Brown awarded Mike Kable Young Gun
Toowoomba teen Will Brown has joined some of Supercars’ biggest names as the winner of the Mike Kable Young Gun Award.
Brown, 19, starred in his debut Dunlop Super2 season with Eggleston Motorsport, coming agonisingly close to a maiden win in Newcastle on Sunday.
The Young Gun Award, which was implemented in 1999, recognises an outstanding first-year driver in either the main or second-tier series under 30 years of age.
Voted on by the media, previous winners include Marcos Ambrose (2001), Mark Winterbottom (2003), James Courtney (2006), Chaz Mostert (2011) and Scott McLaughlin (2013).
Brown accepted the award, which comes with a $15,000 prize cheque, at tonight’s Supercars Gala in Sydney.
He joined the Dunlop Series following a busy 2016 that saw him win the Australian Formula 4 Championship and Toyota 86 Racing Series.
Stepping up to Super2 in an ex-Triple Eight Holden, Brown looked immediately comfortable, scoring top six finishes in five of the season’s first six races.
He recorded a best qualifying of second on Sunday and Newcastle and led the race until suffering a mechanical failure in the closing stages.
That dropped him from sixth to ninth in the final standings, still well clear of fellow rookies Nathan Morcom, Brodie Kostecki, Mason Barbera and Jack Smith.
Brown, whose year included an Evaluation Day test with Triple Eight mid-season, will return to Super2 next year and hopes to secure a PIRTEK Enduro Cup co-drive.
“It’s pretty amazing to get this award,” said Brown upon accepting the award at the Gala.
“It’s been a pretty tough year learning the tracks and the drivers.
“It’s been like nothing else I’ve raced in before, the competitiveness and all that, it makes it tough to get a win
“I can’t thank my family enough for getting me here and the Eggleston Motorsport team, they’ve done a great job with the car all year.”
