The Tekworkx Motorsport outfit spent the day at Queensland Raceway as drivers and crew alike got reacclimatised to their machinery ahead of a busy season spread across multiple categories.
The team elected to run five cars during the day with three Toyota 86’s and two Porsche’s growing increasingly rapid around the track. Kai Allen (86), Rossi Johnson (86), George Miedecke (86), Luke Youlden (Porsche) and Rob Woods (Porsche) all got to experience their 2021 challengers. For Allen and Johnson, it was their first time in the Toyota 86, however both were aided by an excellent network of mentors and experienced personnel around the track.
“Today’s testing went fantastically, everyone’s working together as a cohesive unit and the experienced guys have stepped up superbly in aid of our two young guns,” said Woods.
“We didn’t put any pressure on Allen and Johnson which allowed them to settle and find a rhythm quite early on. By the end of the day, we were comfortable enough to fit a set of green tyres on the car and it was impressive the way both of them adapted and improved on the fresh rubber.”
The experience on the other side of the garage in both Toyota and Porsche machinery went a long way to helping the test run smoothly for the team with the knowledge and mentorship Youlden and 2018 Toyota 86 champion, Tim Brook brought with them.
“Miedecke will be in the 86 for the first round at Bathurst due to Allen’s young age so we had him out with us testing as well today. Having that sort of experience in the same machinery was invaluable in terms of data, giving us the opportunity to really analyse where he was gaining time on the younger drivers.”
“Getting Youlden settled was the first order of business on that car, he’s been everywhere and done everything, so it was just a case of making sure he felt right in the seat and then letting him go about business on track,” Woods said.
“I turned some laps as well in the other Porsche, which I’ll be running in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge. A lot of my focus was on the rest of the team and making sure everything was running smoothly but I still got more than enough running in and now along with the rest of the team it’s all eyes forward to round one for each category,” concluded Woods.
The Tekworkx Motorsport team will be spread across three categories in 2021, with a first appearance slated for the Toyota 86’s at Bathurst. The Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup series will get underway at Sandown while Woods is expected to join the Sprint Challenge for round two at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Schedule:
- Bathurst – February 26-28
- Winton – May 29-30
- Townsville – July 9-11
- SMP – August 20-22
- Bathurst – October 7-10
Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup Schedule:
- Sandown – March 20th – 21st
- The Bend – May 8th – 9th
- Townsville – July 9th – 11th
- SMP Night – August 20th – 22nd
- Perth – September 11th – 12th
- Bathurst – October 7th – 10th
- Auckland – November 6th – 7th
- Gold Coast – December 3rd – 5th
Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Schedule:
- Phillip Island – February 19th – 21st
- SMP – May 1st – 2nd
- Morgan Park – June 25th – 27th
- Sandown – September 10th – 12th
- Tailem Bend – October 15th – 17th
- Bathurst – TBC