17-year old Jett Johnson will carry the support of NAPA Auto Parts for the remaining rounds of the 2022 PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek.

The grandson of three-times Bathurst 1000 winner Dick Johnson and son of Supercars race winner Steve has revealed a striking new look for his Ford Mustang TA2 featuring the iconic NAPA Auto Parts brand.

NAPA Auto Parts is the perfect fit for Johnson and the family dynasty that has made his surname recognised Australia wide and has also been inducted into the popular NAPA Know How Motorsport Academy as one of its premier drivers.

Johnson, who claimed his maiden circuit racing title in the 2021 Northern Series, is carving his own name in the sport. Having started in karts and competed in Hyundai Excels, Johnson debuted in TA2 in 2021 and immediately competed at the front of the field, scoring his first race win, round win and title in his freshman year.

“The thing I love about TA2 is that for young kids like me, trying to forge a career in the sport, the cars have a really raw driving style. They have no traction control, no ABS, they have a lot of power and all of the cars are the same except the different body shells for Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge.

The Academy is aimed at fast-tracking grassroots racing car drivers in Australia and New Zealand, offering exclusive and insightful content that can give them the edge over their rivals on and off the track.

Jett currently sits second in the 2022 series after a quartet of second-place finishes at the opening round at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The next round of the PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series will be held at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia on April 22-24 at the Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS).

All of the action will be live-streamed online with post-produced highlights on 7Mate.

QUOTES Craig Denyer, TA2 Muscle Car Series Manager  “In a time when there appears to be less and less motorsport available on free to air television, this is great news for motor racing fans and cements the TA2 series well and truly on the home of motorsport, the 7 Network. “In today’s constantly changing media landscape, fans now have a real choice as they can watch the days racing as it happens on live stream, catch up a week later with a highlights package on 7Mate,  or download from 7Plus at any time - all at no cost. “This is a fantastic endorsement for the TA2 Muscle Car Series which I am sure our fans, teams and commercial partners will embrace as a major step up, while we continue to grow and expand the TA2 series into regional areas such as Western Australia and also into New Zealand. “We are looking forward to working with Fuzzy Media and the AMRS in delivering quality motor racing coverage of the best bang for buck motorsport option on track.”

The TA2 family is deeply saddened to hear of the recent passing of one of our own racers, Jack Childs.

Jack passed away in his sleep in the early morning on Tuesday March 15, 2022 at 71 years of age, only a couple of weeks before his 72nd birthday. He is survived by his lovely wife Christine and three daughters Letta, Charmaine, Nita and grandson Jaxxon. He also had a son David who previously passed away.

Childs first jumped behind the wheel on the dirt track at 19 years of age in an FJ Holden at Toowoomba’s Echo Valley Raceway.

Concentrating on his career, Jack then moved to Rockhampton in 1972 and managed numerous pubs throughout Gracemere, Innisfail, Townsville and Rockhampton, meeting his lovely wife Christine in Rockhampton six years later.

Childs returned to speedway racing in 1982, competing in the Bomber class regularly at Rockhampton’s Rocky and Bouldercombe Speedway and won the 1983 Queensland Title. Moving into the Modified Production class, Childs visited tracks such as Rocky Speedway, Toowoomba’s Hi-Tec Oils Speedway, Maryborough Speedway, Bundaberg’s Carina Speedway, Cairns International Speedway and Mac’s Speedway in Mackay until the late 1990s, winning two Rocky Speedway Club Championships and scoring several podium finishes.

Moving from Rockhampton to Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast in 2007, Childs upgraded to a Rocket Super Sedan previously owned by Danny Smith, participating in three National Series and the prestigious Grand National race in Tasmania.

Childs retired from speedway at the end of the 2017-18 season and has always been a huge supporter of the sport through his business Think Money, sponsoring drivers and events, and received a fitting send-off at Gympie’s Mothar Mountain Speedway in May, 2018, bringing to an end what has been a memorable journey.

After a long Speedway career and having always harboured a desire to compete in road racing. Childs made his TA2 Muscle Car Series debut at Winton Motor Raceway in 2019, with eight race starts to his name and a best finish of 23rd position.

Jack’s Mustang was later sold to Garry Rogers Motorsport which was recently campaigned by Owen Kelly and Jason Bargwanna in the National Trans-Am Series.

After a couple of years out of the seat, Jack had been planning a return to TA2 competition at the time of his passing.

TA2 Muscle Car Series founder Peter Robinson paid respect to a “real gentleman” of the motorsport community and while he didn’t finish on the podium in TA2, he was a winner in all aspects of life and a much respected member of the TA2 family.

“It’s funny how things come full circle in life, but I first met Jack Childs over 20 years ago when I used to fix the power steering on his Super Sedan car.“I got a call from Jack one day and he asked ‘is this the same Peter Robinson that used to help me with the power steering on my Super Sedan?’

“He was a passionate Speedway racer but always had a dream to go circuit racing and these TA2 cars were right up his alley, being a user-friendly car to work on that was welcome to drivers at any experience level. He said ‘If you’re a part of this series I want in, I trust you from when you used to work on my cars and I love everything about this series’.

“Jack applied himself to this new form of racing extremely well, attending race driver training classes at Norwell Motorplex through a business acquaintance and fellow TA2 racer Chris Pappas, and he also received tutoring and support from experienced Queenslander racer Rod Dawson.”

“We all loved Jack and Christine and they were truly suited to the TA2 family and their passion and attitude to racing was outstanding.

“Not only a savvy racer he was also a very good businessman and holds the sales record for a second-hand TA2 car at $173,000 which I don’t expect to be broken anytime soon.”

“Although Jack wasn’t a podium finisher in his TA2 career, he was a well-respected competitor and a real gentleman. We are all deeply saddened by his passing and send our thoughts and condolences to Christine and his family.”

Rod Dawson, a successful Queensland race team owner, added that Childs was the “Nicest, kindest soul” that he had the pleasure to work with.

“The greatest thing about Jack was his approach to racing. He had raced in Speedway for over 50 years before he tried this new challenge in road racing and he took everything in his stride and was just happy to be out there giving it his all.”

“One of my best memories of Jack was when we went to Sydney Motorsport Park in 2019 for the TA2 races and I was on the radio the whole session telling him when to brake and change up and down the gears. Well when you’re on top of the pit building you can’t see around Turn 6, so once Jack disappeared around Corporate Hill I had to count the seconds and guess where he would be to call his braking and gear change markers. So when Jack came in he reported that he was going very deep in to the corners around there, only for me to tell him that I couldn’t actually see where he was on track!”

“He had two shoulder operations during the couple of years out of the seat, and only a few weeks ago he had got the clearance from the doctors to go racing again. He was at my workshop last week getting things ready to go racing again, but we will race on inspired by his passion for life and motorsport.

TA2 Racing Australia wishes to extend their condolences to Christine, Letta, Charmaine, Nita, Jaxxon and Jack’s wider family.

18-year old Nash Morris has clean swept the first round of the 2022 PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek at Sydney Motorsport Park in the Supercheap Auto/Norwell Motorplex Ford Mustang.

Morris was largely untouched in all three remaining races on Sunday, taking the Race 2 by three seconds, while Race 3 finished under safety car, before a dominant ten-second win in the final 15-lap race under lights as Jett Johnson claimed runner-up in all three.

A wild incident off the line in Race 2 sent cars spinning everywhere, as Chris Pappas, Dylan Thomas and Zach Loscialpo crossed paths into Turn 1 and a concertina effect sent the pack scrambling, resulting in a five-lap safety car period and damage to multiple cars including Thomas, Adam Hargraves, Karl Begg and Josh Haynes.

Michael Coulter made it through unscathed and climbed from ninth to fourth, while Graham Cheney stormed through from 20th to 5th in the nine lap race.

Russell Wright, Anthony Tenkate, Mark Crutcher and Nick Lange were all hit with a ten-second penalty for a restart infringement.

Morris built a four-second gap out front in Race 3 while Johnson and Loscialpo battled for second. A safety car was called after six laps when Russell Wright suffered a broken ball joint and veered off the outside of the circuit at Turn 3 and into the gravel trap.

TA2 debutant Chris Sutton recovered from a DNF in Race 1 to move into eighth by Race 3 and then into sixth in Race 4.

Morris and Johnson gapped the field out front in Race 4, with Morris taking the chequered flag ten seconds ahead of Johnson before a further 17 seconds back to third-placed Coulter in the Kobelco Mustang.

Coulter had his hands full for the entire race to fend off CXC Racing’s Dylan Thomas to score his first career TA2 podium finish. Rookie Josh Haynes joined the battle late in the race after a storming drive from the back of the grid in 21st.

Haynes, who qualified second at the start of the weekend, endured a host of mechanical dramas over the weekend before putting in his best performance in the final race. The Elvin Group Camaro driver caught and passed Thomas around the outside of Turns 2 and 3 to move into fourth spot and earn the Hyperco Hard Charger Award.

Reigning Southern Series winner Mark Crutcher kicked off his year with a strong performance to take out the Circo Masters Class with finishes of 11th, 16th, 13th and 10th.

Sydneysider Nicholas Bates earned the Racetech Rookie of the Round award for the best-performing first year driver with a consistent weekend in 14th, 17th, 11th and 12th in the four races.

Allgate Racing Dodge driver Chris Formosa earned the Wilwood Big Braker Award, while Paul Hadley’s Illawara Engineering Services team took home the Bowden’s Own Best Presented Team Award.

Morris left Sydney with a maximum 220 points in the bank to lead the series from Johnson (208 points) and Coulter (192 points).

Round 2 of the PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek heads to The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia on 22-24 April.

QUOTES

Nash Morris, #67 Supercheap Auto Ford Mustang

“It was an awesome weekend here in Sydney in the Supercheap Auto Mustang and a massive thanks to all the crew at Norwell Motorplex for making it happen. Four days ago we weren’t doing this race so they turned the car around so well after Tassie and it’s great to come out on top.

“I’ve done a few laps around Sydney Motorsport Park now. I’ve raced Super3 here and the Trans-Am rounds here, I’ve done a few miles here so I can come straight back and be in to it pretty quick.

“I’ve got a bit on at the moment with fixing Mick Rowell’s car and getting my Super2 car ready for the first round back here in a couple of weeks, so we’re not sure whether we’ll make it to The Bend for Round 2 but never say never!”

18-year-old Nash Morris dominated the first day of competition for the PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek, topping both practice sessions, scoring pole position and taking victory in Race 1 at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The reigning Super3 Supercars champion took out his second-career PWR Pole Award with a margin of six-tenths of a second ahead of rookie Josh Haynes on his V8-racing debut. Formula Vee and Production Car champion Dylan Thomas qualified third in his TA2 Muscle Car debut from last year’s Northern Series champion Jett Johnson and Chris Pappas.

Morris controlled the lead off the start from Haynes, while Thomas jumped to third ahead of Johnson. Haynes showed strong pace on the opening lap before a tailshaft failure resulted in a spin at Turn 4 on Lap 2 and retired out of second place.

The safety car was brought out to recover Haynes’ Camaro, before the field went back racing on Lap 5.

Thomas held off Johnson for third until Lap 7 when the two went side-by-side through Turn 3. Johnson held on around the outside of the Turn 4 right-hander before getting Thomas on the inside line on the switchback at Turn 5.

Chris Pappas and Zach Loscialpo rounded out the top five ahead of a stellar drive from Russell Wright from the rear of the grid in 22nd to sixth after failing to qualify due to a late engine change.

The chequered flag was called after ten laps when Chris Sutton fired off the track at Turn 3 due to a broken tie rod end.

The PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek will conclude tomorrow with Races 2, 3 & 4 kicking off from 2:07pm local time.

QUOTES

Nash Morris, #67 Supercheap Auto Ford Mustang

“It’s gone pretty good so far this weekend, but we still have another day to look forward to especially with the night racing, that should be good fun!”

“The track was pretty greasy out there as the sun was beaming down on the track so it was pretty slippery, I just kind of got a gap at the start and maintained it from there and tried not to wear too much of my tyres out.”