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Ben Bargwanna reveals Trans Am livery
BEN Bargwanna will take on a new challenge in 2025, confirming his entry into Trico Trans Am with Hangcha Forklifts.
Bargwanna will make his debut in the class at the opening round, headlining Race Tasmania at Symmons Plains this weekend.
Mounting his first full-season attack under the Bargwanna Motorsport banner since his junior formula career, the son of 2000 Bathurst 1000 winner Jason will pilot the ex-Ford Mustang driven to the 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Series title by Dylan Thomas.
Bargwanna’s entry will feature a familiar look, bringing Hangcha Forklifts to play in the all-V8 series having been a partner of his for the past two years in the TCR Australia category.
Jason will also play an integral role in the operation too, bringing a wealth of experience from his time in the category as both a driver and engineer. In a cameo appearance at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2021, Bargwanna Sr won a race, and last year, he acted as James Golding’s engineer at Garry Rogers Motorsport, winning multiple races.
The father-son team will prepare and run the Mustang privately, and will carry the #97 – a nod to Jason’s father Harry who used the number during his racing days.
Bargwanna recently tested a Garry Rogers Motorsport Trans Am at Symmons Plains, and the 23-year-old said that, compared to the Peugeot TCR models he has driven for the previous four seasons, a new driving technique was required.
While Bargwanna’s confirmed switch to Trico Trans Am, he has not ruled out the chance to return to TCR competition in the future.
Bargwanna has three race wins to his name in TCR Australia, plus 10 podium finishes in his four-year stint in the class.
The 2025 Trico Trans Am Series is the most highly anticipated since the category’s introduction in 2021 with 30-plus entries for the opening round of the Trico Trans Am Series at Symmons Plains headlining Hi-tec Oils Race Tasmania on March 22-23.
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Ben Bargwanna
Hangcha Forklifts/Bargwanna Motorsport, Ford Mustang
“Trans Am is a really cool category,” said Bargwanna.
“It’s been alongside TCR for the last few years and I got to watch Dad win a Trans Am race, which excited me a lot. The Trans Am route just made sense for us, especially with Dad being Jimmy Golding’s engineer last year.
“The cars are loud. They’ve got big V8s, they move around and the racing is awesome, so I’m stoked to be even thinking about racing it.
“It’s exciting to race under the Bargwanna Motorsport banner again. It’s been a while since we’ve done that, I’ve been a GRM driver for the last four or five years, but it reminds me of my time in Excels and Formula Ford when Dad loaded up the truck with me to go to the track, while Mum helped out too.
“It’s going to be fun, challenging and we have a lot to learn, but that’s part of the game.
“We’re entering a Mustang previously raced by Dylan Thomas to the TA2 Racing Series title last year. It’s got some good history and we did a handover not that long ago with Dylan’s crew and they did a great job when they ran the car.
“I think keeping our expectations realistic is the right way to go and Round 1 we’re going in fairly blind. Deep down I believe we can do a good job and win, but whether that’s straight away I don’t know as it’s hard to answer until we get out there on track.
“TCR has been my home for the past few years. It’s a passion of mine and I love it. I love everything it’s offered and has been able to provide to me by racing overseas against the best of the best alongside some really cool things in my years of TCR. It’s a category that holds a place in my heart and it always will.
“It’s not that I’m ever ruling out having another go at TCR again, but Trans Am is a new challenge and this is where we are at for the moment.”