Moffat on cusp of career-first

IT’S been 20 years in the making, but James Moffat is finally on the verge of his maiden major motorsport title this weekend.

Moffat will carry a commanding 78-point lead over teammate Lochie Dalton into the National Trans Am finale at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International.

If he can convert, it will mark a first for the now 39-year-old, who came close to winning various national crowns in his early days.

The second-generation driver was runner-up in the 2004 Australian Lotus Trophy, third in Australian Formula Ford (2007), third in Carrera Cup Australia (2008) and runner-up in the 2009 Super2 Series.

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He returned for another crack at Super2 the following year, shifting from Sonic Motor Racing Services to Ford Performance Racing, and again it was a case of close but no cigar (third in the 2010 standings).

Moffat subsequently graduated to the Supercars Championship and thereafter has never really featured in a title battle – until now.

He was a main game full-timer for seven years across stints at Dick Johnson Racing, Kelly Racing and Garry Rogers Motorsport, but generally lingered in the midfield besides the occasional standout result (headlined by a solo win and a pole position).

Since shuffling back to co-driver status, he’s juggled Supercars enduro campaigns with more regular seat time in another category.

First it was Carrera Cup in 2018 and then TCR for several years, before GRM switched him into Trans Am to fill the Ford Mustang vacated by Nathan Herne.

There has been the rollercoaster ride of being disqualified from Round 3 at Winton and then having those results reinstated, but a big breakthrough now looms for Moffat.

With a maximum of 200 points up for grabs at Bathurst, Moffat can seal the deal simply by finishing all three races.

Indeed, he can finish last in the 21-car field in each race and that will still be enough, regardless of what Dalton does.

The only other driver still in mathematical contention is Elliot Barbour, who is 181 points off the lead.

Entry list: National Trans Am Series, 2023 Supercheap Auto Bathurst International