HAYNES TAKES OUT TA2 MUSCLE CAR OPENER AT SMP

MEDIA RELEASE/TA2 Racing Australia Muscle Car Series – Photos: Velocity Magazine

Josh Haynes has taken out Round One of the 2024 TFH Hire Muscle Car Series – framed by HYTEK Steel Framing after an incident packed final day of racing for the series opener at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Supercar driver Todd Hazelwood got the jump for the lead on Waltec Motorsport driver Josh Haynes in Race 2 for the weekend, Haynes continued to apply the pressure to Hazelwood but as the race went on Haynes’s car was becoming loose in the rear giving Hazelwood the win.

Newcastle’s Tom Hayman pitted on lap 3 due to a gear selection issue, managing to cross the finish line 2 laps down.

Queensland’s Josh Thomas was the hard charger in Race 2, carving his way through the field to 10th by Lap 4, finishing the race in 8th after starting from rear of grid while Brad Gartner also had a stellar run from 16 th to 4 th .

Race 3 saw trouble for TFH driver Todd Hazelwood, after a diff yoke broke while leading, with Haynes going on to win the race 3. 5 seconds in front of CXC Racing driver Dylan Thomas and Gartner. Dream Racing Australia driver Hayden Jackson’s exhaust feel off on lap 2 forcing him to retire while Michael Coulter’s Ford Mustang broke a bolt off the steering arm on the last lap.

Hayman made up 14 spots finishing 4 th after starting rear of grid. Race Four was red flagged after a major incident with 10 laps down when Todd Hazelwood and Brad Gartner came together, which set off a chain reaction involving Mark Crutcher and Lee Stibbs at the final corner coming onto the Main straight. Mark Crutcher was taken to hospital for precautionary neck and spinal checks as a result of the heavy impact. Tom Hayman and Hayden Jackson both had incidents that led to a mid-race safety car. At the re-start Hazelwood, who had come from the back of the field, Brad Gartner and Haynes were involved in a three-way stoush for the lead with only 2 laps to go when Hazelwood made a move on Gartner, the two coming together, and setting up what was a very high-speed impact involving 4 cars that blocked the track and ended the race.

Haynes won the round from reigning champ Dylan Thomas and Graham Cheney, Queenslander
Connor Roberts finished 4 th outright on points on his TA2 debut, winning the Racetech Rookie of
the Round Award, Anthony Tenkate won the Circo Master Class from Paul Hadley and Domain
Ramsay, while Danny Reidy claimed the Wilwood Big Braker Award.

Round 2 of the 2024 TFH Hire Muscle Car Series framed by HYTEK Steel Framing heads to Morgan Park in Queensland May 31- June 2. 

Josh Haynes, #37 Herzog Steel Ford Mustang
“It was a really good start to the weekend, obviously it was a bit of a tough way to end with the red flag, hopefully Mark Crutcher is alright. The Herzog Steel Mustang was quick, we had some good battles and it was really good way to start off our 2024 racing season, hopefully we can continue this momentum through to Round 2 in Morgan Park.” 

2024 TA2 Muscle Car Series Calendar

Round 1 – Sydney Motorsport Park (NSW) 19-20 April (Southern & Northern Series)
Round 2 – Morgan Park Raceway (QLD) May 31-June 2 (Northern Series)
Round 3 – Queensland Raceway (QLD), June 28-30 (Northern Series)
Round 4 – The Bend Motorsport Park (SA), August 30-September 1 (Southern Series)
Round 5 – Winton Motor Raceway (VIC) October 4-6 (Southern Series)
Round 6 – One Raceway (NSW), October 25-27

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