YOUNG Mount Gambier racer Jobe Stewart is on a steep trajectory in his chosen sport of motor racing.
Stewart started in go karts before a chance to step up to a Toyota 86 race car under the guidance of none other than Erebus Motorsport, one of the top Supercars teams in the country.
He was signed up to the Erebus Academy, but from there his learning curve has taken a virtual stall, with the interruption to the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While it may have been a blow to the start of the young racer’s promising career, with the popularity of online racing he has managed to stay in touch with the team and continue to hone his skills alongside some of the best in the business.
Stewart recently found himself going toe-to-toe with the likes of reigning Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin and Shane Van Gisbergen at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, co-driving with Erebus driver Will Brown in a virtual endurance event.
It all sounds a bit surreal, with Stewart still holding a learner’s permit to drive on the road at just 16 years of age, but the quietly spoken racer seems to take it all in his stride.
His name has regularly popped up in the ranks of karting as one of the front runners in the region, but a connection to Erebus shifted his career into high gear.
“One of the guys who builds their cars (James White) comes from the Mount,” Stewart told The Border Watch this week.
“They wanted their car painted so came to dad’s work to get it done.”
Obviously Stewart’s talent did the rest of the talking and he soon found himself in the ideal seat, with the enormity of the situation not lost on young driver.
“Erebus are chipping in, giving me a bit of help with my racing,” he said.
“It is pretty big.”
From there Stewart said the guys from Erebus guided him towards the Toyota 86 series, a solid proving ground for young racers coming through the ranks.
He said it took a bit of getting used to a car, as opposed to a kart, but has enjoyed the challenge.
“So far I have done heaps of practice days at Tailem Bend, Winton and Sandown,” he said.
“At the start it was pretty different – I had to get used to how it moves around and the gears – but it did not take long to get used to.
“Looking at the times from previous race meetings I think I am around the top 10, so it is going pretty well so far.”
Once the coronavirus hit, motorsport, like virtually every other sport in the country, came to a halt.
However, the online gaming fraternity had the answer and Stewart found himself right in the mix.
An added bonus was Stewart had been competing in online racing for around four years, with an impressive Fanatec sim set up at home.
“I did the Erebus eSeries which was pretty good,” he said.
“That was just for kids from 13-18 who want to get into the eSeries racing.
“I also did a Matt Stone eSeries and a Speedcafe series.”
The Speedcafe.com GT3 ESeries saw Stewart claim back-to-back round victories.
The Bathurst experience saw the young racer team up with Brown in the ARG eSports Cup and look to hold up his end of the bargain.
Stewart said it was a strange experience talking to someone with so much experience in real-world racing.
“It was kind of weird talking to such a big name at the start, but he is a great bloke and I got to know him pretty well,” he said.
The Bathurst race was run over two hours, with an hour each behind the wheel.
Stewart said he was pleased with how the event panned out, despite being tangled up in a big accident.
“We were going not too bad, but were involved in a crash and ended up down the back,” he said.
“But we were up the front for a while, which was good.”
To dice with the likes of McLaughlin and Van Gisbergen was a different experience again.
“I did get in a dice with a few of those guys and it was pretty intense,” Stewart said.
“When you check who is in front and behind you it is pretty crazy, but they are pretty fair to race against.”
The track itself was something new to Stewart.
He said he has never been to the circuit as a spectator and was surprised by the layout.
“It is one of the more difficult tracks around,” Stewart said.
“It has some pretty fast corners and steep hills as well.
“It is kind of what you expect, but some of the hills are a bit steeper and it is a lot faster than you think.”
As for the opportunity with Erebus, Stewart said it was “pretty unbelievable”.
“It is pretty crazy,” he said.
“It is a great opportunity – most people do not have the opportunity.
“The experience those guys have is good to get onto.”
Stewart said he hopes to do the Toyota 86 series as an Erebus driver when physical racing returns, but until then will continue to push hard online.
“Without sim racing there is basically nothing to do,” he said.
“It helps keep in touch with racing to keep your skills up and it helps keep in touch with the Erebus guys as well.”
Long term Stewart has hopes of reaching what he considers the pinnacle of motorsport in Australia.
“I reckon the main goal is Supercars, but anything else would be pretty cool still,” he said.
