Aussie legend Ambrose tips massive V8 bolter

1 year ago 57

A caller National Trans Am Series champion is guaranteed successful 2023 with the departure of Nathan Herne to the United States.

It opens the doorway wide unfastened for a caller sanction oregon 1 of the sport's veterans to instrumentality the crown.

Ahead of the SpeedSeries play opener astatine Symmons Plains connected February 24-26, two-time Supercars champion-turned-NASCAR prima Marcos Ambrose sat down with Wide World of Sports.

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Asked who the short-priced favourite was for the title, Ambrose couldn't prime a wide favourite.

However, helium did supply a agelong database of imaginable front-runners, pointing towards the extent of the category.

The GRM group

Unsurprisingly, the Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM) contention manager enactment guardant 2 of his men to beryllium front-runners successful the signifier of James Moffat and Owen Kelly.

Moffat joins the bid full-time disconnected the backmost of 2 lacklustre TCR Australia Series campaigns portion Kelly was runner-up to Herne past year.

Then there's the likes of young guns Lachie Dalton – who is dovetailing his Trans Am run with a Super2 Series programme – and Trans Am returnee Edan Thornburrow.

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"I deliberation immoderate of our GRM drivers are contenders," said Ambrose.

"I mean we ran precise good successful the title past year. Lachie Dalton has travel backmost for his 2nd spell around. We expect a batch from him. He could beryllium a acheronian equine with his Super2 programme arsenic well. He's going to truly make arsenic a operator a batch this year.

"Owen Kelly has got to beryllium a blistery footwear for it arsenic well. He conscionable ran Nathan Herne astir apt the hardest past twelvemonth and won races.

"We've got James Moffat successful for his archetypal tally of the title with america too. So he's connected our list.

"I deliberation a acheronian equine is Edan Thornborrow due to the fact that he's been successful the title for a while. He's got acquisition but arguably hasn't had a bigger squad to tally him. So he'll beryllium absorbing to watch.

"I deliberation that is evidently James Moffat is simply a afloat pro operator and Owen Kelly ran a hard-fought conflict past year's championship, truthful I deliberation some of those guys are astir apt going to beryllium the pacesetters, whether the title goes their way, conscionable clip volition tell."

Other apical contenders

Outside of the Garry Rogers Motorsport fleet, Ambrose tipped Ashley Seward Motorsport's Brett Holdsworth – member of Bathurst 1000 victor Lee Holdsworth – to beryllium a contender.

Ben Grice is different connected his list. The lad of two-time Bathurst 1000 victor Allan endured a topsy-turvy 2022 but comes into the caller twelvemonth among the favourites.

"Ben Grice got himself successful occupation past twelvemonth from clip to time, but he's got a batch of car velocity truthful if helium tin drawstring a tally of races together, he'll beryllium hard to bushed to beryllium honest," Ambrose explained.

"He's got a batch of car velocity and I deliberation the bigger tracks similar Bathurst and Sandown, he's astir apt got a amended bundle than we have. So I deliberation he's decidedly a contender arsenic well."

Super2 stars displacement sides

With their acquisition successful the Super2 Series, young guns Jaylyn Robotham and Tyler Everingham are 2 evident candidates for wins.

However, Ambrose reckons it'll instrumentality them clip to get up to velocity fixed the quality of the cross-ply Trans Am tyre versus the slick radial tyre of Supercars.

"That's fine," Ambrose said of their experience, "But these cars are antithetic and however you tally them and the formats of the play are different.

"They're going to triumph races, I don't cognize if they've got a title successful them, but we'll see.

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"Nothing is guaranteed. They're some pedigree drivers but these cars are antithetic to drive.

"They've got nary camber successful the backmost and they person a cross-ply tyre that's unsocial to Australian motorsport.

"Just the formats and each the worldly that we learned past twelvemonth they person yet to larn it. So I deliberation that they're connected the backmost ft successful my sentiment due to the fact that they haven't already tally a season."

The young acheronian horse

Flying nether the radar is Edan Thornburrow.

He's the youngest successful the Garry Rogers Motorsport campy astatine conscionable 19 years old.

After making his bid debut successful 2021 wherever helium finished second, helium faded successful play 2 to seventh.

With the championship-winning team, Ambrose said there's precocious expectations for the youngster.

"He's got unit connected him from himself and his family," said Ambrose.

"He's yet got himself successful a presumption wherever he's got instrumentality to bash the job.

"So I deliberation there's really much unit for a feline similar that due to the fact that they cognize that the lone unanswered question is themselves this twelvemonth due to the fact that everything other is taken attraction of."

Third-gen Johnson a factor

And what astir Jett Johnson?

The grandson of Australian touring car fable Dick Johnson and lad of Bathurst 1000 podium finisher Steven Johnson, the third-generation operator is expected to perform.

He'll dovetail his 2nd Trans Am play with a maiden Super3 Series campaign.

For Ambrose, Johnson has to present this year.

"He's been winning races successful TA2 but helium hasn't been winning races successful Trans Am yet," helium said of Johnson.

"He's evidently precise talented, a large racing lineage and I privation him the champion of success, but you've got to larn your trade and that's what Trans Am is for these guys."

The opening circular of the National Trans Am Series takes spot astatine Symmons Plains connected February 24-26.

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