Victorian Graham Smith has come away with his maiden PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series race win as he went on to claim the opening two race wins at Sandown Raceway for the Victorian State of Origin round.

Qualifying saw Tasmanian Tim Shaw scored his maiden PWR Pole Award in the first competitive session for TA2 cars at Sandown.

Shaw set a 1:14.7007 on the final lap of the session to secure pole position in the Race Tasmania Camaro, and the first pole position for the Chevrolet brand since Ashley Jarvis at Round 2 in 2018 at Queensland Raceway.

Starting from pole, Tim Shaw lead from lights-to-flag in Race 1 after a race-long battle with Graham Smith, however a jump start on the rolling start saw a five-second post-race time penalty handed to Sha, as Smith inherited his maiden TA2 race win in the Hazard Solutions Mustang.

Peter Robinson held third ahead of Warren Trewin and Cameron Sendall, while Steve Coulter spun the Kobelco Mustang at Turn 1 on Lap 2 and finished back in seventh.

Drama into Turn 1 in Race 2 saw Robinson and Shaw make contact at Turn 1 that sent both cars spinning and the chasing pack scrambling to get around.

Smith took the lead and was never headed for the ten lap encounter, while Shaw and Robinson recovered to third and fifth respectively.

Sendall was on for a strong finish before he gave away second place on the final lap with a spin coming onto the main straight as High Voltage Coffee Racing’s Warren Trewin skipped through to score his personal best TA2 race result in second ahead of Shaw, Sendall, Robinson, Coulter and Hassett.

The PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series returns for a 12-lap race and a 15-lap finale on Sunday.

The 2020 PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series concludes with their first visit to Sandown Raceway this weekend, with TA2 entrants from Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland gridding up for the Victorian State of Origin event at the Australian Motor Racing Series.

The TA2 Muscle Car Series finale at Sandown, which first held races in 1962, also marks a landmark meeting for the suburban Melbourne circuit, with the first race meeting there to be sanctioned by the Australian Auto Sport Alliance (AASA) since it was formed in 2003.

As part of the series’ ‘State of Origin’ strategy to encourage participation at local state-based race meetings in the absence of a full national title, the victor of the Sandown event will be crowned the ‘Victorian’ TA2 State of Origin winner, following the New South Wales event at Sydney Motorsport Park in September and the Queensland event at Queensland Raceway in October.

Kubota Racing Mustang driver Hugh McAlister and Gulf Western Oils Dodge young-gun Nathan Herne were the respective state winners on those occasions.

Three Victorians will have their home race at Sandown include Warren Trewin, Graham Smith and Jason Hassett.

Following their respective debuts at Winton in March, Smith and Hassett will make their second TA2 appearance this weekend with Hassett lining up in the ex Ashley Jarvis 2018 championship-winning Chevrolet Camaro.

Former Commodore Cup and Future Touring champion Tim Shaw also joins the field from Tasmania.

New South Welshman Steve Coulter in the Kobelco Mustang and Queenslanders Peter Robinson and Cameron Sendall will complete the TA2 grid, with three Oz-Trucks and a NASCAR filling the joint field.

The PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series will hit the track for four practice sessions on Friday, followed by Qualifying and two ten-lap races on Saturday, a 12 lap and a 15 lap final race on Sunday.

Spectators are welcome to attend Sandown on Sunday, with access permitted to the Red Hill carpark viewing area only and with pit/paddock access restricted to teams and crew. Tickets must be pre-purchased online at https://amrseries.com.au/tickets/.

QUOTES

Craig Denyer, TA2 Muscle Car Series Manager

“It’s great to be able to wrap up the year in Victoria given what the State has been through over the past nine months,” said Denyer.

“Our Victorian based teams have struggled to get any track time this year due to the lockdowns so it’s an early Christmas present for those that are keen to have a run.

“Sandown has an amazing history in Australian motor sport and this will be the first time the TA2 Muscle Cars have raced at the circuit.

“They will look and sound pretty special at Sandown so it’s a cool place to wrap up what has been a difficult year.”

ENTRY LIST#01 Cameron Sendall (QLD), Ford Mustang, TA2 Muscle Car Series #10 Peter Robinson (QLD), Dodge Challenger, PBR Distributions #11 Steve Coulter (NSW), Ford Mustang, Kobelco/Sydney Truck & Machinery #26 Jason Hassett (VIC), Chevrolet Camaro, Hass Pumps #27 Graham Smith (VIC), Chevrolet Camaro, Hazard Solutions #66 Tim Shaw (TAS), Chevrolet Camaro, Shaw Property Development #71 Warren Trewin (VIC), Chevrolet Camaro, High Voltage Coffee Racing

SCHEDULE (Local time AEDT)FRIDAY Practice 1 - 10:40am (15 minutes) Practice 2 - 12:30pm (15 minutes) Practice 3 - 2:45pm (15 minutes) Practice 4 - 4:55pm (15 minutes)

SATURDAY Qualifying - 10:50am (15 minutes) Race 1 - 2:00pm (10 laps) Race 2 - 3:45pm (10 laps)

SUNDAY Race 3 - 11:00am (12 laps) Race 4 - 2:40pm (15 laps)

The PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series will stage the final round of its 2020 State of Origin Series with their debut event at Sandown Raceway headlining the Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) on November 28-29.

As part of the TA2 Muscle Car Series ‘State of Origin’ strategy to encourage participation at local state-based race meetings, the Sandown event will be open to all TA2-specification cars in Victoria. Early entries have also been received from competitors in New South Wales and Queensland pending border restrictions lifting for their return in December.

The TA2 Muscle Car Series finale at Sandown, which first held races in 1962, also marks the first race meeting at the suburban Melbourne circuit to be sanctioned by the Australian Auto Sport Alliance (AASA) since it was formed in 2003.

Victoria played host to the first round of the TA2 Muscle Car Series at Winton in March, where Queenslander John McLaughlin scored two race wins on his way to his maiden TA2 round victory in the #17 MyRaceProfile.com Mustang.

Further national events were postponed due to border restrictions in place to control the COVID-19 pandemic, with series organisers reverting to a state-based ‘State of Origin’ series for the 2020 season.

Kubota Racing Mustang racer Hugh McAlister won three out of four races to win the New South Wales State of Origin series at Sydney Motorsport Park in September, before Gulf Western Oils Dodge Challenger rising star Nathan Herne clean swept the Queensland State of Origin round at Queensland Raceway in October.

Formats for the event are yet to be confirmed, although series organisers expect to see four sprint races held across the weekend.

QUOTES

Warren Trewin (VIC), #71 Chevrolet Camaro - SNB High Voltage Coffee Racing

“Sandown is my home track and I’ve always loved racing there in HQs and everything else I’ve done laps in, it will be different in the TA2s but very fun,” said Trewin.

“It’s the home of horsepower with those two long straights, in the HQs it was all about momentum and keeping up the corner speed, getting the run out of Turn 4 onto the back straight and getting a good run onto the front straight.”

“In the HQs you can get up-close and bump-and-run, but the TA2s don’t have the same slipstream effect, but there will be a lot of opportunities in those two straights and a lot going on in the tight corners."

“We started off well at Winton, we were lucky enough to have Supercar driver Chris Pither join us for a test day before that round to do some laps and sort out the car, but we still had work to do on myself as the driver!

“I had a few spins but we got back to a good position and could see the front pack by the end of the weekend.

“I’m definitely not match fit after a few months without racing due to COVID, so some sprint races will be a good way to get back into it. The car has been serviced and stickered-up so we just have to bleed the brakes and get on track

"After the year we’ve had in Victoria we just want to get back out there, it will be good to get some laps and sort ourselves out and make sure the car is good to go for next year, just having the chance to get some laps before the end of the year will be great.”

Rising star Nathan Herne has clean swept the Queensland State of Origin round of the PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series at Round 3 of the Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) at Queensland Raceway.

The 18-year old convincingly won all three races on Sunday to score the round win ahead of John McLaughlin and Peter Robinson.

Herne cantered away to a ten-second win in Race 2 and then a six-second win in Race 3 from McLaughlin and Murray Kent.

After retiring from visibility issues during a wet Race 1 on Saturday, Kent charged back to third from eighth in Race 2 in the Fit Flask Camaro, and earned the Hyperco Hard Charger Award for his efforts. He had to fight his way past a feisty battle-pack late in the race with Robinson, Anthony Tenkate and Shaun Richardson.

Richardson, the former stock car and Stadium Super Truck racer spun the Road Rage Industries/RTC Group Dodge at Turn 3 with a couple of laps to go, while debutant Chris Pappas spun through the final corner with the chequered flag in sight.

Pappas, who only bought his Mustang earlier in the week and turned his first laps on Friday, claimed the Gulf Western Oils Well-Oiled Award for his efforts in his first race out of Hyundai Excels.

Tenkate dropped back to the back in Race 3 after spinning to the inside of Turn 2 on the second lap, but recovered to sixth position.

Race 4 was the most dominant performance for Herne, stretching a 13-second lead to score his fourth consecutive lights-to-flag win while McLaughlin and Kent fought for second place. The pair swapped positions multiple times throughout the race before McLaughlin got back in front on the penultimate lap.

Likewise, the battle was on for fourth place between Robinson and Tenkate, as the pair ran nose-to-tail for the opening two thirds of the race. Tenkate got Robinson into Turn 4 with two laps to go and held him off to the chequered flag.

Herne claimed the overall round win from McLaughlin and Robinson, while Robinson also topped the Masters class from Richardson and Tenkate.

Debutant Nick Lange earned the Coolshirt Systems Move of the Moment Award for a consistent weekend without any laps prior to taking the wheel on Friday.

The next AMRS event is scheduled for Sandown Raceway in Melbourne on 27-29 November, pending border restrictions easing in Victoria. The PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series will be part of this event with a Victorian State of Origin finale should the event take place.

QUOTES Nathan Herne, driver #29 Gulf Western Oils/Volvo Trucks TA2 Dodge Challenger

“It was an awesome weekend, at this stage It will likely be my last event for the year so to finish off the year on a high was great and it puts us in good stead for 2021,” said Herne.

“Thanks to the AMRS and TA2 Muscle Car Series who did a fantastic job in hosting this event.

“I don’t know my plans yet for 2021, for now we’ll continue to focus on TA2 and see where that takes me.

“I’ve had some massive opportunities thrown at me from driving the TA2 car, and it really is a great category to get your name out there.

“When we first joined the TA2 Muscle Car Series we didn’t know where to go. We couldn’t afford Super2 or Super3 and at that point I was too old to continue in Formula Ford, but to go into TA2 was probably the best career choice we ever made.

“It’s an awesome category with awesome people involved, no politics, just a great series to race in."

The Queensland State of Origin round of the PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series kicked off today, with Nathan Herne dominating the opening day’s proceedings.

Herne scored his maiden PWR Pole Award by eight tenths of a second in qualifying, with John McLaughlin joining him on the front row from Murray Kent, Anthony Tenkate and Kyle Gurton.

Gurton set a time on his first flying lap good enough for fifth position before a mechanical failure put him out for the rest of the weekend.

With a large rain band forming over South-East Queensland, Race 1 was officially declared a wet race.

Herne was the pioneer on the first lap as the field set off from the rolling start, before he aquaplaned at Turn 6 and ventured off into the gravel trap.

Herne rejoined the track in sixth, and charged his way back through the field to lead the race by Lap 3 and was never headed from there.

McLaughlin, who won the opening round of the series at Winton in March, maintained his position to finish second ahead of Peter Robinson, who scored his first podium race result since 2018.

Shaun Richardson scored a personal-best fourth ahead of debutants Nick Lange and Chris Pappas.

Kent retired from the race with visibility issues, while Tenkate spun at Turn 2 on the final lap and beached the Tenkate Plant Hire Mustang in the gravel trap.

With heavy rain sustaining for the afternoon, organisers postponed Race 2 until Sunday morning with a revised three 10-lap race schedule. Race 2 will be held at 9:05am, followed by Race 3 at 10:55am and Race 4 at 2:20pm.

Spectators are welcome on Sunday for $30, with kids 12 & under free with a paying adult.