Kyle Evans to face off against Will Davison at Phillip Island this weekend – from his own home
He doesn’t even have a learner’s permit, but this up-and-coming teenage racer will go head-to-head with top V8 Supercar drivers at Australia’s famous racetracks – all from the comfort of his home.
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REDCLIFFE schoolboy Kyle Evans has qualified to compete against some of the best V8 Supercar drivers in the 2020 Australian Formula Ford E-Challenge.
The online race simulation will provide drivers a chance to race and fans something to watch while the motorsport industry is in shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kyle, 15, who is in Year 10 at St Patrick’s College Shorncliffe, has worked his way up to the Formula Ford category after starting go-karting as a junior.
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Kyle, who is still a few months away from being eligible for his learner’s permit, has been juggling practising on his simulator with his online school commitments.
The teen qualified for the new series after finishing 16th out of 31, in a trial round held last weekend.
Kyle said the simulator was very different to racing an actual car as you can’t feel the car.
“But it is the next best thing to being on the track,” he said.
The first round of the E-Series will be streamed live on Youtube this weekend.
Guest racers will take part in each round of the series – with former Australian Formula Ford Champions and Bathurst 1000 winner Will Davison and Nick Percat competing in Round 1 at Phillip Island.
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Kyle said he was looking forward to showing up the racing legends.
2020 AFFC category manager Iccy Harrington said he was really excited for round one this weekend.
“The interest in the series has been fantastic and we are expecting a full grid for Round 1,” he said.
“The competitors in the series are current and past Formula Ford drivers, a few internationals, past champions and some guest star appearances from Supercar and Porsche Carrera Cup drivers.
“It’s a great opportunity for our competitors to stay connected and have some fun while we can’t go racing on track.”
The E-Challenge will comprise five separate rounds:
Round 1: Sunday May 10 at Phillip Island
Round 2: Sunday May 24 at Laguna Seca
Round 3: Sunday June 7 at Barber Motorsport Park
Round 4: Sunday June 21 at Silverstone (NEW)
Round 5: Sunday July 5 at Bathurst Mount Panorama
All rounds will start at 4pm (EST) and will finish at around 6pm (EST).
The schedule for each round will be as follows:
Practice – 30 minutes
Qualifying – 20 minutes
Race 1 (based on qualifying) – 20 minutes
Race 2 warm-up – 10 minutes
Race 2 (reverse grid) – 20 minutes
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