Collins Motorsport will be debuting their MARC II V8 this weekend at Hampton Downs in round two of BNT V8 Touring Car Championship.
After his success in the NZ Endurance Championship with the team’s other NASCAR-powered Mustang, Sam Collins has been tasked with steering the MARC.
It will be the first time in New Zealand motorsport history that any MARC car will be racing in a competitive fashion.
Ultimately, the weekend will act as a shakedown for the team as the dial in with their new machine ahead of the South Island Endurance Series, which starts in Christchurch in September.
Likewise, the three races over the weekend will bolster the mileage for Collins, who until today had only turned 15 laps at Taupo in the car.
The Ford Mustang styled MARC is a carbon fibre endurance race machine, which packs 630 hp from its 5.2l Coyote heart.
“The MARC felt great, it’s down on horsepower from our Roush Yates Mustang, but felt superior in all other
areas,” Collins said.
“I’m looking forward to building my seat time over the weekend and exploring the car.”
Race fans will still be able to witness the Roush Mustang in action this weekend. Angus Fogg has been confirmed as the driver for all three races.
It means that Fogg will be tasked with driving his own Ford Mustang Fastback in the Central Muscle Cars, a 1979 Alfetta GTV V8 in the Taupo Historic Grand Prix, and now the Collins Motorsport Mustang all in the same weekend.
“The opportunity to get behind the wheel of the Collins Motorsport Mustang, that I know intimately and on the longer International Hampton Downs circuit in the BNTV8’s was too good, so I jumped at it. It’s certainly going to be a weekend to remember” said Fogg.
The opening race of the BNT V8’s this weekend will be at midday tomorrow.