U.S. Trans Am Series Drivers Invited to Race at Bathurst
Australian Racing Group, which operates the Turtle Wax Trans Am Series in Australia, is offering an opportunity for competitors in the United States-based Trans Am Series TA2 class to participate in the Australian Trans Am Series season finale at the Bathurst International Mount Panorama circuit on November 11-13, the series announced.
The 3.86-mile Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst is a 23-turn track with 541 feet of elevation change. This is the first time such a broad invite has been issued to United States competitors to race TA2 cars at Mount Panorama, series officials said, which boasts top speeds of 173 mph for the class. The Supercheap Auto Bathurst International event is composed of three fast-paced sprints (16 laps, eight laps and eight laps) for a total of 123.52 miles/198.8 kilometers of racing.
The Turtle Wax Trans Am Series is the highest level of Trans Am competition in Australia, with cars built to a controlled TA2 formula, just like TA2 in the United States. The chassis are all built by Howe Enterprises and feature the same single-specification 525 horsepower engines for parity and cost control.
“I didn’t want it to be my favorite track because it’s so far away, but it went to the top of my list straight away,” said two-time Trans Am TA2 champion Gar Robinson, who has participated in the Bathurst event in the past. “If you took Virginia International Raceway and turned it into a street course and then added walls, kangaroos and Tim Tams, that’s Bathurst. I can’t wait to get back there.”
The Turtle Wax Trans Am Series season kicked off February 11-13 at Symmons Plains Raceway in Launceston, Tasmania, and has completed four event weekends so far in 2022. Owen Kelly in the No. 73 Owen Kelly Motorsport Ford Mustang currently leads the championship standings, followed by Nathan Herne in the No. 1 Team Valvoline GRM Ford Mustang and Tim Brook in the No. 38 TRADIEPAD Wall Racing Ford Mustang.
