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June 1, 2021 | General

Kyle Gurton “pleasantly surprised” with Trans Am form

Kyle Gurton says he has been pleasantly surprised with his strong turn of speed in his debut season in the National Trans Am Series.

The 21-year-old Queenslander has been one of the stand-outs in the rapidly growing class, recording an impressive string of qualifying and race results, including five top five finishes and a third place overall at Phillip Island.

Gurton’s results have been incredibly consistent, with the only blot on his copy book coming at Mount Panorama where he endured two DNFs.

But more often than not, the Garage1 driver has been racing inside the top five, and he says the results have come as a surprise.

“We were aiming for top 10s at the start of the season, but once I got the hang of the car, and the team at Garage1 figured it out, we just took off,” said Gurton, currently ninth in the series standings after four rounds.

“We have refined the car and my driving, we are getting the most out of it and and we’ve been up the front.

“The best thing is that we’ve been consistently up the front, so it’s been a bit of a surprise, compared to our pre-season expectations.”

The former Formula Ford driver says that the transition into his first big racing class was due to the flourishing nature of the category that will soon see 30-plus cars at each event.

“We chose Trans Am because it was a category that was evolving quickly,” he said.

“We were looking for that raw, grassroots experience, and to be honest, it has probably exceeded where we thought it was going.

“And what isn’t there to like about them? Big V8 at the front, lots of grunt, H-pattern, four speed gearbox, and it’s got that good old stock car racing feel.

“Importantly, it’s the up to the team and the driver to get the most out of the car, so it is really rewarding in that regard.

“At the moment, there’s about five or six of us at the front who are all within a tenth of second, so it’s pretty even, and with the addition of more drivers like James Moffat coming in, it’s only going to get more competitive.”

Gurton says that he is likely to return to the class in 2022, with the aim to use the class as a cost-effective launch into Supercars.

“I’ll most likely do Trans Am again next year. I can’t see us doing anything else,” he said.

“We’re looking to progress into Supercars. That’s my end game, but this is a great way to get in a V8-powered car at a very cost-effective level. Everything is stock. Nothing is expensive. It’s the perfect class for myself at my age, and also for a wide range of other drivers at different points of their careers.”

The next round of the National Trans Am Series will be held at Morgan Park Raceway on June 25-27. CLICK HERE to secure your tickets.