PROUD FUEL SUPPLIER OF THE HI-TEC OILS SUPER SERIES
hi-tec oils super series Round 2
Welcome from Series Management
Welcome to Hidden Valley Raceway for the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series' first visit to Darwin!
This is a milestone weekend for AASA-sanctioned national motorsport, being our first visit to the Northern Territory - and what a weekend to kick it off! The May Day long weekend will be a three-day festival of motorsport for the Darwin community, with a mixture of circuit racing and drifting to keep the crowd entertained.
The enhanced professionalism of the series in 2023 is very much thanks to the support of George Gambino and Hi-Tec Oils, who have come on board as our major commercial partner. The relationship with Hi-Tec has enabled us to expand our media package to include live television coverage at the track for all our events, and this weekend the broadcast - simulcast on SBS and Fox Sports/Kayo will take place on the Monday.
In terms of the on-track action, the clear highlight this weekend is the TA2 Muscle Car Series. The TA2 cars will will stage a two-driver endurance event across six races in which the winners will be crowned "Kings of the North" and receive $20,000 prize money. TA2 is one of our core categories and its fantastic to have so many drivers and teams making the big trek to the Northern Territory.
The HQ Holdens will also be on track for a two-driver endurance race to be known as the "Crocodile Cup", and this has also atttracted a contingent of interstate visitors who will try their luck against the local HQ racers.
We also have the support of local drivers in the Excels and NAMSC Combined Sedans, with Darwin drivers and teams to benefit from the exposure and professionalism of competing at a national-level event.
Speaking of NAMSC (the North Australian Motor Sport Club), their members have worked tirelessly in co-ordinating on-the-ground logistics for this event, and we greatly appreciate their efforts in assisting us with the execution of this race meeting. It will be the first of many visits for the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series to the NT!
A big thank you to all our competitors and volunteer officials for your onging support, enjoy some awesome action in the Top End!
Cheers, Stephen Whyte - Benalla Auto Club General Manager
CONTENTS
Welcome from the Sponsor Officials Track map Schedule
TA2 Muscle Car Series Kings of the North HQ Holden Crocodile Cup Combined Sedans/Super TT
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 212/18 Marine Parade, Wentworth Point NSW
Top End Drift Series
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hi-tec
super series RoUnD 2 3
oils
welcome from the sponsor
On behalf of Hi-Tec Oils, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Hidden Valley for the second round of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series.
Motorsport sponsorship continues to represent an important marketing activity for the Hi-Tec brand, and we're fortunate enough to have sponsorship properties across multiple disciplines of the sport, including drifting with our Hi-Tec Drift All Stars, endurance racing with the Bathurst 6 Hour, speedway with the Toowoomba venue and now, national-level circuit racing with the HiTec Oils Super Series.
So far, we've only completed one round of the series at Winton but I've already been impressed with the passion of the competitors and the professionalism of the Benalla Auto Club staff members in running the series.
Now, we make the trip to Darwin for the second round and it's shaping up to be another ripper event with some marquee two-driver races on the program.
I would encourage all competitors and spectators of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series to visit the Hi-Tec Oils website and have a look at our range of products. While oil is our most familiar brand, it is certainly not the only product we sell - we also provide coolant, brake fluid, fuel system additives, cleaning products and windscreen wipers, while one brand we're really pushing at the moment is our battery brand, which is gaining traction in the market.
Once again, this weekend's event will feature live streaming and television coverage, so if you're not trackside at Hidden Valley, make sure you tune into the live stream via the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series social media channels on Monday morning, and SBS or Fox Sports in the afternoon!
Cheers, George Gambino - CEO, Hi-Tec Oils
Officials of the meeting
Duty
Series Manager
Series Administrator
Series Stewards
Series Clerk of Course
Name
Stephen Whyte
Shannon Jones
Richard Whyte, Michael Fitzgerald
Andrew Wilton
Technical Advisor Jeff Grech
Local Officials
Judges of Fact
North Australian Motor Sport Club
Andrew Wilton
Circuit map
hi-tec oils super series round 2 5
Event schedule
saturday 29 april 2023
Sunday 30 april 2023
hi-tec oils super series round 2 6 Start Finish Category Duration Session 08:30 08:50 HQ Driver A or B 0:20 Practice 1 08:55 09:15 TA2 Driver A or B 0:20 Practice 1 09:20 09:40 NT Hyundai Excels 0:20 Practice 1 09:45 10:05 Combined Sedans 0:20 Practice 1 10:30 10:50 HQ Driver A or B 0:20 Practice 2 10:55 11:15 TA2 Driver A or B 0:20 Practice 2 11:20 11:40 NT Hyundai Excels 0:20 Practice 2 11:45 12:05 Combined Sedans 0:20 Practice 2 12:30 12:50 HQ Driver A or B 0:20 Practice 3 12:55 13:35 TA2 Driver A or B 0:30 Practice 3 13:40 14:00 NT Hyundai Excels 0:20 Practice 3 14:05 14:25 Combined Sedans 0:20 Practice 3 14:30 15:00 TA2 Driver A or B 0:30 Practice 4 15:10 16:00 Hot Lap Sessions 0:50 Hot Laps
Start Finish Category Duration Session 07:55 08:25 HQ Driver A & B 0:30 Qualifying 08:30 08:50 TA2 Driver A 0:20 Qualifying 1 08:55 09:10 NT Hyundai Excels 0:10 Qualifying 1 09:15 09:25 NT Hyundai Excels 0:10 Qualifying 2 09:30 09:50 Combined Sedans 0:20 Qualifying 09:55 10:15 TA2 Driver B 0:20 Qualifying 2 10:20 10:35 HQ Driver A 8 Laps Race 1 10:55 11:15 Combined Sedans 10 Laps Race 1 11:20 11:40 TA2 Driver A Race 12 Laps Race 1 11:45 12:00 HQ Driver B 8 Laps Race 2 12:05 12:50 NT Hyundai Excels 24 Laps Race 1 12:55 13:15 TA2 Driver B Race 12 Laps Race 2 13:20 13:40 Combined Sedans 10 Laps Race 2 13:45 14:30 NT Hyundai Excels 24 Laps Race 2 14:35 15:00 TA2 Race 3 24 Laps Race 3 15:05 16:45 HQ Enduro Crocodile Cup 100 Min Race 3 16:55 17:55 Top End Drift 1:00 Drift Comp 18:00 18:30 Hot Lap Sessions 0:30 Passenger Rides
Monday 1 may 2023
7 hi-tec oils super series round 2 7 Start Finish Category Duration Session 08:00 08:25 Hot Lap Sessions 0:25 Passenger Rides 08:32 09:15 NT Hyundai Excel 22 Laps Race 3 09:00 12:00 Live streaming 3:00 09:27 09:42 TA2 Driver B 12 Laps Race 4 09:56 10:16 Combined Sedans 12 Laps Race 3 10:26 10:43 HQ Holden Founders Cup 12 Laps Race 4 10:55 12:00 Top End Drift Top 8 1:05 Shootout 12:30 15:30 Live TV broadcast 3:00 12:37 12:52 TA2 Driver A 12 Laps Race 5 13:01 13:17 Combined Sedans Final 10 Laps Race 4 13:24 13:59 NT Hyundai Excel Final 16 Laps Race 4 14:08 14:23 HQ Holden Founders Cup Final 10 Laps Race 5 14:32 15:17 TA2 King of the North 35 Laps Race 6
kings of the north
World-first twin-driver format set to shake up TA2 grid in Darwin
Just when you thought the TA2 Series couldn't get any more amazing, the series organisers have decided to throw a curve ball in the air with a two-driver format for the second round of the series. A total of six races will be held, with the highestplaced driver pairing across the weekend to take away the title of "Kings of the North," along with $20,000 in prize money.
The opening round at Winton was a hard-fought affair, with ex-pat Englishman Lee Stibbs taking his maiden round win in the category after a fierce battle with Jackson Rice across the meeting. The rivalry culminated in a contretemps between the two drivers in the weekend's final race, for which Rice was penalised.
The ever-consistent Dylan Thomas and ever-improving Nicholas Bates ended up tied at Winton, with the third-place trophy going to Thomas on a countback, while Michael Coulter recovered from a disappointing qualifying result to finish fifth overall.
However, the Winton round was notable for a few of the main title protagonists experiencing dramas including Josh Haynes (mechanical problems) and Brad Gartner (a big crash in Race 1) - these drivers will be highly motivated to score big results in Darwin to launch themselves back into the title fight.
The two driver format has seen the series regulars recruiting some big-name co-drivers for Hidden Valley, with notable names on the entry list including Tickford Racing Supercars endurance driver Tyler Everingham, TCR Australia race winner Jordan Cox, Carrera Cup title contender Max Vidau, former TA2 champ Russell Wright and 2019 runner-up George Miedecke.
There's also the international entry of US-based Nathan Herne (who is showing off his talents in the American Trans Am Series) and Kiwi Paul Manuell.
Haynes and Bates have taken a different approach, the two Canberra drivers electing to maximise their points haul by sharing a car for the event.
With such a high-quality field, picking a winner is no easy task and this weekend's round is shaping up as a cracker.
after Round 1 Pos Driver Points 1 Lee Stibbs 217 2 Jackson Rice 208 3 Dylan Thomas 200 4 Nicholas Bates 200 5 Michael Coulter 184 6 Hayden Jackson 180 7 Matt Mackelden 152 8 Josh Haynes 150 9 Graham Cheney 147 10 Nick Lange 144
Points
ENTRY LIST No. Sponsor Driver 1 Driver 2 Car Make and Model 4 Crutcher Developments Mark Crutcher Jordan Cox Ford Mustang 6 McAlister Motors Hugh McAlister George Miedecke Ford Mustang 7 Pedders Suspension & Brakes Jackson Rice Tyler Everingham Ford Mustang 10 PBR Distributions Nathan Herne Paul Manuell Dodge Challenger 11 Kobelco / Sydney Truck and Machinery Michael Coulter Steve Coulter Chevrolet Camaro 15 Rowell Logistics / Pacific Petroleum Michael Rowell Ford Mustang 20 Adam Hargraves Daniel Jilesen Chevrolet Camaro 21 Tempest Solutions Zach Loscialpo Chevrolet Camaro 22 Castec Rural Supplies / MVA Racing Brad Gartner Max Vidau Ford Mustang 37 Beaches Sea-Doo Josh Haynes Nick Bates Ford Mustang 40 Access Linemarking Equipment / Municipal Works Australia Rob Leonard Russell Wright Ford Mustang 44 Tefol Group Nick Lange Chevrolet Camaro 45 Total Parts Plus Hayden Hume Robert Hackwood Dodge Challenger 49 Allgate Mortorsport Chris Formosa Nick Filipetto Dodge Challenger 50 PBR Distributions Paul Hadley Andrew Fisher Chevrolet Camaro 51 IES Motorsport Graham Cheney Edan Thornburrow Chevrolet Camaro 66 Arrow Financial Services / MVA Racing Lee Stibbs Chevrolet Camaro 68 CXC Racing Dylan Thomas Tim Brook Ford Mustang 81 MGW / Team RSG Hayden Jackson Jarrod Hughes Dodge Challenger 93 Waltec Motorsport Aaron Tebb Chevrolet Camaro 99 Kubota Matthew MacKelden Marcus Zukanovic Ford Mustang hi-tec oils super series round 2 9
watch out for the crocs!
The popularity of HQ Holden Racing in Australia is still alive and well, and this weekend drivers are travelling from all over Australia to take on the HQ Crocodile Cup.
It's Australia's longest-standing one make series, and despite the fact the cars are now over half a century old, HQ Holden Racing is showing no signs of slowing down.
This weekend's Hidden Valley race meeting will see the HQs on track for a total of five races.
On Sunday, there will be two sprint races (one for each driver) followed by the 100 minute Crocodile Cup endurace race with compulsory pit stops.
Monday will see the HQs returning to the track for another two sprint races for the Founders Cup.
HQ racing has always been popular in Darwin, due to the widespread availability of cars and parts, even with supplies dwindling in other parts of the country due to the age of the
cars and natural attrition. As a result, a number of local drivers feature on this weekend's entry list.
Among them, David Ling will team up with his son Steven, Gavin Thompson will join John Hill and Nick Halkitis will drive with Stavros Mostris.
However, the HQ event has also attracted a number of interstate visitors including Luke Harrison/Shaun Boland (NSW) and a contingent of Victorians: Tony Moloney/Rob Braune, Richard Whyte/Michael Fitzgerald, Peter Brown, Phil Aitken and Ross Wood/Mark Brient.
And of course it wouldn't be a major HQ Holden race meeting without the legendary Dave "HQ Dart" Amor in attendanceDave will be trackside working on cars and lending a hand to anyone who needs it.
hi-tec oils super series round 2 11 No. Sponsor Driver 1 Driver 2 Car Make and Model 3 Wrangler Jeans David Ling Steven Ling Holden HQ 13 John Hill Gavin Thompson Holden HQ 21 Xipnos / HB Group / Hercules Windows Stavros Mostris Nick Halkitis Holden HQ 22 Asset Plumbing Solutions Luke Harrison Shaun Boland Holden HQ 27 JS Plumbing John Smith Graham Crawford Holden HQ 31 Stilo Earthmoving Ross Wood Mark Brient Holden HQ 43 STP Peter Brown Phil Aitken Holden HQ 54 M Bujnowski D Bujnowski Holden HQ 60 Tide Pods Phillip Aitken Peter Brown Holden HQ 72 Total Weld / ABS/ JNL Crankshaft / Protector Fire Service / RAC Diesel Solutions / Jakes Steel & Welding Peter John Anderson Tony Whitehair Holden HQ 74 Starburst Richard Whyte Michael Fitgerald Holden HQ 76 NAMSC Darren Jenkins Adam Butler Holden HQ 77 Juicy Fruit Mark Walsh Brian Walsh Holden HQ 99 Mt Noorat Freighters Tony Moloney Rob Braune Holden HQ 131 MC Racing Callum McCrae Rob Jones Holden HQ
HQ HOLDEN CROCODILE CUP ENTRY LIST
Commodore Cup Country
It may have folded as a national series over a decade ago, but Commodore Cup continues to be popular in the Northern Territory.
Commodore Cup may have ceased to exist as a national series at the end of 2012, but it is still going strong in the NT and has become one of the most popular local categories.
The NT Commodore Cup Series was created when the national series upgraded to VS Commodores in the mid2000s, which saw the older VH-model cars sold to Darwin.
Mechanically, the Commodore Cup cars have stayed true to their original philosophy – they are powered by the venerable 253 cubic inch (4.2 Litre) Holden V8 engine driven through a four-speed manual gearbox.
Notable Commodore Cup drivers include David Ling Garry Dempsey, Geoff Cowie, Ian Roots and Shane Smith, while they will share the grid with Improved Production cars piloted by Ross Salmon, Rodney Jessup (Commodores) and West Australian Evan Bartlett (Falcon).
There will also be a couple of entries from the Australian Super TT Championship, with Benalla Auto Club committee member Garry Quigley campaigning his historic Ford Falcon and New South Welshman Michael Ricketts making the trip to Darwin with his Nissan Pulsar, fresh from a strong run at the Winton round.
No. Class Driver Car Make and Model 7 Commodore Cup Garry Dempsey Holden Commodore 10 Commodore Cup Geoff Cowie Holden Commodore 14 Commodore Cup David Ling Holden Commodore 15 Improved Production Rodney Jessup Holden Commodore 22 Commodore Cup Stephen Johnstone Holden Commodore 26 Improved Production Evan Bartlett Ford Falcon 31 Super TT Garry Quigley Ford Falcon 32 Commodore Cup Ian Roots Holden Commodore 35 Commodore Cup Shane Smith Holden Commodore 41 Super TT Michael Ricketts Nissan Pulsar 44 Improved Production Ross Salmon Holden Commodore 51 Improved Production Stephen Johnstone Holden Commodore hi-tec oils super series round 2 13
Combined Sedans ENTRY LIST
Excelling at affordable racing
What started 10 years ago as an affordable entry class has developed into one of the most popular categories in Australia, and Darwin has not escaped the Excel explosion
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.
The Excels provided plenty of entertainment in the opening Hi-Tec Oils Super Series round at Winton and this weekend, it's Darwin's turn to showcase its local Excel talent.
The likes of Zac Hannon, Lachlan Sohn, Samantha Hoskin and Noel Wallace are all set to take part, while Tyler Cheney - son of TA2 racer Graham - is making the trek from interstate to be part of the race meeting.
The Winton and Hidden Valley rounds are a taster for what is to come later in the year for the Excels, with a national series for the category to kick off in the second half of the season.
No. Sponsor Driver Car Make and Model 5 Matthew Powell Hyundai Excel 17 Top End Electrical Dakota Masters Hyundai Excel 21 Aleeanz Voltz Hyundai Excel 27 Robert Holloway Hyundai Excel 47 Top End Electrical Garry Dempsey Hyundai Excel 49 Liam Hall Hyundai Excel 59 IES Motorsports Tyler Cheney Hyundai Excel 69 Ramstar Plastics Tyson Matiazzo Hyundai Excel 70 Corestaff / Norwell / VTG Zac Hannon Hyundai Excel 91 Deadly Hair Dude Samantha Hoskin Hyundai Excel 98 LSR Racing Lachlan Sohn Hyundai Excel 99 Big Bowl Noodles - Darwin / Transform Electrical / Built Spud Tough Race Engines / Middy’s Electrica Noel Wallace Hyundai Excel hi-tec oils super series round 2 15
nt excel series entry list
sideways action, smoke and skill
Drifting is a popular component of the Northern Territory motorsport landscape, with the NT Drift Series giving drivers a safe environment to demonstrate their car control skills.
This weekend’s Hi-Tec Super Series round will be supported by the Top End Drift Series, which will commence with a drift competition on Sunday afternoon followed by a Top 8 Shootout on Monday.
During the competition, Darwin’s top drifters will be adjudicated on their drifting skills by a panel of expert judges.
Drifting enjoys strong popularity in Darwin, with drivers
and teams investing heaviliy in their equipment and some travelling interstate to compete nationally in the Hi-Tec Drift All Stars.
Drivers to look out for this weekend include Jacob Martin (who won Round 1), Ben Candy, Paul Seidel, Club President Mitch Doyle and young up-and-coming drifter Jack Botting, who finished a career-best fourth in the opening round of the series.
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
