Sydney Motorsport Park

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Sydney Motorsport Park
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Location Eastern Creek, New South Wales
Time zone GMT+10
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Operator Australian Racing Drivers Club
Opened 10 November 1990
Major events Australian motorcycle Grand Prix
A1 Grand Prix
International V8 Supercars Championship
Muscle Car Masters
World Time Attack
Brabham Circuit (Extended Circuit)
Length 4.5 km (2.8 mi)
Turns 18
Lap record 1:50.2739 (Bryan Sala, Matich A50, 2012, Formula 5000)
Gardner Circuit (Grand Prix Circuit)
Length 3.93 km (2.44 mi)
Turns 11
Lap record 1:19.1420 (Nico Hülkenberg, A1GP Lola Zytek, 2007, A1 Grand Prix)
Druitt Circuit (North Circuit)
Length 2.800 km (1.740 mi)
Turns 8
Lap record 0:59.6077 (Chris Farrell, Swift 014, 2012, Formula Atlantic)
Amaroo Circuit (South Circuit)
Length 1.8 km (1.12 mi)
Turns 13
Lap record 0:53.3600 (Nick Kelly, Radical SRS, 2013, LeMans Sports)

Sydney Motorsport Park (known until May 2012 as Eastern Creek International Raceway) is a motorsport circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek (40-kilometres west of the Sydney CBD),[1] New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sydney International Dragway. It was built and is owned by the New South Wales Government and is operated by the Australian Racing Drivers Club. The circuit is the only permanent track in Australia with an FIA Grade 2 International license[2] and is licensed for both cars and motorcycles.

History

The development of circuit was approved in 1989[3] and construction began soon after. However, construction was delayed by poor weather and debates over land ownership. A test race open to Superbikes was held in July 1990 and the circuit was officially opened by then-New South Wales Minister for Sport Bob Rowland-Smith on 10 November 1990. In 1991, the consortium formed to fund the circuit suffered financial problems and the complex was purchased by the New South Wales Government.[4] The pit facilities provide fifty garages with direct access to the paddock area and a covered 4,000-seat grandstand overlooks the finish line, providing a view of the majority of the circuit. Events are held at the circuit on most weekends during the year.[2]

Redevelopment

On 11 August 2006, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Ron Dickson, the A1 Grand Prix circuit designer who also designed the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, suggested that Sydney Motorsport Park was not up to modern standards and needed to be upgraded.[5] On 28 April 2008, it was announced that Apex Circuit Design Ltd. had been commissioned to perform a $350,000 feasibility study on upgrading the track to suit more purposes and hold larger events such as the Australian Formula One Grand Prix,[6] however nothing came of this proposed upgrade.

In early 2011, the circuit received funding for a $9 million upgrade, with the New South Wales Government providing $7 million and the Australian Racing Drivers Club funding the other $2 million.[7] The upgrade reconfigured the circuit into four layouts, with two able to be operated at the same time, with a total length of 4.5 kilometres. The upgrade also included an additional pit lane facility to cater for the new configuration, a new race control tower and new amenities buildings.[2] Work on the upgrades began in June 2011, with a new piece of road joining turns four and nine.[8] This link road, finished in October 2011, created the new "Druitt Circuit", also known as the North Circuit.[9] The 830-metre extension on the south-eastern part of the circuit was completed in May 2012 to create the new "Amaroo Circuit" (or South Circuit). On 21 May 2012, the circuit was renamed from Eastern Creek International Raceway to Sydney Motorsport Park.[10] Construction of the new pit lane between turns four and five also began at this time.

Configurations

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Brabham (Extended) Circuit
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Gardner (Grand Prix) Circuit
310px
Druitt (North) Circuit
234px
Amaroo (South) Circuit

Major events

The turn one spectator hill.
The race control building and the main pit lane.
The secondary pit lane constructed for the South Circuit. The main pit lane and grandstand can be seen in the background.

Motorcycling

After the first Australian motorcycle Grand Prix held at Phillip Island in 1989, there was a conflict over advertising between the Victorian Government and the tobacco industry, who were major sponsors of the Grand Prix teams. The New South Wales Government saw this as an opportunity to bring the race to Sydney and in October 1990, a deal was made for the Grand Prix to be held at what was then known as Eastern Creek International Raceway from 1991 to 1993. The race remained at the circuit until 1996 before returning to Phillip Island in 1997.[4]

The circuit has also hosted rounds of the Australian Superbike Championship.

Australian motorcycle Grand Prix winners

Year 125 cc 250 cc 500 cc
1991 Italy Loris Capirossi Italy Luca Cadalora United States Wayne Rainey
1992 Germany Ralf Waldmann Italy Luca Cadalora Australia Michael Doohan
1993 Germany Dirk Raudies Japan Tetsuya Harada United States Kevin Schwantz
1994 Japan Kazuto Sakata Italy Max Biaggi United States John Kocinski
1995 Japan Haruchika Aoki Germany Ralf Waldmann Australia Michael Doohan
1996 Australia Garry McCoy Italy Max Biaggi Italy Loris Capirossi

A1 Grand Prix

The Australian round of the A1 Grand Prix championship was held at Sydney Motorsport Park from the 2005–06 season to the 2007–08 season. During the 2006–07 event on 4 February 2007, German driver Nico Hülkenberg set the outright lap record for the original circuit layout with a 1:19.142 lap time in the A1 Team Germany prepared Lola-Zytek.[11]

A1 Grand Prix winners

Year Driver Car Entrant
2005-06 France Nicolas Lapierre Lola-Zytek A1 Team France
France Nicolas Lapierre Lola-Zytek A1 Team France
2006-07 Germany Nico Hülkenberg Lola-Zytek A1 Team Germany
Germany Nico Hülkenberg Lola-Zytek A1 Team Germany
2007-08 France Loïc Duval Lola-Zytek A1 Team France
South Africa Adrian Zaugg Lola-Zytek A1 Team South Africa

Touring cars

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Main article: Sydney Motorsport Park Super Sprint
A V8 Supercar race in 2008.
A V8 Supercar race in 2014.

The first touring car event at the circuit was the 1990 Nissan Sydney 500, an endurance race which was the final round of both the 1990 Australian Endurance Championship and the 1990 Australian Manufacturers' Championship. In the early 1990s, the circuit also hosted the Winfield Triple Challenge, an event which featured Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) teams and drivers alongside Superbikes and drag racing.

The circuit first hosted a championship round of the ATCC (now known as V8 Supercars) in 1992 and held a round every year, excluding 1998 and 2006, until 2008. Further to this, the circuit hosted the season-ending Grand Finale in 2003 and 2004, with Marcos Ambrose winning the round and the championship title on both occasions.[12] In 2009 the circuit was dropped in favour of the Sydney 500 on the Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit.[13] The circuit returned to the V8 Supercars calendar in 2012 after V8 Supercars failed to secure a second international event.[14] After another year off the calendar in 2013, the circuit has returned to the calendar from 2014 onwards.

The official pre-season V8 Supercar test day was held at the circuit in 2011[14] and 2013 to 2015. The 2013 test day was the first time that the four Car of the Future manufacturers appeared together at a public event.[15] The 2015 test day controversially clashed with the 2015 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, preventing V8 Supercars drivers from competing in the race.[16]

ATCC / V8 Supercar round winners

Year Driver Car Entrant
Group A
1992 Australia John Bowe Ford Sierra RS500 Dick Johnson Racing
Group 3A Touring Cars
1993 Australia Glenn Seton Ford EB Falcon Glenn Seton Racing
1994 Australia Peter Brock Holden VP Commodore Holden Racing Team
1995 Australia Mark Skaife Holden VR Commodore Gibson Motorsport
1996 Australia Craig Lowndes Holden VR Commodore Holden Racing Team
1997 Australia Glenn Seton Ford EL Falcon Glenn Seton Racing
V8 Supercars
1999 Australia Mark Skaife Holden VT Commodore Holden Racing Team
2000 Australia Mark Skaife Holden VX Commodore Holden Racing Team
2001 Australia Mark Skaife Holden VX Commodore Holden Racing Team
2002 Australia Mark Skaife Holden VX Commodore Holden Racing Team
20031 Australia Marcos Ambrose Ford BA Falcon Stone Brothers Racing
Australia Marcos Ambrose Ford BA Falcon Stone Brothers Racing
20041 Australia Rick Kelly Holden VY Commodore K-mart Racing Team
Australia Marcos Ambrose Ford BA Falcon Stone Brothers Racing
2005 Australia Craig Lowndes Ford BA Falcon Triple Eight Race Engineering
2007 Australia Mark Skaife Holden VE Commodore Holden Racing Team
2008 Australia Will Davison Ford BF Falcon Dick Johnson Racing
2012 Australia Craig Lowndes Holden VE Commodore Triple Eight Race Engineering
2014 New Zealand Shane Van Gisbergen Holden VF Commodore Tekno Autosports
2015 Australia Chaz Mostert Ford FG X Falcon Prodrive Racing Australia
Notes
  • ^1 – Sydney Motorsport Park hosted two rounds of the 2003 and 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Muscle Car Masters

An event organised and promoted by Australian Muscle Car magazine, the Muscle Car Masters is held on Father's Day every year. The event includes races and demonstration laps featuring Australian muscle cars and ex-race cars from the 1950s to the 1990s. Regular racing classes include Group N, Group C, Group A and Touring Car Masters while different car clubs have their cars on display each year and take part in demonstration laps. Historically significant cars in Australian motorsport are also present and complete laps of the circuit. While the main focus is on the history of Australian touring car racing, other classes, such as Formula 5000, have also appeared.

Music venue

In the 1990s, the venue held a number of rock concerts and music festivals including Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, the Alternative Nation festival and the Colossus 2 dance festival.[2] Music festivals returned to the circuit in 2009 and 2010 when it hosted the Soundwave Festival for both years.[17]

Lap records

Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo drove a Red Bull Racing RB7 Formula One car during the Top Gear Festival at the circuit in March 2014 and set a time of 1:11.2330. However, as this time was not recorded during a race, it does not count as a lap record.[18]

As of 17 October 2015.
Class Driver Vehicle Time Date
Outright Germany Nico Hülkenberg Lola A1GP Zytek 1:19.1420 4 February 2007
Racing Cars
A1GP Germany Nico Hülkenberg Lola A1GP Zytek 1:19.1420 4 February 2007
Formula Holden Australia Tim Leahey Reynard 92D Holden 1:22.5131 26 March 2000
Formula Three Australia Nick Foster Mygale M08 Mercedes-Benz 1:22.6290 13 July 2013
Formula 5000 Australia Alex Davison Lola T332 1:26.8987 7 June 2015
Formula Libre/Historic Australia Ty Hanger Ralt RT4 Ford 1:27.6786 5 November 2005
Superkarts Australia Warren McIlveen Stockman 115 Honda 1:28.1133 5 July 2015
Formula Two Australia Arthur Abrahams Cheetah Mk.8 Volkswagen 1:29.3500 25 August 1991
Formula 4 Australia Jordan Lloyd Mygale F4 Ford 1:31.6565 22 August 2015
Formula Ford Australia Cameron Hill Mygale SJ10a Ford 1:34.5519 5 July 2015
Formula Ford Kent Australia Rob Storey Spirit WL07 Ford 1:38.9196 22 September 2007
Formula Vee 1600 Australia Mitchel Martin Sabre 02 1:46.7250 26 August 2012
Formula Vee 1200 Australia Jay Hall Jacer Volkswagen 1:50.9297 25 September 2005
Sports Cars
Radical Australia Cup United Kingdom James Winslow Radical SR8 1:25.7027 14 July 2013
Supersports/Sports Racer Australia Adam Proctor Stohr WF1 1:26.7160 13 July 2014
GT Sports Cars Australia Jack Le Brocq Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 1:27.9783 14 July 2013
Production Sports Denmark Allan Simonsen Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 1:28.0570 28 May 2011
Carrera Cup New Zealand Steven Richards Porsche 991 GT3 Cup 1:30.9042 24 August 2014
Porsche GT3 Cup Australia Ryan Simpson Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 1:32.2420 4 July 2015
Nations Cup Australia Paul Stokell Lamborghini Diablo GTR 1:33.5918 18 July 2004
Clubman Sports Australia Chris Barry PRB Clubman 1:38.7875 23 June 2002
Aussie Racing Cars Australia David Sieders Falcon-Yamaha 1:43.5824 11 June 2007
Historic Sports Cars
Group Sc Australia Geoff Morgan Porsche 911 Carrera 1:45.8382 7 June 2015
Group Sb Australia Kevin Luke Shelby Mustang GT350 1:49.6999 7 June 2015
Group Sa Australia Peter Jackson Austin-Healey 3000 MkI 1:51.8841 28 May 2011
Touring Cars
World Time Attack Challenge Australia Garth Walden Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 1:23.777 17 October 2015[19]
Sports Sedan Australia Tony Ricciardello Alfa Romeo GTV-Chevrolet 1:28.9391 15 July 2012
V8 Supercar Australia Garth Tander Holden VE Commodore 1:30.9123 26 August 2012
Super Touring Australia Cameron McLean BMW 320i 1:33.8642 7 June 1998
Group A* Australia John Bowe Ford Sierra RS500 1:36.21 5 June 1992
Improved Production Australia Ray Hislop Ford BF Falcon 1:40.7119 26 August 2012
Italian Challenge Australia Andrew Leithhead Alfa Romeo GTV6 1:44.2082 24 June 2001
Commodore Cup Australia Tony Bates Holden VS Commodore 1:44.8247 17 July 2011
Saloon Cars Australia Ben Grice Holden VT Commodore 1:46.0023 5 July 2015
Group 3E Australia Bob Pearson Mazda RX-7 1:46.4351 7 November 2004
V8 Utes Australia Grant Johnson Holden Ute VZ SS 1:50.4062 26 November 2006
HQ Holden Australia Greg King HQ Holden 1:58.4667 7 December 1997
Historic Touring Cars
Group A* Australia Terry Lawlor Nissan Skyline GT-R 1:39.2091 7 June 2015
Touring Car Masters Australia John Bowe Ford Mustang Trans-Am 1:41.2736 24 August 2014
Central Muscle Cars New Zealand Jason Richards Chevrolet Camaro 1:41.5119 6 September 2009
Group C New Zealand Jason Richards Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback 1:43.0145 4 September 2011
Group Nc Australia Ross Donnelley Ford Mustang 1:46.0209 28 November 2003
Group Nb Australia Bill Trengrove Ford Mustang 1.50.5692 4 September 2011
Group Na Australia Craig Stephenson Holden FJ 2:11.2755 22 June 2003
Motorcycles
500cc Grand Prix Spain Àlex Crivillé Honda NSR500 1:30.360 20 October 1996
Superbike Australia Aiden Wagner Honda CBR1000RR 1:30.666 28 March 2015
250cc Grand Prix Italy Max Biaggi Aprilia RSV 250 1:32.080 20 October 1996
Formula Xtreme Australia Kevin Curtain Yamaha R1 1:32.657 4 October 2003
Supersport Australia Rick Olson Yamaha YZF-R6 1:32.727 5 October 2013
125cc Grand Prix Japan Haruchika Aoki Honda RS125R 1:36.270 20 October 1996
Sidecar United Kingdom Steve Abbott/United Kingdom Jamie Biggs LCR-Suzuki GSX-R1000 1:37.420 1 May 2005

* John Bowe's time was set during the 1992 Australian Touring Car Championship, when the ATCC was in its final year of Group A regulations. Terry Ashwood's time was set during the 2010 Muscle Car Masters.

External links

References

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  19. ↑ http://www.worldtimeattack.com/index.php/results-2015-yokohama-world-time-attack-challenge//

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