Ashley Jarvis has won the third round of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series at the Australian Muscle Car Masters at Sydney Motorsport Park. The Chevrolet Camaro driver scored a clean sweep of all four races to claim overall round honours ahead of Russell Wright (Mustang) and Hugh McAlister (Mustang). On his series debut, Aaron Seton (Mustang) earned pole position by 1.9 seconds over Jarvis in a very wet qualifying session, the largest pole margin in series history. Ian McAlister (Mustang) bested son Hugh (Mustang) to claim the second row of the grid for the McAlister Motors Ford team. Seton lead from the start in race one, before spinning off after turn three on the second lap, falling back to eighth before driving back through to second. This left Jarvis to win race one after building a ten second margin by the chequered flag. Peter Robinson (Challenger) battled hard to earn third place ahead of Wright and Hugh McAlister. Ian McAlister sat in third for the majority of the race, before he suffered a puncture on the final lap and dropped back to sixth. On a wet but drying track in race two, Jarvis drove away from the field to win by 15 seconds over Wright and Robinson. A gamble to run slick tyres didn’t pay off for Seton as he dropped back to 11th, with the remainder of the field sticking to wets. Jarvis took a lights-to-flag win ahead of Wright and Hugh McAlister in race three. Seton charged through the field to third, before a spin at the turn eight hairpin on the final lap while chasing Wright let Hugh McAlister past, dropping him to fourth. Seton made his way to second by lap three of the final race and hounded the back of Jarvis’ Camaro right until the chequered flag. Jarvis fended off Seton to take the win by two-tenths of a second to seal the clean sweep. Mark Crutcher (Camaro) and Anthony Tenkate (Mustang) failed to finish after Crutcher spun around at the turn eight hairpin on lap six and was collected by Tenkate. Jarvis, who maintains an unbeaten streak this season in his own car, was ecstatic with his performance all weekend. “A few things fell our way this weekend. The last race I really had to work for it, but i'm absolutely stoked to come away with four wins from four races.” “We didn’t make quite the right tyre pressure adjustment leading into the last race. It was fast to begin with and I could see Aaron coming but I just kept it straight, slow-in and fast-out and just tried to make the car as wide as I could.” “We go to Queensland Raceway in two weeks. It’s my home track and i’ve done many laps around there, so we’ll just go back to our basic setup and hope to be somewhere in the pointy end of the field come race day.” “I’ve got to make a huge thanks to my parents who sacrifice so much to take this car around the country, to Ben Croft my number one spanner man, and my amazing wife and two girls at home. Without their support, as well as Ormeau Physio and Nexgen Transport I couldn’t do what I do.” On 276 points, Russell Wright now leads the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series by 5 points over Hugh McAlister on 271, with Jarvis moving up two spots to third on 264. The 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series heads to Queensland Raceway for round four at the 2 Days of Thunder on June 23/24.

The Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series heads to Sydney Motorsport Park for their championship debut at the popular Australian Muscle Car Masters this weekend, June 8-10.

14-cars will line up for the first of two events at Sydney Motorsport Park this year, as the series welcomes former Touring Car Masters racer Dave Falvey to the grid in a Chevrolet Camaro, joining Don Dimitriadis to form a two-car line up for Thunder Road Racing Team Australia.

Third-generation racer Aaron Seton joins the series for a one-off appearance in the Castrol Harris Racing Ford Mustang. As previously reported, the son of two-time Australian Touring Car Champion Glenn Seton will fill in for regular driver Craig Harris who is unable to attend with personal commitments.

With three race wins out of the four on offer, RoadBees Transport Ford Mustang driver Russell Wright claimed the spoils at round two at Queensland Raceway, but it was New South Welshman Hugh McAlister who emerged with a one-point series lead over Wright.

Without a win so far in 2018, McAlister attributes his lead to a consistent run of strong performances in the early stage of the season.

“The way our points system works, if you have a bad result or a DNF it takes a long time to fight your way back to the front. The first two rounds I wasn’t the quickest, but managed to finish around the top three in all races so far,” explained McAlister.

“I had a few category wins at Sydney Motorsport Park last year when we raced with the Sports Sedans, so I am hoping that translates to some good results this weekend for the McAlister Motors Ford Mustang.”

Series Manager Craig Denyer sees the Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series as a perfect fit for the Muscle Car Masters event, as the category continues to experience strong sales.

“Sydney Motorsport Park celebrate the heritage of touring car racing in Australia very well with this event, and it’s great for our category to be a part of it,” said Denyer.

“TA2 is an evolution of Trans-Am racing, which fed into Australian touring car racing in the 60s and early 70s. Many of the improved touring cars raced by Bob Jane and the like in that era came directly from Trans-Am racing.

“There has been a lot of interest in the TA2 category over the past few months, so it will be great for our drivers to showcase modern muscle car racing at its best at Sydney Motorsport Park.”

This event marks the first points-paying weekend for the Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series at Sydney Motorsport Park, following a demonstration at the 2016 edition of the Muscle Car Masters and sporadic appearances in local Sports Sedan events. The series returns to Sydney Motorsport Park for the season finale on October 26-28 with the Australian Motor Racing Series.

Round three of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series will feature four races across two days of action on the Muscle Car Masters program.

Races three and four on Sunday will be shown live through Muscle Car Masters’ social media channels thanks to a live stream provided by Blend Line TV. A post-produced highlights show will feature free-to-air on ONE HD following the event.

ENTRY LIST
2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series - Round 3, Sydney Motorsport Park (NSW)

#2 - Don Dimitriadis (NSW), Ford Mustang - Thunder Road Racing Team Australia
#4 - Mark Crutcher (NSW), Chevrolet Camaro - Crutcher Developments
#5 - Ian McAlister (NSW), Ford Mustang - McAlister Motors/Performax
#6 - Hugh McAlister (NSW), Ford Mustang - McAlister Motors/Performax
#10 - Peter Robinson (QLD), Dodge Challenger - PBR Distributions/BStyled For Life
#14 - Cameron Sendall (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - PBR Distributions/BStyled For Life
#15 - David Falvey (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Thunder Road Racing Team Australia
#22 - Ashley Jarvis (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Lighthouse Electrical
#44 - Greg Willis (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Cross Torque Racing
#55 - Russell Wright (QLD), Ford Mustang - RoadBees Transport
#69 - Anthony Tenkate (QLD), Ford Mustang - Tenkate Plant Hire/Performax
#88 - Aaron Seton (QLD), Ford Mustang - Castrol Harris Racing
#92 - Scott Textor (QLD), Dodge Challenger - Textor Racing
#222 - Chad Cotton (ACT), Ford Mustang - Team Supreme Racing

ENDS

About TA2 Muscle Cars
TA2 is the current evolution of America’s Trans-Am Series catering for modern V8-powered Trans-Am muscle cars, as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger continue a rivalry that spans generations of race fans all over the world. Racing on an equal, cost-effective platform, the cars combine the prowess of a purpose-built space-frame Howe Racing Enterprises chassis and a controlled GM Motorsport engine package developing 525 horsepower that causes every head in the paddock to turn and take notice.

The TA2 muscle cars are available as a turn-key race car, ready to roll out on the grid and available for sale in Australia through PBR Distributions at Hillcrest, Queensland. 

Expressions of interest can be lodged via info@ta2racingaustralia.com. Don't forget to like ‘Performax TA2 Muscle Cars’ on Facebook!

Third-generation racer Aaron Seton will join the TA2 Muscle Cars field when it makes its debut at the annual Muscle Car Masters at Sydney Motorsport Park on June 9-10. The son of two-time Australian Touring Car champion Glenn Seton and grandson of 1965 Bathurst 500 winner Bo Seton will race a Ford Mustang owned by former Supercars privateer Craig Harris for Castrol Harris Racing. Previously listed as an invitational round for the category, the popular retro racing event has since been changed to a points-paying weekend and will host round three of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series. Seton has been touted as a future star of the sport after picking up a Class B title in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge in 2015, as well as victories in the 2016 and 2018 editions of the Bathurst 12 Hour, firstly aboard a Class I MARC Ford Focus, then with the Class C BMW M4 GT4 alongside Matthew Brabham and Tony Longhurst. After sampling a Supercar in the Kumho V8 Touring Car Series in 2017, Seton has his eyes set on establishing a career in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. The 19-year old is looking forward to experiencing the TA2 race car in its first year as a national series, as he looks to reach his ultimate goal of Supercars. “I’m really looking forward to joining the Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series as a part of Castrol Harris Racing at the Muscle Car Masters event,” said Seton. “I’ve heard great things about the new TA2 cars, so I’m excited to get behind the wheel and experience the Mustang. “Competing as a part of the Castrol Harris Racing Team will be a great way to gain more experience and improve my driving so I can’t thank Craig Harris enough for the opportunity to drive his car.” Harris is thrilled to provide an opportunity to a rising star of the sport. “Glenn Seton and I have known each other since we were 16 years old racing karts, and we’ve built on that relationship ever since,” he said. “It’s come full circle that now we’re providing his son Aaron with a drive in the TA2 Mustang.” “Aaron has already shown to have immense talent behind the wheel, and the TA2 cars require a very similar driving style to a Supercar, so I hope this opportunity will open some doors for him as he climbs up the ranks.” The TA2 Muscle Cars will have four races across the weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park, with a full entry list to be revealed shortly. ENDS About TA2 Muscle Cars TA2 is the current evolution of America’s Trans-Am Series catering for modern V8-powered Trans-Am muscle cars, as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger continue a rivalry that spans generations of race fans all over the world. Racing on an equal, cost-effective platform, the cars combine the prowess of a purpose-built space-frame Howe Racing Enterprises chassis and a controlled GM Motorsport engine package developing 525 horsepower that causes every head in the paddock to turn and take notice. The TA2 muscle cars are available as a turn-key race car, ready to roll out on the grid and available for sale in Australia through PBR Distributions at Hillcrest, Queensland. Expressions of interest can be lodged via info@ta2racingaustralia.com and to find out more about the class, visit www.ta2racingaustralia.com and like ‘Performax TA2 Muscle Cars’ on Facebook.

TA2 Racing Australia has welcomed the appointment of experienced motorsport promoter and media commentator Craig Denyer as manager for the Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series commencing immediately.Denyer takes over from current series competitor Craig Harris, who has elected to focus on his racing commitments within the series.The move sees a return to motor sport management for Denyer, who conceived and ran the Australian V8 Utes Series for over 15 years, was involved in the Australian GT Series, (and formerly Nations Cup with PROCAR), the Mini Challenge Series, and along with business partner Bill West was instrumental in the re-birth of the Bathurst 12 Hour race, working with event promoter James O’Brien. Denyer was also heavily involved in his son Grant’s racing activities.

The category has experienced strong growth of late, with 17 cars sold and 14 appearing for the season opener at Winton, and management are confident of a 20 car grid by the end of the year.

Denyer says the category has all the hallmarks to be successful in Australia.

“I think this category is one of the best kept secrets in Australian Motorsport, current bodied Mustang, Camaro and Dodge Challengers that cost less to run over a race weekend than a saloon car,” said Denyer.

“With over 500hp, they are the real deal to drive and offer a great bang for buck experience. They look, go and sound like a real V8 race car should and the fans will love them.

“I think the series will create its own niche, not just in fan appeal, but as an alternative for young drivers to experience a real race car at very low running costs, the engines last up to 4 seasons before requiring a rebuild!”

This is the first year that the series has gone national, with seven rounds taking in Winton, Sydney Motorsport Park, Queensland Raceway and Wakefield Park.

“Series owner Peter Robinson and regular TA2 driver Craig Harris have done a great job with the specs of the cars and to get the series up and running.” 

“Big walled NASCAR-style tyres and no aero makes for great racing, plus managing brakes and tyres over varying race distances will play out in strategy. Teams can only have 2 new tyres for each race meeting, so there will be more going into managing this bank than Westpac!”

Gold Coaster Ashley Jarvis dominated the opening round with a clean-sweep at Winton Motor Raceway in his Chevrolet Camaro, however New South Welshman Hugh McAlister fought back in his Ford Mustang at Queensland Raceway last weekend to now lead the series by just one point over Queenslander Russell Wright.

The TA2 muscle cars are available as a turn-key race car, ready to roll out on the grid and available for sale in Australia through PBR Distributions at Hillcrest, Queensland.

TA2 Racing Australia also thanks John English for his initial work in having the category accepted on the programme at QR and Lakeside with John Tetley during the birth of TA2 in Australia.