2023 Hi-Tec Oils Super Series Round 1 Programme

PROUD FUEL SUPPLIER OF THE HI-TEC OILS SUPER SERIES

hi-tec oils super series Round 1

Welcome from Series Management

Welcome to the opening round of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series at Winton Motor Raceway.

This weekend marks the start of the next evolution of AASA-sanctioned national motorsport, with Hi-Tec Oils coming on board as the major commercial partner of our national series. As well as enhancing the professionalism of the series, the Hi-Tec Oils partnership also enables us to expand our media package to its most generous level yet, with expanded coverage including live television on SBS Speedweek and simulcast on FOX Sports and Kayo on Sunday afternoon.

Throughout 2023, Hi-Tec Oils Super Series events will be attended by a mixture of categories, with our core national championships augmented by state-based classes.

This weekend at Winton, our core national categories are the TA2 Muscle Car Series, Mazda RX8 Cup and Australian Super TT Championship (running in a combined field with the Stock Cars and Invitied Muscle Division), with the ever-popular Victorian Excel Series joining our program with separate grids for the Under 40 (Trophy) and Over 40 (Masters) drivers.

It's going to be a big year for the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series, with a particularly significant milestone being our trip to Darwin for Round 2 at Hidden Valley. This is a big logistical undertaking and we thoroughly appreciate the support of all the stakeholders who have come on board to make the event possible.

We also value the ongoing relationship with other circuits we'll be visiting throughout the season, including Queensland Raceway, Morgan Park, Sydney Motorsport Park and excitingly, Calder Park, which will host its first national event in well over a decade.

A big thank you to all our competitors and volunteer officials for your onging support, enjoy the first round of the series!

Cheers, Stephen Whyte - Benalla Auto Club General Manager Officials Track map Schedule

CONTENTS

TA2 Muscle Car Series

Mazda RX8 Cup Series

Australian Super TT Championship

hi-tec oils super series Round 1 Programme

Hi-Tec Oils Super Series Round 1 official event programme

Editor: Lachlan Mansell

Photos: Colson Photography, Riccardo Benvenuti, Trackside Media, Matthew Paul Photography

The Hi-Tec Oils Super Series is proudly owned by the Benalla Auto Club and sanctioned by the Australian Auto Sport Alliance.

Publisher:

Chequered Flag Media

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Officials list

Duty

Series Manager

Name

Stephen Whyte

Series Administrator Shannon Jones

Series Stewards Richard Whyte, Michael Fitzgerald

Series Clerk of Course Andrew Wilton

Deputy Clerk of Course Richard Weston

Assistant Clerk of Course John Dozzi

Chief Marshall Kevin Watson

Chief Timekeeper Eldee Timing

Judges of Fact Andrew Wilton, Eldee Timing

Circuit map

Event schedule

FRIDAY 17 march 2023

SATURDAY 18th march 2023

SUNDAY 19th march 2023

An unpredictable contest

The 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Series is set to be a wide-open battle between a mixture of young guns and experienced veterans.

The TA2 Muscle Car Series has become established as a fanfavourite category on the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series program, and while there have been some minor tweaks for the 2023 season, the fundamental ingredients that have made it such a success all remain in place.

While the cars are styled to resemble iconic American muscle cars such as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger, the vehicles themselves are identical, being built on a common chassis and using control Chev LS V8 motors.

The main technical change for 2023 is the introduction of a control shock absorber for the category. In the past, teams were able to modify the internals of the Penske shocks, but competitors will now be required to use control items which will be sealed. It is expected this will contain costs by reducing expenditure on research and development.

The category caters for a wide variety of drivers, spanning the entire spectrum between young up-and-coming talents and older competitors who are racing for recreation rather than to forge a professional career.

TA2's position as a stepping stone has been demonstrated by former champions Aaron Seton and Jett Johnson, who have

both progressed to the Super2 and Super3 Series.

Heading into 2023, the youthful speed and exuberance of drivers like Josh Haynes, Brad Gartner and Jackson Rice will mark them as title favourites, but last year's runner-up Graham Cheney will be looking to repeat the consistency that enabled him to be Johnson's closest challenger last year.

Other front runners aiming to carry momentum into 2023 include Nicholas Bates and Mark Crutcher, while former Toyota 86 racers Zac Loscialpo and Dylan Thomas had some stoushes during 2022 and can again be expected to run in the lead pack this year.

Other notable names on the entry list include former Group C and A historic racer Greg Keam and Driver's Seat radio show host Matt MacKelden.

Also making his return to the category is Dean Lindstrom, a driver who will be familiar to many motorsport fans for driving a Supercar in the Bathurst 1000 alongside Melinda Price in the late 1990s, and sharing a Dodge Viper with D'Arcy Russell in the Nations Cup and Australian GT Championships in the early to mid-2000s.

rotary revival

The Mazda RX8 Cup Series has gone from strength to strength since it was introduced in 2018, and this season is shaping up to be another cracker.

Under the guidance of rotary renegade Ric Shaw, the Yellow Express Mazda RX8 Cup has become one of the fastestgrowing one-make series in Australia.

The rotary-powered Mazda RX8s were a popular road car in Australia from the mid to late-2000s, and Shaw saw an opportunity to create a racing series based around the nimble-handling, rear-wheel-drive platform.

To ensure costs are contained and race results are determined by driver ability, parts are tightly controlled and the cars are mostly production-spec; upgrades to components are only made in the interests of improving reliability in the cut and thrust of a competitive racing environment.

The series kicked off at Phillip Island last month, and while reigning champion Tom Shaw won the round, he looks to face tough opposition throughout this season from Luke Webber, who was one of the big improvers in 2022, and Justin Barnes, a competitor with experience in other categories such as Improved Production.

The Lewis brothers will also be fast at Winton, as will young guns Jackson Noakes and Jack Pennacchia.

mixing it up

Super TT has a long-standing reputation for attracting variety and diversity of machinery, and in 2023 it will run as a national championship.

Affectionately known as a "run what you brung" category, Super TT has been around for many years as a staple category of the Benalla Auto Club.

It caters for enthusiasts who enjoy making varying degrees of modifications to their cars, and is divided into four classes: Over and Under 2 Litre cars, running on either Slick or Treaded tyres.

Because of the diverse array of cars it attracts, Super TT races are typically entertaining because of the varying strengths and weaknesses of different vehicles. For example, some cars are fast in a straight line, others are better under brakes and through the corners, but often cars with completely different mechanical philosophies will achieve very similar lap times.

For the Winton round, the undoubted favourite for outright

honours will be Mark Tracey in his very fast, V8-powered BMW E36 3 Series. Tracey is a veteran at Winton, having raced not just in Super TT but also in the Super3 Series aboard his exBritek Motorsport Supercar.

Other contenders include New South Wales driver Mark Granger in his AU Falcon, Andrew Goldman in his Subaru WRX and Trev Drummond in his Mitsubishi Evo, while former Saloon Car racer Brent Edwards will be hoping the technical issues in his turbocharged BA Falcon have been ironed out.

In terms of the Under 2 Litre Treaded Tyres class, a contingent of seven BMW E36 drivers have entered the race meeting - as well as having their own race within a race, the BMWs will nip at the heels of the more powerful vehicles through the technical sections of the Winton circuit, especially if it's wet.

the resurrection mission

Super TT has a long-standing reputation for attracting variety and diversity of machinery, and in 2023 it will run as a national championship.

Stock Car racing in Australia went through a lean time in the 2000s, largely due to the demise of the Calder Park Thunderdome and retirement of drivers who had previously supported the NASCAR and AUSCAR categories.

However, thanks to the efforts of passionate Goulburn mechanic Zac O'Hara, the series has undergone a resurgence over the last couple of seasons, with some passionate enthusiasts working hard to restore old cars or in some cases, importing new cars from America.

The result is some cars with impressive pedigree returning to

the track, and last year some Stock Car rounds were attended by vehicles that had previously been raced by some seriously cool names - the likes of Jim Richards, Russell Ingall and even Kevin Schwantz.

At Winton this weekend, the main contenders will be Scott Nind in his ex-Xfinity Series machine, Danny Burgess in his Chevrolet OzTruck and Josh Hourigan, who steps up from Legend Cars into an OzTruck.

Also worth watching out for is Michael Heppletson, who will be driving the ex-Gene Cook Ford Thunderbird.

EXcellent excels

What started 10 years ago as an affordable entry class has exploded into one of the most popular categories in Australia.

Affordable, fun to drive, easy to work on and entertaining to watch; the Excel Racing Series has struck a chord with circuit racing enthusiasts all over Australia.

Initially created as the cheapest way to go car racing, the closeness of competition in Excel racing has seen it become a legitimate stepping stone for drivers progressing from gokarts to professional circuit racing.

That much has been proven by the likes of Broc Feeney, Jett Johnson, Ben Bargwanna and Jaylyn Robotham, who have used the Excel Series as a stepping stone to the upper echelons of motorsport.

Not only that, but many professional drivers race in the Excel Series on their spare weekends for a bit of fun. Robotham is a case in point - fresh from competing in the Super2 Series round at Newcastle last weekend, he'll line up on the grid at Winton.

In Victoria, the Excels have become so popular that they have exceeded the grid capacity at some tracks. As a result, series

organisers have divided the field into Trophy (Under 40) and Masters (Over 40) classes.

Along with Robotham, the main contenders in the Trophy Class this weekend will be Brad Vereker, Toby Waghorn, Harry Tomkins and Cadel Ambrose, while also on the grid will be Charlie Nash - son of Tickford Racing Supercars team coowner Rod Nash.

Recent Masters Class races at Winton have been fought out by Glenn Mackenzie and Larry Merifield, while the likes of Adam Bywater, Donny Mrnjavac and Mark Pesavento should also be in the mix.

The Excel races at Winton will provide a taster of plenty more Excel racing to come on the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series program throughout 2023, including an endurance event at Hidden Valley and the national series that will take in rounds across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

2023 calendar

Round 1: Winton Raceway, 17-19 March

Round 2: Hidden Valley, 29 April-1 May

Round 3: Queensland Raceway, 2-4 June

Round 4: Morgan Park, 8-9 July

Round 5: Sydney Motorsport Park, 13-14 October

Round 6: Calder Park, 24-26 November