Despite South Australian sport currently at a standstill, young Limestone Coast driver Jobe Stewart is racing harder than ever.

The 16-year-old has been pushing his virtual Penrite Racing Holden ZB Commodore against the country’s top iRacing talent in the Repco Supercars Pro Eseries.

Stewart has shown little nerves representing Erebus Motorsport as the youngest driver in the field of 25 which boasts the likes of Supercars stars Shane van Gisbergen, Brodie Kostecki, Zane Goddard and James Golding.

But it has been the usual sim racers who have led the way and Stewart sat in 14th position in the championship, 392 points behind series-leader Josh Rogers at the time of print.

Only one round remains in the six-week series with classic circuits Phillip Island and Interlagos slotted for the season finale next Tuesday.

Stewart said it had been an unreal experience so far and hoped to break into the top 10 on the standings before the final chequered flag was waved.

“It is definitely the highest level of sim racing I have competed in,” he said. “I have raced most of the drivers before, but to be racing for Erebus and seeing my name on the car is pretty cool.

“I was hoping to be somewhere around the top 10 and I am not far off it. “All it will take is a couple of good results and a few of the other guys ahead of me to get knocked out.”

Stewart has scored five top-10 race finishes and carries strong form into the back end of the season after an unforgettable campaign in the fourth round.

Racing on the fast and open oval at Michigan International Speedway, the young charger produced two impressive drives to claim a pair of dramatic podium finishes.

The first podium in race nine was particularly notable after he fell agonisingly short of a maiden win.

Stewart started in 19th position, but stayed out of trouble during the chaotic race and found himself racing amongst the leaders as the finish approached.

During the final lap, the Mount Gambier youngster suddenly found himself leading into the last corner after he sliced through the pack with a stunning move into turn three.

But the two Red Bull cars of Jarrad Filsell and van Gisbergen performed a bump draft to push themselves past Stewart and edge ahead of the Erebus driver by less than a tenth of a second.

Stewart said it was hard to contain his excitement during the roller-coaster ride. “I think we started somewhere near the back because qualifying is all about getting a draft and a slipstream which did not go to plan,” he said.

Throughout the race I just tried to keep my nose clean and make up as many positions as possible.

“Taking the lead in the last corner on the final lap was awesome and my heart was pumping.

“We just missed out in the end, but it was still pretty cool to get a podium.”

In the next race Stewart began the final lap in seventh, but positioned his car perfectly during the closing stages to finish fourth on the track and third on adjusted results.

His strong performances have not gone unnoticed at Erebus with team owners Betty Klimenko and Barry Ryan sending messages of support.

Former full-time Penrite Racing driver Anton De Pasquale has provided a helping hand, while Stewart teamed up with co-driver Kostecki when the latter drove a wildcard in the round at Bathurst.

Stewart said it had been great to receive support from members of the Supercars and Limestone Coast community.

“Anton helped a little bit, but when Brodie did the round at Bathurst he talked to us a lot and we were bouncing ideas back and forth,” he said.

“Most of the time I get messages from Barry, which is pretty exciting when you see the name on the phone. “I have also had a few people in town get in contact, which is great to see they care.”

The young Erebus Academy driver is not left completely on his own either, with a Penrite Racing team member also providing assistance as an engineer during the week.

With a sim-racing setup in the comfort of his own home, Stewart has been able to cut as many laps as he likes during lockdown.

He said he has put in many hours in the hot seat each day and will make sure he is in a good place to perform in next week’s season finale.

“The great thing about iRacing is you do not have to go anywhere and can just jump on whatever track you want,” Stewart said.

“I have done a fair bit at Brazil in a V8Supercar and I like that track, so I should not be too bad there.

“I have not done much at Phillip Island lately, but I will do as much practice as I can.”

Fans can cheer on Stewart on Fox Sports and Kayo from 8pm Tuesday night.