There are a lot of talented young drivers within every state of Australia, all of whom have the hopes of one day becoming a professional racer.
And as far as Tasmanian Callum Bishop is concerned, he is certainly on the right track after winning the Burson Future Star Award and the Link Rookie Perpetual Trophy during the Tasmanian Motorsport Australia State Awards, presented by Burson Auto Parts earlier this year.
Just like the awards night, it was a busy year for Bishop in 2019, with the 16-year-old having full seasons in the state’s Formula Vee and karting series – both of which he took out top honours in.
Despite having such a solid record last year, Bishop was still shocked when his name was called out on both occasions during the state’s awards night
“It was a huge honour to receive two awards on that one night, especially with how prestigious they both are,’ Bishop said.
“I didn’t know what to feel when my name was called out both times. It was all very special to me to get such huge awards. Originally, I didn’t know I was even nominated so to find out that I won on the night was a big surprise.
“I am very grateful to Noel Clarke, my step dad, my mum and the AWC Motorsport academy for all the support throughout my career so far.
“The awards will certainly help my progress in the coming years. I think it’s great for potential sponsors to also see that I won the awards, it could help me build up my career, as well as getting gigs.”
Photo: Angryman Photography
Having taken a somewhat traditional pathway into motorsport, Bishop is no stranger to proving himself on the racetrack, with nine years spent in karting before making a switch over to Formula Vee.
First getting involved through his stepdad, it took some time of building up his experience and skill in karting before he had his first taste of success in 2014 with a state title.
Two years later, he finished second place in the national series’ Junior Max Trophy division before recording his breakout season last year with another state series victory.
In the same year, Bishop took out the Formula Vee 1200 state series on just his first attempt, making 2019 a very productive year for the budding racer.
However, with the current season on hold and Bishop’s plans also on hold as a result, the Tasmanian was hopeful of continuing his rise up the ranks to becoming a professional once racing restarted.
“I went to formula Vee because of the similar styles and the cost. It was a good starting point for my race car career,” Bishop explained.
“Last year was definitely a breakout year for me because I got a majority of best results and I wrapped up both series one week after the other. It was a busy fortnight.
“I was planning to run the Formula Vee national series and the Formula Vee Tasmania series this year, as well as a few rounds in the Aussie Racing Cars Series, but unfortunately those plans are on hold for the moment. I will just have to wait until we can go racing again and take it from there.
“The goal would be to race in the Asian GT Championships one day, or even Supercars here in Australia. Somewhere along the lines of tin top cars, I would like to one day make a living in motorsport.”