Round 1 entry list
It has been two years since the Touring Car Masters took their showcase of muscle machines and classic exotics to the West to take on the drivers favourite circuit that is Barbagallo Raceway, but they will make their return alongside the V8 Supercars Chill Perth 360 next weekend for Round 2 with a strong field that will promise an action packed event as parity and developments mean that class victories could be anyones.
Reigning champion, John Bowe, will run with the greatest limitation on revs seen so far in the series, and knows he has his greatest challenge again, touting Greg Crick and his Mopar Chrysler Charger as the ones to watch in the west, saying,No one has ever run so few revs, so the boys at Maranello (Motorsport) and I are still deciding on gear ratios and how to setup the car so that we can still give a good fight up the front as the rest of the field get stronger.
Its going to be a tough weekend, with great competitors returning, the likely addition of strong new cars, and the west has always been a place for TCM action.
I reckon Greg Crick is a really good chance to come out on top, being a great driver and he has been getting the Charger more competitive with each round. The Charger is an impressive package with its shape, power and weight package looking very favourable.
The challenge at the helm of both Class A and Class B will be one of the toughest to date, with the 23 car field all pushing forward, many having used time between racing to make weight reductions, performance improvements, and focus on driver race-craft development as the Masters steps it up once more.
Having moved from a Camaro to the Australian muscle of Jim Mortons Holden HQ, Adam Bressington has put his #27 Bandit Chippers Racing HQ on a diet to bring the entry back to meet its minimum weight after being 100kgs over at the opening round, with AED in the USA confirming sponsorship for the team for the remaining seven rounds.
2012 Class B champion, Chris Stillwell will be back at the wheel of his Mustang, while dual series champion Gavin Bullas will again take to the track in the West-Australian owned Phil Morris XA Falcon he campaigned during Round 1 while his own BOSS Mustang projects continue in the background.
Series statesman Graham Alexander is a welcome face back in the field with his stand out Holden HT Monaro that last joined the Masters grid back at Hidden Valley Raceway last season, alongside Masters veteran Les Walmsley who is back once more in the second entry of the Outbound Racing/wheels.com.pg garage, hoping that he can again take the # 99 Holden HQ to a podium finish.
Young gun Michael Almond has impressed from his debut outing with the series almost a year ago, and again proven to have the goods at the opening event of the season, with his Porsche 911 RS moving from Class B to Class A, his performance seeing the exotic star remain in the outright competition and confident of taking the prestige of his Porsche into the fight at the front against the collection of classic muscle.
Heading west, John Bowe holds a 24 point buffer over fellow champion Jim Richards in Class A Outright, while in Class Bs Pro-Sportsman stakes, Greg Keene and Steve Mason are tied for the lead, with Nigel Benson looking strong just four points adrift, with the opportunity for Round 2 to change everything and ensure a tight title fight across the classes in the early part of this the seventh season of the Touring Car Masters.
The Touring Car Masters is proudly supported by Shannons Insurance, Rare Spares, Unique Cars Magazine and the 2013 Australian Muscle Car Masters, with official suppliers Hoosier Tires and Australian Sports Marketing, and official technology partners Sandman Technical.
