National racing returns to Mallala
Mallala Motorsport Park is back in the spotlight this weekend as the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series brings the historic South Australian venue to the national scene.
It ends a seven-year hiatus between national-level meetings hosted by Mallala, which will also welcome Trans Am later in the year.
As recently as 1998, Mallala, the 2.6KM circuit created in 1961, hosted V8 Supercars.
Ending the drought this weekend are the TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series Presented by Maritmo Luxury Yachts, Formula Ford Stars Series, TFH Hire Legend Cars Australia, Innovation Race Cars and Australian Formula Vee categories.
“We’re excited to bring the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series to Mallala, it’s great to expand into new regions and give South Australian fans a national-level event at the historic venue,” said Super Series Manager Carolyn Oldano.
“It’s a big moment for the community of Mallala and surrounds. The Super Trucks put on quite a show there in April and we hope to do the same.
“Mallala is tight and technical. It rewards precision and bravery, perfect for close, exciting racing. I think our viewers are in for quite a treat, as are the competitors.”
The V8 powered TA2 Muscle Cars boast a field of 16 cars including several new names and additions to the grid.
Joel Heinrich, an Aussie Racing Car Series winner and Touring Car Masters front-runner will make his debut in the TA2 Series this weekend. As a local South Aussie, he very well could spring a surprise.
Edging closer to championship glory is recent Supercars rookie Jarrod Hughes.
Hughes leads the title race by a commanding 169 points with Mallala being the penultimate round.
“I’m feeling good heading into Mallala, and our goal is to stay consistent in order to maintain our lead in the championship,” Hughes said.
“We had a solid test day there a few weeks ago, and the track is really cool. It’s narrow, which will make racing challenging, but it will definitely provide plenty of close action and entertainment.
“I’m looking forward to putting our best foot forward for the remainder of the season.”
The Formula Ford Stars Series returns to the Super Series with a record entry list.
Victorian Kobi Williams has been the man to beat for much of the season, already scoring two handfuls of race wins.
Lachlan Evennett and Joe Fawcett have been his closest challengers, those two enter the penultimate round separated by just two points.
This week Isaac Demellweek will make his Formula Ford Stars debut coming off strong performances in the class during the year.
The Aussie made V8 powered GT machines, Innovation Race Cars (IRC) will visit the state of South Australia for the very first time.
This weekend TA2 race winner Lee Stibbs will jump from the V8 muscle car into IRC, making his debut in the series. Category owner and race winner Danny Stutterd makes his return and will be challenging for wins across the course of the weekend.
Geoff Emery and John Hollinger will continue their title scrap, heading into the penultimate round they are split by just three points.
Both the pocket rocket Legend Cars and the buzzing Formula Vees will be well suited to the layout of Mallala.
Both categories will slipstream effectively on the long straights creating a lot of three and four wide racing action heading into the tight right-hand hairpins.
Legend Cars fields a high-quality entry list with all the usual suspects including reigning champion Ryan Pring and championship leader Dylan Thomas.
In Formula Vee it is expected to be a tight affair with many drivers capable of finishing on the podium.
The Hi-Tec Oils Super Series event at Mallala is exceptional value, with families able to attend the entire weekend for less than $100.
Image: Supplied
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