The Shannons SpeedSeries finale at Sandown Raceway also decided the inaugural Mustang Cup and the GT4 Australia class titles.
Trans Am leader Herne took the Sandown round of the Shannons SpeedSeries with two race wins, leaving Todd Hazelwood 76 points adrift before the Sandown 500 on 6 to 8 November. Sandown also settled the Mustang Cup and GT4 class titles.
Nathan Herne won two of the three Trans Am Cup Series races at Sandown Raceway to take the round and strengthen his hold on the standings, Motorsport Australia said. He now holds a 76-point advantage over Todd Hazelwood heading into the final round.
Trans Am Cup Series
Hazelwood won a rain-affected opening race in the #1 Ford Mustang, finishing 2.25 seconds clear of Herne in the #29 Chevrolet Camaro, with Blake Tracey third. Heavy rain delayed the start by 55 minutes. Hazelwood took the lead on lap one when pole-sitter Ayrton Hodson ran wide, and kept it after a safety car period.
Herne hit back in Race 2, passing Hazelwood early and then holding off Lachlan Evennett. Evennett took second and Hazelwood third, with Tracey and James Moffat completing the top five.
Herne also won the last race, 2.1 seconds ahead of Tracey, with Moffat third. An opening-lap incident between Hazelwood and Tracey at Turn 2 damaged Hazelwood's suspension and ended his race. It also contributed to a multi-car collision at Turn 3 that brought out the safety car.
Hazelwood remains mathematically in contention for a third consecutive title, but Herne is in a commanding position. The season ends at the Sandown 500 from 6 to 8 November.
Motorcraft Mustang Cup Australia
The inaugural season ended with Josh Anderson, John Goodacre and Joe Fawcett taking the three major class awards. Anderson won the Dark Horse outright title after four race victories and earns a drive in a Red Bull Ampol Racing Ford Mustang Supercar. Goodacre took the Legends class and a 12-month vehicle lease from Ford Australia. Fawcett was second outright and won the Junior award for drivers aged 21 and under, with a prize trip to the Ford Racing Technical Centre in North Carolina.
Josh Trappett won Saturday's race, starting on wet-weather tyres, and held off Oliver Wickham by less than a tenth of a second. Wickham took pole and the win on Sunday, his third of the season, and Anderson's third place secured the championship. The 2027 season is provisionally set to start at Phillip Island in April.
Monochrome GT4 Australia
- Silver-Am Cup: Zac Soutar and Glenn Nirwan, #75 McLaren Artura, Team Soutar Motorsport.
- Am Cup: Nathan Callaghan and Chris Lillis, #64 Porsche Cayman, Method Motorsport.
- Silver Cup: Tom Hayman and Jett Murray, Method Motorsport, already settled on Saturday.
The final race brought a lengthy red flag after Jack Johnson's #128 McLaren hit the tyre wall at Turn 3 following contact with George Miedecke. Method Motorsport took two of the three class titles.
