Chinese born driver Jiawei Chen will make his national Australian debut this year as part of the upcoming Monochrome GT4 Australia with the South Australia-based driver locked in for a part time campaign.
Set to be behind the wheel of the BMW M4 GT4 F82 in the highly competitive Silver class, Chen will be under the stewardship of experienced Australian motorsport stalwart Dean Canto and his outfit Edge Motorsport.
Although Chen has yet to drive the car, he will complete some test days in the lead up to his official debut at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Towards the early stages of a promising motorsport career, Chen’s racing has solely been at state level in South Australia and in New South Wales having entered the Improved Production IPRA Bathurst Cup Under 2L class in a Honda Civic FD2 with his best result coming last year where he finished fifth.
It was during this stint where he worked with Dean for the first time, giving him the inspiration to join Monochrome GT4 Australia for this year as he continues to develop his career.
Before he made his general Australian debut in the IPRA Bathurst Cup, he also competed in China doing some track days and the 2024 Touring Car Sports Cup, but Monochrome GT4 Australia will be his first official season at a national level in Australia.
Chen will make his Monochrome GT4 Australia debut at this month’s LIQUI MOLY GT Festival Phillip Island at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on 27-29 March.
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Jiawei Chen
#222 Edge Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 F82
“It’s my first time racing in Monochrome GT4 Australia, so I’m really excited but also a little bit nervous. I haven’t driven the car yet, so it will all be new for me, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge,” Chen said.
“GT4 felt like the right next step for me. It’s a big jump from Improved Production, but the cars are well balanced and it’s still a relatively affordable category compared to GT3, so it made sense to try and progress my racing here.”
“This will be my first time competing against professional drivers in a national championship, so it’s definitely a new challenge, but that’s also what makes it exciting.”
“At this stage I’m planning to do three or four rounds this year, including Phillip Island, The Bend and Sydney Motorsport Park. Because it’s my first season in the category, I just want to learn as much as possible and focus on finishing the races.”
“Working with Dean Canto has been really helpful. He’s done a lot of work with me over the past couple of years, including helping build my Improved Production car, so I trust him and his experience. Having someone like Dean involved gives me a lot of confidence going into the season.”