Aussie muscle resurgence in production racing
Production car racing these days is the domain of all-wheel drive turbos and $150K-plus BMW M3s and M4s. But the production car ranks do still boast plenty of home grown V8s – and this year’s MRF Tyres Australian Production Cars Series includes a separate class devoted to Aussie Muscle.
Despite the fact that the latest Holden hardware in the series is at least three years old, HSVs still give a good account of themselves in production car competition. In fact, in the recent Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour, the Chris Lillis/Nathan Callaghan/Matt Holt VF HSV Clubsport E8 was third outright, beaten only by current model BMWs (an M4 and the winning M3).
Lillis and Callaghan now have their sights on
the new Muscle class in the national series
“We have proven over the last few years that the Aussie V8s are quick, they handle and brake very well and they are very reliable,” Lillis says. “With the prices of crate motors and gearboxes considered they are also a lot cheaper to run and build in most cases when compared to the European cars.
“This is why we were very excited about the Aussie Muscle class when it was announced and we can’t wait to see it grow as time goes on. It is a great class that showcases these Australian-built cars – most of us grew up with Commodores and Falcons and know a lot about them. The parts are cheap and available, they are low maintenance, and the cars are so relevant to the fans.
“We were of course all devastated when local manufacturing came to an end but this class lets us continue to showcase how good our Aussie built V8-powered cars are. We have a great mix of cars already and we want to see more and more coming in.”
It might not be Aussie-built muscle, but the new Ford Mustang GT which Coleby Cowham and Lindsay Kearns are elding in the series will add further spice to the battle between the home grown Holden/HSV and Ford/FPV runners.
We’ve not heard whether or not HSV’s right-hand-drive converted Camaros are eligible – but it’s a tantalising prospect given that the rst HSV Camaro ZL1s are now appearing in HSV showrooms.