The colours of Nathan Herne’s #29 Stevens-Miller Racing Ford Mustang have been revealed ahead of his debut appearance in a 54-strong American Trans-Am Series field at Circuit of the Americas this weekend.
Herne’s Mustang will sport a green livery carrying the colours of TA2 car constructor Howe Racing Enterprises, as well as a number of Australian features including the Australian flag behind his number 29 on the side, and the TA2 Australia logo on the bonnet.
Fresh off a clean-sweep in the first round of the S5000 Tasman Series at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit last weekend, Herne will welcome assistance from a special guest with local knowledge in the form of two-time Trans-Am Champion and 2022 IMSA LMP3 Champion Gar Robinson.
Robinson is a familiar name to Australian TA2 fans, having travelled down under twice previously to compete in the TA2 Class in the Combined Sedans Support Category at the Bathurst 12 Hour, which he won in 2018.
Robinson this year won the LMP3 class in the Rolex Daytona 24 and the Six Hours at Wakins Glen on his way to his championship win for Riley Motorsports.
Robinson is a proud Texan local and comes with TA2 race-winning experience at COTA after a last-corner, last-lap move for victory in 2019 as well as two podium finishes.
Herne will join Stevens-Miller Racing who are one of the most renowned teams campaigning the Howe Racing Enterprises chassis in the Trans-Am Series.
The final round of the American Trans-Am Series at COTA commences with a test ession on Friday (Saturday morning AEST), before practice and qualifying on Saturday (Sunday morning AEST). The TA2 Race will commence at 11:45am on Sunday morning in Texas, or 3:45am Monday morning for Australian viewers.
The race will be live-streamed on www.speedtour.tv and the Speed Tour YouTube channel.
QUOTES
Gar Robinson, 2022 IMSA LMP3 Champion, 2015 & 2017 American TA2 Champion
“I’m pumped to reunite with my Australian TA2 mates to help out their young-gun Nathan [Herne] at COTA this weekend,” said Robinson.
“I have fond memories of my time at Bathurst with my Aussie mates in 2018 and 2019, and I’ve been itching to get there one day to race in the Bathurst 12 Hour!”
“I first met Nathan when I raced at Bathurst in 2019 before he started in TA2, and it’s been great to see him progress to be a two-time Australian champion and hopefully he can take it to the yanks over here.
“Track position will be critical with over 50 cars on track, so my role will be just to get him familiar with how to get the most of these cars around COTA so he can maximise his time on track to put him in the best position to race well on Sunday.”
Schedule
Mission Foods Austin SpeedTour
Trans Am Championship Presented by Pirelli
Circuit of the Americas – November 4-6, 2022
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Austin TX time:
TA2 test session: Fri 4 November – 17:40pm
TA2 Practice session: Sat 5 November – 11:55am – 30 minutes
Qual (all TA categories): Sat 5 November – 16:20-17:45pm
TA2 Race Grid: Sun 6 Nov – 11:15am
TA2 RACE: SUN 6 NOV – 11:45AM-13:00PM
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Australian Eastern Standard Time:
TA2 test session: Sat 5 November – 08:40am
TA2 Practice session: Sun 6 November – 02:55am – 30 minutes
Qual (all TA categories): Sun 6 November – 07:20-08:45am
TA2 Race Grid: Mon 7 Nov – 03:15am
TA2 RACE: MON 7 NOV – 03:45-05:00AM