US Trans Am Series competitor Robert Noaker will double up his Australian campaign in 2023 as he once again joins Dream Racing Australia for a tilt at Sydney Motorsport Park and Bathurst.

Noaker made his Australian debut at the Trans Am 100 Invitational as part of the inaugural Bathurst International last year,  and will double his efforts in 2024 by taking in the final two rounds of National Trans Am, adding in the penultimate event at Sydney Motorsport Park.

It will be a frantic trip as both events are back-to-back in support of the TCR World Tour events and Sydney Motorsport Park will provide the added excitement of night racing.

This season, Noaker has contested three rounds of the US Trans Am Series finishing a best sixth at Lime Rock racing against the likes of two-time National Trans Am Series winner and former Dream Racing Australia driver Nathan Herne.

Instead, Noaker has focused on the highly competitive Mazda MX-5 Cup where he finished seventh in the standings after scoring a best of second at Mid-Ohio.

Noaker is excited to make his Australian return bringing the knowledge from racing at Bathurst last year as he finished a best of eighth in what proved a highly competitive weekend of racing. He will drive a Chevrolet Camaro previously raced by Tim Shaw in the National Trans Am Series, which will feature a fresh engine.

The final two rounds of this year’s National Trans Am Series encompass Sydney Motorsport Park on November 3-4 and the Bathurst International a week later on November 10-12.

QUOTES

Robert Noaker
Dream Racing Australia, Chevrolet Camaro

“It’s really great to come back to Australia with Dream Racing Australia, especially to do two rounds of the National Trans Am Series at Sydney Motorsport Park and Bathurst,” said Noaker.

“I can’t thank Dream Racing Australia enough for the opportunity to come back a second year in a row. I hooked up with Dream Racing Australia last year through an email that was sent out from the US Trans Am Series about the Invitational race at the Bathurst International and I thought it was time to make this happen. I got back to the US Trans Am Series and said ‘hey, we’re interested in doing it’, so we got in contact with a few people to see what could be done.

“It was Craig’s team and another, which had cars available with Dream Racing Australia coming back quickly, so this was our opportunity to do it.

“We had some stuff occur at home and we weren’t sure we could do it. It was three weeks before the race we confirmed, leaving us to scramble to get flights, pick up passports and visas, so we made it all happen.

“Now we’re able to make it happen for a second year.

“I’m looking forward to having a second crack at Bathurst and I will be a lot better prepared than last year, which was a very last minute deal.

“I’ve done three rounds so far of the Trans Am Series at home. We were running around fifth place at Watkins Glen until a flat tyre and mechanical took us out after we were running with Nathan Herne.

“Coming back over to Australia, the main thing is I just want to have fun and not sweat on something going wrong. It’s motor racing, something is always bound to go awry one or another, it’s just part of it. As a racing driver, you always want to be running up the front and for Sydney I’d like to be doing that.

“For Bathurst, it’s a tough circuit and I’ll just pick up from where I left off last year.”

Craig Scutella
Team Owner, Dream Racing Australia

“Robert is an incredible kid,” Scutella said.

“He’s competed in three races of Trans Am in America where he competed head-to-head against Nathan Herne and he more than held his own.

“Robert on his home tracks has done an incredible job and at Bathurst in changeable conditions did sensationally well before a tailshaft took him out of the final race with one lap remaining. Given that experience and the knowledge of Bathurst, I think Robert could sneak a podium.”