New Zealand’s Angus Fogg has endured a rollercoaster weekend at Mount Panorama, charging from the back of the field, suffering two costly incidents and claiming a thrilling race victory, only to be left frustrated by a performance restriction imposed on his Mustang.
Competing in the Touring Car Masters Australia series at Bathurst, Fogg has been at the centre of the action across all three races so far, with his impressive pace overshadowed by contact with fellow competitors and a controversial reduction in engine RPM following his Race 1 victory.
Fogg’s Bathurst campaign began with a remarkable charge through the field in the opening Trophy Race. Starting from 22nd on the grid, the Kiwi worked his way up to fifth, gaining an impressive 17 positions before a late-race restart brought his charge to an abrupt end.
While defending fifth in a dramatic one-lap shootout, Fogg was involved in an incident with fellow New Zealander Nick Ross, forcing him to retire after a stunning recovery drive. Ross, who started 23rd, went on to finish 24th.
There were mixed fortunes for the remaining Kiwi contingent, with Robb Lewis producing one of the standout performances, climbing from ninth to fourth, while Tony Galbraith improved from tenth to eighth.
Paul Kelly slipped from second to sixth, while Tony Quinn advanced from 19th to 16th. Hamish Frew finished 18th after starting 13th, with Brayden Phillips crossing the line in 21st after starting 18th. Lance Hughes was another Kiwi casualty, retiring after starting 17th.
Determined to put the Trophy Race disappointment behind him, Fogg returned in spectacular fashion for Race 1, mastering the damp but drying Mount Panorama circuit to win.
Behind the wheel of the #11 J.A. Russell Mustang, Fogg chased down race leader Steve Johnson before making the decisive move on the final lap. The Kiwi crossed the finish line 1.077 seconds clear of Johnson, with George Miedecke completing the podium in third.
Adding to his impressive performance, Fogg also recorded the fastest lap of the race on the final tour, securing both the outright victory and Invitational class honours.
Brayden Phillips was the next-best Kiwi finisher in eighth, while Robb Lewis completed the top ten. Lance Hughes finished 15th, followed by Paul Kelly in 16th, Tony Quinn in 19th and Tony Galbraith in 20th. Hamish Frew crossed the line in 23rd, while Nick Ross failed to finish.
Fogg’s fortunes took another dramatic turn in Race 2, with the Kiwi once again caught up in an incident while fighting at the front.
Starting from pole, Fogg was running second and challenging for the lead when Adam Garwood struck him from behind at The Cutting.
The contact sent Fogg spinning sideways across the circuit, creating a traffic jam at one of Mount Panorama’s narrowest sections and dropping him all the way to 29th.
Despite the setback, Fogg mounted another impressive recovery drive, charging back through the field to finish 13th with just six minutes of green-flag racing left.
However, his remarkable comeback took another hit when he was handed a 15-second post-race penalty, dropping him eight positions to 21st in the final classification.
The reason for Fogg’s penalty remains unclear, adding another layer of frustration to an already dramatic race.
Garwood was also penalised for his involvement in the earlier incident, serving a drive-through penalty before finishing 16th.
However, the contact and subsequent penalty were only part of Fogg’s frustration.
Following his Race 1 victory, Fogg’s team had been required to make a performance adjustment, choosing between reducing the engine’s rev limit by 500 RPM and changing the differential ratio, or reducing it by 200 RPM while retaining the ratio used in the earlier wet race.
The team opted for the 500 RPM reduction and differential ratio change, but Fogg was far from impressed with the impact on his Mustang’s performance.
Speaking in a video update following Race 2, Fogg did not hold back when discussing the incident with Garwood.
“Race 2 wasn’t quite as rosy as Race 1. I guess it only takes one idiot behind the wheel,” Fogg said.
“You know, we all have our moments, but that was just stupid. Apparently, he’s well known for it, but yeah, a shame because I quite like the little Capri, but the driver and I are going to have words.”
Fogg was equally frustrated by the performance adjustment, claiming the reduced rev limit had left his Mustang struggling to compete.
“And also, the category taking away RPM off us, it just roots it. It just wrecks the performance of the car. Can’t even keep up with the midfielders, so that’s quite disappointing.
“So we’re going to have to have a bit of a think about that and what we do for the morning, if anything.”
With Fogg relegated to 21st, Tony Quinn became the highest-placed Kiwi finisher in ninth, also claiming Invitational class honours.
Paul Kelly finished 15th, followed by Lance Hughes in 18th, while Tony Galbraith and Hamish Frew finished 23rd and 25th respectively. Nick Ross, Brayden Phillips and Robb Lewis all failed to finish.
With one victory already to his name, Fogg has demonstrated he has the pace to challenge at the front of the Touring Car Masters field.
However, after two incidents, a post-race penalty and growing frustration over the performance restrictions placed on his Mustang, the Kiwi faces an uncertain final race at Mount Panorama.
Whether Fogg and his team can find a solution to their performance concerns before tomorrow’s final race remains to be seen, but his Bathurst campaign has been anything but straightforward.
Header Image: Speed Shots Photography
