Announced this week, Angus Fogg will return to ‘The Mountain’ in February 2024 to compete in the Duggan Family Hotels Combined Sedans races as part of the Repco Bathurst 12-Hour event in Australia, 16-18 February.
Competing as a support class for this meeting only, the category features a wide array of cars, from previous generation V8 Supercars through to GT and Sport Sedans, MARC, Ford, Holden, Chevrolet, Mercedes, Honda and everything in between. The only rules are that the entry must have a roof, and is not allowed to go under a 2.09.00 lap time.
“The fastest we have been around Bathurst is a high 2.09, and have learnt a few more tricks since then,” commented Fogg, who finished in third place there last year in the Precision National Sports Sedans Championship. “We have to be careful to not break the limit as it is very much frowned upon and can lead to sitting in the stands watching.
“We were planning on having the J. A. Russell Ltd Mustang back in New Zealand long before now. However, the Australian wharfie strikes have delayed its return so much that we’ve opted to keep it ‘across the ditch’ for a little longer.
“The car had been sitting in its shipping container at the wharf for so long that I was beginning to worry if it was still safe, given that shipping containers are notoriously bad for cars as they often sweat and anything metal including internal engine components can start to corrode quite quickly.
“We did a quick trip to Sydney between Christmas and New Year, so now the car is safely in a new home in rural Sydney. I spent a few days preparing the car and repairing damage from the bruising it got at the Gold Coast last year.”
Friday and Saturday morning sessions will be live-streamed via the Bathurst 12-hour website and their social platforms, while Saturday afternoon’s race, the first of three 25-minute races, will be televised live via Foxtel, Kayo and free to air Channel Seven in Australia
“The package offers a huge exposure to our fans, clients and their staff,” said Fogg. “We are hoping for confirmation there will also be coverage on Sky Sport for NZ fans.
“The car will run in its ‘Sports Sedan’ configuration with the bigger wheels and tyres and added aerodynamic aids as it did last year. We have a couple of small tweaks to try and are confident of being at the pointy end.”
For this event the team have secured the iconic number 17 as its race number.
“This is not only a “hat tip” to the legendary Dick Johnson and his efforts at the mountain over the years but also in memory of our mate and team member Paul “Weeman” Hinton, who was tragically killed last year whilst working on a mate’s car,” said Fogg. “Wee was a DJR/Ford/17 super fan, and this was also his own race number, so I’m sure he will be smiling down on us as we embark on another big adventure.”
Fogg races with the support of partners J. A. Russell Ltd, Moselle Panel & Paint, Mountshop, Dayle ITM, Thorn Lighting, Ambius Residential Lighting, HPM, iSignit, Torks Precision Engineering, Autopaint, 1st Auto Parts, Brenics Ltd, Crème Insurance and Foggy’s Garage.
Header Image: Riccardo Benvenuti
