Team switch for McLennan as he prepares for home race in Queensland
Tom McLennan has joined Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) for the remaining rounds of the 2023 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia, with Round 4 to be run at Queensland Raceway this weekend.
The 18-year-old switches from McElrea Racing who have helped him sit ninth in the standings.
The Earl Bamber Motorsport drive will see McLennan compete in the final three rounds of the all-Porsche series at Queensland Raceway, The Bend and Mount Panorama, plus a series of testing opportunities in the new-generation Porsches 992s that EBM compete in Carrera Cup – the highest level of Porsche racing in Australia.
The change of team coincides with McLennan’s home round – Queensland Raceway near Ipswich. McLennan has enjoyed plenty of testing and racing at the 3.1km venue over the past few years, racing in Formula Ford, production cars and Porsche racing.
McLennan has secured one podium finish in 2023 (at Symmons Plains Raceway) and will be looking to use his local knowledge against some of the young stars of the Porsche series.
The fourth round will be held in conjunction with the Shannons SpeedSeries. All of the racing can be seen live and ad-break free on Stan Sport.
Practice starts on Friday, with qualifying and racing held on Saturday and Sunday.
Tom McLennan
#81 Earl Bamber Motorsport Porsche
“It will be great to start with EBM and I am excited to work with Earl Bamber, Ben Jenkins and the team,” said McLennan.
“EBM has extensive experience and success in Porsche and GT racing at all levels, here in Australia, Asia, Europe, and America. It’s a great fit for me.
“The car will be set-up differently, but I’m up for the challenge and ready to see how I stand.
“The team certainly has a clear direction with an eye to progress into the future, so I’m looking forward to seeing where we take this new partnership.
“I’ve done plenty of laps around Queensland Raceway, so I definitely know the track well.
“It will be a weekend for me to adjust and understand all of the new processes, but I’m really excited.
“I’d also like to thank the team at McElrea Racing for helping me in my first start in Porsches. They are a professional team and have made me raise my own game.”
Ben Jenkins
Team Manager, Earl Bamber Motorsport
“Having Tom join our team is a great addition to our EBM line-up,” said Jenkins.
“He has some strong results already in the Porsche category and we will be looking to build on that.
“Tom will compliment the young guys that we have in the team already. It’s an easier start for him, given that this is his home track. We won’t need to help him understand where the circuit goes.
“Of our drivers, he will be the most experienced driver for Queensland Raceway, so he’ll be handy to lean on.
“We’re looking forward to watching his development and moving him forward in his career, like we have done with many other drivers under the EBM stable.”