An anti-smoking sponsorship deal took Calder off the championship trail for several seasons before returning in 1996. more stories, one day perhaps? Amaroo Park - RacingCircuits.info Championship races held: 17 The circuit itself was as rich as its history. The complex had a hillclimb, a motocross track, a little used speedway track and a short circuit track. A quick video recapping the action from this non-championship touring car event at Amaroo Park in Sydney featuring some of the heavy hitters of the time - Al. The final driver, Andrew Papadopoulos driving an Alfa Romeo GTV, crossed the line at 4:40pm bringing the curtain down on one of Australia's most popular race circuits after over 31 years of continuous operation. . That 85 event was the last race on the original layout. [QUOTE=racer69]From that shot it is still amazingly easy to see the line of the circuit, and it seems the run up *****upave (spelling?) Championship rounds held: 29 Amaroo Park was built by Industrialist Oscar Glaser as part of a plan to build a full motorsport complex. This would have fatal consequences for Amaroo Park, since the ARDC was offered the opportunity of the lease and management of the new venue, which proved an offer too good to refuse. The increasing national popularity of the Australian Touring Car Championship, improvements in Channel 7's ATCC telecast, and the 1991 economic recession which saw a number of privateer teams only racing in the two ATCC rounds in Sydney and the Bathurst 1000, all gradually reduced the grids until the AMSCAR Series was discontinued after the 1993 season. It was closed in 1998. Further disaster came in 1986, this time during a Formula Mondiale race at the August meeting. Out of 13 starts, Brock claimed six race victories and finished on the podium in all but his final start. Hmmm. The first event open to the general public was held on 9 April. By age 16 I had a very well developed sense of appreciation of mechanical contrivances, and most of my private fantasies dwelt not only on girls, but also the svelte and sexy curves of the Maserati 250F. 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. [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. The circuit closed forever after the last meeting was held there on 23 August 1998. For 1981 the Australian Racing Drivers Club increased the maximum engine capacity limit of cars competing in their series to 3.5 litres. Championship races held: 20 The dirt circuit was off to the upper right of that photo. Championship rounds held: 25 This was helped by most of the major ATCC teams at the time usually not competing in the series. Most race wins: Mark Skaife (15). Amaroo Park was built by Industrialist Oscar Glaser as part of a plan to build a full motorsport complex. It was won by Sydney driver Ray Lintott driving a 4WD, twin-turbo Porsche 911 Turbo with a race time of 9:16.4942. 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. Here is the plan of Amaroo taken from Sports Car World, July 1959. Amaroo Park - Wikipedia This shot shows the braking area into the Lake Corner (Stop Go corner/ Speedway corner) In the top left of the photo you can see the track going over the top of the hill. 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. The 1.2 mile course began on the valley floor before climbing steeply up the hillside, through a fast kink, before looping back on itself and plunging back down the valley, round a lake and back to the pits and paddock. You can use this space to go into a little more detail about your company. 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. Summarize this article for a 10 years old. The tight confines made for close racing and more than a bit of panel rubbing. [3] Order a Photographic Print or a Download. Pulled many drivers out of crashed cars, cleaned up dozen's of oil spills, froze in winter and burnt to a crisp in summer. My parents used to take us kids to Oran Park and Amaroo every year from about 1980 until it closed Ahh, the memories. Laurie had repaired the Hume Weir damage and continued the construction process to its logical conclusion . Originally posted by Vanwall Thank you, 275 GTB-4 and mctshirt. Most race wins: Peter Brock and Allan Moffat (five apiece). [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. Known as Wunderlich for sponsorship reasons, the turn was known during the 1970s as Ron Hodgson Corner due to sponsorship from Sydney's then largest Holden dealer, was the final turn on the circuit and led back onto the pit straight. 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 Raceway was a 1.930km (1.199mi) motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day north-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The ARDC was in the process of moving away from Catalina Park and soon had big plans for its new home. Not that that meant anything then, anyway.From an early age, my Dad must have taken me to every motor racing fixture within a days travel - and some beyond. . More events followed, however poor spectator attendances blamed in part on poor facilities lead to the temporary closure of the circuit in mid 1968. or did the body match the name? Travel eight kilometres inland from the beachside racetrack and you will come across an urban development known called Emerald Lakes. Initially just one mile in length with only four corners, the deceptively simple Calder Park layout was a true bullring. -AI, cam. Thank you, 275 GTB-4 and mctshirt. The early seasons of touring car warfare featured more than a bit of panel bashing and the spectators that filled the hill surrounding the final corner were often treated to fierce scraps. Amaroo Park NSW Australia - The Nostalgia Forum 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. On many occasions these events featured larger grid numbers than did the rounds of the national level Australian Touring Car Championship. A total of 34 venues have held rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship/Virgin Australia Supercars Championship since its inaugural running in 1960. The first public car race took place the following month a series of other events on two and four wheels were run through the remainder of 1967 and into early 1968. amaroo park races from the 1960 - updatave.com I'm also sufficiently old to remember Silverstone with horizontal rain, north-easterly winds and the mercury hovering just above the 32 mark. The cars of Peter Hopwood and Graham Watson touched wheels as they headed up Bitupave Hill on the first lap, with Hopwood's Ralt veering onto a 10-foot embankment and then catapulting a distance of 30 feet over the heads of onlookers before landing upside down in a group of spectators. Gees, when one considers the topography and those rock faces at Amaroo Park, this seemed wildly ambitious. Amaroo Park Raceway was a 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day north-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia.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 Castrol 6 Hour motorcycle race, rounds 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. The restaurant and club house that was built by the Amaroo Country Sporting Club still remains, though these days is a roadside Indian restaurant. The first car meeting did not take place until March 12, 1967 and was a relatively low-key closed affair for Country Club members, with around 1,000 spectators watching club races featuring entrants from the Australian Racing Drivers Club, Australian Automobile Racing Club and the New South Wales Road Racing Club. 11 talking about this. (wikipedia) - CSP required. The incredible 1971 championship decider between Bob Jane and Allan Moffat where Moffat overcame a jammed gearbox and a spectator's rogue car joining the race, but fell just shy of beating Jane to the flag and the title played out on Oran Park's original 1.96km track. Copyright 2023: 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. Enhanced debris fencing was fitted thereafter, thankfully without a further need to be tested in the same circumstances. Championship races held: 65 A mix of classes from sports sedans to historic touring cars enjoyed a final hurrah. [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]. While the championship still makes its annual stop at the Surfers Paradise street circuit, little evidence remains of Supercars' former home on the Gold Coast. Originally set out in bushland, the circuit took its name froman Aboriginal world meaning beautiful place. Rare as hens teath footage of a 1981 AMsacr race from Sydney's Amaroo Park Raceway The circuit will forever be linked with Craig Lowndes' terrifying rollover during the 1999 event, while its final championship round in 2001 delivered an underdog victory for Paul Morris. On many occasions these events featured larger grid numbers than did the rounds of the national level Australian Touring Car Championship. Aptly named for its location next to Lake Kurwongbah, the close proximity caused two championship events to be postponed in 1989 and 1996, when heavy rain caused the lake to overflow and flood parts of the circuit. Wonderful, distant memories. In fact, it straddled the pit exit, requiring traffic to pass under it to get out onto the circuit, in a sort of 1970s-style precursor to Jerez's famous 'spaceship' (though on a considerably more modest scale and budget!). In the circuit's place came a new access road leading to a small number of expensive executive homes, similar to others that had sprung up across the Annangrove suburb. Drainage had also proved an issue, with the circuit subject to frequent flooding, particularly at its lowest reaches. It would never return. The owner sold it to property developers for over $500 million. 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.