TA2 Grid Builds at Queensland Raceway
 "TA2 Grid Builds at Queensland Raceway")
Seton Commits to TA2 Muscle Cars
Aaron Seton will complete the remainder of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series, filling in for Craig Harris in the #88 Castrol Harris Racing Ford Mustang. The third generation racer subbed for Harris at the last round at the Muscle Car Masters at Sydney Motorsport Park, and has agreed to extend the arrangement to see out the 2018 season. The 19-year old has been identified as a rising star of the sport after picking up a Class B title in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge in 2015, as well as victories in the 2016 and 2018 editions of the Bathurst 12 Hour, firstly aboard a Class I MARC Ford Focus, then with the Class C BMW M4 GT4 alongside Matthew Brabham and Tony Longhurst. He was also a regular front runner in the first two seasons of the Toyota 86 Racing Series, picking up numerous podium results along the way. Seton praised the TA2 series as a valuable step on his way to reaching the Supercars Championship. “The TA2 cars are fantastic cars to drive and are a great stepping stone towards my goal of the Supercars Championship.” “I really enjoyed the Muscle Car Masters event and I can’t thank Craig Harris from Castrol Harris Racing enough for the opportunity to drive his car for the rest of the season.” One of the main players in bringing the TA2 category to Australia, Harris is thrilled to provide this opportunity to Seton, but plans to return to the seat in 2019. “I am pleased to give this opportunity to Aaron [Seton] because he is a very capable driver whose goal is to get into the Supercars Championship,” said Harris. “The TA2 category is one of the most exciting series out there and I feel this is a great stepping stone for him.” The Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series returns to action this weekend at Queensland Raceway for round four of their championship, with a further three events at Wakefield Park, Queensland Raceway and Sydney Motorsport Park to complete the season. On 276 points, Russell Wright leads the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series by 5 points over Hugh McAlister on 271, with Ashley Jarvis third on 264. |
USA Drive for Australian TA2 Muscle Car Champ
Performax TA2 Muscle Car racer Russell Wright will travel to the United States of America to compete in a round of the American Trans-Am Series at the Circuit of the Americas in November. The 2017 Australian TA2 Champion will race a Ford Mustang, prepared by Stevens-Miller Racing in the penultimate round of the 2018 Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli at the Austin, Texas circuit. This deal is a reciprocal arrangement with TA2 car constructer Howe Racing Enterprises, which follows two-time American TA2 champion Gar Robinson’s appearance in the Combined Sedans support races at the Bathurst 12 Hour in February, placing second in a field of 50 in a TA2-specification Dodge Challenger. Wright is looking forward to joining the American Trans-Am Series at an iconic circuit. “To say i’m excited about racing at this level in the USA is an understatement, albeit a bit daunting,” said Wright. “It’s truly bucket list stuff and i’m not getting any younger. I just hope I can get some reasonable results, at the least, not disgrace us Aussies, especially with a large Australian contingent hoping to support me at this event.” “In Australia we normally run short eight-lap sprint races, while the US championship race for over an hour, so i’ll need to work on my match fitness in the meantime.” “My major supporter RoadBees Transport have business affiliations in the USA, so it is great to bring them along with this partnership.” Series management has expressed plans to send an Australian driver to compete in a round of the US championship annually. “Russell will be very fast and a fitting representative for Australia, i’m sure he will surprise with his pace once he gets his head around the amazing F1 track in Austin,” explained Series Manager Craig Denyer. “Peter Robinson came up with the concept which is a fantastic initiative for the series, and our plan is to hopefully make this an annual opportunity for the winner each year, plus make it reciprocal for the US title holder. “Our series in Australia has really kicked on with 30 cars likely to be on track next year, proving yet again that V8 muscle cars still rule when it comes to giving the driver and fan a good bang-for-buck experience.” Round four of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series takes place at Queensland Raceway on June 23/24 for the Two Days of Thunder event. On 276 points, Wright current holds a five point margin over New South Welshman Hugh McAlister on 271, with Ashley Jarvis a further seven points behind on 264 after he clean swept round three at Sydney Motorsport Park. |
Jarvis Clean Sweeps Muscle Car Masters
 "Jarvis Clean Sweeps Muscle Car Masters")
TA2 Muscle Cars Set for Muscle Car Masters Debut
 "TA2 Muscle Cars Set for Muscle Car Masters Debut")
The Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series heads to Sydney Motorsport Park for their championship debut at the popular Australian Muscle Car Masters this weekend, June 8-10.
14-cars will line up for the first of two events at Sydney Motorsport Park this year, as the series welcomes former Touring Car Masters racer Dave Falvey to the grid in a Chevrolet Camaro, joining Don Dimitriadis to form a two-car line up for Thunder Road Racing Team Australia.
Third-generation racer Aaron Seton joins the series for a one-off appearance in the Castrol Harris Racing Ford Mustang. As previously reported, the son of two-time Australian Touring Car Champion Glenn Seton will fill in for regular driver Craig Harris who is unable to attend with personal commitments.
With three race wins out of the four on offer, RoadBees Transport Ford Mustang driver Russell Wright claimed the spoils at round two at Queensland Raceway, but it was New South Welshman Hugh McAlister who emerged with a one-point series lead over Wright.
Without a win so far in 2018, McAlister attributes his lead to a consistent run of strong performances in the early stage of the season.
“The way our points system works, if you have a bad result or a DNF it takes a long time to fight your way back to the front. The first two rounds I wasn’t the quickest, but managed to finish around the top three in all races so far,” explained McAlister.
“I had a few category wins at Sydney Motorsport Park last year when we raced with the Sports Sedans, so I am hoping that translates to some good results this weekend for the McAlister Motors Ford Mustang.”
Series Manager Craig Denyer sees the Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series as a perfect fit for the Muscle Car Masters event, as the category continues to experience strong sales.
“Sydney Motorsport Park celebrate the heritage of touring car racing in Australia very well with this event, and it’s great for our category to be a part of it,” said Denyer.
“TA2 is an evolution of Trans-Am racing, which fed into Australian touring car racing in the 60s and early 70s. Many of the improved touring cars raced by Bob Jane and the like in that era came directly from Trans-Am racing.
“There has been a lot of interest in the TA2 category over the past few months, so it will be great for our drivers to showcase modern muscle car racing at its best at Sydney Motorsport Park.”
This event marks the first points-paying weekend for the Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series at Sydney Motorsport Park, following a demonstration at the 2016 edition of the Muscle Car Masters and sporadic appearances in local Sports Sedan events. The series returns to Sydney Motorsport Park for the season finale on October 26-28 with the Australian Motor Racing Series.
Round three of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series will feature four races across two days of action on the Muscle Car Masters program.
Races three and four on Sunday will be shown live through Muscle Car Masters’ social media channels thanks to a live stream provided by Blend Line TV. A post-produced highlights show will feature free-to-air on ONE HD following the event.
ENTRY LIST
2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series - Round 3, Sydney Motorsport Park (NSW)
#2 - Don Dimitriadis (NSW), Ford Mustang - Thunder Road Racing Team Australia
#4 - Mark Crutcher (NSW), Chevrolet Camaro - Crutcher Developments
#5 - Ian McAlister (NSW), Ford Mustang - McAlister Motors/Performax
#6 - Hugh McAlister (NSW), Ford Mustang - McAlister Motors/Performax
#10 - Peter Robinson (QLD), Dodge Challenger - PBR Distributions/BStyled For Life
#14 - Cameron Sendall (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - PBR Distributions/BStyled For Life
#15 - David Falvey (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Thunder Road Racing Team Australia
#22 - Ashley Jarvis (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Lighthouse Electrical
#44 - Greg Willis (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Cross Torque Racing
#55 - Russell Wright (QLD), Ford Mustang - RoadBees Transport
#69 - Anthony Tenkate (QLD), Ford Mustang - Tenkate Plant Hire/Performax
#88 - Aaron Seton (QLD), Ford Mustang - Castrol Harris Racing
#92 - Scott Textor (QLD), Dodge Challenger - Textor Racing
#222 - Chad Cotton (ACT), Ford Mustang - Team Supreme Racing
ENDS
About TA2 Muscle Cars
TA2 is the current evolution of America’s Trans-Am Series catering for modern V8-powered Trans-Am muscle cars, as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger continue a rivalry that spans generations of race fans all over the world. Racing on an equal, cost-effective platform, the cars combine the prowess of a purpose-built space-frame Howe Racing Enterprises chassis and a controlled GM Motorsport engine package developing 525 horsepower that causes every head in the paddock to turn and take notice.
The TA2 muscle cars are available as a turn-key race car, ready to roll out on the grid and available for sale in Australia through PBR Distributions at Hillcrest, Queensland.
