Rhys Gardiner

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**Rhys Gardiner**

Nationality	Australian
Year Joined	2014
First Race	2014 Masters Series 24 Hours of Le Mans
Series Entered	Masters Series, World GT, Atlantic Series
Current Team(s)	CSG Racing
Championships	{{{Championships}}}
Wins	{{{Wins}}}
Podiums	{{{Podiums}}}
Poles	{{{Poles}}}
Fastest Laps	{{{Fastest Laps}}}

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World GT Career (up to July 2015)
Debut Year	2015
Associated Teams	Aurora Motorsports
Races	3
Championships	0
Race Wins	0
Podium Finishes	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First Race	2015 Brazilian GT Cup

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Supercup Career (up to November 2013)
Debut Year	2011
Associated Teams	CSG Racing Synergetic Motorsports Racing Team Schroten Triple-Double Racing
Races	24
Championships	0
Race Wins	0
Podium Finishes	1
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	0
First Race	2011 Supercup Turkish Grand Prix

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Formula Challenge Career (up to November 2013)
Debut Year	2012
Associated Teams	Racing Team Schroten Hené
Races	18
Championships	0
Race Wins	0
Podium Finishes	2
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First Race	2012 Challenge British Grand Prix

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Masters Series Career (up to November 2013)
Debut Year	2011
Associated Teams	Racing Team Schroten Innervision
Races	10
Championships	0
Race Wins	0
Podium Finishes	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First Race	2011 Donington Masters

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World Sport Series Career (up to November 2013)
Debut Year	2012
Associated Teams	Racing Team Schroten SimInk Motorsports Midnight Motorsports
Races	15
Championships	0
Race Wins	0
Podium Finishes	3
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First Race	2012 Nordschleife Sport Series

Rhys Gardiner is an Australian sim racer currently competing in the GPVWC Independent series; for Aurora Motorsports in the 2015 World GT Series season and for Hinss Motorsport in the 2015 Atlantic Series season.

Early Life and other Sim Racing

Gardiner started life with a trauma injury right at birth. Rough treatment while being delivered resulted in the nerve connections to his right arm being severed. Though a corrective operation at 6 months old reconnected the nerves in a different spot, Gardiner never regained the full use of his right arm. To this effect, he races today with only his left hand on the steering wheel.

Gardiner did not spend his childhood around video games, car culture or auto racing, instead taking up his time with books, creative writing and drawing. He was first introduced to motor racing through Gran Turismo 3, which came bundled with his family's first console (a PlayStation 2) at Christmas 2005. Gardiner then became obsessed with cars and the racing of them, and after collecting many driving games for the PS2, desired the realistic experience on the PC. Gardiner's first PC racing sim was SimBin's RACE 07, purchased in February 2008. After acquiring his first wheel, he eventually entered the online racing sphere proper in July 2008, running club races at RaceDepartment. From then on Gardiner's sim racing scope and competitiveness expanded, and he now competes in many different leagues and disciplines in the Australian and European sim racing communities.

Career at GPVWC

Rhys Gardiner started his career at GPVWC when he was persuaded by fellow sim racer and friend Mike Bell to become part of the Smile Power Racing effort in the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, part of the 2014 Masters Series season. The team, which consisted of Gardiner, Bell, Jesper Nielsen and Fran Lopez (with Lewis McGlade on spotting duty and moral support), won the race. Though he only spent a comparatively short time driving in the race, the fact that he was part of the winning team gave Gardiner his first GPVWC win in only his first race.

Gardiner did not appear at GPVWC again for almost a year, his commitments in other leagues and sims taking priority. However, tempted by the fact that rFactor 2 was being used for the first time, he eventually decided to return to the GPVWC in mid-2015 with a drive in the newly-reformed World GT Series. After missing round 1 due to real life commitments, Gardiner made his full-time GPVWC debut at the 2015 Brazilian GT Cup, alongside Lewis McGlade at Aurora Motorsports. Suitably pleased by the driving experience of the Dallara DW12 Indycar, Gardiner decided at the last minute to also race in the new Atlantic Series, driving on his own for Thomas Hinss' team Hinss Motorsport.

Gardiner has met minor to moderate success in both of his current campaigns so far. With consistent top 10 finishes in World GT and a surge of form in Atlantic Series, he currently sits in the top 10 in the standings of both series.