Cheney and Smith Claim Breakthrough Wins in TA2 Season Opener

The 2026 TA2 Muscle Car Series has kicked off with two action packed races which has seen two first time winners climb to the top step with Tyler Cheney and Tommy Smith taking the honours in race one and race 2 at Shell V Power Motorsport Park Saturday March 14^th.

Cheney and Smith swapped the lead on multiple occasions while also fending off challenges from Joel Heinrich and returning driver Jackson Rice however it was Cheney that took advantage of a mistake by Smith to take the win from Rice, Heinrich and Super 2 driver Alice Buckley.

Race two proved to be an action packed affair as Smith, Cheney, Heinrich, and Buckley once again battled for supremacy with Smith eventually taking the honours ahead of a fast-finishing Heinrich and Cheney. After a close fought start, Smith, who has returned to Australia from racing in Europe and the USA got the jump into turn one as Cheney hung around the outside and the two went side by side through the sweeper with Smith eventually coming out on top.

Jackson Rice once again featured heavily in the Hi-Tec Oils Camaro but couldn’t quite close the gap despite multiple passing attempts.

Race two proved to be a bruising affair for multiple drivers with the TFH backed Thomas brothers, Clinton Rayner, Kiara Zabetakis and Ben Gomersall all suffering race ending damage.

All competitors get the opportunity for a re set Sunday morning with qualifying and another two races to finish off round one.

QUOTES

Tyler Cheney, Carlton Dry #38 Chev Camaro 
“It’s been a fantastic start to the weekend for me in the TA2 series. To secure my first pole position in qualifying this morning and then follow it up with my first race win was a great result. Race two was a tough one, but I was able to hold on for third.”

“As it’s my first full season in the series, I’m really excited to have a strong crack at the championship. Hopefully we can carry this momentum into tomorrow and deliver another strong result.”

Joel Heinrich, Osborne Transport #16 Ford Mustang 
“I’m super stoked to be racing in the TA2 Series this year, and it’s pretty special to have round one at my home track here at The Bend Motorsport Park. It’s exciting to step into a new series with new challenges, and I’ve really been enjoying the experience so far.” 

“I’ve learnt a lot already and it’s been a solid start to the weekend. Our qualifying pace wasn’t quite where we wanted it to be, but our race pace was strong, which helped us secure a podium in the second race today. A huge thanks to the team for their hard work, I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow.”

Tommy Smith, SCT Logistics #116 Chev Camaro 
“Day one here at The Bend is done and it’s been a really good day for me. I finished second in race one and then was able to take my first win in race two. To be honest, it was a little unexpected, especially after practice where we were eighth, but we managed to put together a really strong lap in qualifying and built momentum from there. A huge thank you to the guys at Matt Stone Racing for all their hard work. Hopefully we can keep it up tomorrow.”