Of all the contestants entering the 2014 ADAC GT Masters, Nathan Morcom had the longest journey: the Farnbacher Racing squad member became the first Australian to compete in the ADAC GT Masters. For the 22-year-old from near Sydney, it wasn't just the series, the venues and the 500bhp Porsche 911 GT3 R that were unfamiliar territory but also Germany itself. For the duration of the season, Morcom was a lodger at the home of team manager Dominik Farnbacher, taking only one short trip back to New South Wales during the series summer break. It wasn't only the Super Sports Car League that made an impression on Morcom.

"The most hilarious moment during my time in Germany was undoubtedly the visit to the Oktoberfest in Munich on the weekend before the grand finale in Hockenheim - wearing traditional Lederhosen of course," says Morcom with a chuckle. But Morcom also had plenty of fun before the Oktoberfest. "Bavaria is a very beautiful part of the world. I played a few rounds of golf in Lichtenau, and for me, it was like being in the Garden of Eden. The people were really friendly and the food was very good. And we don't have anything to compare with towns like Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Australia either. I have German roots - my mother's family came over from Germany - and I met some of my relatives after the race at the Slovakia Ring for the first time, which was great."

On the sporting side, there were some positives and some negatives: "I wasn't completely satisfied, but I have to explain why. I had quite a lot to learn about the Porsche, and the tail-heavy design of the 911 didn't suit my driving style at first. I hadn't driven a GT3 sports car before, and my previous experience was of single-seater open-wheel racing. In Mario Farnbacher, I had a good team-mate who taught me a lot."

"Then you have the extremely high concentration of talent in the ADAC GT Masters. Despite my lack of GT experience, I've had the opportunity to compete against the big names in the business. This gives the series added spice. I enjoy pitting my wits against the likes of René Rast, Nicki Thiim and Tomas Enge, but it has to be said that they get to spend a lot more time in the car and have consequently accumulated a vast amount of experience. I'm not complaining about that, but it would be really great to get behind the wheel as much as they do. And in addition to the GT aces, you're also up against ex-Formula 1 drivers such as Markus Winkelhock or Jaime Alguersuari, which is also very special. This year, we even had a World Rally Champion in the shape of Sébastien Ogier. It was great competing against him on the Lausitzring. It was wet and slippery, and under those conditions, I was able to beat him. And all the while, I'd been thinking he would run rings around me."

Following a debut season in which Morcom finished among the points at Oschersleben, at the Red Bull Ring and at the Sachsenring, he now has his sights set on next year: "I really like GT racing in Europe and the setup in the ADAC GT Masters was excellent this year. My first season in a GT car was definitely a learning year. Now I'm looking forward to 2015."