Since its inception in 2007, the Paynter Dixon Touring Car Masters – just ‘TCM’ to fans and competitors – has rapidly grown to become one of Australia’s premier racing categories.
Evolving from Historic Group N racing through to Biante Historic Touring Cars, the series emerged as the Touring Car Masters for its inaugural season in 2007. Setting itself apart from traditional Historic racing, the Touring Car Masters pioneered a new class of racing by introducing innovative technical regulations aiming to improve safety, reliability, cut running costs and provide an exciting and entertaining race package while maintaining the visual appeal of its period race cars.
The Touring Car Masters immediately struck a winning formula, with its mix of classic hero cars and modern improvements, such as disc brakes, dry-sumped engines and radial tyres, producing intense, dynamic racing right from the outset. Since then, the popular retro series has continued to go from strength-to-strength, lifting the class to become a successful, highly-competitive, affordable and commercially-viable category.
Though many think of it as a historic category, TCM is just as much of a ‘tribute’ to the classic era while allowing it to be viable in today’s commercial and competitive environment.
Showcasing a selection of immaculately prepared touring cars of the pre-1981 era, the Touring Car Masters boasts some of the sport’s most iconic muscle cars from Falcon GT’s, BOSS Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros, Chrysler Chargers and Holden Monaros to the giant-killing Holden Toranas and nimble Porsche 911 RS’s. Pontiacs, Mercuries, Ford Capris and more make a variety-packed field.
The Touring Car Masters series is structured across three classes at each round:
ProMASTERS – For the professional drivers
ProAM – For part-timers or drivers doing it as much for fun as they are success
ProSPORTS – allows entrants to cross-enter in the same car, enabling two (or more) drivers to score points for the vehicle and still compete for the class championship.