The 64-year-old from Wilton, a small regional town 50 kilometres south west of Sydney doesn’t compete as often as he has in the past, Still he is every present in the Hi-Tec Super Series pits as a team owner and manager of the TFH Hire TA2 Racing Series Ford Mustang driven by his son Michael.
Even on the odd occasion his team isn’t competing, Steve is there to assist and offer advice to his fellow competitors.
Presently he gets behind the wheel when Michael is not available which was the case at the first round of beginning of the year and subsequently the TA2 sixth round at Mallala. Next year, he plans to contest the TA2 Masters while Michael will race selected Trans Am rounds.
Steve’s career began with HQ Holdens, right back when the category formed in the late 1980s. He raced against the likes of Wayne Bell who was the first NSW state champion, Peter Hopwood, Peter Dane and Greg King, locally at Amaroo Park, Oran Park and Bathurst and interstate on the Gold Coast.
In the 2000s Steve raced Aussie Racing Cars for a couple of years as well an Isuzu SBR in Truck Racing. The latter went long-term and resulted in numerous Light Truck championships.
“I was racing in two very different types – one where your arse is basically on the asphalt and the other high up in the air,” he quipped.
The next phase came with the purchase of a Chev Silverado OzTruck, a style of race car which was basically the forerunner to TA2/Trans Am. Steve raced it for around eight years and across several categories.
The scope were such series as Touring Car Challenge events, Stock Car Australia, NSW Sports Sedans, Queensland Classic Sports Sedans and National Sports Sedans.
Steve had two shots at the Bathurst 1000. The first came at the 1993 Tooheys 1000 in a Holden Commodore VL which he described as a disaster. The next chance came in the 2000 FAI 1000.
The privateer All-Trans Racing ran a pair of Ford Falcon ELs with Bill and Luke Sieders in one and Steve teamed up with Truck Racing Champion Rob Russell (Cameron Crick’s grandfather) in the other. They finished 26th and 23rd respectively.
It was in 2018 that Steve looked at TA2. He acquired the very first TA2 car to arrive in Australia as a Generation 5 Chevrolet Camaro, which has since been re-bodied to a Generation 6 Ford Mustang and had support from Kobelco Construction Equipment and Sydney Trucks and Machinery for its series debut.
The Mustang was later sold and replaced by a Camaro which in turn has also been moved on. Steve then brought the Hugh McAlister Mustang which is the current car the team operates.
“These days it is all about having fun. I love TA2, it is like family to me,” he concluded.
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