The Australian National Trans-Am Series (also known as the Trico Trans-Am Series after the series sponsor) is a national

motor sport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific terms ''automobile ...

series based on the American

Trans-Am series The Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of ...

. It is a

spec series One-design racing is a racing method which may be adopted in sports using complex equipment, whereby all vehicles have identical or very similar designs or models, avoiding the need for a handicap system. Motorsport One-make racing series (also ...

featuring featuring TA2-class cars, and runs as part of the SpeedSeries, a national series of motor racing events organised by Australian Racing Group and sanctioned by the FIA-affiliated

Motorsport Australia Motorsport Australia, formerly the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), is the nationally recognised governing and sanctioning body for four-wheeled motorsport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and relate ...

. It is one of two national, televised series featuring this class of car; the other is the TA2 Racing Muscle Car Series.

History

The series was established in 2020, after a dispute between ARG and the organisers of what is now known as the TA2 Racing Muscle Car Series, who are also the importers of the Howe Racing Enterprises chassis that form the basis of both series. ARG acquired the license for Trans-Am trademarks from the American series. Of the two Australian series using the cars, the National Trans-Am series is generally regarded as having the strongest drivers in recent years, including Nathan Herne and Bathurst 1000-winning co-driver

Todd Hazelwood Todd Matthew Hazelwood (born 25 September 1995) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship for Dick Johnson Racing as a co-driver in the Shell V-Power Racing Ford Mustang. ...

Cars

The Trans-Am series uses a standard spaceframe chassis built by Howe Racing Enterprises and Chevrolet LS3 engines prepared by McLaren Motor Engineering, a South Australian-based engineering firm (unrelated to the British

McLaren Group McLaren Group Limited ( ) is a British holding company based in Woking, England, which is involved in Formula One and other motorsport and the manufacture of sports cars. The group was founded by Ron Dennis shortly after his acquisition of the ...

). Other chassis and engines used in American TA2-class racing are not permitted. Most of the car's engine, drivetrain, wheels, tires, brakes and suspension components are controlled, and must be purchased from the car's distributor and remain unmodified. Teams and drivers are permitted to alter suspension settings to optimise car setup.

Round format

In 2024, each round featured multiple races over the course of the round weekend, including 3-race weekends of 2x25 minute and 1x30 minute races (expressed as a number of laps given the expected race pace of the vehicles), 4-race weekend with 4x25 minute races, and 2-race weekends with 2x45 minute races. A minimum of 20 minutes of practice and 20 minutes of qualifying is held before the first race of each round, qualifying times determining grid order for the first race.

Race starts

Unlike the

Supercars Championship The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...

and many other circuit racing classes in Australia, the series features "rolling starts" where cars form up in grid order (in two rows) at slow speed behind a

safety car In motorsport, a safety car, or a pace car, is a car that limits the speed of competing cars or motorcycles on a racetrack in the case of a ''caution period,'' such as an obstruction on the track or bad weather. The safety car aims to enable the ...

for a formation lap before racing begins.

Media coverage

The series is broadcast by the free to air

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

in Australia, with extended streaming coverage on the 7Plus streaming platform. The series is covered by motor racing media outlets such as

Auto Action ''Auto Action'' is an Australian motorsport magazine. The first edition was published on 24 February 1971. It became part of Australian Consolidated Press and was included in its 2012 sale to Bauer Media Group Heinrich Bauer Publishing (), t ...

and

SpeedCafe Speedcafe.com is an Australian-based motorsport news website that launched on 23 October 2009. The site had over 50 million page views in 2020. Speedcafe.com is a source of news and race reports for the Supercars Championship, Formula One, and o ...

Champions

Circuits

Adelaide Street Circuit The Adelaide Street Circuit (also known as the Adelaide Parklands Circuit) is a temporary street circuit in the Adelaide Parklands, East Parklands adjacent to the Adelaide central business district in South Australia, Australia. The "Grand Pr ...

(2020, 2024–present) *

Symmons Plains Raceway Symmons Plains Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Australia, located about south of Launceston, Tasmania. Since the closure of the Longford Circuit in the 1960s it has been Tasmania's premier motor racing facility. The circuit is one of th ...

(2021–present) *

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Ventnor, Victoria, Ventnor, on Phillip Island, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The current circuit was first used in 1952. Along with The Bend Motorsport P ...

(2021–2024) *

Mount Panorama Circuit Mount Panorama Circuit, officially Mount Panorama/Wahluu via dual naming, is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is situated on Mount Panorama and is best known as the home of the Bathurst 1000 motor race ...

(2021–present) *

Sydney Motorsport Park Sydney Motorsport Park (known until May 2012 as Eastern Creek International Raceway) is a motorsport circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek (40-kilometres west of the Sydney CBD), New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western ...

(2021–2023) *

Queensland Raceway Queensland Raceway nicknamed "the paperclip" is a motor racing circuit located at Willowbank, Queensland, Willowbank in Ipswich, Queensland, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. The circuit hosted Supercars Championship until 2019, Drifting (motor ...

(2022–2024) *

Sandown Raceway Sandown International Raceway is a motor racing circuit in the suburb of Springvale in Melbourne, Victoria, approximately south east of the city centre. Sandown is considered a power circuit with its " drag strip" front and back straights b ...

(2022–2024) *

Winton Motor Raceway Winton Motor Raceway is a motor racing track in Winton, near Benalla, Victoria, Australia. History The Benalla Auto Club began planning for a permanent racing track around 1958, as a replacement for their existing track at Barjarg. In 1960 i ...

(2023, 2025) *

The Bend Motorsport Park The Bend Motorsport Park, currently known as Shell V-Power Motorsport Park for naming rights reasons, is a bitumen motor racing circuit at Tailem Bend, South Australia, Tailem Bend, South Australia, Australia, about south-east of the state ca ...

(2024–present) *

Hidden Valley Raceway Hidden Valley Raceway is part of the Hidden Valley Motorsports Complex, located at 171 Hidden Valley Road, Hidden Valley, from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The Hidden Valley Motorsports Complex includes a 1 km drag racing track ...

(2025) *

Mallala Motor Sport Park Mallala Motor Sport Park is a bitumen motor racing circuit near the town of Mallala, South Australia, Mallala in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. Mallala Race Circuit (1961–1971) The Mallala Race Circuit, as it was ...

(2025)

References

{{Class of Auto racing Trans-Am Series Sports car racing series Auto racing series in Australia