ELLERY JOINS TRANS AM RANKS

Second-generation racer Dalton Ellery will race in the National Trans Am Series this year, steering an ex-Aaron Seton Ford Mustang.

Dalton is the son of former touring car driver Steve, who made it onto the Bathurst 1000 podium three times between 1996-2005.

Having completed a round of the TA2 Muscle Car Northern Series at Queensland Raceway last year, Ellery junior is now ready for a full Trans Am campaign in 2022.

“My first taste of a Trans Am was at a race weekend last year at Queensland Raceway, which was a bit of a jump into the deep end,” Ellery recalled.

“We gave it a freshen up afterwards and completed another race event at Morgan Park in Sports Sedans where we weren’t really racing anyone, but we learnt so much through the course of those three days.

“It was just unbelievable how much we learnt about how the car works and the maintenance, so it was absolutely fantastic. I really got to grips with how the car handles, brakes and accelerates, plus the gearing as well.”

Ellery purchased the Mustang from Harris Racing at the close of 2021 and since then has completed a raft of work including the installation of a new engine and subsequent track testing at QR and Morgan Park.

With a successful shakedown in the books, the 25-year-old is ready to take on the field at Symmons Plains in the season opener next month despite never having raced at the venue.

“Learning new circuits is not an obstacle for me,” Ellery said.

“I think there are certain tracks where you can master a craft and I think particular corners on some where experience matters but coming out of the box, I’m pretty confident to be able to get up to speed fairly quickly.”

Close to 30 Trans Am cars will feature at the second running of Race Tasmania where the category will be joined by TCR Australia and the S5000 Australian Drivers’ Championship from February 11-13.

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