Sydney based British racer, Cam Walton wrapped up his rookie season in the Australian Toyota 86 Racing Series with a ninth-place finish in the championship.
Walton endured a difficult weekend in Newcastle after differential failure in practice before finding the limits of the tough street circuit in qualifying. The tough start to the event left him to start from the rear of the grid for the first race of the weekend on a track that is notoriously difficult to pass on.
The 26-year-old from Mid Sussex showed his fighting spirit and hustled his car through the highly competitive 32 car field to finish 17th in race one in pursuit of salvaging a good result for the weekend. Race two, while pushing his way towards the top ten, Walton made contact with a fellow competitor, putting both drivers out of the race. The incident saw Walton penalised, and he once again started the final race of the year from the rear of the grid before again fighting his way back up to finish 17th in the final race of the year.
“The team did an awesome job to get the car out in mint condition and capable of cutting through the field. I made my way through 14 cars in 10 laps to finish 17th” said Walton at the end of the weekend.
“Race 2 was going well. I was heading towards the top 10 when I was caught out by a fellow competitor moving under brakes into turn 10 as I went for a move. I made contact with the rear left wheel, putting us both out the race.”
Walton entered the last round with a mathematical chance at claiming the championship title in his rookie season and without the penalty would still have taken the top rookie position comfortably. While the result didn’t go his way in the final round, he is proud of what his team achieved on debut in the series and can’t thank his crew and supporters enough for making this season possible.
2018 was a monumental task for Walton, racing on the other side of the world from his friends and family. That said, earning the fastest lap at Bathurst, leading races at both Sandown and The Bend, as well as finishing on the podium at The Bend distinct highlights for the British driver.
“The team had to work harder this weekend than any this year to keep the car heading out in top form every session – I can’t thank them enough for that to at least give me a fighting chance of putting it up there.”
“The same too of my sponsors and supporters who were great to have mostly all there at Newcastle – it gets said far too much but it’s so true that I wouldn’t be here without them. Our season could well have ended after Tailem Bend or even the first round at Phillip Island without them all coming onboard at the right time so I have to thank them for everything we’ve achieved this year.”
“I’m incredibly proud of everyone and the team we’ve become throughout the year. Hopefully, we can put that to use somewhere in 2019 to keep moving on up. I think we’ve proved we can do it.”
Cam would once again like to thank all his supporters for assistance throughout the 2018 Toyota 86 Racing Series, including:
- DPO
- Flying Vinyl
- Old Skool Restos
- Greenthumb Lawn Treatment Service
- Pandamonium Racing
- Vektor Clothing
- Rogue Motorsport
