CHARACTER-BUILDING is a phrase often used in sport when things aren’t going well.
Bayley Hall heard and felt it plenty last year, during a difficult rookie Porsche Carrera Cup Australia campaign in which he finished 19th and last in the Pro standings.
The Gold Coaster had been thrown in the deep end with powerhouse McElrea Racing after just two rounds in the second-tier Porsche Sprint Challenge and the learning curve proved steep.
Fast forward the best part of 12 months and it’s a different story altogether.
Now 20, Hall last month achieved his first and second Carrera Cup race wins at his home round in Surfers Paradise, becoming the seventh different round winner in as many events this year.
He’s now fifth in the standings and in with a chance to pinching third if all goes to plan next week in Adelaide.
“It’s crazy to think that one day I would win a Porsche Carrera Cup race but to win my very first one on my home streets around the Gold Coast, which is such a difficult track, that made the feeling twice as good,” Hall reflected to V8 Sleuth.
“It’s a big investment to try to make one of these careers happen and last year I had to learn seven of the eight tracks as we’re going around the calendar, plus I was trying to learn this new 992 Cup Car which to be completely honest, I had never been in such a fast car before.
“So there was a lot of firsts, a lot of lessons learnt the hard way, but then again as everyone says along the way, it’s character-building.
“Well, finally we got to that point where I feel like the character has been built and all the lessons have been learnt and now we can piece together a weekend from start to finish. That’s what it’s starting to feel like.”
What’s more is that his success has come in a remarkably strong field including past champions Fabian Coulthard, Alex Davison, David Wall and in recent rounds Harri Jones.
“It’s confidence-building for my career,” said Hall.
“It’s very important in this sport to have a benchmark, someone to compare yourself against to make sure you’re on the right track and I think Gold Coast was a great benchmark of where I’ve come from and where I’m going.”
And where exactly is he going?
“I think right now, the biggest plan is getting that championship,” he said, with reference to Carrera Cup Australia 2024, for which he is hunting sponsorship.
MORE: Full 2024 Carrera Cup Australia calendar
“That’s a massive dream and goal of mine, to have won a championship.
“We have done so much hard work to get to where we are today that I think the smartest thing to do is give the Carrera Cup championship one more crack, to try to get to the top step by the end of the year, and then work it all out from there.”
Under a revised Supercars system, a top three finish in Carrera Cup Australia equates to three of the six Super2 round starts required to be eligible to race in the main game.
Hall has been behind the wheel of a Gen3 Supercar, called upon for VCAT testing last off-season, but his dream is overseas.
“America’s IMSA GTD program is quite attractive and my goal for the last few years has been to one day race the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Hall, who made a couple of appearances in Carrera Cup North America this year.
“I really enjoy endurance racing and the GT style of racing and if I can keep working my way to an international career, I could always come back to Supercars. So that’s my plan.”
Adelaide is the final round of the 2023 Carrera Cup Australia season, on November 23-26.
