TA2 Racing Pty Ltd Blog

TA2 Muscle Car Series champion to race at Daytona

Posted on 31 July 2019

Reigning TA2 Muscle Car Series champion Ashley Jarvis will head to the United States of America to race in the final round of the US Trans-Am Series at the Daytona International Speedway on November 14-16. The Gold Coaster will race for leading American TA2 outfit Stevens-Miller Racing in what was an opportunity presented to him as a prize pool of winning the TA2 Muscle Car Series last year. This continues the Australian TA2 series award which saw 2017 champion Russell Wright venture to the United States to race in the penultimate round of the series at the Circuit of the Americas. The opportunity to go and race in America is part of a prize pool which sees the drive partially funded by the series to the winner of the series. Stevens Miller Racing are a professional arrive-and-drive outfit in the TA2 series, with lease arrangements available to race at America’s leading race tracks throughout the year. The program for a TA2 event in America consists of practice, qualifying and one 70-minute race. The series will race on the Daytona road course, the layout which utilises all four corners of the tri-oval as well as an infield section, as used in the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race. Jarvis won the 2018 TA2 Muscle Car Series in the Lighthouse Electrical backed Chevrolet Camaro with 10 race victories and 22 podiums, and currently sits third in the 2019 standings behind Aaron Seton and George Miedecke following Round 3 at The Bend Motorsport Park in June. Jarvis’ motorsport background consists of Midget Speedcars in Speedway, state-level Gemini and national Saloon Car racing, and is also this year contesting the Australian Production Car Series in a BMW M3 alongside his TA2 Muscle Car Series commitments. The TA2 Muscle Car Series next heads to Winton Motor Raceway for Round 4 on August 16-18. QUOTESAshley Jarvis, Driver #22 Lighthouse Electrical Chevrolet Camaro “I was presented with the opportunity to choose to race at Indianapolis, Watkins Glen, and Daytona, but for me Daytona was a no-brainer after growing up as a kid playing the Daytona USA arcade games at the cinemas, the chance to go and race there in real life is incredible.” “I’ll only have one 70 minute race compared to our four 20-minute sprint races we have in the Australian series, so that will require a different approach to the weekend. “The whole idea is to go there, soak it up and and enjoy the experience of racing at one of the world’s greatest venues of racing, and if we can go there and be semi-competitive that would be an added bonus. “I’ve been doing a lot of Production Car racing this year, so I feel that will hold me in good stead for for this race at Daytona. “We’ve been planning this trip all year, the whole family are coming and we’re going to arrive a week early and check out some of the sights of Florida.” Joe Stevens - Team Owner, Stevens-Miller Racing “It is a pleasure and an honour to work with TA2 series and drivers from around the world. Over the last two years we’ve hosted champions from Sweden and Australia. "Russell Wright drove with us at COTA last year and was quite competitive. Contact with another car dropped him to the back but prior to that he was headed to a top five finish. "We’re looking forward to having 2018 champion Ashley Jarvis in one of our cars for Daytona and expect great things from him. We know he can wheel a car and we'll give him the tools he needs to be competitive."

Childs a Jack of All Trades

Posted on 10 July 2019

Trying his hand at multiple competitive racing disciplines and classes over the past 50 years, Jack Childs is showing no sign of slowing down as he prepares to make his debut in the TA2 Muscle Car Series. Having always harboured a desire to compete in road racing, the 69-year-old driver couldn’t be happier to be realising his dream after what has been a long career. But while the past half century has predominantly been made up of speedway racing, it was on the dirt circuit of Echo Valley Raceway that Childs began his racing venture at the age of 19 aboard an FJ Holden. Struggling to find the budget to compete on a regular basis, the born and bred Toowoomba local made the decision to step away from the driver’s seat, instead focusing on rugby league while taking up work at the Bellevue Hotel in Toowoomba. Jack later 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.

Deciding that the time was right to get back into competitive racing, 1982 saw Jack join the Bomber speedway class, competing regularly at Rockhampton’s Rocky and Bouldercombe Speedway where he won a Class Championship, along with 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 mid to late 1990s, winning two Rocky Speedway Club Championships and scoring several podium finishes. Piloting a Ford Escort, a Holden Torana and later a Holden Commodore during this time, while also having changed professions, now managing service stations and Home improvement business instead of pubs, Childs was forced to spend some time on the sidelines in order to repair his race car after sustaining significant damage in a crash at Moranbah. However, by the time he returned, the Modified Production class had all but died out in the Rockhampton area. Not wanting to give up on his passion, Jack transitioned into the very active Super Sedan class, purchasing a car from multiple-time Queensland Champion Lindsay Hawkins, going on to win some Club Championships. Moving from Rockhampton to Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast in 2007, now General Manager of a large home improvement company for work, Childs upgraded to a Rocket Super Sedan previously owned by Danny Smith and then getting a new rocket built , later purchasing a Dominator chassis in 2010 and then also getting a new one built and not looking back since. Participating in three National Series, which have allowed him to travel all around the country, making lifelong friendships along the way, Childs has also made the trek to Tasmania on a number of occasions to compete in the prestigious Grand National race.

Retiring from speedway at the end of the 2017-18 season, Childs, who has always been a huge supporter of the sport through his business Think Money, sponsoring drivers and events, received a fitting send off at Gympie’s Mothar Mountain Speedway in May, 2018, bringing to an end what has been a memorable journey. Not quite willing to give up on competitive racing, Jack decided that it was finally time to pursue his longstanding desire to enter the world of road racing, having been bitten by the bug around a decade ago when he competed with co-driver Dennis Rigon in the Queensland 500 at Queensland Raceway aboard a Subaru WRX, placing fourth. Completing 50 laps during a test session in a TA2 Racing car at Queensland Raceway at the beginning of this year, Childs took the plunge and purchased a car from TA2 driver Anthony Tenkate who has a new car on the way , Anthony steered the car during the recent series round at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia, before Jack takes ownership. Excited at the prospect of being a part of a new and growing division, Childs certainly isn’t putting too much pressure on himself, aiming simply to have as much fun as possible as he continues his racing career. He is set to make his debut in the fourth series round at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria from August 16 to 18. Childs would like to give special thanks to his wife Christine, who has always been there to support him throughout the inevitable highs and lows or motor racing. 2019 TA2 Muscle Car Series Calendar:August 16-18 Round 4 - Winton Motor Raceway (Vic) September 27-29 Round 5 - Sydney Motorsport Park (NSW) November 1-3 Round 6 - Queensland Raceway (Qld)

TV ALERT: TA2 Rd 2/Rd 3 Fox Sports Coverage

Posted on 9 July 2019

The TA2 Muscle Car Series has confirmed times for their first highlights shows to be screened on Fox Sports.

30 minute highlights shows from Round 2 at Morgan Park and Round 3 at The Bend Motorsport Park will be featured and replayed on Fox Sports channel 506 over ten times within the next month.

After three rounds of the TA2 Muscle Car Series in 2019 has seen record fields of 25+ at each event and highly-competitive racing between the three American Muscle Car giants, the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger.

Wins have been shared between rising star Aaron Seton, young-gun dual Formula Ford champion Nathan Herne, and the versatile and vastly experienced George Miedecke with six, four and two wins respectively.

See the confirmed slots below and lock them in your diaries!

Wednesday, 10 July 2019 - 3pm (Round 2 - Morgan Park) Thursday, 11 July 2019 - 6:56pm (Round 3 - The Bend) Friday, 12 July 2019 - 1:00am (Round 3 - The Bend) Saturday, 13 July 2019 - 2:22pm (Round 3 - The Bend) Monday, 15 July 2019 - 2:15am (Round 3 - The Bend) Friday, 2 August 2019 - 1:45pm (Round 2 - Morgan Park) Friday, 2 August 2019 - 2:15pm (Round 3 - The Bend) Tuesday, 13 August 2019 - 11:30pm (Round 3 - The Bend) Wednesday, 14 August 2019 - 3:30pm (Round 2 - Morgan Park) Wednesday, 14 August 2019 - 4:00pm (Round 3 - The Bend)

George Miedecke wins The Bend after heartbreak for Nathan Herne

Posted on 24 June 2019

George Miedecke has won his first round in the TA2 Muscle Car Series after claiming Round 3 at The Bend Motorsport Park following victory in the fourth and final race over Aaron Seton and Ashley Jarvis.

Dual Saturday race winner Nathan Herne continued his winning ways earlier in the day with a comprehensive victory in Race 3 and a new lap record at 1:55.8499 as Miedecke and Seton battled hard for the minor placings.

Kobelco Racing’s Michael Coulter and Kubota Racing’s Matthew MacKelden squabbled for seventh and eighth, while Christopher Formosa in the Allgate Racing ‘General Lee’ Dodge Challenger scored his first TA2 top-ten result.

Coulter impressed inside the top ten all weekend in his TA2 debut, but was later disqualified from Race 3 and subsequently Race 4 for running incorrect brake pads.

Herne’s Gulf Western Oils team discovered a differential issue between Races 3 and 4, and it turned out to be so when Herne bailed from the lead two laps in to Race 4 when the diff failed.

This left Miedecke and Seton to fight it out for the lead, as the pair ran side by side around Turn 18 on the final lap. Miedecke just prevailed over Seton for the race and round win by less than two tenths of a second.

A consistent top-ten weekend escaped Simon Tabinor after he ran off the track and failed to finish in what was a great return to form for the South Eastern European Mustang racer.

Starting from 26th after a spin in Race 3, Kubota Racing’s Hugh McAlister charged his way to sixth and picked up the Hypercoil Hard Charger Award for his efforts.

Cameron Sendall capped off a busy weekend of helping fellow TA2 competitors and missing practice to finish ninth outright and was awarded with the Wilwood Big Braker Award.

The Lubrimaxx/Miedecke Motor Group Mustang of George Miedecke won the round over Seton’s Castrol Harris Racing Mustang and Ashley Jarvis’ Lighthouse Electrical Camaro.

Seton continues to lead the Performax Cup standings by 17 points over George Miedecke, Jarvis, Andrew Miedecke and Nathan Herne, while Russell Wright extended his lead in the Masters division with sixth outright.

Round 4 of the 2019 TA2 Muscle Car Series heads to Winton Motor Raceway in regional Victoria on August 16/18.

QUOTES

George Miedecke, #35 Ford Mustang - Lubrimaxx/Miedecke Motor Group

“It’s been a long time coming for us at Miedecke Motorsport,” said George Miedecke.

“We joined the series at the final round of 2018 and had high hopes for our team, but I realised quickly that this series has a backbone and it’s so tough to win, but to finally get there and win the round is terrific.

“Aaron was applying the blowtorch on me for the whole two races today, it was great high-pressure racing.

“Throughout the weekend we all pressured each other, I was having a go at Nathan, Aaron was having a go at Nathan and Aaron was having a go at me, but between the three of us it was a very intense battle and i’m looking forward to continuing that for the rest of the year.

“The lure of the championship ring and the chance to race TA2 in the United States is a huge prize, but it’s going to be a hard fight with Aaron and Nathan for the rest of the year.”

Two-from-two for teenager Nathan Herne at The Bend

Posted on 22 June 2019

16 year old Nathan Herne has gone back-to-back in the opening two races of the TA2 Muscle Car Series at The Bend Motorsport Park.

The Gulf Western Oils Dodge Challenger fended off Castrol Harris Racing Mustang racer Aaron Seton and Lubrimaxx Miedecke Motorsport’s George Miedecke for each win today, as the top four which also included Ashley Jarvis’ Lighthouse Electrical Camaro couldn’t be separated during each eight lap encounter.

Mark Crutcher brought out the safety car on Lap 2 in Race 1 after he ran off the track with a diff failure. As the safety car was called and the field bunched, Russell Wright ran up the back of Kubota Racing’s Hugh McAlister on the main straight, but both cars continued without damage.

Wright was involved in another incident when he turned around Dream Racing Australia’s George Elliot at Turn 16 on Lap 6, and was later penalised five positions for the contact.

Darren Berry’s Camaro failed to take the start of Race 2 with a clutch issue.

As the field negotiated the first complex of corners in Race 2, Andrew Miedecke spun at Turn 3 after dicing with Ashley Jarvis for fourth. He charged back through the field to finish eighth.

Jarvis passed Seton for third at Turn 1, before Seton took back the position and came home in third.

Starting from the rear of the grid after a DNF in Race 1, Kubota Racing’s Matthew MacKelden climbed 13 spots to 11th, while Russell Wright passed ten cars to finish in 16th.

Series debutant Michael Coulter finished strongly in seventh, while Warren Trewin spun at Turn 4 on Lap 6 of the second race and finished in the gravel.

The TA2 Muscle Car Series returns for Races 3 and 4 at 9:30am and 1:05pm on Sunday, available to be streamed live online courtesy of the Australian Motor Racing Series.

QUOTES

Nathan Herne, #29 Dodge Challenger, Gulf Western Oils

“I’m really happy to bring home a strong result for the Gulf Western Oils team at The Bend today ahead of some extremely tough competition in George Miedecke and Aaron Seton,” said Herne.

“The car’s really good off the corners here, I’m able to put the power down nicely but we’re still struggling slightly under brakes so the team and I have got some work to do overnight.

“The racing in the TA2 Muscle Car Series is really intense, every race is getting more aggressive, but at the same time we’re trying to conserve our tyres as much as we can so we can fight again on Sunday.”

< Previous | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | Next >