One of New Zealand’s most recognisable muscle cars is heading back across the Tasman, as Angus Fogg and his iconic Black & Gold J. A. Russell Ltd 1970 Fastback Mustang return to compete in the Touring Car Masters (TCM) as a support category at two of Australia’s most prestigious events – the 2025 Bathurst 1000 (9-12 October) and the 2025 Sandown 500 (14-16 November).
For Fogg, the chance to once again tackle Mount Panorama is a dream come true.
“Any chance you get to race at Bathurst is obviously very much a bucket list thing for Kiwis and Aussies – actually, for car racing people around the world. So I feel very, very lucky to be able to go and do it again,” he said.
Fogg last raced in Australia with the TCM at Bathurst in 2024, where he had previously claimed three wins and still holds the lap record for muscle cars at Mount Panorama. But his last outing (in the Combined Sedans category) wasn’t without drama.
“It was a bit of a comedy of errors – a wheel came off at very high speeds, sheared the studs. The things you learn along the way, I guess. That won’t be repeated.
“Hopefully it’s reliable and nothing falls off, because at Bathurst if something does go wrong, it goes wrong in a big way. We were unlucky, but also lucky with the incredible support we got from the Australian guys to get back going again.”
This October (9–12), the Mustang will return to Bathurst as part of the support programme for the Bathurst 1000.
“Last time out, we reached 300km/h down Conrod Straight. This year, TCM have been very vocal that we’re not allowed to be doing 300 plus, so all the Kiwi cars are rev-limited and diff-mandated to about 285 max.
“If we go any more than that, we’ll be in the naughty room! Having said that, there are no rules about how fast you can get up to that speed – so that’s what we’ve been focusing on.”
Following Bathurst, Fogg and his team head to Melbourne to take on Sandown (14–16 November).
“The added bonus this time is we’re going to Sandown in Melbourne. I’ve never raced there, though I went years ago as a crew member with Team Kiwi and Jason Richards.
“It’s one of Australia’s bucket list tracks because it’s fast and bumpy – and like Pukekohe, it’s not going to be there forever. With 35-plus muscle cars on the grid, it’s going to be quite a spectacle.”
The return is made possible through Touring Car Masters New Zealand, guided by Sharon and Greg Cuttance, bringing together a diverse group of cars and drivers.
“It’s an invitation thing – quite a few from TCM NZ, quite a few from Mainland Muscle Cars in the South Island, and a couple or three of us from Central Muscle Cars in the North Island.
“We’ve ended up with 15 cars, seven from the south and eight from the north. There are all sorts of weird and wonderful people and cars going. Some have been before, and some haven’t. It’s going to be really interesting to see how it pans out.
“There are certainly some very fast cars from the South Island in particular – and of course Tony Quinn’s taking ‘the beast,’ which I had a drive of the other day. That car’s certainly not lacking in straight-line handling!”
The J. A. Russell Ltd Mustang has been refreshed for the campaign.
“This car’s eight years old now, and we’ve kind of kept it going as you do. But it was really due for a little mechanical and body birthday. My good friends at Moselle have given it a ‘roll it in glitter’ treatment, iSignit have given it a new livery, and we’ve got a few new sponsors on board – which is awesome because, as you can imagine, it’s not cheap to be doing what we’re doing.”
The Mustang’s 800hp V8 remains one of the most potent machines in the field.
“In a lot of ways, the J. A. Russell Ltd Mustang is very similar to the Australian TCM cars. The biggest difference is wheels and tyres – they run 15-inch Hoosiers, we run 17-inch Hankooks.
“When I’ve run with them before, apart from the top-speed difference, the performance on track was very, very similar. It’s amazing how such a technical difference actually means very little when you get to the real deal on track.”
Header Image: Adam Croy
