Waikato racer John Roberts is the first driver confirmed to race in the Trans-Tasman V8 Series (TTV8) having purchased a Camaro-bodied car from the US.
Howe Racing Enterprises are currently manufacturing the two-seater car. It is expected to arrive in New Zealand in May.
The 55-year-old has previously raced motocross, stock cars and super saloons on dirt. He says the TTV8 formula is an exciting new class and caters for an amateur racer like himself.
“The way I look at it, the cars are almost a speedway super saloon on Hoosiers except with a gearbox,” Roberts said.
“They are a great looking car, they sound awesome, and I’ve enjoyed watching them in the Australian series and watching their numbers grow rapidly.
“What also appealed to me about getting involved with the class is the low running cost and maintenance. They aren’t expensive to run, you don’t need a laptop for data etc. You can run it out of your garage at home and work on the car yourself.
“They are a back-to-basics race car without all the expensive electronic gearboxes, ABS and traction control and all cars built to same specs will really be an honest driver race car.”
Roberts is also excited for the potential opportunity to contest against some of Australia’s best in similar machinery once both the New Zealand and Australia series get off the ground.
“The close ties with the Australian based series appeals to me too. The opportunity to go to Australia to compete as a support class at the famous Bathurst race would be on every drivers bucket-list. Having the Australians come over here with their cars will be great too.
“My daughters do a bit of racing as well, so we’ll be able to do some endurance racing together if we wanted to.”
The TTV8 car is powered by a 6.2-litre LS3 engine producing upwards of 500bhp.
The cars feature a G-Force 4 speed transmission, while the suspension set up consists of Penske single adjustable 7-inch shocks. All cars will run 15-inch Bassett steel wheels with Hoosier 3045 slick tyres.
For the first few seasons, TTV8 will run alongside the current NZV8 class and offer separate championship points.