fbpx

Trans Am field adds muscle for critical Sandown showdown

The National Trans Am Series will roll into Sandown with both new and returning faces on the grid and with three rounds remaining in a compelling title battle.

The V8 Muscle Car series will race alongside a bumper Shannons SpeedSeries program at the iconic Victorian venue with James Moffat holding a slender lead over Lochie Dalton and Tom Hayman following an unpredictable recent few rounds.

All three are represented on a strong Sandown entry that includes the return of Nash Morris.

Having sat on the sidelines due to other racing commitments at his home event, the Queenslander is likely to be an outright threat at Sandown with plenty of recent circuit knowledge in Supercars competition.

Buy tickets to the event at motorsporttickets.com.au.

Meanwhile, fellow Super2 pilot Elly Morrow will make her Trans Am Series debut this weekend driving a The Racing Academy entry for the first time.

Morrow, who races for Tickford Racing in the second-tier Supercars series, will use this weekend as an opportunity to gain relevant knowledge of the Victorian circuit in a highly competitive field.

This year marks just the second time the national Trans Am Series will have raced at Sandown, the category having made their debut at the circuit last year when it served as the season finale’.

Then, Cody Burcher (Mustang) took pole position over Nathan Herne, with his 1m11.569s flyer standing the qualifying benchmark.

The weather-interrupted weekend saw Saturday’s opener cancelled due to torrential rain before Nathan Herne and Owen Kelly split the two races held in wet conditions on Sunday, Herne clinching the title in the process.

The recent form of Dalton – who won at Winton – and Queensland winner Hayman have year-long leader Moffat clinging to a 13-point lead with three rounds remaining in the 2023 title chase.

Sandown will be a big weekend for the Trans Am Series with much of the focus on a busy Saturday program that includes two races – including the day-ending feature race on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday’s pair of races will be broadcast live on the Nine Network, while all three races will be shown live, ad-break free and later on demand on Stan Sport.

The best value tickets in motorsport remain available for the Sandown event and can be purchased online at motorsporttickets.com.au.

Car # Class SPONSOR DRIVER SURNAME STATE MAKE MODEL COLOUR
1 03 Outright All American Driveline Ben Grice VIC Ford Mustang Red/White/Blue
2 4 Masters Cup Crutcher Developments Mark Crutcher NSW Ford Mustang Yellow/Black
3 5 Outright The Racing Academy Cody Gillis WA Ford Mustang White
4 8 Hoosier Cup Wealth Rite Racing Chris Pappas QLD Ford Mustang White
5 19 Outright The Racing Academy Elliott Cleary NSW Ford Mustang White
6 23 Masters Cup Holinger Racing John Holinger VIC Chevrolet Camaro Black
7 29 Outright The Racing Academy Elly Morrow Ford Mustang
8 30 Outright Tom Hayman Motorsport Tom Hayman NSW Ford Mustang Yellow
9 34 Outright Team Valvoline GRM James Moffat VIC Ford Mustang Red
10 44 Hoosier Cup The Tefol Group Nick Lange QLD Chevrolet Camaro Silver/Orange
11 45 Outright AWC Lochie Dalton TAS Ford Mustang Black
12 66 Outright Arrow Financial Services Lee Stibbs Chevrolet Camaro White
13 67 Outright Supercheap Auto Racing Nash Morris QLD Ford Mustang Red
14 69 Outright TFH Hire Services Joshua Thomas Ford Mustang White
15 75 Outright Pioneer DJ Elliot Barbour VIC Chevrolet Camaro White
16 99 Outright TPS Group/Breeze Holiday Parks Brett Holdsworth VIC Chevrolet Camaro White/Green
17 116 Outright Sydney Property Care GRM Edan Thornburrow NSW Ford Mustang Black
18 200 Outright Dream Racing Australia / Auto Fix Joshua Webster TAS Chevrolet Camaro White
19 777 Masters Cup Dream Racing Australia Craig Scutella NSW Chevrolet Camaro Blue

Feature Photo: Speed Shots Photography