Trans-Am Set for 2017 Season Opener
A mixture of old and new faces will take to the grid at the historic Lakeside Park for the opening round of the Australian Trans-Am Series, as part of the Peter Brock Lakeside Tribute meeting on March 18 and 19.
There are a number of new entrants in the 11-car field that will take part in the first round of the year, as the series welcomes a new naming-rights partner in Performance Wheels.
Former V8 Ute racer Cam Wilson will debut in the category in the Slideways Go Karting Australia-backed Chevrolet Camaro. Wilson teams up with the successful Fataz Competition Engines outfit to campaign the car recently driven by defending 2x Australian Trans-Am champion Charlie O’Brien.
The prospect of driving an iconic car alongside the calibre of drivers that race in the category excites Wilson.
“They seem like a great bunch of competitors... I just love my old-school cars, I’m a Camaro fan from way back,” said Wilson.
Former New Zealand touring car racer-turned safety car driver Tony Rutherford joins the category in John English’s 1967 Ford Mustang Coupe, while Ron Prefontaine will get behind the wheel of his 1966 Ford Mustang, driven to the 5 Litre series title last year by Rob Hackwood.
Fresh from taking on the New Zealand Historic Muscle Cars in the Trans-Tasman Challenge at Hampton Downs in January, Shannon O’Brien (Pontiac Firebird), Russell Wright (Ford Mustang) and Anthony Tenkate (Ford Mustang) will mix it up at the pointy end of the field, while Ian Palmer returns in his Pontiac Firebird with an upgraded 350ci engine to fight for the trophy class championship.
Sportsman series competitor Dan Fleming (Ford Mustang) and 5 Litre regulars Mike Collins (Ford Mustang), Tricia Chant (Ford Mustang) and Gareth Jones (Ford Mustang) will ensure there is action throughout the field.
Australian Trans-Am management previously confirmed a six round calendar for 2017, with the category taking to Lakeside Park and Queensland Raceway at key events on the state motorsport calendar.
The three class structure used in 2016 returns with the addition of a time-break system, where competitors in the 5 Litre and Sportsman classes will be promoted to the Trophy class if they set a time at or below 61 seconds at Lakeside, and 1 minute 22 seconds at Queensland Raceway. The Trophy class distinguishes those contending for outright race victories, while Sportsman and 5 Litre competitors are categorised by engine size.
Category Director John English said it will be a great weekend of racing.
“While entries for the first round of 2017 are lower than expected we still have a quality field of 11 cars with Cam Wilson and Ron Prefontaine, both driving class-winning cars, while Shannon O’Brien will have his Firebird in winning form after a successful NZ campaign, as will Russell Wright in his very fast 5-litre Mustang.
“The action will be thick and fast for our first round,” said English.
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