The thunder of V8 muscle returned to Mount Panorama today as Round 2 of the 2025 TA2 Muscle Car Series fired into life with its first practice session at the iconic Bathurst 6-Hour event alongside the National Trans Am Series.
With the mountain bathed in crisp autumn sun, fans were treated to a tantalising glimpse of the action to come — and it was New Zealand’s Ayrton Hodson making early waves.
Hodson delivered an impressive statement of intent on his debut, clocking the seventh-fastest time in the competitive TA2 class with a lap time of 2:18.5698 and 24th overall in the 41-car field. It was his first ever laps around the iconic mountain.
The Kiwi charger looked composed and quick behind the wheel, his pace reaffirming his status as one to watch as the weekend unfolds.
“It was a really cool pinch-me moment. Learning is key; lots of traffic and red flags didn’t help, but I’m keen to get out tomorrow and put some solid lap times down,” said Hodson.
Although a rookie in the TA2 Australia Racing Series, Hodson competed in a TA2 Camaro at Taupō last weekend, participating in the Super V8/TA2 New Zealand support category at the Supercars Super 440 event. Despite facing mechanical challenges—including a gearbox failure—he secured a race victory and claimed a third-place finish overall.
This weekend, Hodson is behind the wheel of the No.32 Ford Mustang, which was prepared by Ashely Jarvis Racing and previously campaigned by TA2 Category Manager Matt MacKelden.
Hodson joins current Super 2 front runners Jarrod Hughes and Ben Gomersall as drivers using the TA2 Muscle Car Series to keep themselves sharp as they climb the ladder towards a career in Supercars, something Hodson said was central to his thinking when he decided to seek an opportunity.
Hughes topped the practice session in his Chevrolet Camaro ahead of Gomersall. However, the session was cut short when Gomersall made contact with the wall forest elbow.
Meanwhile, fellow Kiwi Aaron Prosser [now living in Australia] endured a trickier session in the No.91 Ford Mustang, finishing further down the order with a lap time of 2:22.6329, caught out by traffic and red flags during the session.
Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 12:20 pm NZT with two back-to-back 15-minute sessions. Race 1 [45 mins] is later at 4:05 pm NZT.Race 2 [45 mins] is scheduled for Sunday at 11:55 am NZT.
Header Image: Speed Shots Photography
