Amaroo Park | RaceDepartment The ARDC lost money promoting the Super Touring Bathurst 1000 from 1997 to 1999 and this circuit was sold to recover some of the loss. Instead plans now focused on creating a much smaller course, carved out of the valley and next to the Cattai Creek. Most race wins: Peter Brock (six). Sabrina have you seen Terry Cornelius' story of his love affair with that car?The tale intertwines twixt this car and that, but the reference to the 'huge jugs' on Sabrina, along with the reference to having seen the original example at Albert Park, opposite the pitsI was a small part in the reconstruction of Sabrina, too. Now the name matched the body . Tony Longhurst achieved more AMSCAR series wins than any other driver, with success in 1986, 1989, 1990 and 1991. The circuit closed forever after the last meeting was held there on 23 August 1998. . Few mastered Lakeside better than Dick Johnson, but the local heros record at the circuit belied his speed. I always said that the safest place at Amaroo was on the track! Neil Crompton won Round 7 and Simon Kane won Round 8. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Official Program Midget Auto Races Angell Park,Sun Prairie,Wis 1940's at the best online prices at eBay! or did the body match the name? How the Photo Download Works. Its a long list: - Mt Druitt, Catalina, Bathurst (I know it survived) and Amaroo. amaroo park races from the 1960 - heysriplantations.com The circuit itself was as rich as its history. Having lived over the valley from Annangrove Rd all my life, you certainly knew when a meet was on miss hearing the v8 sounds roar up the gulley!! Championship rounds held: 38 (near the lake) That was part of the never finished "Grand Prix" circuit. Well, I did lie a bit to be honest (after looking back at some old Street Directories) MALLORY PARK, NR HINCKLEY, LEICESTERSHIREMallory Park, VSCC racing at its best. The dirt circuit had a house in the middle of it by the time the main circuit closed. Although I now live in Adelaide, when I get back to Sydney to visit family, I always go back to Amaroo. A mix of classes from sports sedans to historic touring cars enjoyed a final hurrah. [2], The official opening meeting, promoted by the Amaroo Sporting Country Club, was held on 12 March 1967 with attendance restricted to members of several motoring clubs, around 1000 spectators visiting. Initially just one mile in length with only four corners, the deceptively simple Calder Park layout was a true bullring. Uncategorized ; June 21, 2022 amaroo park races from the 1960 . Supercars.com takes a look back at five iconic circuits from the championships past, each holding a special place in its history. In the end, a reduced-length 30 lap event was won by Larry Simons on a BSA Lightning, though top racer at the meeting was Len Atlee, thanks to wins in the Junior and Unlimited Feature races. One of the features of Amaroo Park's history has been the AMSCAR Series for touring cars, created by Amaroo's promoters, the Australian Racing Drivers Club and staged annually from 1982 to 1993. Johnson won four races from 37 starts, including in 1981 where he clinched his first title in a thrilling race with Peter Brock. Order a Photographic Print or a Download. A "Rothmans AMSCAR Series"[2] for touring cars was held in addition to the Sun-7 Chesterfield Series at Amaroo Park in 1979 for a reported A$60,000 in prize money, about $50,000 more than for the ATCC at the time. Hill into the Dunlop Loop remains, as does the Lake. IN 1960, Laurie Knight was someone I had never heard of . Fears that the growing number of Sydney-based privateers moving into outright class cars would result in a sharp decline in grid numbers prompted the ARDC to remove the 3.5-litre capacity limit for the 1982 series, which was promoted as the Better Brakes AMSCAR Series. Seven's commentators for the AMSCAR series generally included Mike Raymond, Garry Wilkinson, Evan Green, and later Neil Crompton and Peter McKay, with various guest appearances by drivers not competing on a particular day. If you continue to use this site, you agree to the terms and conditions identified in our privacy policy, Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia, remain in the frame for a return in future seasons, Slade not finished with full-time driving. Drag Racing 1964; Drag Racing 1965; Drag Racing 1966; Drag Racing 1968; Drag Racing 1969; Drag Racing 1970's . How the Photo Download Works. It proved short-lived too, with just one further open meeting in October, two more in 1963 and the final nail in the coffin coming in February 1964 when only 27 entrants turned up for what turned out to be its finale event. Last championship visit: 2001 https://www.youtube.com/super100mphThe return of Bob Morris, Mazda RX7. The course was extremely challenging, with numerous spills and mechanical difficulties encountered making it unpopular with riders. The rest of the land was left to grass, but all traces of the circuit itself are now long gone. Amaroo Park Raceway was a 1.930 km motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day north-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. [5] This allowed the V8 powered Holden Commodores, Ford Falcons and Chevrolet Camaros, as well as the V12 Jaguar XJS, to compete in the series alongside the under 3.5-litre cars such as the BMW 635 CSi, the Ford Capris and the growing list of rotary powered Mazda RX-7s, as well as the factory Nissan Bluebird turbo's. Me and my brother were behind the armco in the pitlane with our backs against the chain wire fence when a wheelnut came off an RX7 and passed between our heads and through the chainwire and hit a bloke on the cheek. Ready for inspection in February 1962, it would take another six months for the necessary licence to be granted. 1981 Amaroo Amscar Race - YouTube Popular with spectators and easy for Sydney's Channel 7 to telecast, it became the backbone of the Sydney touring car scene, a scene which once consisted mostly of privateers who have largely disappeared since Amaroo closed, with the major touring car teams now operating from Melbourne and south-east Queensland. Much improved spectator areas were also gradually introduced, making it a much more attractive proposition to racing fans. This is a historic circuit which is no longer in operation. Amaroo was sitting on the rocks on the hill, choking on dust, avoiding the big ants that bit you, that giant hill to walk up at the end of the day to get in the car before the last race ended to escape the traffic nightmare. The ARDC lost money promoting the Super Touring Bathurst 1000 from 1997 to 1999 and this circuit was sold to recover some of the loss. That layout was later known as the South circuit once the over-under loop was added in the 1970s. . It was revived in 1997 and held at the ARDC's two circuits, Amaroo Park and Eastern Creek, but with the major teams holding exclusivity to V8 Supercar events, the mostly Sydney-based privateers were not numerous enough to make the series viable and the series folded after 1997. Once the heart of Sydney's motor racing scene, Amaroo Park went from a stuttering start to achieve great popularity, only to be overtaken by larger, better-funded projects. Fred Gibson's win in Round 3 of the 1983 series was the first win in Australian touring car racing for a turbo powered car, and Nissan's first turbo charged touring car win anywhere in the world. I was certainly interested in his theory of how the ARDC had the ability to come along and run an existing circuit and then, though a variety of reasons, cause its demise. The track then turned left and dropped down into the right hand Dunlop Loop and onto the back straight which again kinked to the right and led into the tight left hander at Honda Corner. During Seven's telecasts of the AMSCAR series at Amaroo, many minor race series for other CAMS categories were also telecast, including: Sports Sedans, Formula Fords, Formula Vee, Sports Cars, Appendix J Touring Cars, and Series Production cars, with many of the categories running their own series at Amaroo outside of the national championship series. Arthur Hayes, ARDC member number one, waved the chequered flag to bring to a close 31 years of continuous racing activity at one of Australia's most popular circuits. . Without hesitation he announced that it was because she was always so very far out in front!Unfortunately, Laurie was to crash Sabrina at Hume Weir two months later, putting him and the car out of commission for some time. 1986 APPENDIX J Series R1 Amaroo Park - YouTube By 1979, the series had become so successful it had a bigger prize purse than the national championship! Thank you, 275 GTB-4 and mctshirt. A compromise of a dog-leg chicane was installed on the inside of the corner, regaining the track it's licence, but it was deemed unsuitable for use by the Willoughby Club, who switched the Castrol 1000 to Oran Park. Needless to say, this was a far cry from the luxurious surroundings that had been promised. [1] Despite this, young Sydney driver Steve Masterton would win the 1981 Better Brakes 3.5 Litre Series driving his Ford Capri Mk.II from the JPS BMW of Allan Grice. Day-to-day operations were leased to the Amaroo Country Sporting Club in 1963, offering the public 250 membership opportunities at 25 per head, estimated to raise around a third of the cost of a luxurious clubroom that was envisaged. Amaroo Park Pty was formed to build the complex and first up was a bike scrambles course, which was fashioned out of a rocky area on the fringe of the valley floor. Legislation was duly passed and Eastern Creek sprang up to host the World 500cc Motorcycle Championships, prising them away from Victoria's Philip Island. The ACU decreed that changes would have to be made to provide some sort of run-off at Wunderlich Corner but the ARDC, mindful that to do so would require a re-alignment of the pit lane and severely reduce space in the already cramped paddock, refused. Drainage had also proved an issue, with the circuit subject to frequent flooding, particularly at its lowest reaches. [1] This began with a hillclimb track, as well as a dirt short track, a motocross track, a little used speedway track, and finally the main (relatively short) 1.8km bitumen track. [2], The first motorcycle meeting was held on 26 February with a 30 lap production race won by Larry Simons on a BSA Mk.ll Spitfire in heavy rain. amaroo park races from the 1960 - updatave.com Can you list the top facts and stats about Amaroo Park Raceway? The last Australian Touring Car Championship round to take place at the circuit was in 1994. The last race meeting thus take place on August 23, 1998, with a meeting billed as the 'Goodbye to Amaroo State Open Meeting'. But here I was at Tarrawingee (history will show that it was November 6, 1960), and I found myself entranced by the sight, the sound, and the glory, of the nude Sabrina.She was everything I ever desired, and I followed her every detail as she moved lithely across the pits and into the dummy grid area. The encyclopedia of motor racing circuits, featuring accurate track maps, detailed histories and onboard videos. Championship races held: 38 The final race in 1987 was known as the Hardie Irrigation 100 due to the distance being shortened to 100 laps rather than the usual 155. Originally posted by Andrew Fellowes Did many internationals race there? The 1984 Silastic 300 was the only race held under wet conditions. [1], The circuit reopened on 31 May 1970 with much improved spectator facilities and racing now run by the ARDC,[1] with the first of the motorcycle endurance races which came to be known as the Castrol Six Hour run by the Willoughby District Motorcycle Club later that year.[2]. The brainchild of entrepreneurial developer Keith Williams, the circuit opened in 1966 and the Australian Touring Car Championship's first visit in 1969 proved momentous with Norm Beechey taking Holden's first ATCC race win. A full length Grand Prix circuit was planned but never built. Travel eight kilometres inland from the beachside racetrack and you will come across an urban development known called Emerald Lakes. Thats disgraceful, i thought there would be dozens of houses. Opened in 1967. Last championship visit: 1994 The 1985 ATCC round featured a torrid struggle between Peter Brock, Jim Richards, Robbie Francevic and Dick Johnson, all of whom leaned on each other to the crowd's delight. Along with its abrasive surface, 3-2-3 grid format, and drainage ditches in close proximity to the tarmac it had been built on a Nerang River flood plain, after all the circuit's signature was its first corner. Amaroo Park was built by Industrialist Oscar Glaser as part of a plan to build a full motorsport complex. At its closing the outright lap record for the 1.94km circuit was 0:44.36, set by John Bowe in 1987 driving a 5.8L Chevrolet powered Veskanda C1 sports car. The opening event at the new circuit came on February 26, 1967, with a motorcycle meeting organised on behalf of the Amaroo Motor Cycle Committee. The track hosted its first ATCC race in 1964, back when the championship was decided over a single race, and maintained a regular presence on the calendar through to the turn of the millennium. Enjoy this four way tussle with Steve Masterton's amazing Ford XE Falcon, Garry Scott, Nissan Bluebird Turbo, Jim Richards, BMW 635 and Terry Finnigan, Holden Commodore, the last year of Group C touring cars. Originally posted by Vanwall Thank you, 275 GTB-4 and mctshirt. I was surprised to find that no thread has ever been dedicated to Amaroo Park raceway in NSW. Championship races held: 20 This was mostly as the large number of Sydney privateers who usually filled the grid in the nationally televised (by Ch.7) Bathurst 1000, rarely raced outside of NSW or Queensland due to limited budgets. Amaroo Park 31th May 1970 - 70-AM31570-108. From 1970, Amaroo Park was run and promoted by the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) who also promoted the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, and later were the promoters of Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway. In afinal ignominy, it was sold off to developersto make way for a housing estate for the well-heeled. Join Date: Feb 2005. The official fastest race lap records at the Amaroo Park are listed as: Last edited on 13 December 2022, at 21:54, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "ASTC 1997 Amaroo Park Round 8 Results", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amaroo_Park&oldid=1127283407, This page was last edited on 13 December 2022, at 21:54. amaroo park races from the 1960 - grace4lifexperience.com Short but challenging, the circuit was carved out of a valley with spectators given a view of proceedings something similar to a Roman amphitheatre. I have vague memories of running there and a photo to prove it on the autopics site but it doesn't show much of the track. Amaroo Park is also the perfect location to leave your car and explore the . Oh, and the Sydney Showgrounds! 1960 Garden State Park Racing Program - HOF BOWL OF FLOWERS in Gardenia Opened in 1967, the road circuit served as a venue for a variety of competitions including the Castrol 6 Hour motorcycle race, rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship, Australian Drivers' Championship, Australian Formula Ford . The circuit, in the western suburb of Annangrove, around an hour from the Sydney CBD, was the brainchild of wealthy industrialist Oscar Glaser, one of the pioneers of plant hire in Australia in the 1950s. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. [3][4] The ARDC also let Arthur Hayes, their #1 member (meaning he was card holder #1) wave the chequered flag for the race. The Sabrina has recently spent some of its life in Western Australia, but 2 weeks ago was bought by a near neighbour of yours, Andrew , namely Barry Naylor. AMSCAR (Amaroo Saloon Cars) was a touring car series held in Australia between 1979 and 1997, based at Amaroo Park in Sydney . I gather there used to be some hot sports sedan racing at Amaroo in the early 80s. Always tight racing, views over a great part of the circuit, very close to the cars at, what 65% of the track, terrific atmosphere. [3] did an advanced driver training course there, just after i got off my p-plates i now realise what an honour it was to do so! [1][2] The name Amaroo comes from the Aboriginal word meaning beautiful place. From 1970, Amaroo Park was run and promoted by the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) who also promoted the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, and later were the promoters of Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway. Laurie had repaired the Hume Weir damage and continued the construction process to its logical conclusion . With no funds to improve, it was the perfect storm and the circuit fell quiet in early 1968, with the only activity on site being a reduced schedule of events on the Short Circuit. Soon it was hosting a meeting every month as Short Circuit racing underwent a popular boom. It was only from the beginning of the "Group A" category in Australia in 1985 that the headline teams started appearing in the series on a more regular basis, with part of the reason being that as Group A was new to Australia in 1985, the AMSCAR Series gave teams valuable testing under race conditions (also because from 1985 Amaroo would hold an annual round of the ATCC). I'm also sufficiently old to remember Silverstone with horizontal rain, north-easterly winds and the mercury hovering just above the 32 mark.And the prospect of hitch-hiking home.
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