Nine TA2 Muscle Car Series entrants are this weekend taking part in the 52-car Combined Sedans support category at the Bathurst 12 Hour.

The field took to the 6.2km Mount Panorama circuit for Qualifying and Race 1 today, lead by 2019 rookie of the year Nathan Herne in the Gulf Western Oils Dodge Challenger.

The 17-year old from Lismore in Northern New South Wales qualified in sixth with only two flying laps in the first hit out for the entire field marred by multiple red-flag interruptions. He climbed two spots to fourth in the opening race behind a thorough bred Sports Sedan, a former V8 Supercar and a MARC Car, with a top time in the 2:17s in traffic.

Second best of the TA2 cars was series debutant Jimmy Vernon in his first competitive drive of the Mustang owned by notable historic racer Carey McMahon, as the former Toyota 86 Racing Series champion finished seventh outright in the opening race.

Peter Robinson (Dodge), Anthony Tenkate (Mustang) and Chris Formosa (Dodge) finished line-astern in 15th through to 17th, while Cameron Sendall climbed 15 spots from 36th to 21st in his Chev Camaro.

Chris La Rosa (Mustang), Bill Robinson (Mustang) and Mark Crutcher (Dodge) were the other TA2 finishers in the pack, while Kobelco Racing’s Steve Coulter failed to finish with a fuel pressure issue.

The TA2 cars will return to action for the final two races of the program on Saturday at 7:20am and 3:25pm local NSW time, with both races streamed live at www.bathurst12hour.com.au.

QUOTES Peter Robinson, Owner - TA2 Muscle Car Series “The TA2 Muscle Car Series will stay true to its original DNA in offering the highest on-track reward experience at the lowest possible price point, all in a competitor friendly and social environment and honouring our promise to all competitors who have purchased cars to deliver a big-bang V8-racing alternative at an affordable price," explained Robinson. "We will continue to welcome all TA2 competitors in our Australian specification cars any time and at any venue to share the TA2 racing experience.” “The enquiry level and demand for cars has really stepped up so it will be another big year, plus we will have a number of significant announcements to make through the course of the season as part of our long term strategy to cement the TA2 Muscle Car Series as the most affordable, biggest reward racing opportunity around.”

2020 TA2 Muscle Car Series Calendar Rd 1: Winton Motor Raceway, VIC (AMRS) - 28 February/March 1 Rd 2: Morgan Park Raceway, QLD (AMRS) - 3/5 April Rd 3: The Bend Motorsport Park, SA (AMRS) - 29/31 May Rd 4: Queensland Raceway, QLD (AMRS) - 7/9 August Rd 5: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW (AMRS) - 25/27 September Rd 6: Queensland Raceway, QLD (QRDC) - 23/25 October

The TA2 Muscle Car Series is set for an exciting year of racing in 2020 with the announcement of the series calendar, headlined by appearances at the Adelaide 500 and the Bathurst International.

The seven-event season will see six rounds of the series count toward the TA2 Muscle Car Series point-score and features a split of events supporting the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships, the Australian Racing Group’s Bathurst International, the AASA-sanctioned Australian Motor Racing Series and a standalone event at Queensland Raceway.

The season will kick off with a non-championship invitational event at the Superloop Adelaide 500, one of Australia’s biggest domestic motorsport events headlined by the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship with live coverage of all three races on Fox Sports.

This will be the series’ second visit to South Australia after racing at The Bend Motorsport Park in 2018, while the Adelaide 500 will mark the series’ only South Australian race in 2020.

With the Adelaide opener an invitational non points-paying round, the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships will host the first two series rounds at Sydney Motorsport Park in March and then Winton in May.

This will mark the series’ first appearance on the Shannons bill facilitated by a strategic alliance between the TA2 Muscle Car Series and the Australian Racing Group, the promoter of a variety of events and categories including TCR Australia, S5000 and Touring Car Masters.

These events will see one TA2 race at each event broadcast live as part of ARG’s new TV deal with the Seven Network, and the remainder streamed on 7plus, the network’s on-demand streaming service.

Rounds 3 and 4 will see the series headline a pair of Australian Motor Racing Series events at Queensland Raceway in August and Sydney Motorsport Park in September. These events will feature live-streaming and a post-produced highlights package on Fox Sports.

The series will also return to Queensland Raceway for the fifth and penultimate round in late-October.

The season will conclude at Mount Panorama, Australia’s iconic race track in Bathurst for the inaugural Bathurst International event promoted by ARG. It is expected American and international TA2 drivers will aim to race at this event alongside the Australian regulars.

TA2 Category Manager Craig Denyer and Series owner Peter Robinson have consulted heavily with existing competitors to plan the best way forward for the category to cater for the current crop of racers and the growing interest in the series.

The series currently has 40 cars in Australia, with a further 20 on order, eight of which destined for Western Australia to establish their own state-based series.

20-year old third-generation racer Aaron Seton won the 2019 TA2 Muscle Car Series over former Super2, GT and V8 Ute racer George Miedecke in a thrilling final round which saw 17-year old former Formula Ford state champion Nathan Herne score his maiden TA2 round win over a field of 32 cars.

QUOTES

Peter Robinson, TA2 Muscle Car Series Owner and TA2 Australian importer

“We have been blown away by the support after just two short years on the national stage and it has grown far quicker than we could have imagined,” explained Peter Robinson.

“Our philosophy overall is to give our competitors the best bang-for-buck race experience at the lowest possible price and the 2020 calendar reflects a nice mix of high-profile events with live television combined with traditional tracks and events that have supported the growth of TA2 in the past, all aimed at keeping the overall entry cost as low as we can for the competitor.”

2020 TA2 Muscle Car Series Calendar

NC: Adelaide Street Circuit (SA), Superloop Adelaide 500 - February 20-23

Rd 1: Sydney Motorsport Park (NSW), Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships - March 27-29

Rd 2: Winton Motor Raceway (VIC), Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships - May 1/3

Rd 3: Queensland Raceway (QLD), Australian Motor Racing Series - August 7-9

Rd 4: Sydney Motorsport Park (NSW), Australian Motor Racing Series - September 25-27

Rd 5: Queensland Raceway (QLD), TBC - October 24-25

Rd 6: Mount Panorama (NSW), Bathurst International - TBC Nov/Dec

2018 TA2 Muscle Car Series champion Ashley Jarvis sat as high as fifth before being turned around in the final round of the American Trans-Am Series at Daytona International Speedway in mid-November.

The Gold Coaster reached a motorsport dream by racing at the world-famous Daytona road course in a round of the American Trans-Am Series in what was an opportunity presented to him as part of the prize pool for winning the TA2 Muscle Car Series in 2018.

Jarvis teamed up with leading American TA2 arrive-and-drive outfit Stevens-Miller Racing under the guidance of professional sports car racer Marc Miller, a twice previous competitor in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was also assisted by expat Australian Reece Richardson as one of the team’s mechanics.

Jarvis’ motorsport background consists of Midget Speedcars in Speedway, state-level Gemini and national Saloon Car racing, and also this year contested the Australian Production Car Series in a BMW M3 alongside his TA2 Muscle Car Series commitments.

The schedule of the race meeting saw one 30-minute practice session on Thursday, one 15-minute Qualifying session on Friday and one 65-minute race on Saturday for the 25-car field, completed in a single stint without pit stops.

A red-flag brought early in Qualifying saw Jarvis complete only two flying laps but put in a lap good enough for 13th position on his first visit to the circuit and his first drive in the American TA2-spec Camaro on the Pirelli radial tyre.

In a race that saw four caution periods, Jarvis charged through the field to sit in the top five after 16 laps and was lapping competitively against the series regulars, before he was turned around at Turn 1 by the #25 Chevrolet Camaro of Peter Klutt and finished 11 laps down in 20th position.

The race was won by Thomas Merrill in a Ford Mustang after a late-race battle with 16-year old NASCAR K&N Champion Sam Mayer as the pair swapped for the lead several times before a two-car incident on the front straight brought out a race-ending caution.

This arrangement continues the Australian TA2 series’ association with TA2 car constructer Howe Racing Enterprises and the Trans-Am Racing Company in the United States, which saw 2017 champion Russell Wright race at the Circuit of the Americas in 2018. This opportunity will also be presented to recently-crowned 2019 champion Aaron Seton.

The TA2 Muscle Car Series returns to the track at the Superloop Adelaide 500 on February 20-23.

QUOTES

Ashley Jarvis, driver #22 Lighthouse Electrical Chevrolet Camaro

“It’s been a lifelong dream finally realised, to race here at the world-famous Daytona Speedway,” said Ashley Jarvis.

“We started 13th and got as high as fifth, we were running really good and going as quick as we had all week.

“I started the weekend seven seconds a lap slower than the quick guys and worked on myself and the car every session to get within two seconds of the leader.

“I was being fairly conservative in the first few laps on cold tyres and full fuel. We also made a setup change so was easing my way into the race.

“It was crazy out there, there were guys wrecking left, right and centre so we were keeping to ourselves and unfortunately some contact took us out of the race.

“We’re still really happy, we were doing so well and we were up to fifth before we were taken out but still super happy to have the opportunity to race here.”