A strong 41 car field of TA2 cars are set to tackle the Mount Panorama Circuit this weekend, divided between the Trico Trans Am Series and the TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series Presented by Maritimo Luxury Yachts, the action will unfold from April 18-20 as part of the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour event. 

Following a thrilling Round one at Winton Motor Raceway, Road Active Suspension Chevrolet Camaro driver Jarrod Hughes heads into Round two leading the championship by 14 points over  Ben Gomersall who sits 43 points in front of Hi-Tec Oils driver Brad Gartner, who will sadly be absent from this weekend. 

20 year old Super 2 rookie Ayrton Hodson will make his TA2 Muscle Car Series debut this weekend in the Mustang formerly driven by TA2 Category Manager Matt MacKelden, arriving with momentum after claiming third overall in a TA2 Mustang in the NZ Super V8 class at Round three of the Supercars Championship at Taupo last weekend.

Dodge Challenger driver Hayden Jackson had a tough run at round one with constant mechanical issues, but is looking for better luck this weekend as he takes on double duties driving a Mazda RX8 in the 6 Hour production car enduro. 

High school students Kiara Zabetakis and Diesel Thomas will hit the track for the first time at Bathurst, with Zabetakis approaching the round with a fresh mindset after a challenging opener at Winton Raceway, and Thomas, the youngest driver in the field at just 16 years old, arrives with strong momentum following an impressive performance at the season opener that earned him the Rookie of the Round Award.

IES Motorsport driver Graham Cheney currently leads the Circo Master Class ahead of speedway legend Robbie Farr, who will be making his first appearance at the mountain this weekend. 

Warren Wadley makes his long-awaited return to the series back in the #88 Wadley Property Group Ford Mustang for the first time since 2022, while Aaron Prosser also returns in the #91 Security of Supply Group Ford Mustang.

Series regulars Josh Thomas, Des Collier, Mark Crutcher, Paul Hadley, Michael Coulter and Josh Webster will all return this weekend for round two.

The weekend schedule will kick off with one practice session on Friday, followed by two 15 minute qualifying sessions on Saturday morning which will set the grid for Race One at 1:05pm, with Race Two on Sunday morning at 9:55am. 

Saturday and Sunday’s action can be watched live and free on SBS One, simulcast on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.

QUOTES
Jarrod Hughes, #118 Road Active Suspension Chevrolet Camaro 

“Round One at Winton was obviously a great weekend for me, as I came close to a clean sweep and walked away with the championship lead. Heading into Bathurst, I’ve got high expectations, and I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got in the hopes of adding a few more trophies to the shelf.”

“Trans Am in Tasmania a few weeks ago didn’t quite go to plan, but with over 40 TA2 cars set to hit the mountain, I’m really looking forward to the challenge that Bathurst brings.”

Kiara Zabetakis, #121 KRT Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro 

“Winton wasn’t the ideal start to the season for me, but I’ve put that behind me and I’m heading into Bathurst with a fresh mindset. It’s one of the most iconic tracks in the world, and racing there has always been a dream of mine. I still can’t believe I get to live that dream this weekend.”

“I’ve set a few expectations for myself, but the main goal is to bring the car home in one piece, stay out of trouble, and make the most of the experience. At the end of the day, I just want to enjoy the weekend and soak it all in.”

Michael Coulter, #11 Turps Tippers Ford Mustang 

“I’m super excited to head back to the Bathurst for the first time since 2021, and to race at the mountain with some big supercar names like Hazelwood, Moffat and Golding is a pretty cool experience in itself for me.” 

“I am hoping to finish the weekend shiny side up, finish all the races and actually make it to the end. I am expecting safety cars galore, as we have a few rookies in the field that have never been to Bathurst before, but overall I can’t wait to get into it on Friday.”

ENTRY LIST

#4 Mark Crutcher, Crutcher Development's, Ford Mustang 

#11 Michael Coulter, Turps Tippers, Ford Mustang

#18 Diesel Thomas, TFH Racing, Ford Mustang

#32 Ayrton Hodson, Eyespy Security Australia, Ford Mustang 

#35 Ben Gomersall, Unit Racing/TFH Racing, Ford Mustang

#50 Paul Hadley, IES Motorsport, Chevrolet Camaro 

#51 Graham Cheney, IES Motorsport, Chevrolet Camaro 

#63 Des Collier, TFH Racing, Ford Mustang 

#69 Josh Thomas, TFH Racing, Ford Mustang 

#70 Robbie Farr, Hi-Tec Oils, Chevrolet Camaro 

#81 Hayden Jackson, Team RSG, Dodge Challenger 

#88 Warren Wadley, Wadley Property Group, Ford Mustang 

#91 Aaron Prosser, Security of Supply Group, Ford Mustang

#118 Jarrod Hughes, Road Active Suspension, Chevrolet Camaro 

#121 Kiara Zabetakis, KRT Motorsport, Chevrolet Camaro 

#200 Josh Webster, AutoFix, Ford Mustang 

SCHEDULE 

Friday 

Practice 1 - 12:15pm 

Saturday 

Qualifying - 10:20am

Race 1 - 1:05am

Sunday

Race 2 - 9:55am

BROADCAST 

Saturday 

SBS Free to Air, Fox Sports, Kayo Sports

Sunday 

SBS Free to Air, Fox Sports, Kayo Sports

20 year old New Zealand Super 2 driver Ayrton Hodson has announced his intention to join the TA2 Muscle Car Series grid at the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour this weekend April 18^th - 20^th as he continues to prepare himself for his first Dunlop Super 2 race at Bathurst later in the year. 

The SVG protégé joined the TA2 field in Taupo over the weekend at Round 3 of the Supercars Championship and said that driving at home in front of a Supercars crowd was a dream come true, despite some mechanical issues he was happy to take a race win and 3^rd overall for the weekend. 

“The car was a rocket this weekend and I had a lot of fun driving against some experienced TA2 competitors, I can’t thank Roberts Racing enough for the opportunity because now I feel ready to take on the mountain this weekend,” he said. 

“Taupo is one thing, Bathurst is another, but my goal is simply to go there and learn, be as competitive as possible and enjoy the experience because when we come back later in the year the intensity will go up another level.” 

Hodson will drive a Mustang prepared by Ashely Jarvis racing and previously campaigned by TA2 Category Manager Matt MacKelden. 

“Having a talent like young Ayrton join our team for Bathurst is very exciting and we can’t wait to get to the mountain to see what he can do,” said Jarvis. 

“We know the car is good and watching him over the weekend in Taupo he clearly has the talent so hopefully we can provide him with a great experience this weekend.” 

Hodson joins current Super 2 front runners Jarrod Hughes and Ben Gomersall as drivers using the TA2 Muscle Car Series to keep themselves sharp as they climb the ladder towards a career in Supercars, something Hodson said was central to his thinking when he decided to seek an opportunity. 

“These cars are wild to drive, they’re under tyred for their power and they move around a lot which helps to build car control and the skill of looking after a tyre so they’re the perfect training ground and now I just can’t wait to get to Bathurst as it’s a dream for any driver to drive a V8 around there,” said Hodson. 

Round 2 of the 2025 TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series - Presented by Maritimo Luxury Motor Yachts kicks off April 18-20 at Mount Panorama, Bathurst and is a shared round with the National Trans AM series. Saturday and Sunday’s races can be watched live and free to air on SBS on Demand, simulcast on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.

As a huge grid prepares to return to Mount Panorama for the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour event next weekend, two-time Trans Am Champion Nathan Herne has reflected on the race that brought both his and Trans Am’s profile to the big stage. 

It was in 2021 on a cool calm Easter Sunday morning where Herne’s talent was on show, when the then 18 year old thrilled the crowd with an enthralling race long battle with 2019 TA2 Champion Aaron Seton, and says to this day, it was one of his best races. 

"Bathurst is one of my favourite tracks and racing against Aaron has always been enjoyable because he’s a clean, smart racer and despite how close we’ve been over the years we’ve never made contact and that race was no exception,” said Herne. 

“The whole race I was waiting for Aaron to make a mistake, but he never did and we were both on the limit every lap so it made for a great show for TV and the crowd.” 

“I remember getting out of the car in pit lane after the race and we were both dripping in sweat and exhausted, but we hugged and high five’d everyone because they all knew how hard it was to drive that close and clean for so long,” said Herne. 

The track conditions that weekend were absolutely perfect for the TA2 cars, with the combination of ideal air temperature and surface grip contributing to lap times that no one had previously thought possible, setting a new benchmark for what these cars could do.

In 2019 former TA2 driver George Miedecke set a benchmark pole time of 2.16.3 which at the time everyone thought was impressive but only 2 years later, both Seton and Herne were posting times no one had ever imagined, consistently running 2.10 and 11 second laps during the race 3 which Herne said was totally unexpected. 

"The conditions were perfect, but the tyres were definitely on their last legs by race 3, so the times we were still putting down showed just how hard we were pushing.” said Herne

“The lap record is currently in Seton’s name but we were both lapping 2:10.5’s and the lap hasn’t been beaten since 2021, so it will be interesting to see if someone knocks it off next weekend as it’s stood for a while now.”

Round 2 of the 2025 TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series - Presented by Maritimo Luxury Motor Yachts kicks off April 18-20 at Mount Panorama, Bathurst and is a shared round with the National Trans AM series. Saturday and Sunday’s races can be watched live and free to air on SBS on Demand, simulcast on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.

Seasoned NSW racer Hayden Jackson is set for a big Easter weekend, taking on double duties at this year’s Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour racing his Dodge Challenger in Round 2 of the TA2 Muscle Car Series and a Mazda RX8 in Class D of the 6 Hour production car enduro. 

The 28-year-old has never combined commitments before, but says he is not intimidated by the challenge.

“I am really excited to be racing with the TA2 and Trans Am guys at Bathurst, but we want to have a clean weekend and get as many laps in as we can without any drama, so we’ll see how far up the grid we can move,” said Jackson. 

“I’m looking forward to going across the top of the mountain in the Dodge for the first time, as all the videos and in-car footage I’ve seen looks so much fun.” 

While the race meeting will be a busy one, Jackson is no stranger to driving different cars at Bathurst having previously raced at the Mount Panorama Circuit in a Toyota 86, where he qualified on the front row. 

Jackson is bullish about his chances in the 6 Hour race, where he will drive alongside Matthew Totani and Grant Bray and is hoping to leave behind his streak of bad luck which he said has plagued his racing for the past 12 months. 

“I am really confident that the team and I will come out with a good result in the Mazda RX8 with all the prep that we’ve done in the lead up to the event.”

“Obviously we have had a lot of bad luck in the TA2 and are going into Bathurst with a mentality of - it is what it is, so just enjoy the experience.” 

Jackson currently sits 19th in the TA2 Muscle Car Series Championship but is hoping to bounce back after a challenging start to his 2025 campaign at Winton Raceway where the Dodge suffered an engine failure in Race 3. 

Round 2 of the 2025 TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series - Presented by Maritimo Luxury Motor Yachts kicks off April 18-20 at Mount Panorama, Bathurst and is a shared round with the National Trans AM series. With a grid in excess of forty cars entered across the two series, this will be the largest field TA2 spec field ever to race in Australia. Saturday and Sunday’s races can be watched live and free to air on SBS on Demand, simulcast on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.

16 year old Diesel Thomas is a driver on the move with thoughts on a full time racing career in the Supercars Championship. 

Diesel made his debut in the TA2 Muscle Car Series in 2025 with the TFH Racing squad, a team that currently fields seven cars across both the TA2 and Trans Am series and are the defending Trans Am Champions which the 16 year old said is the best place for him to learn right now. 

“The ultimate goal for me is to secure a full-time seat in the Supercars Championship and having drivers like Todd Hazelwood in the team to learn from is a brilliant resource.” 

“Right now it’s all about seat time so I’ve been racing in the New Zealand Formula Ford Series, and once that wraps up, I'll jump back into the Aussie Racing Car series between TA2 rounds plus later this year my brother and I will be heading to Belgium to race in the 24-hour endurance race at Spa, which I'm really excited about,” said Thomas. 

The high school student only started racing last year and at 16 joins Nathan Herne as one of the youngest drivers ever to compete in the TA2 class. 

Thomas had an impressive debut driving the #18 TFH Racing Ford Mustang delivering a solid performance at Winton taking out the “Rookie of the Round Award” for the highest placing rookie for the weekend. 

“Winton was a really good weekend and we learnt a lot both good and bad, so if we can keep the momentum for the rest of the year I’ll be really pleased”

Diesel is hoping to tackle the iconic Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst when both the TA2 and Trans Am categories combine for what is expected to be a 40 plus car grid but acknowledges he will require an exemption from Motorsport Australia which Thomas said he was hoping for. 

“I’m not allowed to race TA2 at Bathurst given the Motorsport Australia power to age ratio rule but we’ve submitted letters from the Category Managers, the TA2 DSO Stephen White, Paul Morris and others and hopefully MA will grant me the chance,” said Thomas.  

Round 2 of the 2025 TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series - Presented by Maritimo Luxury Motor Yachts kicks off April 18-20 Easter long weekend at the Mount Panorama Circuit. Saturday and Sunday’s races can be watched live and free to air on SBS on demand, simulcast on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports. 

Rookie Points after Round 1
1. Diesel Thomas - 76
2. Cameron Laws - 53
3. Kiara Zabetakis - 29