
“I’m excited to be heading to The Bend, it’ll be my first time at this track and so I’m looking forward to heading there and learning the circuit.”
Hayman also added the West configuration will provide plenty of action and most likely is a circuit that most other drivers also haven’t driven before.
“It’ll be a bit of a different layout to the Supercars, as we’ll be doing the shorter track. So, after Turn 5 instead of going left around the hair pin and over the back, we keep going straight and into a right hander,” said Hayman.
“It’ll be quite a quick lap – around 1 minute. So, it’ll certainly be some good racing and of course with the pit stops and driver changes, it adds another level to racing where strategy and trying to outsmart your opponents will be a big factor.
Hayman and Flack left the Phillip Island round with some silverware and an impressive second-place podium finish – a notable achievement on Hayman’s debut. Adding to that, the duo also didn’t place lower than fourth across the entire weekend and so there’s no doubt that the Method Motorsport entry will be looking to replicate, if not go one better this weekend.
“We’ll be pushing hard to replicate our results from Phillip Island and of course looking to contest for the lead in the championship. Myself and Marcos are confident that we’ll be able to do that this weekend,” said Hayman.
This weekend will see two practice sessions on Friday, followed by two qualifying sessions and the first race on Saturday, with the final 1-hour races to round out the weekend on Sunday.
“There are two one-hour races on both the Saturday and Sunday. Saturday will be a pretty big day and of course we’ll be looking to qualify well to put ourselves in a good position ahead of the races,” said Hayman.
“All in all, I’m looking forward to getting back into the McLaren! It’s an absolute dream car to drive. Hopefully we have a good weekend and continue to contend for the championship lead.”
This weekend’s action will be broadcast live and free on 7plus across the weekend. Check your local guides for exact timing.
by Jaymie Hayman | Apr 24, 2024 | Uncategorized
Tom Hayman made his mark in the opening round of the TA2 Muscle Car Series at Sydney Motorsport Park on the weekend.
The young gun took out third place in race 1, and just missed out on a podium opportunity in Saturday’s race 3.
Here’s what Hayman had to say about the weekend:
“It was a challenging weekend at SMP,” said Hayman.
“We showed some great car speed, which is something we knew we could do. But unfortunately, we kept having mechanical failures – which keeps occurring even though it’s on parts that we’ve been working on and have replaced. So, it was frustrating; we’ll be working hard and getting them all checked out.
“Given the circumstances though, we still managed to come away with some pretty decent results. We qualified in third, with the potential to challenge for pole position however, a mistake from my end on my qualifying lap jeopardised that.
“Race 1 was a pretty stagnant race, we ended up finishing third with only 4-seconds between second and third place.
“From there, the weekend started to go downhill. Race 2 we had a gearbox linkage drama, so we ended up getting stuck in gear again. So, we’ll be looking into that issue and hopefully getting it replaced.
“Race 3, I started dead last in 18th. The car was really quick though and it was only an 8-lap race and I was able to get to P4 which I was absolutely stoked with! I managed to pick up 14 spots in 8 laps and was able to gain eight of them in the first lap, so that was pretty epic.
“That would have had to of been one of the most fun races I’ve done, charging through the back of the field like that. So, it was awesome to get that result.
“Obviously due to having issues in race 2 and coming from the back in the third race (and being a short race) – we still had two fresh tyres left for the last race. Everyone else had used theirs. So, we were pumped up for the race.
“We were starting from fourth and within the first 2 laps we were up to second. Unfortunately, on lap 3 or 4 we had a tyre rod failure and it collapsed into the front left corner coming out of Turn 1, which is one of the fastest spots on the track. So, that was pretty scary. It was also the same failure that we had at the same spot last year. So, it was a bit disappointing to have that happen again.
“We were definitely on for the race win there.
“But it is what it is. Hopefully we have some better luck at the next round!
“A big thanks to everyone for your support! Catch you all soon!”
Tom is set to next race at The Bend Motorsport Park, May 31- June 2. Stay tuned for more updates!
Results
Friday 19th April
Practice 1 – 2nd
Practice 2 – 4th
Qualifying – 3rd
Race 1 – 3rd
Saturday 20th April
Race 2 – 18th
Race 3 – 4th
Race 4 – DNF
by Jaymie Hayman | Apr 17, 2024 | Uncategorized
Tom Hayman has come away with a second-place podium finish on his debut of the Monochrome GT4 Australia Series at Phillip Island last weekend.
Hayman shared the wheel with Marcos Flack, the duo driving the new McLaren Artura GT4 under Method Motorsport, spearheaded by Supercars driver, Chaz Mostert.
The pair didn’t place lower than fourth across the entire weekend, a notable accomplishment. Saturday saw both drivers compete in their individual qualifying session, where they both finished third respectively.
Starting from the second row of the grid for both races, Hayman and Flack had an impressive first round, taking out second place across both races.
Here’s what Hayman had to say after the weekend:
“We had a really great weekend at Phillip Island,” said Hayman.
“We had two really good results for the Championship, coming home in second place in both races – so I’m wrapped with that.
“We started the weekend off pretty strong. In practice we were in the top five. As we headed into qualifying it was a bit tricky, as it started off wet and then came dry for my session. Marcus qualified the car for race 1 and qualified us for race 2, which we both finished up in P3.
“Race 1 we had quite good pace. Unfortunately, the session got shortened back to 40-mintutes though, rather than an hour. Marcus started the race and got a really good start. He handed it over to me in a good position, but we didn’t quite have enough to hold on and settle into first place – the Miedecke Mustang just had too much power.
“Race 2 we showed that we can absolutely keep up with the Mustang though and we drove the McLaren as hard as we could. I was able to stay with the Lubrimaxx Ford Mustang at the start of the race and handed it over to Marcus, who was able to come out in front of the Mustang after the pit stop.
“Unfortunately though, the pit timer gave us a faulty reading. The pit stop must be 120 seconds from the start of pitlane to the end, and so we got a drive through penalty for that error, but we were still able to come out in second place as we had a big enough gap, which was really lucky.
“I’m stoked with our first weekend in the Monochrome GT4 Series and looking forward to pushing harder again for the next round!
“A big thanks to Method Motorsport for all their effort on the weekend and also to all of my supporters and sponsors, it means a lot!”
Round 2 of the Monochrome GT4 Australia next heads to The Bend 31 May – 2 June.
There’s no rest for Hayman though, who will head to Sydney this weekend for round 1 of the TA2 Racing Muscle Car Series with his #30 Ford Mustang TransAm at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Catch all the action with live primetime coverage on SBS on Friday and Saturday night, April 19-20, simulcast on Fox Sports and Kayo.
Results
Friday 12th April
Practice 1 – 4th
Practice 2 – 3rd
Saturday 13th April
Qualifying 1 (Flack) – 3rd
Qualifying 2 (Hayman) – 3rd
Race 1 – 2nd
Sunday 14th April
Race 2 – 2nd
by Jaymie Hayman | Mar 19, 2024 | Uncategorized
Whilst round 2 of the Trico Trans Am Series didn’t quite go to plan for Tom Hayman; with multiple mechanical issues impacting the #30 Di Prinzio Mustang’s pace; there’s no taking away from the 19-year-old his grit and determination.
There were hopes that Symmons Plains Raceway would boast some much-anticipated championship points, but unfortunately Hayman’s pace didn’t quite reflect the results.
Saturday’s qualifying session looked promising with the young racer finishing tenth with only 0:00.6408 to the leader.
Competition was fierce, and despite the field being packed with numerous high profile drivers including James Golding, James Moffat, Tim Slade and Todd Hazlewood – Hayman pushed hard, ultimately crossing the line in 11th for race 1.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the weekend we were hoping for,” said Hayman.
“We had great pace, but unfortunately didn’t have anything to show for it.
“We qualified 10th and managed to pick up a few positions for race 1; but we just couldn’t get through to the pointy end of the grid.”
Unfortunately, a shifter failure caused dramas for Hayman in race 2 ultimately putting him at the rear of the grid ahead of race 3.
“We experienced a shifter issue in race 2, which was a shame – so we struggled to be able to give it a good crack. That obviously put us at the back of the field, which made it real tough for race 3,” said Hayman.
“We were fighting quite a few mechanical issues over the weekend; brake issues, over heating issues and obviously the shifter – so it wasn’t an ideal weekend.”
Sunday showed promising signs though, with Hayman fighting hard to charge his way to finish 11th in race 3 and 12th in the final race.
“I was glad that I was able to fight my way through the pack for race 3,” said Hayman.
“Whilst I would have preferred to have qualified further up the field to have a better chance – I think we can take some positives away from the weekend.
“Although we didn’t quite get the results we were hoping for, we certainly had a much better weekend than we did at Sandown.
“We’ll re-group and go again for Phillip Island in a month’s time.”
The Trico Trans Am Series next take on Phillip Island April 12-14.
Friday 15th March
Practice 1 – 13th
Practice 2 – 12th
Saturday 16th March
Qualified – 10th
Race 1 – 11th
Race 2 – 20th
Sunday 17th March
Race 3 – 11th
Race 4 – 12th
by Jaymie Hayman | Mar 15, 2024 | Uncategorized
Tom Hayman will be looking to redeem himself this weekend at round 2 of the National Trans Am Series in Tasmania, after a mechanical failure forced the #30 entry to retire early in the opening round at Sandown.
A conrod bolt was the culprit of seizing Hayman’s engine, spinning the Di Prinzio Concreting Ford Mustang entry off the track and ultimately ending the family-backed team’s weekend early.
“We had a pretty ordinary weekend at Sandown,” said Hayman.
“But, that’s behind us now and the car has been stripped and rebuilt and is ready to go for this weekend in Tassie!
“I’m really looking forward to getting back out there and giving it a good crack. A big thanks to all of my sponsors and supporters for sticking with me through the highs and lows of what is motorsport!”
Hayman’s last event at Symmons Plains Raceway was an impressive performance, with the young gun punching above his weight where he qualified inside the top 10 and finished fourth in Race 3.
“We were last at Tasmania as newcomers in the AWC Race, so we were a bit behind the eight ball. However, we worked hard and managed to qualify inside the top 10,” said Hayman.
“Race 2 wasn’t a highlight, as I had a shunt. But, we were able to bounce back in Race 3 and came back to finish fourth which was pretty cool.
“I’m confident that we can have a solid run this weekend and hopefully redeem some points back!
“Symmons Plains Raceway is a pretty cool track, it’s hard on the brakes and the banking at the hairpin gives you an opportunity to overtake. With a total of 7 corners, the back straight is the second passing opportunity, so it’ll be a pretty intense weekend.”
The Trico Trans Am Series hit the track on Friday 15th March at 10:30am local time for practice 1. View the track schedule here – https://www.speedseries.com.au/racetasmania/schedule/
Live coverage of the action will be on 7plus and 7mate throughout the weekend. Make sure to check your local guides for exact times.
