Graham Cheney wins Northern Series Championship

 IES Motorsport driver Graham Cheney has gone back-to-back, winning the 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Northern Series Championship - framed by HYTEK Steel Framing, following the final round at Sydney Motorsport Park last weekend.

Kubota Racing’s Matthew MacKelden finished 28 points behind Cheney with Maitlands Hayden Jackson in third only 2 points behind MacKelden.

The 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Northern Series rounds included Round 2 in Darwin, Round 3 at Queensland Raceway, Round 4 at Morgan Park and Round 5 under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Cheney had enough points in the bank to wrap up the Northern Series point score, despite a fuel leak putting an end to his weekend early after a major fire erupted in the IES Camaro early in race two. He escaped without issue, however the car was badly charred and out for rest of the weekend.

Both MacKelden and Jackson had strong runs all season, although a drive train issue in the final race with the Dodge ended Jacksons race early, allowing MacKelden through to second.

CXC Ford Mustang Driver Dylan Thomas Leads the Southern Series ,17 points in front of Jackson Rice on 390 points and Nicholas Bates sitting on 350 points, with Calder Park being the final round of the three event Southern Series.

Ron Moller leads the TA2 Muscle Car Western Series from Troy Wilson and reigning champion Brett Niall with only one round to go at Wanneroo Raceway in Perth coming up this weekend.

The grand final of the 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek Steel Framing will be held at the Calder Park Raceway on November 30 - December 2 and televised live on SBS on Demand, simulcast on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports. 

QUOTES

Graham Cheney, #51 IES Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro

“It’s great to wrap up the Northern Series after the weekend we had in Sydney, it’s definitely a nice positive after a not so good season for us.

“After the fire in Sydney, the team stripped down the car on Sunday and Monday. It’s not as bad as we first thought and it will be repairable for the end of the year. However we have a spare car in our stable which we will wheel out for the final round at Calder Park.

 “I’m excited for Calder. I raced there years ago on a Super Motard so it’s going to be cool to come back there and race in the TA2 series. It’s a cool track and no one really has a home track advantage there, we’ll be giving it everything we’ve got for a strong end to the year.

“A huge thanks to Paul Hadley and the IES Motorsport team, I wouldn’t be racing if it wasn’t for him, HSR Accident Repairs for their panel work, and OBR Automotive.”

Matthew MacKelden, #99 Kubota Racing Ford Mustang

"This year has been an incredible ride, and securing second place in the 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Northern Series is the cherry on top of a fantastic season. Our consistent performance in Sydney, where we completed every race and secured a top-ten finish in the final race, played a pivotal role in our rise from fourth to second in the Northern Series and sixth overall as we head into the final round at Calder.”

"I owe a huge amount of gratitude to our parrnerss, Kubota, Stellatec, DBC2, Smith & Co Realty, and Lanhams Motor Group, for their unwavering support throughout this season."

Hayden Jackson, #81 Team RSG Dodge Challenger 

“ We have had a bit of an up and down season. We started off well in Winton, bagged some good points there and then from Darwin onwards we have had major reliability issues with the car and we haven’t really got on top of them since. 

To have had all these reliability issues and still only be 2 points off Matt MacKelden in the Northern Series we are pretty happy with that. It just hasn’t been our year this year and we are looking for more luck at Calder Park in November.”