McRae makes impressive circuit racing debut

McRae, nephew of the late Colin McRae and son of former World Rally Championship competitor Alister, won the opportunity to race in the West Australian Formula 1000 series in a driver search programme last year.

The former karting ace made his series debut at Barbagallo Raceway last weekend, finishing third for the round despite a DNF in the first race.

That included the second quickest qualifying time, behind ex-Euroformula Open driver Jordan Oon, a fourth from the back of the grid in Race 2, and a second in the third and final race.

While the DNF may have cost him a shot at a debut round win, McRae reckons it was a good learning experience for his first round.

"Rolling out of the grid for my first warm-up lap in the F1000 was very nerve-racking, but the adrenaline rush was strong and I just wanted to get on the track and see those lights go out," he said.

"Coming from the back of the grid was definitely the best thing in terms of learning how to be smart while fighting your way back up to the front – but doing it fast at the same time.

"Overall I think the day was a big positive. I learnt more than I ever have in a race while going 110 per cent.

"At the end of the day I felt very proud of myself how calm I kept through the day and the pace I held up. It was awesome to end the weekend on such a positive and I'll be counting down until the next races with Arise Racing."

Oon won the round with a clean sweep, followed by Gianni Lutzu, who finished second to McRae in the driver search.

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