Exton on his way

Marlborough karter William Exton’s bid to make it in the car racing world received a huge boost last week.

The 18-year-old won a three-way shoot-out at Hampton Downs and a cash prize of $37,500 towards his debut in the six-round Toyota 86 championship, which begins at Highlands Motorsport Park in January.

William graduated through the Hampton Downs NZ Racing Academy (HDNZRA) and was chosen for its annual shoot-out along with Cormac Murphy, 18, and youngster Tom Bewley, who has just turned 15.

“This morning we were told to minimise the mistakes and be as consistent as you can on lap times and that’s what I focused on all day instead of pushing that extra bit to try and get the extra few tenths out of the car,” he said.

The trio were tested in front of TQ Foundation Trustee’s Steve Horne and Josie Spillane with founder Tony Quinn joining on-line from Australia. For former Indycar team owner Horne, the competition to choose a winner was intense.

Exton is already committed to the Toyota 86 series and has driven his own car at two endurance events so far in the lead-up to the HDNZRA shoot-out. While that may have given him a slight edge it was his off-track evaluations that pushed the scoreboard in his favour.

“Tom was very impressive on the track, and the split between William and Tom was about half-a-tenth (of a second) in race speed but William just had a little more consistency, a bit more experience and was certainly the most commercially savvy among them,” said Horne.

“There age difference between them is nearly four years but Tom has got huge potential if he keeps on this path. By supporting both of them in the Toyota 86 championship they’ll be competing against each other and we can see how they go.”

Exton has no doubts about what is the best way to progress from karting to car racing. Last year’s Marlborough junior sportsman of the year, who heads to Portugal soon to represent New Zealand in the Rotax worlds, says the pathway via the HDNZRA is the best route for a young driver to make the switch.

“We think the 86 series is the best route, very close racing and with a good environment around it. The academy is the best place to start if you want to go car racing. Come to Hampton Downs and do a few rounds with Dan, he’s the one who pretty much taught me how to drive the ’86. They have a very good facility here,” added Exton.