While disappointed not to be finishing the Touring Car Masters season in Newcastle later this month, Kilaben Bay driver Cameron Mason is keen to end a career-best campaign on a high.
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The 33-year-old sits inside the top 10 on the overall leaderboard and also has the secondary ProAm title within reach ahead of this weekend's final-round races at Victorian track Sandown.
Mason credits his rise up the ranks, featuring breakthrough race wins at Ipswich and Eastern Creek, to a change of cars midway through 2019.
Following almost a decade in his trusty 1966 Ford Mustang fastback, he switched to a recently built 1969 Ford Mustang trans-am owned by Novocastrian crew member Russell Hancock.
"We've had two outright wins with the new car so it just goes to show how good it is," Mason said.
"To win on debut with the new car was pretty special and we were able to follow it up again a few races later.
"Hopefully we can qualify well [at Sandown] and have another good weekend.
"It'll be hard to beat Aaron Seaton [in the ProAm] because he's pretty sharp, but it's already been a really good year."
The Touring Car Masters won't be part of the season-ending Supercars round in Newcastle from November 22, having been on the support program for the opening two years (2017, 2018).
Mason, who works at F3 Motor Auctions in Beresfield, said he hoped the popular class would return to the bill in the future and provide another opportunity for him to race at home.
"It's disappointing for us big time, especially being a local team, but there's nothing we can do about it," he said.
"Hopefully we will be back next year or the year after."
There will be three Touring Car Masters races at Sandown on Saturday (8:45am, 11:25am, 1:35pm), followed by one on Sunday (10:50am).
Meanwhile, former Hunter resident Toby Price won't contest the SuperUtes series at this month's Newcastle 500 as he finalises preparations overseas for a third motorcycle title at next year's Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
Price, 32, has raced SuperUtes 12 times in 2019, featuring three wins.
