Team 18 hosts next generation of motorsport minds

The next generation of motorsport minds have taken a behind the scenes look through Team 18's headquarters before they take on the world in October.

Students from Brighton Grammar's Ad Astra Racing team were invited to the Chevrolet homologation team's Melbourne base before they represent Australia at the STEM Racing World Finals in Singapore from October 3-8, alongside the Singapore Grand Prix.

Roughly 100 teams from over 50 countries will be competing against one another at the event, building small-scale Formula One-inspired cars powered by CO2. Teams are also responsible for branding, marketing, partnerships, and financial requirements.

Students got to see all aspects of Team 18 on their workshop visit, meeting with Team Principal Adrian Burgess, as well as staff from engineering, mechanical, partnerships, and communications departments.

Ad Astra Racing will also compete with the number 18 in Singapore, a coincidence that opened up the opportunity to visit the Charlie Schwerkolt-owned team.

Burgess was left impressed by how professional the team of Year 10 and 11 students were, and was proud to show off the many different pathways into Supercars.

“It was fantastic to welcome the students from Ad Astra Racing into Team 18 and learn more about what they have created," said Burgess.

“They were an incredibly professional group, particularly for their age. They arrived eager to learn, asked some excellent questions and were genuinely excited about their own program and the opportunities available within motorsport.

“When they reached out and told us they were team number 18 in the competition, we thought it was a pretty good fit and were more than happy to help them.

“Their program reflects many of the same elements we manage every day in Supercars. They need to design and build a fast car, but they also have to develop partnerships, manage a budget, market themselves and work together effectively as a team.

“I started in motorsport at a young age without knowing exactly what the pathway to the top looked like, so it was rewarding to show these students around our facility and introduce them to the different roles within the team.

“It’s important for young people to see what is possible and understand that there are many pathways into professional motorsport, whether that is through engineering, mechanics, management, commercial partnerships or communications."

Jack Tan, Ad Astra Racing Communications Director added: “Team 18 was incredibly generous in welcoming us to its headquarters and showing us around the workshop.

"Meeting the mechanics, Team Principal and other members of the organisation, and seeing how a professional motorsport team operates, was an incredibly rewarding experience.

“Our project is based around Formula 1, but for those of us who want to pursue careers in Australian motorsport, Supercars represents an exciting next step. Seeing the cars and the team at work helped us visualise what our own futures in the industry could look like.

“There are so many different roles within a race team. There are opportunities in management, engineering, partnerships and communications, while the workshop is filled with highly skilled mechanics and technicians. It showed us that there are many ways to build a career in motorsport.

“We feel very fortunate to have qualified for the World Finals, but it has taken an enormous amount of drive, motivation and passion from the entire team.

“We’ll compete against approximately 100 teams from more than 50 countries in Singapore. Australia has a strong record in the competition, so we’re hoping we can continue that and return to Team 18 with a trophy.”

Brighton Grammar won the 2025 event with Team Lunar, whilst Ad Astra reached the semi-finals. More information on their program, including how to support the program, can be found here.

Team 18 drivers Anton De Pasquale and David Reynolds are sixth and 15th in the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship ahead of the Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440 from August 21-23.