Alex Gardner is savouring the opportunity of being at the helm of a national series following a remarkable beginning to his first year in Workhorse Radical Cup Australia.

The 16-year-old joined the category off the back of a fantastic run in the Ipswich Car Club go-karting scene last year, which was then followed by a memorable trip to Malaysia for the 2022 Ferrari Driver Academy Asia Pacific and Oceania Selection Program.

While the Radical series lead certainly wasn’t on his radar at the commencement of the 2023 season, Gardner has shown his worth through a handful of race wins across three rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park, Phillip Island and Queensland Raceway.

Tickets for Race Sydney can be purchased here

The impressive run of results has also seen the Queenslander bank two round wins along the way, leaving himself with a 61 point advantage over Jordan Oon as the series returns to Sydney as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries in November.

Gardner was thrilled to have endured so much success so far this year and enjoyed the experience of being atop of a national category.

“It has been an awesome year so far, having this many wins was unexpected but really good,” Gardner said.

“At the start of the year, our main goal was top five in the series with a few podiums here and there, so it's been good to be where I am and I can't thank the team enough.

“My team have helped so much, they have taught me basically everything with my driving and mentality, it's been very helpful.

“I won the Ipswich Car Club title last year and a couple of runner ups in club series, but I have never won a national title before.

“It is for sure a different feeling being up the front at a national level, but it is an absolutely awesome feeling.”

Ahead of the upcoming round at Race Sydney, Gardner looked forward to returning to a circuit he has competed at before and despite the series lead, will continue to treat the year as a learning opportunity.

“We had one round in Sydney to open the season, I'm hoping one of the main differences will be that I know the track and that I am a bit more familiar with the car,” Gardner explained.

“It should all come a bit more naturally to me, every track this year has been new for me except for Queensland Raceway, where I have done excels in the past.

“It is still a learning opportunity for me this year, I need to make sure I am driving consistently and stick to what the team says while working on both my skills behind the wheel and keeping my head intact.

“I am really excited to be part of the Shannons SpeedSeries in November, I was there helping the team with the GT3 at the Queensland round and that was a cool experience, so I can't wait.”

Race Sydney will be the fifth and final round of the 2023 Radical Cup season. However, before taking the track at Eastern Creek, the category will have one last hitout at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park as part of Shannons Trophy Series later this month.

Tickets for Race Sydney can be purchased here

Workhorse Radical Cup Australia will feature at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on 13-15 October as part of Shannons Trophy Series, before joining the Shannons SpeedSeries’ schedule at Sydney Motorsport Park on 3-4 November.