Australian Racing Group ‘Race’ events unlikely to return

The Australian Racing Group once owned Trans Am, TCR Australia, and the now-defunct S5000 and promoted events to support those categories.

However, the divestment or dilution of those categories means the Rogers family has largely wound up its promotions business to focus on the eponymous race team, Garry Rogers Motorsport.

Trans Am was sold and is operated by the HCC Pty Ltd ownership group of Mark Crutcher, Graham Cheney and Paul Hadley, who also oversee the sister TA2 Muscle Car Series.

Earlier this year, David Sonenscher took the reins of TCR Australia with support from category manager Lisa Totani. The hot hatch series hasn’t been able to start its season yet.

S5000 was discontinued and the Rogers family has listed its fleet of cars for sale online.

All of those categories at some point competed at events promoted under the ‘Race’ banner, including Race Tasmania, Race Winton, Race Sydney, and the short-lived Bathurst International.

Speaking with Speedcafe, Rogers suggested Race Winton was unlikely to return next year after its latest cancellation.

Race Winton was cancelled after Touring Car Masters, TCR Australia, and the AU3 Championship pulled out of the event, leaving just Trans Am, National Sports Sedans, and Formula RX8.

“We didn’t do it last year. Winton, we did in 2023. Our motivation to do those events really was to provide a platform for the categories that we were controlling to go and race at,” Rogers said.

“Obviously we’ve got ourselves out of the category business and have just been into the race business, back into where we go.

“I suppose the motivation for us to do them probably isn’t the same.

“Those additional events that we sort of, if you call it, manufactured or brought to market, were providing a platform for our categories to go and race at.”

The same was potentially true for Race Tasmania. Rogers said the future of that event hinges on the local government and its support.

“It was a five-year deal. The last one was this year,” said Rogers.

“Whether we continue that or not, it’s the same thing again. We’ll talk with the Tassie government, but that was the last one of those of a five-year deal.”

Race Tasmania at Symmons Plains this year featured Trans Am, prototypes, local tin tops, Hyundai Excel racing, and drifting exhibitions.

The Australian Racing Group brought high-profile racing back to Baskerville thanks to the Race Tasmania deal.