Competing in his first full season of the European-based World Supersport Challenge, YART-Yamaha rider Tom Edwards has turned heads on the international stage with standout performances highlighted by a P4 outright qualifying result at Catalunya this year. The Australian is currently second in the 2023 WorldSSP Challenge standings and has a unique dynamic of working for his Austrian-based team five days a week as a mechanic. He shares his Fast Thoughts on a variety of topics in our latest feature.

Image: Supplied.

The ride coming together with YART-Yamaha in the World Supersport Challenge… 

It basically came about at the end of 2021. I had no idea who YART was, obviously, I had heard about them from Endurance because Parkesy [Broc Parkes] raced for them for years. Before I knew it, I had a test organised in February and I jumped on a plane over to Spain and did a test for them on a 600. I went really quick at the test, this was the start of 2022, and then they invited me back for a few wildcards. I came back in April for the Assen wildcard and then got chatting with them at the track and said I was a mechanic and stuff. It worked out that I came over for Assen and I stayed for the rest of the year and just did heaps of training with them and I worked five days a week in the workshop, and then I set myself up for a ride with them this year.

Working during the week for the team you race with…

I think it’s something… The team are helping me a lot with the ride and stuff. It’s something that wouldn’t happen if I was to come over last year and just take advantage of the opportunities they gave me. I really worked super hard and I have been this year as well which I think Mandy [Kainz] who owns the team really appreciates, and it goes a long way for him seeing me put that effort in. I got my visa because I am working here, I moved myself and my wife over here and now we are living here full time.

That standout weekend at Catalunya… 

Barcelona was actually a circuit that I rode once before on the 300, in 2019 or something. I didn’t have very much experience there, but I don’t know, I just really clicked with the track there, it was really nice and fast and flowing – I normally get on with those sorts of tracks. I just felt really comfortable to be fast straight away. My team is a completely new team to Supersport, and this is the first season they have done of the European championship, so we don’t have any data or anything to go off. Every race we are improving so much and taking so much back from that. Just to get those first couple of race nerves off and get some data and kind of have a starting point on Friday, that was the main difference.

Image: Supplied.

Potential Endurance pathway…

Endurance is definitely something that I am looking forward to in the future, and something I do want to do. But I think for now, my main focus is getting a Supersport ride for next year and having a proper crack at the full championship and pursuing that way for now. But yeah, Endurance is definitely something I would be keen on for the future.

The incentive of winning the WorldSSP Challenge… 

If you win it, it’s not like a guaranteed spot [in WorldSSP or other world championship category] but it pretty much is. Dorna like to bounce off good stories, and that is one that if you win that challenge, they want to keep you in the series. You look at so many of the WorldSBK or WorldSSP riders, many of them have won the European Challenge. I think Toprak [Razgatlioglu] won it in whatever year, and if you flick back a number of Superbike riders started in the European championship or how they used to do the stock class [Superstock 1000 and Superstock 600]. I’m in second at the moment and I was really close before Donington, but that is my main rival Tom Both-Amos’ home track so he did really well and gapped me a fair bit in the points. We’ve got a few tracks coming up, Most we got to test at last week [at the IDM Supersport Championship round], which I don’t think he has been to a lot. I think the second half of the season we can claw back some points and we are still in with a good shot at it.

Prospect of returning to Australia for a cameo appearance this year… 

For me, I would love to come back and do The Bend for sure. But my main focus is just to think about this whole Supersport thing and just organise something for next year. Also depending on when testing is for next year, if I do the full World Supersport campaign, which is the plan, then normally you have some testing in December or even the start of January in Europe. If that was the case, I don’t think I would come back for The Bend because I would have to come back in the end of January or whenever it is for the Phillip Island test. I would love to do The Bend, but we will wait and see.