June 14, 2016 | General

STRONG GRID SET FOR THUNDER IN THE VALLEY

NOW A STAPLE of Darwin’s annual mid-winter motorsport festival at Hidden Valley Raceway the Touring Car Masters return to the CrownBet Triple Crown in the Top End this weekend.

The classic muscle and sports cars from the 1960s and 70s have been a key part of the annual Supercars trip to the territory each year since 2008 with this year representing the ninth straight visit to Hidden Valley.

The quick 2.8km circuit like many others on the TCM schedule has been a happy hunting ground for former Australian Touring Car Champion John Bowe with the current TCM points leader having won four of the eight rounds contested in Darwin.

He won the series’ initial visit in 2008 driving a Chevrolet Camaro and then won three straight Darwin rounds between 2012 and 2014 driving his iconic Ford Mustang nicknamed ‘Sally’.

However Bowe finished second last year to former Supercars teammate Steven Johnson who won the round in the Mustang while Bowe finished second.

The pair currently sit 1-2 in the 2016 standings with Bowe back in the Torana he raced last year and Johnson driving the Synergy Race Engines Falcon XY GTHO with grunt that should suit Hidden Valley’s long 1.1km main straight.

Bowe’s top-end history also showcases the remarkable evolution of Touring Car Masters’ machines.

His pole position time in 2008 was a 1m17.1849s lap while last year he powered his Holden Torana SL/R 5000 to the top spot on the grid with a scorching 1m12.3826s effort – a full five seconds improvement.

Bowe has scored pole seven of the eight times TCM has raced at Hidden Valley.

This year’s Touring Car Masters series has been the most competitive start to a season in series’ history with six different winners from the first nine races contested to date this year.

Greg Ritter Adam Garwood Jim Richards John Bowe Andrew Fisher and Glenn Seton have all won races this season – Seton the latest to add his name to the winners list thanks to a thrilling victory recently at Winton Raceway.

Johnson is yet to record a race win – consistency the key to his strong championship position.

Another driver who could challenge for a victory is Jason Gomersall – who will bring his brand-new 1978 Holden Torana A9X to Hidden Valley for the first time this week following a sensational debut at Winton in May.

The first two-door Torana to race in the category Gomersall was fastest in practice qualified second and finished second behind Bowe in the first two races of the Winton weekend in an impressive debut for the Matt Stone Racing-prepared Torana – a car that features a tribute livery to the iconic Peter Brock / Holden Dealer Team car that dominated at Bathurst in 1978/79.

The Hidden Valley field will see the return of several familiar faces to the TCM paddock for the first time this year.

Garry Treloar returns to the series driving a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS while fans of the Chrysler brand will enjoy Mick Wilson’s comeback in his hemi-powered Charger R/T. Nigel Benson returns to the wheel of his HQ Holden GTS 350 fellow Adelaidian Graham Stewart having driven the car for the start of the season.  

Meanwhile multiple Whiteline Racing will return to two cars for the first time since the season opening Clipsal 500 Adelaide with team owner Bob Middleton set to make a highly anticipated comeback in the team’s ’69 Camaro SS.

Middleton a multiple Australian Super Truck Champion and former NASCAR ace hasn’t raced in TCM for several seasons however will return to the track this weekend in the newly rebuilt Camaro – now back in its traditional bright yellow livery.

Two new names also feature on the Darwin entry list: Rob Burns set to make the debut of his Bendigo Retro Muscle Cars-prepared HQ GTS Monaro while Michael Cannon is entered in a Falcon GTHO.

The Shannons Thunder in the Valley will see the Touring Car Masters field tackle three races across the CrownBet Triple Crown weekend this weekend at Hidden Valley Raceway.

SHANNONS THUNDER IN THE VALLEY – ENTRY LIST

No	Sponsor Name	Ch Name	Surname	State	Year	Make	Model	Cap	Colour
2	Shannons Insurance	Jim	Richards	VIC	1972	AMC	Javelin	5898cc	Grey/Green
4	Skye Sands	Rusty	French	VIC	1970	Ford	Mustang Fastback	5800cc	Black
8	Bendigo Retro Muscle Cars	Rob	Burns	VIC	1972	HoldenÂÂ	Monaro GTS	5800cc	Black
9	Jesus Racing	Andrew	Fisher	NSW	1971	Ford	Falcon XY GTHO	5800cc	Grey/Red
12	Giraffe Civil Contracting	Adam	Garwood	TAS	1974	HoldenÂÂ	Torana SL/R 5000	5047cc	White
17	Synergy Race Engines	Steve	Johnson	QLD	1971	Ford	Falcon XY GTHO	5800cc	White
18	Wilson Security / PAYCE	John	Bowe	VIC	1974	HoldenÂÂ	Torana SL/R 5000	5047cc	Red/White
19	Tincone Industrial Services	Darren	Beale	QLD	1972	HoldenÂÂ	Monaro GTS Coupe	5800cc	Orange
20	Treloar Roses	Garry	Treloar	VIC	1968	Chevrolet	Camaro SS	6000cc	Blue
21	Giraffe Civil Contracting	Greg	Garwood	TAS	1972	Ford	Capri Perana	5000cc	Blue
22	Aussie Muscle Car Run / PRT Fabrication	Nigel	Benson	SA	1972	HoldenÂÂ	Monaro GTS Coupe	5800cc	Silver/Orange
30	Thunder Road Racing Team Australia	Glenn	Seton	QLD	1964	Ford	Mustang Coupe	5000cc	Black/Gold
35	iseek RacingÂÂ	Jason	Gomersall	QLD	1978	HoldenÂÂ	Torana A9X Hatchback	5000cc	Red/White/Black
43	Treloar Roses / Mick Wilson Plumbing	Mick	Wilson	VIC	1972	Ccrysler	Charger RT	4390cc	Orange
46	THD Motorsport	Leo	Tobin	VIC	1969	Ford	Boss Mustang	5000cc	Orange
48	Melbournes Cheapest Cars	Eddie	Abelnica	VIC	1974	Ford	Falcon XB Coupe	5800cc	Red
60	Glennan Transport/ANGLOMOIL Lubricants	Cameron	Tilley	NSW	1969	Valiant	Pacer	4390cc	Blue
65	Cannon Trailers	Michael (Blu)	Cannon	QLD	1971	Ford	Falcon XY GTHO	5800cc	Red
74	Lyndways Builders	Wayne	Mercer	VIC	1971	Ford	Falcon XY GTHO	5800cc	Light Blue
85	Whiteline Racing / King Springs	Mark	King	QLD	1970	Chevrolet	Camaro RS	5800cc	Red/White
88	TIFS – Warehousing & Distribution	Tony	Karanfilovski	NSW	1969	Ford	Mustang Trans Am	5800cc	Orange
95	Whiteline Racing / CAV Power	Bob	Middleton	SA	1969	Chevrolet	Camaro SS	5800cc	Yellow