Amaroo Park first held a round of the Australian Touring Car Championship when it hosted Round 4 of the 1974 Australian Touring Car Championship. The race was run as a Butchers Picnic as a salute to the very first meetings at the circuit where the first races run were indeed Butchers' Picnics. . Amaroo Park is also the perfect location to leave your car and explore the . GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Amaroo Park Raceway was a 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day 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 Australian Touring Car Championship . Although I now live in Adelaide, when I get back to Sydney to visit family, I always go back to Amaroo. Glaser had a vision of converting this rocky outcrop into a world class sports complex, complete with a Grand Prix circuit, Olympic diving pools, tennis courts, bowling greens, a motels, restaurants and conferencing facilities. Championship races held: 17 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 Championship, Australian Sports Sedan Championship, the AMSCAR Series for touring cars, historic racing and others. Have we had a thread on Aussie specials? 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. At the fastest part of the circuit, the run up to Bitupave Hill, the faster cars (Sports Sedans, Sports Cars and F5000) were able to reach just over 220km/h (137mph). Order a Photographic Print or a Download. Australia. Yes I was wondering but not being very good on Aussie cars I wasn't sure, in which case its 1982 and driven by Terry Cornelius, thanks Ray. It certainly does bring back many a memory. The restaurant and club house that was built by the Amaroo Country Sporting Club still remains, though these days is a roadside Indian restaurant. * Amaroo hosted two rounds of the 1989 Australian Drivers' Championship (both held on the same day). Amaroo Park 31th May 1970 - 70-AM31570-108. mounted on that big supercharger thrusting Phallus-like in front of the Healey 3000 motor . 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. That 85 event was the last race on the original layout. Robbie Francevic, Jim Richards, Dick Johnson, Mark Skaife, John Bowe, Craig Lowndes and Glenn Seton all followed in Jane's footsteps in being crowned at Oran Park, most in similarly tense final-day showdowns. The race, called "The Last Race, The Main Event, Amaroo's Final Fling" started at 4:30pm and was held over 10 laps. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1960 Garden State Park Racing Program - HOF BOWL OF FLOWERS in Gardenia Trial at the best online prices at eBay! http://www.youtube.com/Super100MPHWelcome back to 1986 Amaroo Park for the APPENDIX J Series Race Round 1, 5 laps.Appendix J Touring Cars was an Australian motor racing category for modified, production based sedans. The whole sad scene was captured by national television crew which happened to making a documentary at the meeting, elevating further the question marks about safety. Pulled many drivers out of crashed cars, cleaned up dozen's of oil spills, froze in winter and burnt to a crisp in summer. no I don't think so. 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. . 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). Didn't Jacques Lafitte test a Ralt RT4 prior ro the AGP at Calder Park. For 1981 the Australian Racing Drivers Club increased the maximum engine capacity limit of cars competing in their series to 3.5 litres. Oh, and the Sydney Showgrounds! From there it was a short straight up to Wunderlich Corner, with the pit entry on the outside of the turn. brilliant shotsthose were the days (and of course a lot earlier than that). Dick Ward used to tow his Fiat Abarth (mit Mazda rotary engine) all the way from Perth to Sydney (2000 + miles) just to race there. 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. And the most sickening experience I ever saw at Amaroo was the Historic Meeting of Aug 1982 which saw the ex Gulf Team GT40 spin out going up the main straight hill, get out of shape on the last bend and destroying itself comprehensively starting against the earthen bank on the left and on and on shedding bits as if in slow motion. Rounds of various Australian motor racing championship were held at the circuit. Amaroo Park Raceway was a 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Its a long list: - Mt Druitt, Catalina, Bathurst (I know it survived) and Amaroo. It was the premier form of Touring car racing in Australia from 1960 to 1964.For more Appendix J info see:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appendix_J_Touring_CarsGROUP N is the modern name for the category, which is broken into 3 time periods represented by Na, Nb and Nc:Group Na is for cars commercially available in Australia prior to 31 December 1957.Group Nb is for cars manufactured prior to 31 December 1964 of which 100 have been produced.Group Nc is for cars of a make and model which competed in Australia between 1 January 1965 and 31 December 1972 in either the Australian Touring Car Championship or in other races for Group C Improved Production Touring Cars.Historic Touring Car Association of New South Wales:https://www.htcansw.org.au/GROUP N (Australia) wiki:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_N_Touring_CarsAmaroo Park Raceway info:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaroo_ParkCommentated by: Mike Raymond, Neil Crompton and Garry Wilkinson.All credit to Channel 7 Sport, Australia.http://www.audioblocks.com for music.Motor sport is an international language. 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 . Ray Lintott in a Porsche 911 Turbo entered the history books as the victor of the very last race. After holding its own touring car series from 1971 to 1993 (initially as the Sun-7 Chesterfield Series and then under various names, including AMSCAR), in 1974 the top-tier Australian Touring Car Championship arrived. Short but challenging, the circuit was carved out of a valley with spectators given a view of proceedings something similar to a Roman amphitheatre. The venue pioneered night racing in the championship, holding the first points race under lights in 1980 before doing the same for the first round of the V8 Supercars era in 1997. What a waste of a race circuit, that is an absolute disgrace. I couldnt take my eyes of her two beautiful big jugs . Three decades ago, it was the site of Surfers Paradise International Raceway. Championship races held: 65 By 1979, the series had become so successful it had a bigger prize purse than the national championship! How the Photo Download Works. In the end Amaroo Park was probably doomed, with rising land values and the reality that it would be unlikely to continue to be able to brought up to contemporary safety standards to allow anything other than club level racing. The ARDC ran bike events in co-operation with Willoughby District Motor Club, which would prove to be very innovative. The owner sold it to property developers for over $500 million. Its final championship round in 2008 allowed long-time fans to pay their respects and say goodbye. Championship rounds held: 29 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. . Now the name matched the body . Johnson won four races from 37 starts, including in 1981 where he clinched his first title in a thrilling race with Peter Brock. Wally Gates? [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?) I'm also sufficiently old to remember Silverstone with horizontal rain, north-easterly winds and the mercury hovering just above the 32 mark. Drive up the hill and the memories come flooding back, I used to flag there from '77 - '80. Did many internationals race there? 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 How the Photo Download Works. 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. You have got to be kidding. While the circuit continued to draw a bumper crowd, the championship moved its round to the brand new Queensland Raceway for 1999. A full length Grand Prix circuit was planned but never built. Thereafter the gates were locked and the venue fell silent. (near the lake) That was part of the never finished "Grand Prix" circuit. . The AMSCAR Series had its origins in Amaroo's own Sun-7 Chesterfield Series for touring cars, first held in 1971 and was won by Sydney's Lakis Manticas driving a Morris Cooper S. This would continue, under various names relating to series sponsorship, through to 1981. . We've teamed up with Motorsports Tickets to bring you the best deals for Formula One, MotoGP, Le Mans and more. 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. All rights reserved. The complex had a hillclimb, a motocross track, a little used speedway track and a short circuit track. . Amaroo Park was located in Annangrove, on the outskirts of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. On many occasions these events featured larger grid numbers than did the rounds of the national level Australian Touring Car Championship. Spent a lot of time in the "Loop" and at Honda. Originally posted by Vanwall Primitive! -28 pit/start. 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. Wally Gates, knowing my stockpile of 3-litre Austin engines, asked me if I had one for him that same week a gent came to a screeching stop in front of my place, having seen the sedans the engines were in"I'd like one of those for a Demolition Derby," he said, "they'll cop more of a bashing than a Holden How much? Gees, when one considers the topography and those rock faces at Amaroo Park, this seemed wildly ambitious. Amazing pics guys, thanks for that! Opened in 1967. The races were held over 155 laps of the 1.94km (1.20mi) circuit for a total of 300.7km (186mi). Tony Longhurst achieved more AMSCAR series wins than any other driver, with success in 1986, 1989, 1990 and 1991. No doubt hindered by the poor amenities, crowd figures had proved lower than expected, especially for the car races. Last championship visit: 1994 Championship rounds held: 15 Championship races held: 20 Most race wins: Jim Richards, John Bowe, Mark Skaife (three apiece) Set in a natural amphitheatre, Amaroo Park was a dream for spectators as much as it was a nightmare for a tyre on a V8 touring car. After the turn at Honda, there was another short right hand kink leading up to the tight right hand Stop Corner (sometimes called the Lake Corner). Drag Racing 1960's . Into the 1990s, the New South Wales government began its quest for a world-level motorsport event and was prepared to fund the construction of a new circuit in Sydney. funny you say that: that's where we did a lot of the braking drills. Amaroo Park offers a range of accommodation options in a conveniently located quiet location just off the main street in Cowes. Last championship visit: 2008 At the end of the circuit's longest straight, the nearly flat right hander under a bridge with both sides lined by walls represented one of the most demanding corners in the country. Although I now live in Adelaide, when I get back to Sydney to visit family, I always go back to Amaroo. Championship rounds held: 38 Join Date: Feb 2005. You can use this space to go into a little more detail about your company. Drive up the hill and the memories come flooding back, I used to flag there from '77 - '80. Amaroo Park was built by Industrialist Oscar Glaser as part of a plan to build a full motorsport complex. At the opening motorcycle meeting of 1984, 27-year-old rider Jayne Litterick was killed at the final turn when she was high-sided from her machine and struck by two following riders. [3] The second round of the series saw the one-off appearance of long time Ford driver Allan Moffat in a Ron Hodgson Motors Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback. AMSCAR (Amaroo Saloon Cars) was a touring car series held in Australia between 1979 and 1997, based at Amaroo Park in Sydney . Summarize this article for a 10 years old. Spectators enjoyed it too, thanks to high sandstone bank providing a natural grandstand and offering good views of the whole circuit. 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. A mix of classes from sports sedans to historic touring cars enjoyed a final hurrah. It reflected the rather straightened finances of the Country Club, whose debenture issue had failed to raise anything like the funds anticipated. My parents used to take us kids to Oran Park and Amaroo every year from about 1980 until it closed Ahh, the memories. plug-in track lighting walmart; buddy johnson highlights The owner sold it to property developers for over $500 million. 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. Most race wins: Dick Johnson, Tony Longhurst, Allan Moffat (four apiece). 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 Championship, Australian Sports Sedan Championship, the AMSCAR Series for touring cars, historic racing and others. Dunlop Loop, Honda and the Stop Corner were generally regarded as the best passing spots on the track. 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!! The last race meeting thus take place on August 23, 1998, with a meeting billed as the 'Goodbye to Amaroo State Open Meeting'. 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. He also started on pole eight times and started on the front row 12 times! We always thought that a car would go over the fence and into the pitlane. 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. 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. Other top line teams to contest the AMSCAR series after the switch to Group A were Peter Brock's Holden Dealer Team (later known as Mobil 1 Racing), Dick Johnson Racing, 1988 series winner Colin Bond's Caltex CXT Racing Team, Tony Longhurst's Benson & Hedges team (evolved from JPS Team BMW), as well as Robbie Francevic's Volvo team. Various parties enquired about taking over where the ARDC left off, though all came to nought in the end. The Sierras would have been quick around there I would imagine. The rest of the land was left to grass, but all traces of the circuit itself are now long gone. At fourteen years of age, and with my hormones in a tangle, I was lucky enough to be at the pit counter, directly opposite the VIP stand where she was guest of honour, at Albert Park. The champion's celebratory burnout tradition was also born at Oran Park when Lowndes sealed his maiden title in 1996 although he had to borrow teammate Peter Brock's car to do it after his own had a mechanical failure during the races. Ironically, it was often the AMSCAR events which drew the greatest attention locally, contested mainly by Sydney privateers with a smattering of star names. Frank Gardner's JPS Team BMW and its drivers Jim Richards and Tony Longhurst dominated from 1985 to 1987 (Richards in the 635 CSi was unbeaten at Amaroo in 1985 winning all 12 AMSCAR races, the ATCC round and the Endurance Championship race), while Gibson Motorsport, first with Nissan and later with Holden, also contested the series in the later years of Group A and into the new 5.0L V8 formula introduced in 1993, with Jim Richards winning in the team's Nissan Skyline GT-R in 1992 while Mark Skaife won for Gibson driving a Holden VP Commodore in 1993. Locally named 'Black Captain's Gulley' after an aboriginal chief, the land formed part of a valley, complete with the Cattai Creek running through its centre. That meant Amaroo was also the perfect place for David to trump Goliath. Hmm. Soon it was hosting a meeting every month as Short Circuit racing underwent a popular boom. 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. So is everyone on this board now ready to appreciate/accept their station in life!!!!! 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. After a second bike meeting in August, the next major event was the new Castrol 1000 for production machines. 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. It prompted the New South Wales ACU to suspend the track's licence for two wheel racing. more stories, one day perhaps? The encyclopedia of motor racing circuits, featuring accurate track maps, detailed histories and onboard videos. Legislation was duly passed and Eastern Creek sprang up to host the World 500cc Motorcycle Championships, prising them away from Victoria's Philip Island. Out of 13 starts, Brock claimed six race victories and finished on the podium in all but his final start. 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. Credits & Thanks; 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. Eventually, property developers acquired the land for $4 million and began tearing down the infrastructure. Originally posted by Andrew Fellowes Did many internationals race there? -AI, cam. Probably the most expensive destruction to ever occur at that track. The dog-leg (or the flip-flop, depending on your generation) was a driver favourite, as was the kink at the end of pit straight, and the rolling left-hander at Suttons since replicated in the reverse direction at The Bend Motorsport Park while the bridge overpass was unique in Australian motorsport. Most race wins: Mark Skaife (15). It would never return. Amaroo Park started on the short pit straight, and from there the track had a kink to the right up towards Bitupave Hill. I was surprised to find that no thread has ever been dedicated to Amaroo Park raceway in NSW. The circuit closed forever after the last meeting was held there on 23 August 1998. Peter Brock was the king of the venue when it came to championship races. On many occasions these events featured larger grid numbers than did the rounds of the national level Australian Touring Car Championship. There was a very old thread about Amaroo from a few years ago where member Buckshot went in and took a bunch of photo's, and all he found that remained of the circuit was a toilet block. . Amaroo Park was located in Annangrove, on the outskirts of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. Few mastered Lakeside better than Dick Johnson, but the local heros record at the circuit belied his speed. Today, little remains of the circuit, though the large Amaroo Park signs remain at the former circuit entrance, though most people today would imagine that it describes the small business park beyond, rather than a racing circuit.