The Trans-Am 2 Performax Cup has announced a 14-car grid for the category’s inaugural national series event at the first round of the new Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) at Winton Motor Raceway on March 9-11.
The series’ inaugural Victorian event will feature seven Ford Mustangs, five Chevrolet Camaros, and two Dodge Challengers with entries split among drivers from Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Russell Wright (Ford Mustang) returns looking for national honours after he sealed the Queensland championship in 2017. He will be joined by Australian Trans-Am compatriot Anthony Tenkate (Ford Mustang), former Group C and V8 Supercar driver Craig Harris (Ford Mustang) and Touring Car Masters racer Don Dimitriadis in a Dan Gurney tribute Ford Mustang.
Father and son duo Ian and Hugh McAlister expand to a two-car Ford Mustang outfit this season, while Hugh’s previous Generation-Five Camaro will be raced by former one-make Nissan Pulsar racer Mark Crutcher.
Former Australian GT racer Darren Berry switches to Trans-Am 2 in a Gulf Oil-inspired Chevrolet Camaro, and will be joined in the Camaro ranks by Ashley Jarvis and former V8 Utes racer Greg Willis.
Tickford Racing Supercar team co-owner Rusty French will miss his home round with clashing commitments at the Phillip Island Classic, while Chad Cotton (Ford Mustang), Peter Robinson (Dodge Challenger) and first-time circuit racers Scott Textor (Dodge Challenger) and Cameron Sendall (Chevrolet Camaro) complete the grid.
National category manager Craig Harris has confirmed 17 cars have been sold to competitors around the country, with a grid approaching 25 cars anticipated by the end of the year.
“We currently have 21 cars in the country ready to go, and another order arriving in June will take that to 25,” said Harris.
“We’ve had so much interest from around the country from drivers who want to race these cars, and when you look at their affordability and performance it’s not hard to see why.
“They look great, they sound great, they’re fast and the racing is close on track. It ticks all the boxes in what you want in a race car.
“The engines, gearboxes and ECUs are all sealed. So when the cars are strictly controlled across the board, it all comes down to the driver and the racing on track is extremely tight as a result.
“We can’t wait to get to Winton to launch a great year ahead for the Performax Cup.”
A full event schedule for round one of the 2018 Performax Cup at Winton Motor Raceway will be confirmed shortly.
ENTRY LIST
2018 Performax Cup – Round 1, Winton Motor Raceway (VIC)
#2 – Don Dimitriadis (NSW), Ford Mustang
#4 – Mark Crutcher (NSW), Chevrolet Camaro
#5 – Ian McAlister (NSW), Ford Mustang
#6 – Hugh McAlister (NSW), Ford Mustang
#10 – Peter Robinson (QLD), Dodge Challenger
#14 – Cameron Sendall (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro
#20 – Darren Berry (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro
#22 – Ashley Jarvis (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro
#44 – Greg Willis (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro
#55 – Russell Wright (QLD), Ford Mustang
#69 – Anthony Tenkate (QLD), Ford Mustang
#88 – Craig Harris (QLD), Ford Mustang
#92 – Scott Textor (QLD), Dodge Challenger
#222 – Chad Cotton (ACT), Ford Mustang
