Posted: 5/12/2016
Cementing an outright championship victory, rising racer Will Brown has taken the win in the final race of the 2016 Toyota 86 Racing Series*, running in support of the Coates Hire Sydney 500.
18-year-old Brown led second place Canberra's Cameron Hill by over two seconds, with the third step going to New South Welshman Luke King.
With three wins at Bathurst, the Sydney win is Toowoomba native Brown's fifth consecutive victory, and his seventh in the series. His championship win sees him 164 points clear of second place Sydneysider David Sieders, with Cameron Hill narrowly third by 14 points.
The victory caps a phenomenally successful year of racing for Brown, who counts an Australian Formula 4 Championship and second in Australian Formula Ford among his 2016 achievements.
"It feels great!" said Brown. "The championship would have come down to winning the second race, but due to the crash we grabbed the win early... We got a good lead, and just maintained it."
Brown heads to the USA on Monday for a test in the US F2000 series, with the Supercars Dunlop Series and Porsche Carrera Cup in his sights for 2017.
"I can't thank everyone enough. Neal Bates has done such a great job this year. Brett Francis has prepped the car so well. Mum and dad, the whole family. It's been a great year in all the racing we've done. I can't thank the Toyota 86 Racing Series enough," said Brown.
Skirmishing to turn one with outside front row Cameron Hill, Brown controlled the race to the final flag. Second place in Race 15, Hill did his best to pressure Brown, striving for the last victory of the year.
"I thought maybe if I could put on some pressure he would crack, but he drove a really smart race. Congrats to him. He's had a really great year," said Hill.
*Results are provisional
The Toyota 86 Racing Series
The Toyota 86 Racing Series is designed to provide an entry point and training ground for up-and-coming drivers, offering a confirmed prize pool of $125,000.
Open to all manual variants of Toyota's cult-classic sports car*, the series is part of the support program at selected rounds of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.
In 2016 the Toyota 86 Racing Series has run over five events: May 20-22 (Winton SuperSprint), August 26-28 (Sydney Motorsport Park SuperSprint), September 16-18 (Sandown 500), October 6-9 (Bathurst 1000) and December 2-4 (Sydney 500).
For regular updates and more information go to www.toyota.com.au/86/racing-series.
Disclaimer:
* Must be Australian Design Rule (ADR) compliant, fitted with Neal Bates Motorsport mandatory race package, and equipped with Confederation of Australian Motorsport mandated safety equipment.