by Jaymie Hayman | Feb 20, 2024 | Uncategorized
Photos by: MTR Images
Tom Hayman has come away with an impressive second place finish in the GT4 class and 18th overall at the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour on the weekend. Part of a two-car entry under newly established team, Method Motorsport; Hayman and drivers Elliot Schutte and Tom McLennan managed to steer the #230 McLaren GT4 to victory.
A field of 30 cars, made up of a wealth of experience and talent; kept Hayman on his toes and offered him the experience of a lifetime.
Friday was all about practice and the #230 entry made the most of the six practice sessions, getting familiar with the car and adjusting set up options. The trio managed to qualify 27th on Saturday ahead of the big race and then crossed the line in 18th overall and second place in the GT4 class.
“Wow!” said Hayman.
“What an absolutely fantastic weekend. It was such a great experience, and I can’t thank the crew at Method Motorsport enough for their mammoth efforts to not only get the car prepped and ready ahead of the 12 Hour, but also for their efforts across the entire weekend. It was such an honor to drive for such a professionally ran team.
“I’m still pinching myself and can’t believe that we came away with a podium result. It’s certainly a memory I’ll never forget. I learnt so much and can now tick off my first 12 Hour!
“In the race, I just tried to make sure to keep my head down and stay out of trouble. With such a long race, I knew it was important that we just kept the car clean and tried to stay out of trouble.
“It certainly was an experience having pit stops and driver changes, an opportunity that I’m grateful for and will take so much from.
“A big thanks to all of my sponsors and also my supporters and those that were able to come and watch track side and support me too. It means a lot.
“My focus is now on Tassie, as we get set for round 2 of the Trans Am Series in a few weeks’ time!”
The Trans Am Series heads to Symmons Plains Raceway for Round 2 of the Shannons SpeedSeries, March 15-17.
Results
Friday 16th February
Practice 1 (All drivers) – 30th
Practice 2 (Bronze drivers only) – 21st
Practice 3 (All drivers) – 29th
Practice 4 (Bronze drivers only) – 19th
Saturday 17th February
Practice 5 (All drivers) – 29th
Practice 6 (All drivers) – 26th
Qualifying – 27th
Sunday 18th February
Race – 18th overall, 2nd in class
by Jaymie Hayman | Feb 12, 2024 | Uncategorized
It was an unfortunate end to Tom Hayman’s first round of the Trans Am Series at Sandown Raceway on the weekend after a mechanical failure forced the #30 Mustang to withdraw from the round after Race 1.
The young racer came out of the gates fast and finished 3rd for the first practice session, with only 0.9s separating the top twelve. A change in setup ahead of practice 3 saw the #30 Mustang drop some positions, ultimately finishing 9th.
“We had quite a bit of bad luck over the weekend,” said Hayman.
“We started off relatively ok, we were third in the first practice session which was great. We went the wrong way with set up ahead of practice 3 and unfortunately went backwards.”
Saturday’s qualifying session was another tight battle, with Hayman crossing the line in 11th.
“We weren’t quite up the pointy end of the field for qualifying. But, we were still pretty happy with 11th considering the talent of the field and how close it was,” said Hayman.
“We found a bit of an issue with the car after qualifying with the throttle cable, it was a bit loose and it only had about three quarters of throttle. We managed to fix that though, and we were pretty confident heading into the first race.
“Unfortunately, it just got worse from there. From lap 4, we lunched a motor and the conrod bolt snapped and it was pretty much a knock-on effect from there. The motor seized and spun me around. There wasn’t much we could do and we decided to end the weekend and get it back to the workshop to repair and ready in time for Tassie.
“We’ll bounce back and be better in Tassie!
“A big thanks to all of my sponsors and supporters. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to the Bathurst 12 Hour this weekend!”
Round 2 of the Shannons SpeedSeries takes place at Symmons Plains, March 15-17.
Results
Friday 9th February
Practice 1 – 3rd
Practice 2 – 9th
Saturday 10th February
Qualifying – 11th
Race 1 – DNF
Race 2 – NA
Sunday 11th February
Race 3 – NA
by Jaymie Hayman | Feb 8, 2024 | Uncategorized
After an impressive maiden year in the National Trans Am Series last year, Tom Hayman is set to make a return ahead of the first round this weekend, set to kick off at Sandown Raceway as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries.
The young, rising star has had a busy offseason, as the privateer team have been hands on; preparing the car ahead of what’s set to be a demanding season.
“We had a pretty busy ‘break’,” admitted Hayman.
“It’s been all hands-on deck, getting the car ready for another season. I’m really looking forward to it though.
“Considering it was our first year in the Series last year, I’m stoked with how we finished (fourth in the Championship). So, I’m hoping we can have another really good crack this year.”
Furthermore, Hayman has been busy prepping for the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour – after the announcement that he would be driving for the newly established team, Method Motorsport in a McLaren GT4.
“Last week we also had a test day in the McLaren ahead of the 12 Hour, which went really well. Chaz and the team at Method Motorsport have been really welcoming and they’re such a professionally run team – I cannot wait to hit the track next week,” said Hayman.
Hayman has also secured a new sponsor for the season, Polaris Marine Group; whose capabilities include marine infrastructure, bridge and wharf construction, piling, crane barge hire and more. Their logo will feature on the rear quarter of the #30 Mustang for the 2024 season.
“A big thank you and welcome to Steve and the guys at Polaris Marine Group. I’m very grateful to have their support for the season, here’s hoping we have a good year,” said Hayman.
“Support from sponsors like Polaris Marine Group make it possible to race and so I’m forever thankful. I look forward to leveraging the partnership and building a solid relationship with the crew there.”
The season opener of the Shannons SpeedSeries is set to kick off on Friday 9th February at Sandown Raceway.
“I’ve been to Sandown before and have had a pretty good run. Obviously, there’s some new and big names set to take the field this year, so it’s certainly going to be interesting,” said Hayman.
“I have full confidence in the car that we have, and I’ll be pushing hard from Round One!”
The National Trans Am Series will be broadcast live and free via Seven, with racing to form part of the 7Plus stream, while select races will be shown on free-to-air on the Seven Network.
by Jaymie Hayman | Feb 7, 2024 | Uncategorized
An opportunity of a lifetime has been offered to emerging Australian racing talent Tom Hayman to compete in the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour. Hayman will compete under a newly established McLaren GT team, Method Motorsport, spearheaded by Walkinshaw Andretti United Supercar driver Chaz Mostert.
Mostert has joined forces with Guy McEntyre to form the new team, which will field two McLaren GT4 cars; one of which Hayman will pilot at the 2024 Bathurst 12 Hour.
Hayman, who finished fourth in the 2023 National Trans AM Series is undoubtably looking forward to the opportunity.
“It’s awesome to be able to let the cat out of the bag,” admitted Hayman.
“This opportunity for me is something that I’ve only dreamt of. I still remember the feeling I had when I got the phone call to say I’ll be racing in the 12 Hour. To also be running under Chaz and his team, Method Motorsport is really cool and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity.”
Hayman debuted at Mt Panorama in the final round of the Trans Am Series last year, finishing with an impressive first-place in Sunday’s race and placed no lower than sixth across the weekend, whilst also finishing the weekend with a round win.
“I raced at Bathurst for the first-time last year and we had a really good weekend actually,” said Hayman.
“I’m glad that I have some track experience under my belt, but I’m really looking forward to hitting the track in the GT, where there will still be plenty of learning to be done.
“I can’t thank Chaz enough for this opportunity and I’m very excited to be able to get to the event and experience it as a driver.”
Co-owner, Chaz Mostert is equally excited to have Hayman join the team for the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour.
“To have someone like Tom joining the team is massive news for us,” said Mostert.
“We watched the Trans Am Series closely last year and it was impressive to see Tom charge to the front throughout the season. We were most impressed with Tom’s last round of the season, where he scored a race win on his debut at The Mountain, that was excellent!
“Tom has a great attitude and is fast on the track, so we knew we needed to get him involved with Method Motorsport. As a new team looking to take on Mt Panorama, it’s refreshing to have a mix of knowledge and youth on the team and so I’m really looking forward to having Tom and his family join us for the 12 Hour.”
Co-drivers will be announced in the coming weeks, with the Repco Bathurst 12 Hour set to kick off 16-18 February.
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)
